Yesterday was a good day for a drive, and as I meandered through rural Bourbon County, I came upon a building that compelled me to immediately stop. (This happens frequently to me.) As it was at the intersection of two roads, I interpreted it as a former store of a crossroads community. A bit more sleuthing and slow driving led to the discovery of several more wonderful and intriguing historic buildings and stone fences. Now I just need the rest of the story – who can tell me the history of Plum?
This alluring little roadside building beckoned to me.
Robert Rennick, in the always useful tome Kentucky Place Names, shared a bit of background information, but I found nary a site in my Green Book (the Historic Architecture of Bourbon County, Kentucky, from 1985), and my other normal avenues of research also turned up…nothing.
Plum, on the North Middletown USGS topographic map.
I know that the late David Dick had ancestral ties to Plum Lick, but I don’t know if any of his writings cross paths with my interest (obsession?) with historic buildings and places.
A farmstead scene in Plum, Kentucky.
So this is my appeal for those Bourbon County folks in the know – and I know there are a lot of you! – to share with me what history you have of this community. You can comment on this post, you can message Gardens to Gables on Facebook, or you can send an email to gardens2gables@gmail.com.
I remember it as Plum Lick and was through there often in the 50s as we had a farm near there on Peyton Lick….the old Gillespie place. I believe they had a gas pump at the small store and I think we stopped now and then at the store perhaps for gas. As a local community gathering spot there were generally cars stopped there and you could meet folks….it was a stop for dad when he was campaigning for the State House.
When they rerouted the road to the east the other side of the creek towards Bunker Hill, they essentially by passed the community
Neat – I enjoyed reading David Dick’s books….he spoke several times in Harrodsburg……………interesting man……………..
David did a story about the Levy Store as shown in your first photo for his monthly piece “A view from Plum Lick” which appeared in the Kentucky Living (I think) publication. It was more about the people who frequented the store than the building itself
This building was called the Levy store. When I was a little boy, Bertie Kate Mason owned the store. The little building sitting out back was the cream station. They carried groceries there, fairly good variety. I remember my father stopping there on Friday nites and buying groceries. You could get gas and coal oil. Where the concrete bridge is was an old steel span bridge across Brush creek. Somewhere I have a picture of Ray workman, Mundy leggitt, and another fellow and they had shot a couple of wolves, and were showing them. I lived in that area until I moved away in 06. Ray workman and his wife Lou Ellen wound up owning that store for a lot of years. Lou, used the little building to do figurines and pottery. Her granddaughter lives in the house beside the store. Ray and Lou Ellens daughter lives just down the road, her name is Jane Allen. I got to say, that was the community center for everyone. I can remember you could not find a place to park it would be so crowded. Sure do miss that spot Feel free to contact me, I am 70 years old and remember a lot from there. A very few of the old timers are still around.
This place is called the Levy and the store was the Levy Store, gas station and market. Standing at the end of the Levy Rd to North Middletown with the crossing of Cane Ridge Rd leading to Little (Flat) Rock and Bunker Hill. George Arnold (early 60’s) was the first proprietor I remember, followed by Ray and Louellen Workmen (70’s to approx 2000) and finally Karen Johnson.
My great grandparents, Ray and Lou Ellen Workman owned and ran this store/gas station for many years. It was a lunch spot and gathering place for all of the local farmers. I grew up and even worked the store on the weekends for them in the mid 90’s.
As far back as I can remember that crossroads was called The Levy… The family that ran the store and lived in the house behind the store was the Workman family.. James Hedges owned the big house on the hill, you probably saw, across the road.. If you take the north road from the store, it dead ends at an old iron bridge that was abandoned in the late 50’s.. That last house on the right was where Esslie Robinson lived.. Stud man for Claiborne Farm and handler for Secretariats …..
It’s only called Plum by those that aren’t from that area….. Plum Lick is over by Bunker Hill where there’s a store… There was a store on Plum Lick Road but it was abandoned in the early 40’s….. That’s my view from Beeler Hill…..
I have so many great memories of this store, owned by the Workman’s.
Back in the 70’s my grandfather used to frequent this location and I had the honor to go with him on many occasions.
I remember it well. I would meet up with friends there and drink sodas and play Rook. There was a cream station behind the store and I rode my bike to sell our cream. I can remember a Ms. Annie Arnold who ran the store. The last person that I knew who owned the store was Luella Workman. Most people called it the Levee store.
I remember that little building as the Levy store. It was always a treat to get to stop for a cold Ale 8 and go behind the counter to pick out a bag of candy, which at that time was .5 cents or .10 cents a piece. Lots of great memories growing up!
This is so amazing, my name is Ann Johnson Vaughn, I have lived my life in Plum. My husband & I own the old store your photographed. Yes it was the hub of our community for decades, my mother ran the store for several years after she retired, before that it was owned by Ray & Lou Ellen Workman, Lou’s mother owned it & was the post master (so I’ve been told) as it was the Plum Post Office.
