as the“ Founders of London” with a designated memorial in the A. R. Dyche Memorial Park. The Jacksons donated land for the city, described as an area that ran from“ Rice’ s Orchard to a creek in a barn field,” according to a history of London penned by Russell Dyche. Jackson and his son, Jarvis, were the movers and shakers of the movement to establish Laurel County, named after the trees that bordered the river. They chose the city’ s name as London, in honor of their heritage in England. London’ s first shopping center also reflected that heritage with the name of Carnaby Square, where it sits today on South Main Street. The street lights along Main Street mirror that theme with their resemblance to the old English lights of the 1880s.
The early history of the county notes a post office opening in 1831 and the former‘ commissioners’ of the county evolving into‘ superintendents.’ In 1850, Levi Jackson, a descendent of the founding family, was named as the first county judge and Lott Pitman
being the first county clerk in 1884.
Between those 34 years, came the American Civil War, with the Battle of Camp Wildcat in northern Laurel County taking place on Oct. 21, 1861. This was the first Union victory in the neutral state of Kentucky. The war raged on, with the Battle of London taking place on Aug. 17, 1862 in which three of the Confederate soldiers killed in the skirmish being buried in Breastworks Cemetery- now located at the top of 13th Street in London. The Battle of London and Battle of Camp Wildcat are large tourist attractions each year for their re-enactment in October featuring period-appropriate dressings and uniformed soldiers in hand-to-hand combat on horseback while the roar of cannons echo in the background.
While East Bernstadt Global Methodist Church was the first documented church in the county in 1810, First Christian Church in London was, established in 1865 as London’ s first church.
The 1880s showed more
progression, with the Swiss immigrants arriving in the northwestern section of the county known as Bernstadt or Swiss Colony. Many of those relocated and settled the East Bernstadt community, north of London.
In 1891, De. H. V. Pennington opened Pennington Infirmary on the second floor of the former First National Bank of Manchester building that sits on Main Street. Pennington teamed with the Catholic Sisters of Charity and in 1926, the hospital was moved to the hillside on East 9th Street and renamed Marymount Hospital. A newer modern hospital was constructed and opened off Parker Road in 2010.
The 1880s also saw the rise of newspapers and the establishment of the railroad. Coal and farming were the key industry for the area, with East Bernstadt being a hubbub of growth during that time. The Mountain Echo newspaper was published in Barbourville in 1879, but merged with The London Sentinel in the
The Sentinel-Echo • Community Guide 2026— Page 9