From its horse-drawn street cars to a new Electric Vehicle charger station at its City Hall, Barbourville, Kentucky’s downtown has officially seen it all. The historic town recently marked its 225th birthday with a celebration all about what’s next for the Knox County seat.
KY Historical Society
In October 2025, local and state leaders, neighbors, and visitors gathered downtown to cut ribbons on a brand-new City Hall, police station, and fire department.
“I hope this will be a place where you voice your concerns and your voices are heard,” Mayor David Thompson said at the gathering.
The new City Hall is now equipped with a Level 3 EV Charger, thanks to assistance from Rural Reimagined and the Mountain Association.
“Every day there is a car there,” said Mayor Thompson, excitedly sharing a story with the crowd about how he taps on each car’s window to find out where they are coming from. “It’s bringing people off the highway and into our downtown.”
“EV drivers often plan trips around chargers,” said Marcia Dixon, the tourism director. “This positions Barbourville as a must-stop, where visitors can enjoy the charm of downtown and visit our historic sites.”
The event also marked the launch of Yodel, a new automated shared calendar designed to make it easier for the community and its visitors to stay connected with what’s happening in Barbourville. Claudia Greenwood with the Barbourville Chamber of Commerce, described the frustration both event planners and the community felt in trying to advertise the town’s many happenings.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we would have come if we had known about the festival or whatever event it may be.’ Now, with Yodel, those events are going to be easier to find and share.”
The platform automatically gathers events from Facebook into one big master calendar. Barbourville received funding for Yodel through their participation in What’s Next EKY’s Community Accelerator program in partnership with the Mountain Association. The initiative was organized by leaders from Union Commonwealth University, the Chamber, and many other partners.
Overall, the day was a wonderful celebration of what can happen in a small town when people come together. Senator Robert Stivers, who grew up in the area and helped secure funding for the new buildings, said it well, “It’s a chain — a strong chain — of people bringing issues to us, giving us an opportunity to make things happen.”
EV Charging in Eastern Kentucky: Funded by a $65,000 grant from Rural Reimagined, the Barbourville charger is part of a growing effort to build out Kentucky’s EV infrastructure to draw in more tourists and bring travelers into our unique towns. The Mountain Association’s Energy Team supported by running an analysis of how much the town would need to charge users to support the additional electric use. We also connected the city with Johnathan Gambrell, a Corbin-based contractor, who completed the installation.
Beyond bringing in new people, the chargers also create opportunities for local residents. “We want to give local people an option to consider an EV if it works for their family,” Mayor Thompson said.
If your town or facility in one of the 54 Appalachian Kentucky counties is interested in exploring EV chargers or energy savings, contact Hope Broecker at hope@mtassociation.org or apply here.
