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The Forgotten Frost
What’s In a Name?
By Fonda Warnock
Ever wonder where towns and villages get their names? Some are named for prominent people who settled there, some for geological or topographical features, still others for the flora or fauna found in the area. But a lot of the names of rural communities came from the post office that once served the area. One such place was called Frost in Western Greenup County.
In the early days of settlement when there were fewer roads and travel was on foot, by horseback, or horse drawn conveyance, any area with multiple households could petition the
U. S. Government for the establishment of a post office.
The area located at the junction of present day U.S. Rt. 23 and State Route 1043 was settled in the early 1800’s, and became known as the Mt. Zion community after the Mt. Zion Methodist Church which was organized there in 1820. The area retained that name until 1888 when Benjamin F. King, Jr. decided to establish a post office.
The problem was that another post office named Mt. Zion already existed in Kentucky, so to avoid confusion, Mr. King was instructed to choose another name for his post office and to keep it short. He put forth the names Rain, Snow, Hail, and Frost to choose from. Frost was the only one of the four suggested names that was not already in use as a post office name in Kentucky.
The Frost Post Office served the community from its opening December 18, 1888 until it closed on May 13, 1915 where after the Frost residents had to travel a few miles west to pick up their mail at the McCall Post Office, later called Taylor due to its proximity to Charles Taylor and Sons brickyard (present day North American Refractories in South Shore).
As of August 2022, the only public building remaining from the Frost community is the old school which was turned into a residence by local historian Nina Mitchell Biggs after McKell Elementary School opened and classes were no longer held in the old school.
Sources: Place Names of Greenup Co.
History of Greenup County Kentucky, Biggs, Mackoy, 1951
Everything Greenup County Facebook page
By Fonda Warnock
Ever wonder where towns and villages get their names? Some are named for prominent people who settled there, some for geological or topographical features, still others for the flora or fauna found in the area. But a lot of the names of rural communities came from the post office that once served the area. One such place was called Frost in Western Greenup County.
In the early days of settlement when there were fewer roads and travel was on foot, by horseback, or horse drawn conveyance, any area with multiple households could petition the
U. S. Government for the establishment of a post office.
The area located at the junction of present day U.S. Rt. 23 and State Route 1043 was settled in the early 1800’s, and became known as the Mt. Zion community after the Mt. Zion Methodist Church which was organized there in 1820. The area retained that name until 1888 when Benjamin F. King, Jr. decided to establish a post office.
The problem was that another post office named Mt. Zion already existed in Kentucky, so to avoid confusion, Mr. King was instructed to choose another name for his post office and to keep it short. He put forth the names Rain, Snow, Hail, and Frost to choose from. Frost was the only one of the four suggested names that was not already in use as a post office name in Kentucky.
The Frost Post Office served the community from its opening December 18, 1888 until it closed on May 13, 1915 where after the Frost residents had to travel a few miles west to pick up their mail at the McCall Post Office, later called Taylor due to its proximity to Charles Taylor and Sons brickyard (present day North American Refractories in South Shore).
As of August 2022, the only public building remaining from the Frost community is the old school which was turned into a residence by local historian Nina Mitchell Biggs after McKell Elementary School opened and classes were no longer held in the old school.
Sources: Place Names of Greenup Co.
History of Greenup County Kentucky, Biggs, Mackoy, 1951
Everything Greenup County Facebook page
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