SUNNYVIEW TALES

In 1903 my grandfather, Joseph Hampton Gregory, was age 42, and after years of toil he finally achieved enough success to purchase a bit of land. He bought a 165 acre Kentucky rock farm and he and his wife, Lina Summers Hamm, together built a beautiful, classic country home for his family. He named the farm Sunnyview. My father was six months old when the family moved to that farm, with his two older sisters, Irene, age 11, and Eva Lee, age 8. My father and his sisters grew up there. Their parents gave each of the girls a nearby farm of their own when they married, and my father inherited the original farm after their parents' deaths. Joseph died in 1924, and Lina in 1926.

     In 1926, my father, now age 23, built a small country general store at Sunnyview, from which he sold packaged goods, soft drinks, prepared soups, and gasoline. The farm and the general store remained in the family for another forty years, and numerous family tales and legends grew up around it.

The Ghosts in the Kitchen

One night, ghosts visited our kitchen

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There were two special characteristics of Sunnyview. The old house was said to be haunted, and the farm was thought to be snake heaven.  One evening as the family was retiring, ghosts paid a visit to the farmhouse kitchen and gave us all a good scare.

The Phantom Knocks

Did a ghost come to buy gasoline?

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There were two special characteristics of Sunnyview. The old house was said to be haunted, and the farm was thought to be snake heaven.  One bitter cold winter morning it seems a ghost was in urgent need of supplies.  Possibly supplies for the long journey to the next world?

The Snake in the Kitchen

Fearsome Snake, and a country kitchen.

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There were two special characteristics of Sunnyview. The old house was said to be haunted, and the farm was thought to be snake heaven.  Both came to visit.

The Snake in the Outhouse

Aunt Elsie sought privacy.  So did the snake.

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There were two special characteristics of Sunnyview. The old house was said to be haunted, and the farm was thought to be snake heaven. These characteristics have generated many family ghost stories and humorous tales handed down from life at Sunnyview.

The Attempted Robbery

One day a would-be robber came calling.

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Real crime was fairly rare in rural Kentucky, but not entirely unknown.  Fortunately, a spunky farm housewife was prepared.

The Gregory Women of Sunnyview

Sunnyview was owned by the Gregory Family from 1903 until 1966

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There are many more stories than the ghost tales.

In this story, we look at the women who lived there.

Nathan and Shep

A Story a beloved pet

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When going thru old pictures, I found a picture of my father with a dog.  After some research, I found that Shep had been my father's favorite dog, and then I remembered his talking a bit about his dog when I was a child.

Electricity comes to Sunnyview

The Electrification of Rural Kentucky

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There was no electricity when Sunnyview was built.  The earliest utility services came to Ky starting around 1912, but it was not until 1938 that the RECC was formed and Fleming County farmers were able to get service.  This is the tale of electricity coming to Sunnyview

News of Grandfather's Death

The original ghost story as told to me by my father

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After a lot of research, I told the actual, true story in the story "Grandfather's Death" which was published by Ky Explorer magazine, and which is also available on this site in the "Gregoryology" page, but this is the original ghost story as I was told it as a child by my father, and as I had believed it for decades.