Sugartit, Kentucky

Sugartit (formerly known as Pleasant Ridge and later as Gunpowder in the 1920s)^[a][3][4] is a rural community in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. It was located at the intersection of U.S. Route 42 and Kentucky Route 237 between the cities of Florence and Union.^[5] Sugartit has been noted for its unusual place name.^[2][6]

Sugartit, Kentucky
Former settlement
Sugartit, Kentucky
Coordinates: 38°58′22″N 84°39′46″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Boone
Elevation	794 ft (242 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID	504705[1]

The community no longer exists and has mostly been annexed into Florence.^[2][4] The last surviving structure was the Sugartit Asphalt factory.^[7]

Etymology

According to one account, the community received the name Sugartit because the local men would go to its general store during the winter months, when less farm work was needed, and return home late for dinner; their wives would remark that they "had to have a sugar tit at the store".^[3]

History

In 1883, when the community was named Pleasant Ridge, amenities and services included a blacksmith, a general store/paint store, the Pleasant Ridge School, a steam saw and grist mill.^[4]

During the time it was named Gunpowder in the 1920s and onward, the community had a post office and general store and a blacksmith shop. Both ceased to exist sometime after the mid-1900s.^[4]

In the mid-1960s, few businesses existed, with the Sugartit Asphalt Company and Haines Oil being the only remaining businesses.^[4]

Since the 2000s, suburban development from Florence has encroached the former settlement. Today, the Sugartit area “has several businesses and amenities on Route 42, such as fast food restaurants, a gas station, a car wash, banks, apartments, a body shop, hardware, a church, a pub and other establishments. Additionally, Tri-State Running Company has a store here.^[4]

Sugartit never became an incorporated town.^[4]

Notes

1. "according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, "it had the name of Pleasant Ridge as shown on Lake's 1883 Atlas. It was later called Gunpowder and the area is so designated in John Uri Lloyd's book, 'Felix Moses, Beloved Jew.'"^[2]