Ben S. Wood III, the former owner of several liquor stores in Hopkinsville and an avid student of local history, died early Thursday morning, said Christian County Historian William T. Turner.
Wood was the great-great-great-grandson of Hopkinsville founder Bartholomew Wood. He died at his home at Blue Lantern Farms on Cadiz Road a few miles west of downtown Hopkinsville. Turner said he was 78 years old.
Turner said he and Wood had known each other since they were young boys. They had several mutual interests, including genealogy and antique furniture. They traveled together often to research family history.
“He was a very dear friend,” Turner told Hoptown Chronicle. “He was the best friend I had.”
Turner and Wood co-owned the building that serves as headquarters of the Christian County Historical Society. Located at Ninth and Liberty streets, the building also houses Turner’s personal collection of photographs, artifacts and memorabilia.
Wood once owned several Hopkinsville liquor stores under the brand The Copper Still. He sold the stores a few years ago.
In a 2017 Kentucky New Era story written by Melissa Felkins, Wood said that in 1955 his father established what they believed was “America’s first drive-in liquor store” at Fourth and Clay streets.
Wood explained why his father wanted a store where a customer could buy liquor without having to leave their car.
Back then, alcohol was “pretty much frowned upon,” he said. So his father thought they could just serve customers from the window. The transactions would be quicker and less conspicuous.
Eventually, all of The Copper Still stores would have a side window to serve customers.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Hughart, Beard & Giles Funeral Home in Hopkinsville. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the funeral home.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
