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History
"Ravenna, located on highway #52 South, approximately one mile from Irvine, is the second largest city in the county. The land on which the city of Ravenna and the Louisville and Nashville railroad yards are now located had belonged to the Cockrell and Park pioneer Estill County families. At the time it was purchased by the L&N Railroad, it was owned by Misses Amanda and Bessie Cockrell and Mr. Frank M. and Lou Park.
The Ravenna Realty Company, incorporated December 27, 1915, had been formed for the disposition of the property acquired by the Company, which was sold in lots to the employees of the Railroad for use in building homes and businesses.
Mr. John D. Sawyer was president f the company and his wife, Mrs. Kate Hudson Sawyer, was secretary. Mr. Robert R. Friend, an Irvine attorney, handled legal details for the Company. It is said that Mrs. Sawyer is credited with the naming of the Ravenna Realty Company and for naming the city which is believed to have been named for the Italian city of Ravenna, Italy. The Ravenna Realty Company discontinued business about 1930 after their land holdings were sold.
At the January, 1921, term of Estill Circuit Court, Ravenna was incorporated as a sixth class city. G. Hackworth was the first police judge. Trustees were W.C. Robbins, W.J. McLemore, W.S. Yaden, C.H. Smith, A.S. Marshall, and Dudley Webb. Mae Richardson was assessor and Dr. E.S. Caywood was selected as clerk. In November, 1921, S.A. Hume, Roy Agee, William Ballard, C.H. Smith, J.C. Powell and Dr. Caywood, Clerk, was elected to serve two years.
The first census was taken on December 12, 1923, and Ravenna was listed with names of 1,245 citizens.
The post office for Ravenna was established May 12, 1916, with Mrs. Hallie Tudor Vaughn as postmaster. Other postmasters were Rosa Stanley, Kate M. Redmond, Lewis C. Wilson, Jr., James M. Wolfinbarger, Mrs. Hazel Snowden, Miss Maggie Wolfinbarger, and Mrs. Beulah Amerine Foley. Mrs. Foley served from May 15, 1935 to retirement October 13, 1972. Ravenna post office now serves as a branch post office of Irvine." - Contributed to the Estill Co., KY Archives by Jen Bawden, Originally written by Bobby Rose in the 1970s, Used here with their permission, Date: 05/16/1999, Accessed 10/10/2020 at [1].
