Silver Grove: A community that knows how to rebuild STORY AND PHOTOS BY KENTON HORNBECK, LINK nky REPORTER City: Silver Grove City size: 1.64 square miles Population: 1,186 Median Income: $59,420 Median Home Value: $108,310 Mayor: Neal Bedel Incorporated: 1950 Everyone loves a good comeback story. Silver Grove, a city quietly nestled along the Ohio River in northeast Campbell County, embodies the spirit of the comeback. The community has adapted to changing economic situations, weathered multiple devastating floods, and coped with the closure of its independent school district. The Silver Grove Volunteer Fire Department in the evening.
What keeps the city bonded together is an overwhelming sense of community and resilience. Joe Pelle, a city councilman and owner and proprietor of Pelle’s Bar and Restaurant, is a lifelong native of Silver Grove. He grew up in the town, attended the local school system and operates a thriving business. He’s witnessed Silver Grove’s change since he was a boy. “I believe it is the core people who never left this small town and have been a part of this story for many years,” Pelle said. “We’re doing what is best for the city and the citizens of Silver Grove as it continues to change.”
The Dari Bar is crowded on a warm Thursday evening.
Grady Brown grew up in Silver Grove in the 1960s. He also graduated from the school
system where he played basketball and baseball “When I grew up, there was a lot of community involvement,” Brown said. “We had block parties. We had dances. That school. I mean, everybody was involved in that school. When I grew up, there was the PTA and everything. Both my grandmothers were present at PTA there before, you know, even before I was in school.” Silver Grove was founded as a railroad town in 1911 for the C&O Railroad. It was described as a modern city in 1914 because it was one of the first cities in Kentucky to feature electric street lights, a modern fire department, its own school system, a spacious park, and an urban water and sewer system. Local historian Lee Bass said Silver Grove’s namesake comes from a park that operated in the area around the 1890s. The park featured a grove of silver maple trees. The plot of land that became Silver Grove was deeded by King George of England in 1755. There’s been a record of that land since the French & Indian War. In 1948, C&O asked to leave the city. In 1950, Silver Grove became an incorporated city and elected Gerald Losey as its first mayor. The main road leading in and out of Silver Grove is Kentucky Route 8, also known as the Mary Ingles Highway. Continues on page 6
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