Growing up we would often pass through Florence, Kentucky while driving through down I-75 and I had always wondered about the curious Florence Y’all Water Tower we would pass by located at the Florence Mall. On my recent trip to Kentucky, I stopped and shot a photo of it, leading me to do some research on this odd landmark.
Built in 1974, the water tower originally read “Florence Mall” and was completed before the mall was finished, but the state of Kentucky said it was illegal to advertise something that did not exist. The mayor of Florence at the time, C.M. “Hop” Ewing suggested to just change the “M” to a “Y’” so it would read “Florence Y’all”, rather than paint over all of the letters, as a temporary fix (saving $1,270) and tribute to region.
When the mall was completed, the letters on the tower were never changed back.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah, come on man! I moved thousands of miles from Cincinnati to Berkeley to escape seeing the Florence Y’all water tower all the time and here you go putting it into my RSS reader. Thanks for the history though.
Haha, last thing I expected to see on the site for my web host would be a landmark from just a couple miles south of me. Florence Y’all! I honestly thought that history was urban myth but I keep hearing the same thing about the mall.
Hey Scott, I grew up near Cincy and that is indeed an (in)famous landmark. Curious as to where you grew up, since you mention remembering it.
Drove down from Columbus, OH and spent the day in Florence for work. I have seen the sign many times, and it still always cracks me up
The story is most definitly true. Heard it first hand from my Grandfather C.M. Hop Ewing. Mr. Yall
Just the other day, dear friends of my parents and one of Hop Ewings best friends and head pall-bearer at his funeral, stopped by my place and dropped off a picture of Hop (on his 80th Birthday). I never had the fortune of meeting this fine man, but I’m blessed that I receive many goodwill tokens from his life-time of service to Florence, KY, USA. Because of all the strange connections with Florence and Hop Ewing, I decided to name my first restaurant venture after “THE FLORENCE Y”ALL WATER TOWER”… Who would have thought?
Scott, I don’t know if there is any way to check out the precise story I have heard it in a few variations. The most prevailent story is that after the tower was painted with the Florence Y’all it was brought to their attention that it was illegal for the city to advertise for private business and mayor played with variations on a piece of paper and came up with the idea of M turned into a Y like you said to save money and has remained the same every since. Now there is even a festival every year called the Florence Y’all festival. On a side note CM Ewing’s daughter is now the Mayor of Florence! Diane Ewing- Whalen.
Gary in Florence Y’all
This is the true story. Hop Ewing was my grandfather and he told it many times. His favorite part to tell is how he sat in the Stringtown Restaurant and sketched different ideas on a napkin until he finally came up with Y'all.
I’ve lived in Florence, KY for most of my life and i can remember as a little girl the tower said Florence Mall. But the mall was done. We use to shop there. And one day it changed. I always herd it was because you couldn’t advertise for a privet business for free on city property.
Florence would be just the same without it PLEASE someone TAKE IT DOWN!!!!!!! We are not a bunch of HILLBILLY’S and i am sick of people being like you from Florence Y’ALL
My history and political science teacher in high school said his dad was the one who brought up the statute that got the “Mall” changed to “Y’all” because he had a business that was told by the city that their sign was too large. He rebutted this by saying that the Florence Mall sign was WAY too large, and everything that went down as a result was because of that.