While researching a story for this year’s progress edition, an interesting questioned surfaced about Madisonville’s historic signs proclaiming it “The Best Town on Earth.”
William Corum recalled that the signs mentioned the U.C. Milk Co., which was established by his grandfather Ashby Corum and John Utterback in 1927.
However, the Historical Society of Hopkins County, and some of its veteran members, couldn’t readily substantiate the claim through photographs or records. So that tidbit had to be left out the story about the iconic dairy business.
It wasn’t until this week — well past my deadline for filing the story — that new evidence surfaced. It turns out the backside of the Best Town on Earth signs had different messages.
Many people are familiar with the wording “Heart of the Coal Field” and “Big Tobacco Market” gracing the front of the signs that date back to the 1950s. The backside mentions “Dairy Farming” and “Beautiful City Park.”
It turns out William Corum’s memory is pretty good.
And that is the rest of the story, as the late Paul Harvey used to say.
Read about the U.C. Milk Co., and many other things and experiences that are synonymous with Hopkins County, in this year’s progress edition, which will be published in Friday’s edition of The Messenger. The theme is: You’re from Hopkins County if ….
