Roughing It at Falls of Rough

Falls of Rough, a small town in western Kentucky, is a much different place than it was decades ago. In its early years, farmers would bring grain to be milled into flour, and loggers would bring their timber to be cut to build homes and barns, or be shipped to supply distant railroad lines. A grist mill was built on the west side (Grayson County) of Rough River sometime in the 1820s, and a saw mill followed on the east side of the river (Breckenridge County) a few years later. The community thrived with some 250 people.

During the next century, both mills would cease operation, and their remains left to the elements. The sawmill, is gone, except for a stone foundation, and only part of of the grist mill remains, the main three-story structure having lost part of its foundation to the river, and tumbled into the rapidly moving water in 2016.

Today, parts of the old mills survive to some extent, as can be seen from the photos here. However, the economy of the small community caters to a totally different crowd. Golfers come to a driving range not far from the old mansion built by the Green Brothers, who operated the mills. The mansion itself is now a Bed and Breakfast, and tourist cabins are built along the river, not far from the old Falls of Rough Church, where the community would congregate to worship and socialize. By 1877, an arch beam iron bridge connected both sides of the river, and overlooked the mill dam and falls.

The Falls of Rough Historic District covers some 50 acres along KY Route 110, with a number of buildings and an iron bridge, among other things. It was listed on The National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and includes: a church and parsonage (c. 1890), the grist mill (c. 1830), sawmill (c. 1830), another mill (C. 1890), post office (c. 1905), general store (c. 1880), the Green Farm and Mansion (C. 1830) and the iron bridge (1877).

There’s a lot to see and photograph here among the ruins for the backroad photographer. For those interested in other recreational activities, or lodging, there’s more information to be found online.