Sharkey is a small community located at the intersection of 801 and 158 in Rowan County, Kentucky

Rowan County, Kentucky

Rowan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 23,333. Its county seat is Morehead. The county was created in 1856 from adjacent counties originally part of Mason county, and named for John Rowan, who represented Kentucky in the U.S...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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History

The local explanation for the name is derived from a cock fight. The township was on the verge of establishing a Post Office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

, which required a town name. There was a cock fight going on at the same time, so the decision was made to name the post office (and subsequently the town) after the winner of the fight. The two roosters involved were named "Sharkey" and "Shanghai", respectively. Sharkey prevailed, hence the cocky name of the township.

Community

Today, Sharkey has a single church and a single store. There are approximately 400 households, up from less than 150 in 1996. Much of the community's expansion has come from the opening of an interstate off ramp, the "Farmers-Sharkey Exit," on 801.