Fiddle Bow, Kentucky

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Fiddle Bow, Kentucky
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Fiddle Bow
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Fiddle Bow
Coordinates: 37°16′18″N87°39′29″W / 37.27167°N 87.65806°W / 37.27167; -87.65806
Country United States
State Kentucky
County Hopkins
Elevation
515 ft (157 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CST)
GNIS feature ID507993 [1]

Fiddle Bow is an unincorporated community located in southwest Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States. [2] It was populated as early as 1913. [3] The town takes its name from a black oak tree that once lived in the area that had the appearance of a violin bow. A notorious highwayman, Micajah Harpe (AKA Big Harp), one of the Harpe brothers, was reputedly executed in the area. [4]

Mining and resource-extraction activity

Fiddle Bow was home to an underground coal mine owned by the Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Company. As of 1980 it had a production capacity of 250,000 tons a year. [5] A strip mine was also located at Fiddle Bow with a production tonnage of 11,767 tons in 1980. [6]

In 1986 water from an old mine created what locals dubbed the "Fiddle Bow Geyser", with water spraying more than 50 feet in the air from a vent pipe. [7]

Oil was discovered at Fiddle Bow in 1968. [8]

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References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fiddle Bow, Kentucky
  2. Field, Thomas Parry (1961). A Guide to Kentucky Place Names. College of Arts and Sciences, University of Kentucky. p. 91. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  3. "Fiddle Bow Items". The Hustler. September 23, 1913. p. 9. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  4. "Kentucky's Fiddle Bow District". The Kingston Daily Freeman. December 30, 1938. p. 14. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  5. Technical Bulletin, Issue 1627. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1980. p. 150. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  6. U. S. Coal Mine Production by Seam. McGraw-Hill. 1980. p. 179. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  7. "Water from old coal mine creates 'Fiddle Bow Geyser' in Hopkins". The Courier-Journal. AP. February 22, 1986. p. 7. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  8. Oil and Gas Field Code Master List -- 1982. Energy Information Administration, Office of Oil and Gas. 1982. p. 128. Retrieved December 5, 2020.