Diamond Island (Kentucky)

Diamond Island
Geography
Location	Ohio River, Henderson County, Kentucky, United States
Coordinates	37°54′N 87°48′W / 37.9°N 87.8°W
Area	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Highest elevation	360 ft (110 m)
Administration
	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Henderson
Demographics
Population	0 (2000)

Diamond Island is an island in the Ohio River ten miles west of Henderson in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. It has an area of about half a square mile. The island had no population as of the 2000 census.

History

River piracy

In the late eighteenth century, it was a hideout for river pirates, most notably Samuel Mason and his gang in 1797 and the serial killers, the Harpe Brothers.

Diamond Island Massacre

In 1803, the Barnard family was emigrating from Virginia when one son, James, shot a deer on the bank. The family landed the boat to retrieve the deer and were ambushed by ten Native Americans, who were hiding in the canebrake. The first to board the boat was killed by Mrs. Barnard with an axe. Mr. Barnard shot and killed two before he was killed. The son, James, ran away with a corn knife, pursued by two. When one fell behind, James turned to fight and the last pursuer fled.

When James returned to the boat, his mother and father lay dead, and his two younger brothers and one sister were missing. What became of the three children was never known.^[1]

References

^ Allison, Harold (1986). The Tragic Saga of the Indiana Indians. Turner Publishing Company, Paducah. p. 96. ISBN 0-938021-07-9.

Rothert, Otto A. The Outlaws of Cave-In-Rock. Cleveland, 1924; rpt. 1996 ISBN 0-8093-2034-7
Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 512

37°53′00″N 87°45′08″W / 37.88333°N 87.75222°W / 37.88333; -87.75222

This Henderson County, Kentucky state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Allison, Harold (1986). The Tragic Saga of the Indiana Indians. Turner Publishing Company, Paducah. p. 96. ISBN 0-938021-07-9.

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