From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow: Unusual Kentucky Place Names [Paperback]

Robert M. Rennick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 1997

" Of course you'll find Paradise in Kentucky, but it's only one of the many unusual place names in the Commonwealth. Meeting these names for the first time, visitors and residents alike assume that some clever or funny stories lie behind them. So they ask, how did Elkhorn Creek get its name? Were the roads to Red River really Hell each way? Did bugs really tussle in Monroe County? Why was everyone whooping for Larry? To be hospitable and helpful, Kentuckians have come up with convincing -- if not always truthful -- answers to these and other questions about how places got their names. Some of these stories were clearly not intended to be believed, though a few of them have been anyway. From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow presents some of the classic accounts of Kentucky's oddest place names. Complete with map, index, and humorous drawings by Linda Boileau, this handy guide is a delight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A delightful discussion of over seventy of Kentucky's many unusual place names" -- Filson Club History Quarterly

"Rennick's book should become a permanent fixture in the cars of those who like to vary from the multi-land highways and really see the state in which they are traveling." -- Bowling Green Daily News

"I can imagine that if someone was really interested in understanding colorful town names, that he or she wouldn't make it across the breadth of Kentucky in several years. It would take that long to scope out the history of the names that catch our fancy. The good news: Rennick has done much of the dirty work for us." -- Central Kentucky News Journal (Campbellsville)

"Each name has its own story to tell, if we are able to hear it and prepared to listen to it." -- Journal of American Folklore

"Be sure to check out Nonesuch, Decoy, and definitely Bugtussle in this entertaining tour of outlandish place names." -- Journal of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society

"This delightful paperback will support the study of Kentucky history, as well as units of folklore, and will appeal to researchers and browsers alike." -- Library Lane

"They have a folk truth about them that needs recording as much as does the crystal pure fact.... delightfully narrated, we can be thankful that [Rennick] has finally decided to put his placename stories into print." -- Names

"These anecdotes will bring a smile to those of us who have wondered why there aren't any stallions in Horse Cave." -- Southern Living

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (July 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813109310
• ISBN-13: 978-0813109312
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,112,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Factual Stories about Place Names, November 11, 2007

By 

Joseph Marinucci (Springfield, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow: Unusual Kentucky Place Names (Paperback)

This short book is a series of stories that explain the origin of some of the more unusual place names in Kentucky. Rennick has spent a lifetime researching place names in his home state and, though the stories might seem tall tales, it is hard to doubt the veracity of the author. Not as scholarly and comprehensive as his book Kentucky Place Names, which is probably one of the best state place names book ever written, this work tackles the oddball names and is amusing and entertaining.

5.0 out of 5 stars Flat, Kentucky Reader Likes This Book, July 18, 2011

By 

Sarah Lizbeth "Appalachian by Choice" (Flat, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow: Unusual Kentucky Place Names (Paperback)

As a denizen of Flat Mary Road in Eastern Kentucky (just up from Vortex, Sister City to Drain, Oregon), I had a ball with this book. The fact is, there isn't room to list all the great place names in this wonderful and eccentric state, but the author hits the high points.

4.0 out of 5 stars Kentucky place names light, June 2, 2010

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow: Unusual Kentucky Place Names (Paperback)

Robert Rennick is the dean of Kentucky place names, and this short (< 75p) has vignettes of the history and naming of the more interesting place names In case you are interested in the title, Monkey's Eyebrow is a small city in Ballard County perhaps named sometime before 1900, for, what else, Monkey's Eyebrows. Some of my favorite pieces include nearby Elkhorn Creek, Mousie (named for a daughter of a large landowner, whose other daughter is named Kitty) and Nobob and Nolynn. The source of the names is varied, but I like Peewee Valley, being named for a singing bird, when the city officials couldn't decide on a name. Readers of this, as well as genealogists, and postmark collectors should find Rennicks "Kentucky Place Names" a useful reference. Readers may also want to query the online "Geographic Names Information System" for such interesting names as Big Bone Lick .. or ....