Addison is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

Breckinridge County Breckinridge County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,432. Its county seat is Hardinsburg, Kentucky. The county was named for John Breckinridge (1760–1806), a Kentucky Atto ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, United States. Addison is located on the Ohio River and

Kentucky Route 144 Kentucky Route 144 (KY 144) is a state highway running northeast from KY 603 in Owensboro, Kentucky to US 31W in Radcliff near Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north ...

, north-northeast of Cloverport.

History

The Holt post office opened at the site in 1880. The town of Holt (also known as Holt's Bottom) was named after the family of Judge Joseph Holt. Joseph Holt was appointed Commissioner of Patents in 1857,

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsibl ...

in 1859, and

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

in 1860 during the Buchanan administration. He was appointed Judge Advocate General by

President Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

and was the judge during the trial of the conspirators in the Lincoln assassination trial. Judge Holt's home, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, still stands in Addison and Judge Holt is buried in a private cemetery next to the home. There was also a school near the Holt home known as Holt School as well as a church known as Holt Chapel. Part of the town of Holt was renamed Addison in 1889 for the local postmaster, L. D. Addison. L. D. Addison not only ran the Addison post office and a store but he also opened a distillery in 1895 in Addison known as Old Breckinridge Whiskey. The Holt post office continued to operate from 1880 until 1958. The Addison post office, operated by postmistress Mae Harpe, closed in 1965. Addison was also the location of Lock and Dam #45 on the Ohio river. The dam operated from 1927 until 1971 at which time it was demolished due to the construction of the Cannelton (Indiana) Lock and Dam that replaced it. Ten homes were built on a hill in Addison known as "The Reservation". They overlook the Ohio river and were homes to employees who worked at Lock and Dam #45 during the years it was in operation. Those homes still stand today and are occupied by private residents who enjoy the panoramic view of the Ohio river. The L & N railroad also runs between the riverside base of The Reservation and the Ohio river.

Notable people

* L. D. Addison, owner of Old Breckinridge Whiskey distillery and town of Addison namesake. He operated first store and post office in Addison. Mr. Addison was married to Alice Setzer Addison (1862-1939). L.D. (Lloyd Dulany) Addison is buried in Cloverport, Ky in Cloverport Cemetery #1. Cloverport is located 10 miles from Addison, Ky down KY-144 W.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Breckinridge County, Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Kentucky Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River