Sen. Ed P. Warinner/Seventy-Six Falls

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Historical Marker #1310 in Clinton County remembers the community of Seventy-Six, its noted falls, and state senator Ed P. Warinner.

It has long been believed that the community of Seventy-Six derived its named from the height of the waterfall along Indian Creek. The height of the falls was once about eighty-four feet. Since the damming of Lake Cumberland and the subsequent rise in its water level, the falls are now only about forty feet. However, other evidence indicates that the community's name actually came from the number under which it fell in the survey record.

Seventy-Six was settled by John W. Semple in 1806, in what was then Cumberland County. Semple constructed a mill that processed both grains and fibers along Indian Creek. Semple also opened a store at the location, as well as a saw mill, blacksmith shop, and cabinet shop. In 1817, the county government allowed Semple to lay out lots at Seventy-Six for sale. The lots did not sell as well as expected, but a small community developed around Semple’s commercial businesses.

The most notable individual from the area was probably Kentucky state senator Edgar Paul Warinner. Born in the village in 1909, Warinner's ancestors were among the first to settle in the region. Warinner was educated at Greenbriar Military School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky. He became a successful Clinton County businessman and was first elected to the state senate in 1952. He served four consecutive terms. Warinner ran as the Republican Party candidate for lieutenant governor in 1959, but died that same year.

Although the falls are still a natural landmark, not much is left of Seventy-Six today. Man-made and natural disasters have removed most of the community’s footprint.