The Kings Mountain community is located on the crest of one of Kentucky’s beautiful knobs, 13 miles south of Stanford on KY highway 501. It has had several names since being settled in the early 1800's including Tunnel City, Kings Mountain Tunnel, & Kingsville. There are two theories about how the name Kings Mountain came to be associated with our little community.  The name may have been to honor the Revolutionary War battle of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, but  most likely it derives it name from the King family who owned the hill, known as Kings' Knob in which the tunnel was burrowed . 

Before the building of the Southern Railroad,  the closet railway shipping point was on the L & N railroad located in Maywood, KY, about ten miles from  Kings Mountain. The nearest post office was located  in the Faulkner & Howard store at Pleasant Point about 3 miles east of the town. During the construction of the tunnel this store served as the headquarters for provisions and supplies for the workmen. After completion of the tunnel, the post office was moved from Pleasant Point to Kings Mountain and the name was change to Kings Mountain. Later, James Moore, who had purchased land in the area, was afraid the word mountain in the name would discourage people from settling there; so he petitioned to have the Post Office name changed  from Kings Mountain to Kingsville..  How ever mail was received with both names "Kingsville Post Office, Kings Mountain, Ky. Dr. Thompson opened his office in Kings Mountain on August 1, 1892.  Dr. Thompson stated that when he came to Kings Mountain there were four stores, 

W. L. McCarthy of the Hughes & McCarthy firm of Stanford, Glass & Johnson, F. M. Howe and J. L. Johnson.  Dr. Thompson also stated that it would be difficult to count the many  businesses that he had seen rise and fall since he opened his practice forty years earlier.  Mr. G. A. Walter was a Merchant for 37 years, Mr. J. W. Thompson, a brother to Dr. Thompson and a merchant for 35 years, had a general store with a drug department. Dr. D. W. Laswell was a prominent business man and a general practitioner in Kings Mountain for 27 years.  In 1924, John Falconbury and the Patterson's brothers established businesses and were successful merchants in Kings Mountain . 

The Patterson's Brothers operated a large department store handing a great variety, including wearing apparel, home furnishings, hardwood lumber, and building materials of every description.  The Patterson brothers' store was located in the E. L. McCarthy building. There were two hotels, the Pennebaker and the Hester Hotel and saloon. C. F. Hutchison operated a huckster wagon and the Hutchinson store..  The store was located about a mile east of  the railroad station. J. H. Jenkins ran a black smith shop, sold cow feed, operated an Ice wagon, a huckster wagon, and served a term as  magistrate. John A. Singleton and H. M. Hubbard also served terms as magistrates. In 1932, R. K Lowe, operated a notary Public office adjoining the post office. O. J. Smith was postmaster, along with Lyman Howard and Sherod Singleton was the rural mail carrier.  Mr. and Mrs. Steve Reynolds operated a lunch room and boarding house that accommodated many railroad personnel .  R. A. Putteet operated a garage and a grist mill, Tilden Gooch operated a filling station and a repair shop.  J. D. Bennett and Milton Trimble were the local barbers.  Mr. V. N. Bastin was station agent for the southern railroad and  W. H. Leach and Mason Caldwell were the night switch operators. 

Mr. B. Skidmore was section foreman.  Mr. D. B. Baxter was signal maintainer and his assistant was D. J. Boles.  Mr. A. C. Martin was pump station engineer. There were three organized churches of Kings Mountain area, The Christian church which was completed in 1892, and the Methodist Church.  The Methodist church was split from the Pleasant Point church located about 2 miles east of town. The Pleasant Point church was established around 1811.The Methodist church served as the school until 1913, when a new building was erected on land donated by  the Murphy family.

This building housed both the High School and grade school and in the 1920's & 30's  the school was under the supervision of Tom Lay and Prof. E. G. Mullins. (information taken from and article written by R. K. Lowe in 1932) I. Work began on the south end of the Tunnel on December 1873, and the tunnel was completed in 1876. After completion of the tunnel in 1877, the town was incorporated as Tunnel City.  It was the longest and most expensive tunnel built between Cincinnati and Chattanooga .  The Tunnel was in service until 1963, when a mile long cut was made in the mountain .