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Roger Burke's Famous "Tour of Wallins Creek"

A good idea is to give names to the places you know. This is common world wide, but we in Wallins Creek have made this an art form. We not only name our communities like everyone else, we also name hills, creeks, curves and wide places in the road.

These name range from weird, to convenient, like "Across the River". That is an actual community. Some are even mysterious in nature like "Around the World". I’m sure everyone knows where that is. I wonder if anyone knows why that is. You can certainly go around the world quicker there than any where else.

If we don’t like the name already given, we won’t hesitate to change it, like Twila to Creeches, or Longton to Sawbriar, even Coldiron to Dixie Town. I must admit I like Dixie Town better. It just seems to roll of the tongue easier.

If you go up Terrys Fork and turn left you will be in Platts Fork. A short way up this fork is the infamous community of Bulldog Holler. There was a Bulldog mine near there, but it’s kinda like the chicken or the egg. I don’t know which came first.

Over in Terrys Fork you will find "The Spout". Now that’s good water! On up is a wide place in the road called "The Hump". I guess it was named for a hump of dirt there. There is also a large shade Oak nearby. This used to be a favorite resting place for citizens who were tired from drinking "Moonshine".

Over in the valley there you will enter the community of "Slab Town". Not a real popular name with the later generations. I suppose it was named for all the houses there, that were constructed from sawmill slabs. There are some very nice houses there now. No more slab houses.

On the other side of Terrys Fork where the main road runs to the end, you will find "Chicken Holler". Don’t know why it’s called that. You don’t see many chickens there, but you will see Freddie Saylor’s old red dog. Seems like Freddie’s always had an old red dog for as long as I can remember.

As we leave Terrys Fork, we are almost back to Wallins, when we take a left and go across "Graveyard Hill". If we go all the way across we will come out on "School House Hill". The school has been gone since it burned down during the forties, but the name lives on.

Now we come out on the main road through Wallins and head for Creeches. At the end of "Backstreet" just around Cole Curve we enter "Mexico". How it got here I’ll never know, but just ask any resident of Wallins and they will verify it is here.

As we leave Mexico we cross the Park Howard Bridge. On the right you will see Camp Creek. From here on up is a little fuzzy. We have Kentenia, Kentucky King, and Number One. Where one ends and the other begins depends upon who you ask. I’m sure once you top "Hunk Hill" you are in Number One, because this is where the old Number One school house sits. Behind this school is "Around the World".

On up the "Orrick Straight" and you will see Silk Stocking Row on your right. On the left will be the Cotton Stocking Row. I think this had something to do with the affluence of the residents of each row.

As we journey on our way to Creeches we will pass Ginseng Branch, or Sang Branch if you’re from here.  A little farther up the road to the left is Number Two, also known to some as Scott Holler. There is no Number Three.

The next stop will be Creeches, and we will have to turn around. As we return to Wallins we can see Fox’s Knob in the distance. I’m not sure, but I believe this to be the second highest point in the state. Sure seems like it when you're up there. On the left of the road "Tater Knob" should be visible. That is up Newberry Holler. Named for Newberry Saylor. The holler, not Tater Knob.

We now will go down "Backstreet". At the end we take a left. Straight ahead is "The White Bridge". To your right is the "Culbert", once a good place for swimming. Behind the Culbert  was a place called the "Willows", where the inclined would gather to gamble and drink moonshine.

The next road to our left is "Little Creek". Straight ahead is "Happy Top". Don’t know why it’s called that. It’s not from riding bicycles down it. That is terrifying, not happy!

After you get to the top, down the other side is Jesses Creek. If you follow this on out you will be in Dixie Town. I believe we will turn around here on top and coast back to town.

We are back at the red-light now and I’m ready to turn up Terrys Fork where I live.

This has not been an actual tour, but if anyone would like one just let me know.

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