The Local Development District and the City of Hopkinsville is set to unveil their newest historical marker—this one will be at the corner of East Sixth Street and Virginia Street, in honor of Peter Postell.
According to a news release, this project began as an application to the Kentucky Historical Society in 2021 and is a partnership between the LDC, the KHS, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the City of Hopkinsville. This marker will help celebrate the life of a significant contributor to the downtown area, where the Postell building once stood.
Peter Postell was born into slavery in 1841, and he would later heroically escape and join the 16th United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War. After the war, he would return to Hopkinsville and establish a grocery business on the site where the marker will be located.
But Postell didn’t stop there—he would also expand into real estate, investments and also philanthropy, all while raising a large family with his wife, Pauline. He back numerous city improvements, including the Hotel Latham, and several of his children would go on to serve in politics, government and education.
When he passed away in 1901, he would be hailed as one of the wealthiest Black men in the South.
Now, a historical marker will be placed when the building once stood—it burned down in 2016 during a storm and flooding event—and it will be unveiled at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 25 at the Postell Plaza.