The Story of Indiana Native Colonel Harland Sanders
Greetings, today I will talk about Indiana native Colonel Harland Sanders.
Everyone is familiar with Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain. Few may know, however, that Colonel Sanders was born and raised near Henryville, Indiana in Clark County, Indiana.
From the Book
Southeast Indiana Day Trips
Transcript:
The Story of Indiana Native Colonel Harland Sanders
Greetings, today I will talk about Indiana native Colonel Harland Sanders.
Everyone is familiar with Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain. Few may know, however, that Colonel Sanders was born and raised near Henryville, Indiana in Clark County, Indiana.
Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890 – December 16, 1980)
Harland Sanders’ life exemplifies the “rags to riches” story that is so much of the American experience. Colonel Sanders rose above poverty, failure and economic depression to eventually find success and launch the modern fast food franchise model. His resume included stints as a life insurance salesman, steam engine stoker, railway worker, secretary and entreprenaur. His fiery temper got him involved in brawls and made him the bane of early franchise holders that did not adhere to his strict standards.
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Take a fun tour through the rich history of Indiana using Southeast Indiana Day Trips as your guidebook. This tourism guide will help you plan road trips to discover interesting places to visit and enjoy. Readers will learn about the many things to do in Southeastern Indiana. The book includes museums, State and local parks, cities and town, wineries and much, much more. The book includes the tourism bureau contacts for each of these 11 southeastern Indiana counties.
Early Provider
His mother, Margaret Ann Dunlevy Sanders, gave birth to him in their four-room home near Henryville, Indiana. He was the eldest of four children borne by her and her husband, Wilbur David Sanders. Wilbur died suddenly from a fever when Harland was five. His mother found work in a cannery and was absent for long periods of time, leaving Harland to care for the younger children. During these years, Harland learned how to cook using food the children foraged while their mother was away. At age ten two local farmers hired the boy as a farmhand. His mother eventually remarried, and the family moved to Greenwood, Indiana. In the seventh grade Harland dropped out of school and moved to live with a farmer to do farm work. For a time, he lived with an uncle in New Albany, working as a conductor. He falsified his age and joined the military in 1906. After serving as a teamster in Cuba he received an honorary discharge and went to Alabama to serve stints as a blacksmith’s helper and ash pan cleaner at a railroad. He eventually rose to become a fireman, stoking the steam engines with coal.
Lawyer, Ferry Boat Operator and Manufacturer
From Alabama Harland went to Tennesse. He worked days as a fireman and studied law at night at the La Salle Extension University. A fight with a co-worker cost him his job, so he moved on to Arkansas, married by now with two daughters. A son had died of tonsilitus. In Little Rock Arkansas he became a lawyer until a courtroom brawl with his client ended his law career. He ended up again in Indiana, this time operating a ferry company that he established. The ferry operated between Jeffersonville and Louisville and did well. During this time he also worked as a secretary for the Columbus, Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He resigned from that job, sold the ferry company and used the funds to found a company that made acetylene lamps. This company failed.
The Beginnings of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Sanders ended up in North Corbin, Kentucky operating a service station which he rented free in exchange for a percentage of the sales. To make extra money, he started selling fried chicken, country ham and country fried steak dinners. His chicken was a hit. His restaurant became so popular that Kentucky governor Ruby Laffoon in 1935 made him a Kentucky Colonel. During this time, he was involved in a shoot-out in which his biggest competitor, Matt Stewart. Sanders, a Shell Oil official with Sanders, and Stewart got into an altercation over Stewart repainting some of Sander’s signs. he was directing people to his station and away from Sanders. During the altercation, Stewart pulled a gun and shot the Shell Oil man, killing him. His murder conviction eliminated him as a competitor.
Perfection of the Recipe
By 1940, Sanders perfected his fried chicken recipe. He had opened a new 140 seat restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. When the war started, the government started rationing gas for the war effort. All tourism stopped, forcing Sanders to close the restaurant. In 1952, Sanders began selling franchising his recipe. He would go to restaurants around the country and cook for the owner and employees. He often slept in his car while on these trips. if they liked the chicken, he would offer to sell them his franchise. he would claim a royalty of four cents per chicken. he sold his first franchise in 1952 to a restaurant owner in Salt Lake City, Utah. His fledgling company grew and by 1964 he sold the company to the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation. he received two million dollars for his company. Harland moved to Louisville, where he died of leukemia in 1980. His body laid in state at the state capitol in Frankfort. His grave lies in Cave Hill Cemetary in Louisville. At his death there were an estimated 6000 Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises around the world. He didn’t do too bad for a poor farm boy from Henryville, Indiana.
Hoosiers interested in taking a drive through the lovely southern Indiana countryside can find the historical marker that notes the approximate location. The maker is on Zollman Road about 2.5 miles west of Indiana State Road 3 in Clark County, Indiana. The 911 address for the marker is 6089 Zollman Rd, Otisco, IN 47163. For those needing detailed instruction I will have them at the bottom of the transcript of the web page for this episode. I will include the link on both the podcast and video editions of this episode.
Begin your drive at Charlestown State Park. From the entrance of the park on State Road 62 turn left, or south, and drive to its intersection with Indiana State Road 3. Go north on State Road 3 and drive to the little town of Otisco, about 7 miles. In Otisco turn left on Mill Street. This is the last street in Otisco. Mill Street intersects Old State Road 3. Turn right (north). Old State Road 3 intersects the Henryville/Otisco Road. Turn left. The next intersection is Pfister Road. Continue straight on Henryville/Otisco Road past Pfister Road to the next intersection, Zollman Road. Turn left. The marker will be a little over a mile and will be on the right. There is a short gravel drive that you can pull into. The 911 address for the marker is 6089 Zollman Rd, Otisco, IN 47163. You can return the way you came, or continue driving south to Snow Road. Turn left on Snow Road. Snow Road intersects Munk Road. Turn right. Munk Road intersects Dunlevy Road. Turn right. Dunlevy Road intersects State Road 160, turn left (South) on State Road 160. Indiana State Road 160 intersects Indiana State Road 3 in Charlestown. Turn right. State Road 3 intersects Indiana State Road 62. Turn left (north) and return to Charlestown State Park. This is a lovely drive through the country, passing farms, fields and forests.
The episode is based upon my book, Southeast Indiana Day Trips, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the first book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it.
You can find my books locally at the Walnut Street Variety Shop in Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.
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