| Rabbit Hash | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
| Rabbit Hash General Store | |
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Rabbit Hash
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Boone |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lucy Lou |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | |
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Rabbit Hash is a small unincorporated community in Boone County, Kentucky, United States, noted primarily for its name.
The name Rabbit Hash may derive from the historic use of the local rabbit population as food. The hamlet's most notable building, the Rabbit Hash General Store, is regarded as the best known and best preserved country store in Kentucky. Rabbit Hash is unincorporated and therefore without fixed boundaries, which makes its exact population a matter of opinion, but the population is generally regarded as between four and 40 depending on how the boundaries are drawn. There is a distinction made between urban Rabbit Hash and suburban Rabbit Hash.
To date the original name of Rabbit Hash is unknown. The hamlet was originally known as Carlton and was required to change its name because mail was being mixed up with the larger community of Carrollton several miles down the Ohio River. It is still the Carlton voter precinct. During the early 19th century the town, now known as "Rabbit Hash", was well known for a rabbit hash meal. Steamboats often stopped to order the famous hash as they traveled along the Ohio river. A local legend states that, in 1831, a pirate ship docked and entered the town, where they proceeded to burn all of the buildings and kill every person. The next steamboat to stop for hash saw only a three foot sign with the words "rabbit hash" written. It was the only structure standing, and was thought to be the name of the town.
In 1998 a dog named Goofy was elected mayor in an unofficial "election", an event covered in the documentary "Rabbit Hash (The Center of the Universe)". In 2004, another dog named Junior was elected mayor. Junior later came under scrutiny by the Northern Kentucky Health Department and was banned from entering the General Store in the town due to complaints. According to WXIX-TV on March 13, 2008, the dog's owner would petition for an exemption for the "mayor".
On May 30, 2008, WXIX-TV reported that Junior had died.[1] A new election began August 31[2] and was won by Lucy Lou, a border collie.[3]
The historic Piatt family established a ferry in Rabbit Hash in the early 19th century going across the Ohio River to Indiana. Some of the stories of their run-ins with criminals along the river are colorful and legendary. The Piatts and other farming families in the area would take produce from their farms and send them via flatboat down to Natchez and New Orleans.
After the Civil War ended and the slaves were freed, farm production became far less profitable with increased labor costs.
The Duke Energy East Bend Station coal-fired power plant is nearby.[4]
The Rabbit Hash Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 2003. It includes 330 acres (1.3 km2), 12 buildings, 6 structures, and 3 objects around 10021-10410 Lower River Rd.[5][6] The Rabbit Hash General Store had already been listed since February 2, 1989.[7]
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