Corinth Water District (For Pete's Sake)

by Becky

If you've ever traveled north on I-75 between Lexington and Cincinnati, you may have seen this:


I didn't mean for the word bubble to look like a hurricane.

Yep, it's a water tower in the middle of a lonely stretch of highway that says, "Corinth Water District (For Pete's Sake)."

I've driven by this thing approximately 938 times in my life and have wondered why on earth Pete was mentioned. Maybe it's some kind of inside joke? Maybe there was a fight about the water tower? Heading south one day last week, I began to ponder it. Suddenly, years of mild curiosity coalesced and I NEEDED TO KNOW.

So, I dialed the City of Corinth. A cheerful lady connected me to a gentleman who didn't identify himself, but I'm 93 percent sure it was Corinth Mayor Billy Hill.

Me: Hi, I'm calling about the water tower.

Gentleman: What about it?

I giggled. What else would I want to know except for why the tower has that strange inscription?

I explained my curiosity and the gentleman loosened up a little and went on to say that a local man who went by the nickname "Pete" donated part of the land upon which the water tower sits. Pete decided that "For Pete's Sake" would be a proper inscription and drew up a proposal to take to the state of Kentucky.

The gentleman on the phone explained, "Frankly, I didn't think the state would approve it. But, they did. Then, we took it to the County and I didn't think the County would approve it. But, they did."

Gentleman: It's pretty weird.

Me: Well, that's one of the best parts about being in Kentucky, isn't it?

Gentleman: Yup. That's how we are out here. You do something for us, we're going to do our best to help you out. We take care of each other.


Tiny water tower in the distance

So that's the story, for Pete's sake.