Central city: a town with so many names

Central City didn't start out with that name.

Charles S Morehead owned a steam powered gristmill on the land that would become Central City.  

When I first read that, I wondered what a gristmill was.  I found out that back then grinding corn & flour was done with a horse powered mill to turn it into grain. 

Morehead's horse mill was incorporated around 1870.

However, 3 years later it was renamed after another landowner, John Stroud.  At that point it was known as Stroud City.

With the rapid growth of the railways & coal back then, Stroud City grew quickly.

The Central coal & iron company had the most impact on their town at the time, which is why it was ultimately known as Central City.

Still just another small town, but the largest city in Muhlenberg county.

Measuring a total of just over 5 miles, Central City is what is known as a 4th class city in Kentucky.  Which means over 3,000, but less than 8,000 people reside there.

Only a little over a mile from South Carrollton, I see how both sides of my Wickliffe family ended up here.