FALMOUTH -- Falmouth is full of history, like the 200-year-old buildings that line its downtown streets and the ancient Licking River that forms the city's northern border.

Max Goldberg, who was born in Falmouth 85 years ago, has been the mayor since 1950, with one four-year hiatus. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

And those who call this Pendleton County city home make sure they keep that history alive.

Through the restoration of colonial and federal structures and the constant retelling of the city's past, residents act as part-time historians, making sure any newcomers are quickly initiated into Falmouth lore.

"There's lots of history, like this building here," Mayor Max Goldberg said as he walked down ShelBY Street in the heart of Falmouth's downtown. "This building used to be a bank and the folks wanted to tear it down, so I bought it."

Mr. Goldberg, 85, was born in Falmouth and has been mayor since 1950, except for a short hiatus. The building he is now renovating is the former Pendleton Bank. Two tarnished bronze mercury coins are planted in the building's brick facade, above the front door. In more recent years, the building housed a restaurant. But a fire and then the disastrous flood of 1997 damaged the structure's interior. Like many other downtown buildings, the old Pendleton Bank needs a lot of work. Years of neglect, three major floods and a tornado are all part of the city's history, too.

Mr. Goldberg, who already owns several downtown buildings, keeps buying more in what can only be described as an effort to save his hometown.

"You have to remember that people have lived here several generations," Mr. Goldberg said. "Half the city is related to each other. But there is no hustle and bustle here. People in Falmouth have time for life."

There was a time when stagecoaches and Confederate and Union soldiers traveled the city's streets. When ferries shuttled residents and merchants across the Licking River to do business. When agriculture and wool production were the main means of making a living.

There was a time when life was measured BY the boats transporting goods along the Licking River.

And the time still exists when residents mark life BY the Licking River floods, counting the years between disasters and the days until they reach full recovery stage.

"A lot of people don't understand why these folks relocate here when the flood has hit," City Manager Steve Hasson said. "But the flood is almost like a tide for them. It comes, it goes and it's a part of their history. So they live with it and they struggle with it. The floods, like the river, are part of the culture."

To understand Falmouth, one must understand the city's family history, longtime residents said.

The city was officially recognized BY the state in 1792, when a charter was issued BY the Kentucky Legislature to John Waller. Mr. Waller, the city's founder, owned 100 acres of land at the forks of the Licking River, where settlers had lived since 1780.

The area also included 1,000 acres given to Col. Holt Richardson for his military service in the Revolutionary War and additional property owned BY Mr. Waller, John Cook and William McDowell. The city is named after Mr. Waller's hometown of Falmouth, Va., near Fredericksburg.

And many of the city's streets are named for original families, like Mont Joy, whose cabin still stands.

Wayne Cummins, owner of the Poor Man's Shop on West ShelBY Street in Falmouth, chats with his friend Doug Ritchie of Falmouth. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

Falmouth historians say there are eight to 10 generations of families that have always lived in the same home. There are legacies and social intercourses that have been passed down. Put simply, there are family roots that run as deep as the roots from some of the area's oldest trees.

And all of these things create a magnetic pull on residents, drawing them back when they stray to other counties or flee the floods. Mary Klaber and her husband Bill just finished flood renovations on her childhood home. They bought the house five years ago. It took them two months after the flood to decide to return.

"When we got the house it was completely in disarray, but we fixed it up. Then we had a little disruption called the flood," Mrs. Klaber said. "Before we decided to fix the house up again each of my four children were trying to think of ways they could save the house. It really is like a member of our family."

The Klabers didn't always live in Falmouth. For a while, Mr. and Mrs. Klaber lived in La Grange, Ky., with their four children. But there was always that inner desire to return home.

When the Klabers made the move, they didn't end up in Mrs. Klaber's ancestral home immediately. She kept dropping hints that she wanted to buy the home. Mr. Klaber tried to surprise her with the house on Christmas, but the word spread before he made it home from the real estate office.

"Before he got home, the Realtor's wife told me she had seen my husband in the office and then I knew," Mrs. Klaber said. "We're all just so close-knit and this is such a small town that there are no surprises. If you have an affair, everybody knows about it." That's not to say the small-town atmosphere is a nosy one. Postman Gary Barnard said the community is really part of everyone's family. "A lot of people in big cities don't know who their neighbors are and probably don't want to," Mr. Barnard said. "But we all know each other here. And it's that kind of atmosphere that impresses people."

That embracing feeling of belonging brought Geneva Fugate into town a month ago to open a yet-to-be-named antique and lawn furniture store. Mrs. Fugate said she thought Falmouth could use the help, and she's always wanted to run a store. She might call it the Treasure Trove.

Juanita and Wayne Cummins left Falmouth after the flood and reluctantly returned this week to start a new auction and antique shop. They came back because they couldn't ignore the pull of the city.

"I wasn't planning on coming back, but I couldn't find anything out in the country, and I do know a lot of people here," Mr. Cummins said. "I really do like the people."

And it's this same inner tug that helps newcomers quickly feel welcome. Mr. Hasson, the city manager, came to Falmouth months after the flood, from Washington state.

He doesn't live in Falmouth and has no Kentucky ties. Yet he said he feels loved and welcomed BY the city and its residents.

"One of the strengths of this city is that they adopt people," Mr. Hasson said. "There's a certain intensity here that's lost when you go to a big city. There's respect, dignity and personal attention. People know you BY name.

"That's the lore of a small town, and this place is full of it."