Some Historical Facts

According to a story by Peggy Sublette who wrote for the Voice newspaper in 1973 and who has lived in Eastwood for 46 years, “there is some question as to how and when the place came to be known as Eastwood. Captain William Harrod’s County militia in 1779 and 1880 included a John Eastwood”, and she suggests that “the town’s name could go back to his kin. At any rate, there was an Eastwood Methodist Church as early as 1851”.

Eastwood was the site of the Long Run Massacre which took place on September 14th, 1781. Daniel Boone’s brother, Squire Boone, had forts which were attacked by Indians several miles from Shelbyville, and a large group tried to escape to safer locations in Louisville. They had gone about twelve miles when they reached the broad, shallow valley of a tributary of Floyds Fork. Indians began attacking, and many were killed. Those who were not killed ran for about a mile along the stream. Ever since, the stream has been called Long Run, after which the park and golf course were named. Some of the survivors found their way to the forts along Beargrass Creek where they met Col. John Floyd who set out with a party of men and killed the Indian leader. A small monument beside the Eastwood Park along the Eastwood Cut-Off Road commemorates Floyd’s fight.

Abraham Lincoln’s grandfather was also killed by Indians near Eastwood, and supposedly is buried under the abandoned Long Run Church.

An incident which Peggy Sublette wrote about in 1973 was a terrible train wreck at Johnson Road near Floyd’s Fork on September 8th, 1881. Seven people were killed and scarcely any of the sixty passengers aboard the train escaped injury. The train had left Louisville on its way to Shelbyville. Most of its passengers were from one of the two cities. The train consisted of an engine, baggage car and two coaches. Six miles beyond Anchorage the road crossed Floyds Fork over a bridge with a single span of 150 feet resting on abutments 30 feet high. The engineer blew his whistle as he approached the bridge, and looked out his window. Suddenly a steer ambled onto the tracks a few feet away from the oncoming train. The animal fell into a cattle guard, was unable to get out and caused the derailment of the train. The train butted into the side of the bridge, tearing it from its fastenings, and it smashed into the bed of the creek 30 feet below. Fortunately the water in the creek was low at the time, or else more people would have died from drowning. (The above historical notes were contributed by Peggy Sublette. Please contact Peggy at 245-0078 if you have any information about the history of Eastwood which can be added).