The Hard Times and Good Life of Bastin Lumber Company

About the Book

This book is a history of the Bastin Family and its business relations in Lancaster, Kentucky during the Twentieth Century. This book covers several events that have never been covered in print in regards to shooting, murders and quarrels in Lancaster. This includes the Jim Hamilton dual; the Luther Herron shooting and the Bob Goff wounding that are a part of Bastin Lumber Co. history. The four eras of Bastin Lumber Co. have been dealt with in chorological order. 1) Alford Bastin trading the Bastin Telephone Company for a large amount of rough lumber in 1912. He managed the business until 1921. 2) Alford's son, Hob Bastin and his son in law, Bob Goff bought the company from Alford in 1921 and managed it until 1943, when Bob Goff died. 3) In 1943 Hob Bastin employed his brother, Ross Bastin to manage the business. Ross retired in 1965. 4) The current owner, Hal Bastin has managed the business since 1966. The last portion of the book deals with funny happenings during the last era of the company that included several sports personalities such as Earl Combs of the New York Yankees and a couple of basketball players from the University of Kentucky in the Adolph Rupp era.

About the Author

Hal Bastin was born in Cynthiana, Ky. in 1937. He attended Kentucky Military Institute from 1951 to 1954. After leaving KMI, Hal went to Cynthiana High School and graduated in 1955. He obtained his AB degree in History at Eastern and completed a three year grad school degree in theology and philosophy at Emory University in Decauter, Georgia. He taught school and coached football and baseball in Atlanta, Georgia before coming to Lancaster, Ky to manage Bastin Lumber Co. in 1965.

Hal is a world traveler and has visited most of the countries of Europe, especially Germany and Austria many times. Too, he has visited China, South Korea and Hong Kong.

Hal is married to Tensia Bastin and they have four sons and a daughter. They live in Lancaster, Ky in the house that Alford Bastin bought in 1900 when he moved to Lancaster.