Finchville, Kentucky

Finchville was named for the early settler and blacksmith Ludwell R.Finch (known as "Lud") (born June 10, 1806, and died September 12, 1879)^[2] who first came to Shelby County in 1841.^[3] Between 1842 and 1848, he purchased about 200 acres of land from the heirs of William Wall on which he established his farm.  Finch built his own blacksmith shop and store and the locality became known as “Finch’s Shop”.  When the government established a post office in 1876, the name Finchville was adopted.^[4]

The origins of Finchville Baptist Church have been traced back as far as 1780 when settlers of the Buck Creek, Plum Creek, and Elk Creek areas held worship services in their cabins.  The church was formally organized in 1799 by William Edmund Waller.  By 1800, a log church and schoolhouse had been built.  The church went by various names including Plum Creek Church, Plum and Buck Creek Church, and Buck Creek Church.  In 1891, the brick church building was razed and its material was used in the erection of a new church in the center of Finchville and became the Finchville Baptist Church.  In 1992, an addition to the building was dedicated.^[5]

Finchville contains a post office located at the intersection of KY 55 and KY 148.

In 1886, the first public school in Finchville was built on the site of what is now Finchville Farms Country Ham. In 1893, the school was moved approximately a half mile south where all the Finchville public schools have since been built. The school built in 1893 was a three-room frame building. A new two-story brick schoolhouse was dedicated on December 23, 1915, and it replaced the frame building. Initially, the school had eleven classrooms, a library, and an office for the principal. Although the building had central heating and electric lights, it did not have indoor plumbing for 25 years. The school also had a stable for the use of students and teachers. In 1931, an auditorium and gymnasium was added. In 1949, the final high school class graduated from the school. In 1968, the last middle school class graduated and the last elementary class graduated in 1975 and the building was closed soon thereafter. The school portion of the building was torn down soon after the 1975 closure. In 1984, the school lot and gymnasium were sold to the Finchville Baptist Church. In 1991, the school lot and gymnasium were sold to the Finchville Ruritan Club.^[6]

The Finchville Fall Festival is an event that is held annually by the Finchville Ruritan Club the last weekend of September.