<h2><strong>Historical Overview</strong></h2>
<p>Moses Kuykendall, who had been in Captain William Harrod's company at the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville), established a fort at Brownsville in 1782 near Harrods Creek in what is now Oldham County, for protection of the first settlers. Settlers started arriving in 1788. In the early1800's as fear of Indian raids subsided, a trading center began to grow up nearby at a point where two main roads met, and this became the village of Brownsville.</p>
<p><strong>The Naming of a Town</strong></p>
<p>A number of stories exist regarding how Brownsboro got its name:</p>
<ul>
<li>The name came from a man named Brown who was hauling logs with an ox team after a heavy rain. He became stuck on a hill and remained there for so long that the town was named Brownsville.
<li>A man was traveling through the town with his family when his wagon wheel broke. He liked the area so well that he settled down, and the town was called after his last name, Brown.
<li>John Brown of Virginia came to Kentucky in 1793 and commanded Captain Harrod's company from the fort at Kuykendall Station on Harrods Creek. Being a prominent man in early Kentucky politics the town was named after him.
</ul>
<p>Some time before 1837 the name Brownsville was changed to Brownsboro. A theory on both the naming and renaming also exists:</p>
<ul>
<li>Brownsville was originally named after a Pennsylvania town from which immigrants traveled down the Ohio River looking for new settlements. Once settled, the city didn't increase in population as a city should so its citizens chose to be a borough instead.
</ul>
<p><strong>Churchs and Schools Take Root</strong></p>
<p>One of the most prominent landmarks in Brownsboro is Harrods Creek Baptist Church. Built approximately in 1797 it is thought to be the first church on this side of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1838 Brownsboro Christian Church was founded and for years shared space with Harrods Creek Baptist Church, alternating Sundays from week to week. In 1847 the Christians built their own brick church and relocated across the street. It remained until 1880 when the deteriorating structure was torn down and replaced by a frame building. In 1925 fire destroyed it and work began on the present stone building. Another church, Brownsboro Baptist Church, has origins dating back to 1875 and was built by slaves after they were freed. It too sustains a thriving congregation.</p>
<p>A one-room log schoolhouse served Brownsboro from before the Civil War. Located in a forest on the corner of Highway 1694 and Highway 329 is remained in operation at least until 1858. After the war it was decided that the old log school was too cold and too far from town so plans for a new private school took place. Records show that as early as 1868 a group of people built Brownsboro College on a parcel of land purchased for $250. The school bell was reported to be &quot;as big as a wash tub&quot; and was hauled by ox team from Peru (Glenarm). The college remained in operation until 1897 when, based on decreasing enrollment, the trustees sold the school for $267.75 to the Common School District 9. It operated as a public grade school until 1943 until further decline of enrollment lead to the school being closed. The school building is still standing today as the Brownsboro Community Center. Also during this time a second private school named Popular Grove was opened near where the old log school had stood. The schools reputation for having advanced classes in regular studies plus spelling matches, debates, drama and music drew people from miles around. The second floor was the meeting place for a farmers organization known as the Grange. Popular Grove remained in service from 1870 until 1930.</p>
<p><strong>Goods and Services</strong></p>
<p>In 1846 Brownsboro was described as a small village having two physicians and two merchants. By 1855 it was a thriving community with an assortment of commercial and manufacturing enterprises. There were saw and flour mills operated by water and steam power, a distillery, two churches and an academy. The distillery, Guyton's Mill, was located at the point where Highway 1694 now crosses Harrods Creek, north of Brownsboro. Flour and meal mills of this area often added stills as a source of revenue; corn was made into whiskey, and peaches and apples into brandy. Brownsboro became an industrial center with a tan yard, farm equipment factory, grocery store, cording mill, three mercantile stores, an undertaker and casket maker. Hat, harness, saddle, boot and shoe factories had people coming from Louisville to shop its stores for leather goods. A tavern and inn, two blacksmith shops and a local tayor served the community. In 1870 Rock Springs Hotel was built to accomodate travellers from Louisville. Its spa was popular for its warm and cold baths, showers and vapor baths. It was located on the Haunz Farm and was active until 1879.<br />
</p>
<p>The first post office was set up in 1827. The exact location of the post office remains unknown but is assumed to have been in the general store, as most post offices were at this time. The post office remained in service until 1908, after which mail went to Beard (Crestwood).</p>
<p>In 1881, the Louisville &amp; Nashville Railroad bought out the Louisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad that included daily trips from Louisville to LaGrange with stops in between including Brownsboro at the Peru Post Station. The road on the left side of the station is now called Glenarm (named after a town in Ireland). Trains ran more often and more people moved out from Louisville causing rapid growth. Eventually the benefits of quick transportation that brought people to Brownsboro became a disadvantage to the merchants. As goods from the larger city began to arrive in Brownsboro its industrial area began to decline. As the train service ceased, the Louisville and Interurban laid tracks from Louisville to Pewee Valley in 1901 but stopped running cars around 1936.</p>
<p>Brownsboro didn't progress much as a town after the mid 1900's. This made for a more pleasant place to live because the hustle-bustle of modern life developed elsewhere.</p>
<p><strong>CHRONOLOGY</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1782: Moses Kuykendall established fort (he died in 1807)
<li>1788: Pioneer families were settled around the fort
<li>1792: Kentucky became a state.
<li>1797: William Kellar constituted the Harrods Creek Baptist Churc
<li>1823: Oldham Co. was organized from parts of Jefferson, Shelby and Henr
<li>1824: First Wesley Chapel was built (final service in 1892)
<li>1827: Brownsboro Post Office established (closed in 1908)
<li>1868: Brownsboro College Founded (became a public school in 1897; closed in 1943)
<li>1832: Benjamin Allan organized the Brownsboro Christian Church
<li>1870: Rock Springs Hotel was built (burned in 1876)
</ul>
<p><strong>RESOURCES</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><i>History and Families of Oldham County Kentucky - The First Century</i>, Turner Publishing Co., Paducah, Kentucky<br />
<li><i>This is Oldham County</i>, The Oldham Era, LaGrange, Kentucky
</ul>

<h2>External Links</h2>
<hr>
<ul>
<li> Brownsboro Conservation</ul>