July 11, 2014

Yes, there is a place named Cloverlick

The Courier-Journal, in a story online today, reports that, "The campaigns of Alison Lundergan Grimes and Sen. Mitch McConnell are now involved in a social media skirmish about whether or not there really is a place in Harlan County called "Cloverlick," a place mentioned in Grimes's newest ad."
Cloverlick, Ky. is identified in the ad as the hometown of retired coal miner Don Disney, who appears in the ad hitting McConnell on the issue of Medicare. 

Josh Holmes has tweeted that "Reality Check had been unable to find a town named Cloverlick, Ky." Further, a national Republican PAC called America Rising tweeted, "Kentucky Senate Ad Claims Man Is From A Make-Believe Town."

Holmes and America Rising need to back away from that spin posthaste — there is a community in Harlan County called "Cloverlick Junction," which the locals refer to as the "Cloverlick" area. 

See my Kentucky Atlas, a book of place names in Kentucky, at www.kentuckyrollcallbooks.com

Below is the comment I posted on the Courier website about today’s story. 

"Joe [Gerth], you mentioned in your story that Cloverlick is not listed in the Kentucky Atlas, my book of place names in KY. The Atlas does contain "Cloverlick Junction" in Harlan County, apparently the home of the Mr. Disney in Grimes' ad. His daughter refers to her Dad’s home place, in her comment posted below, as "the Cloverlick area." Also, you say that neither the KY Atlas or Mr. Rennick's Kentucky Place Names book contain a listing of the "Germantown" neighborhood in Jefferson County, not far from where you grew up. The KY Atlas does not list neighborhoods or creeks; it lists only cities, towns and places with actual names, including wide spots in the road ... 6,500 of them. Members of the media and political campaigns ought to have a copy of the KY Atlas in their library. Check it out: www.kentuckyrollcallbooks.com."