PEWEE VALLEY, KENTUCKY by Mary Utley ("B") Murphy

In the early 1870's changes were taking place in the little settlement of Smith’s Station, Kentucky.  This area was a peaceful place where many of Louisville’s prominent families came to relax from the summer days of heat and humidity.  The village had been laid out with care and foresight by Henry Smith, its wide streets and avenues planted with native trees to offer shade and esthetic beauty.  Lots were large enough to accommodate families and their needs of space for livestock and gardens.  Homes were built in many different sizes and styles, according to the needs and resources of the owners.  What had been a ‘summer place’ became a permanent residential town with the advent of better roads, the Louisville and Frankfort railroad, and more reliable travel to the city.

Residents decided to name their village instead of calling it by the dray designation of Smith’s Station (there was another in the Commonwealth by the same name) or the rail stop designation of Smith’s Depot.  Pewee Valley was chosen by a group of men sitting in a yard discussing various names as possibilities.  Because of the number of Eastern Pewee birds that inhabited the area and its ‘upside down valley’ topographical appearance, this was the title chosen and accepted by the town committee.  Officially, the name Pewee Valley, Kentucky was established by incorporation in the year of 1870.

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