Editing Sandy Hook, Kentucky (section)

==History==
The head of navigation on the [[Little Sandy River (Kentucky)|Little Sandy River]] was first settled in the 1820s. By the time of its establishment by the [[Kentucky Assembly|state legislature]] in 1850, it was known as "Sandy Hook" for the fishhook-shaped bend in the river at that point.<ref name=ren/>

It was chosen as the [[county seat|seat]] of the newly established Elliott County over nearby [[Newfoundland, Kentucky|Newfoundland]] in 1869, owing to a generous donation of land for public buildings by resident James Hunter. In 1872, the city was incorporated as "Martinsburg" in honor of [[list of U.S. representatives from Kentucky|Congressman]] [[John P. Martin]]. The priority of another [[Martinsburg, Kentucky]], meant that the post office (est.&thinsp;1874) had to be named "Sandy Hook". The city resumed the name shortly after<ref name=ren>Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987.</ref> and was reincorporated as "Sandy Hook" in 1888.<ref name=sos/>