A prominent Christian County educator and businessman credited with fostering growth in the downtown business district has died. 88-year-old Mac Arthur died Monday at the Bradford Heights Nursing & Rehab Center.
Mac and his wife Catherine began purchasing buildings on Sixth Street in 1973. Over time, other businesses began to recently call Sixth Street home. They included boutiques, antique stores, a barber shop, an art studio, and clothing stores.
Young Hardware opened in 1898 with John and Gus Young as the owners. Arthur purchased the store in 1973 and operated it until 2018. The building is now the home of The Mixer Restaurant.
In 2019, the parking lot across from the hardware store was renamed Arthur Plaza in honor of Mac and Cathy. A sign bearing their names and contributions to the downtown area is located at the corner of Sixth Street.
Before entering the business world, Arthur was the band and choir director for Hopkinsville High School. In 1969, he became the principal of Hopkinsville High.
Cathy, Mac’s wife for 59 years, survives as does his daughter Misty Ann Edilson of Crofton.
Dogwood Funerals and Cremations of Hopkinsville is assisting with the funeral arrangements.
