Chronicles of the Knobs

by Sherman Smith

In the little-known mountain region of south central Kentucky, there is an area settled 250 years ago by people of Scottish descent. The Knobs are a narrow, crescent-shaped band of conical hills that cover approximately 2,200 square miles. Far from any major highways, it hosts a variety of little-known communities. The landscape forced the farmers to eke out a living on rocky soil with little modern technology from small tobacco crops.

The Knob people retained their social customs of the 18th and 19th centuries long into the 20th century. Language, folklore, and general outlook on life were those of another age to the middle and beyond the central part of the 20th century.

The settlements of Chapel Gap, Ottenheim, Pine Hall, Broughtontown, Crab Orchard, and the larger city of Stanford were the trade points of the communities, and this is where this story takes place.

Nothing was more beloved by the people living in the Knobs than their churches. This is a tale of the Preacher who served them, and two boys who could barely keep all the rules. Chronicles of the Knobs is a fascinating adventure story that includes murder, rape, and moonshining.

650 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2016