You were 1 Mile from Edward Boone’s burial site, the creek that you drive across is Boone Creek. There is a gentleman by the name of Harold Grooms that is our local historian. Feel free to come back to our community and we can show you around and share with you the beauty of Plum. There are many of us who have grown up here and raised our families where the living is slow and the tea is sweet.
I know that building as Ray Workman’s Store. When I was in elementary school at Little Rock, the last day of school before summer break our bus driver Mr Tip Beatty would stop there and let us get a pop and candy bar.
At age 21 my dad was at the same store when they heard about the Japanese Bombing Pearl Harbor over the radio.
I’ve always thought that community was known as the Levee
This store in the picture was owned by Ray Workman. Their daughter Jane Allen still lives right down from the store. It was a typical “hang out” for farmers during lunch. Cold sandwiches, chips and pop.
That’s known to everyone that has lived in that area very long as The Levy… That’s why there’s a Levy Road… The road goes from North Middletown to The Levy…. It’s called Plum on your GPS,, which is incorrect.. When you call it Plum, the old people know you’re a foreigner…
That’s my view from Beeler Hill….
Grew up on corner of rock ridge and plum lick really nice place to live
Plum sits near the confluence of Plum Lick creek and Boone creek . It is known locally as The Levy . The store was a central gathering place in the community in the 50s thru the early 2000s. Back in the day you could sell eggs, cream, walnuts and even fur at the Levy.
My grandparents farm was a little less than a mile away from this crossroads. They called this place the levy and it was indeed a store. I live in NC now but traveled through these backroads back to my grandparents farm just in September. So much has changed with the old bridge that used to cross the creek just past the building. So amazing to see your post.
My Grandparents farm was about a half mile or so up the road from there. There’s always something to do on a tobacco farm…settin’, toppin’, strippin’…not to mention slopping and haying. This photo brought back lots of memories of summers at the farm when it would be full of aunts, uncles, cousins, Mamaw and Papaw.
I’ve been there many times. My grandparents, Walter and Peaches Blevins, Sr. owned a farm nearby. It was the only store around.
Locally, we called this area the Levy, and this was the Levy (Levee?) store. For as long as I remember it was run by Ray and LouElla Workman. My momma could tell you more, I’m sure. The men met inside, played cards and checkers. You could always get a cold pop.
David Dick wrote several books about growing up in Plum Lick. The library, museum or Fox library all have a lot of info.
My Family and I grew up playing in this little corner store that our great grandparents ran. Workman Family
I grew up knowing it as the levy store, ran by a man named ray made deli sandwiches and such. was open my whole childhood and then some , but closed at least 20 years ago . Lots of historical homes and such out in the area of Little Rock and plum lick
I remember the little store at the Levee well. My in laws Walter and Peachie Blevins(I was married to John Blevins) owned a farm about a mile down the road. we went back every summer for a visit with the family and always stopped at the little store for a cold soft drink. Many fond memories of the area. I’ve been told the Blevins farm home is totally destroyed and thats a shame.
I along with my brother and our buddies the Hedge’s, Workman’s, Dale’s, Hinkle’s, Robinson’s and many more grew up at the “Levy”…I carried eggs and cream down there for my grandmother in the 50’s, (June JOHNSON) and traded for items like bread or some canned goods…as we buddies grew older, it was a meeting place to get jobs in hay during the summer, we could make a few dollars for the weekend! A great place to hang out on “snow days” and listen to tall tales from the older folks…We got our license and all got cars, we would meet there to carpool into town on Friday and Saturday nights…we could get oil and gas from the store for the cars! I remember Ms Annie Arnold as the first person (50’s), then Ms Bertie Kate & her daughters, when they left, it was the Workman’s for most of my life! My brother Charles Johnson bought the farm and store and a few folks tried their hand at keeping it open most notable my sister n law Karen Johnson by now the Walmarts and Dollar stores had taken over and it was no longer feasible to keep it open…my niece Ann & Vince now own the property …I’m 76, my brother is 75, we’ve spent our lives in and out of the “Levy Store”, we are now that older generation that would be sharing tall tales if it were still open! By the way, I just scratched the surface of all the going’s on at the “Levy”
I SAW A NOTICE FROM HERALD AND STEWART THAT JANE WORKMAN ALLEN.
Yes Jane passed after a fairly long illness…she was a sweet person, knew her all my life, she will be missed…last one of the Workmen clan😔
I SAW A OBIT, FROM HERALD AND STERWART THAT JANE WORKMAN HAS PASSED.SHE WAS SUCH A FRIENDLY AND HARD WORKING LADY ,I SAW HER LAST AT JCP IN MT.STERLING. SHE PASSED IN THE HOUSE WHERE SHE GREW UP.
I am sorry to hear this. Thank you for letting me know.
HERALD AND STERWART OBIT IN MT.STERLING
JANE WORKMAN ALLEN “OBIT IS AT HERALD AND STEWART IN MT.STERLING.