Archive for Local History

Capitol Building Centennial

June 6, 2010 · Filed under Family Fun, Local History, Travel · Tagged , ,

The City of Frankfort and the State of Kentucky this weekend celebrated the centennial anniversary of the construction of the current capitol building.  Kentucky became the 15th State on June 1st, 1792, so this particular building is really the most recent of several structures that have served Kentucky as its Capitol.  Six were lost to fire before the “Old State Capitol” was constructed in 1830. That building still remains, and will eventually have its own blog post here.  For now, though, the focus is on the building that superceded the “Old” capital. 

Kentucky State Capitol

The Capitol Building with Nat'l Guard howitzers out front for a salute.

 

Festivities on Saturday included a craft fair (featuring Kentucky artisans), tours of the Capitol and Governor’s Mansion, live music, and a special session of the Frankfort Farmer’s Market held on the Capitol grounds.  We arrived in late morning and the temperature was already in the mid-80s, making for a steamy stroll around the grounds.  I was surprised at how few people were there, but the heat may have played a part.  The number of craftspeople with their wares on display was considerably smaller than I had hoped for, so that was also probably a factor.  Nevertheless, we browsed the various booths and Cheryl easily struck up conversations about the weather and crop situations with some of the farmers. 

The Floral Clock

Us in front of the Floral Clock, constructed in 1961.

 

It wasn’t long before we headed in to the Capitol to escape the heat and have a look around.  Constructed at a cost of $1 million, the structure makes liberal use of regional marble as well as New England granite.  The maze-like corridors, stairways, and causeways that branch off from the rotunda were really impressive.  The chambers of both legislative bodies were open for visitation, as well as the Kentucky Supreme Court chambers.  Shannon and Brendan seemed generally interested in learning about what went on in each of those areas.  They had quite a laugh when I told them that the men and women who sat at those desks pretty much just spent their days talking about this and that without ever really agreeing to do anything…lol. 

Inside the Capitol

The view inside the Capitol, looking from the west wing to the east.

 

The "original" mural at the end of the west wing.

 

The rotunda was recently renovated, with the work being completed just a few days ago.  Four murals were completed, though they had always been planned.  Legislatures being what they are, nothing was ever done to actually have the murals completed.  One of the volunteer docents told us a story about how the original artist had completed sketches, then took a trip to Europe.  He intended to finish the murals upon his return, but since his passage was booked on the RMS Titanic….well, you know how that worked out.  I did a bit more research and discovered that the sketches were a tad more recent than that.  It seems that they were originally created in 1992 by a Cincinnati architect by the name of Jeffrey Greene, but never transferred to the rotunda for lack of funds.  Thanks to an individual gift of $225,000, as well as an earmark from the legislature, the work was finally completed 100 years after the fact.  While their backstory isn’t as romantic as the one involving the Titanic, the murals are still a wonderful addition. 

The Capitol Dome

View of the dome showing the new murals.

 

Shannon at the Capitol

Shannon rubbing Honest Abe's foot for luck

 

We next ventured the short distance to the Governor’s Mansion to see what that was all about.  I joked with the kids that the mansion was built for a cost of $95,000 and that our first house (a tiny, story-and-a-half bungalow in Garden City) cost $98,000.  Brendan was rather incredulous until I mentioned the 85-year difference…lol.  Anyway, we were treated to a short tour of the first floor of the mansion while the current Governor hosted 18 former Governors and their wives for lunch.  The doors to the dining room were closed, of course, but we could hear voices as well as silverware clanking away.  One of the State photographers snapped a few pictures of us while the tour guide was explaining various aspects of the building.  He gave us his card so we can get copies of the pictures he took, which I’ll post once I have them. 

The Governor's Mansion

The front of the Governor's Mansion

The rest of the day was spent shopping, with Cheryl and Shannon enjoying Plato’s Closet while Brendan picked up some new stuff from the gaming store.  A nice dinner at BW3′s rounded out the day.  Today is supposed to be yard mowing day, but as of right now the weather looks a bit iffy for that.  Maybe this afternoon.  Then again, maybe not…lol.

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Washington Chocolate Festival

April 18, 2010 · Filed under Antiques, Family Fun, Local History, Travel · Tagged , , ,

The beautiful weather stirred a bit of the wanderlust in us, so we decided to take a drive up to the sleepy little burg of Washington, KY. Situated just outside of Maysville and only a handful of miles from the Ohio River, Washington is a quaint town rich in history and teeming with antique shops. Already worth the 90-minute drive, the town held its annual Chocolate Festival this weekend which made our decision to visit a no-brainer…lol. The town was founded in 1786, and with 119 log cabins was by 1790 the second largest town in the territory known as Kentucky.  The rise of Maysville in the 19th century spelled the decline of Washington, but amazingly many of the original cabins survive to this day and most are still private residences.

Mefford's Station, built in 1787 from the planks of the flatboat the family used to travel the Ohio River

After a short stop on the banks of the Ohio (you can’t be that close to the mighty river and not pay it a visit), we managed to carve out a parking spot in a very crowded Washington and took to the streets. I was surprised by the size of the crowd, given the main attractions were an Elvis impersonator and a group of cloggers.  While the antique shops held a lot of interesting treasures, nothing made the trip home with us.  Nothing, except for some tasty homemade treats…lol.  Why exactly the event was called a chocolate festival, I’m not sure.  Most shops had a few treats set out, but the candies seemed more of an afterthought than the focus of the festivities.  We did our part by purchasing some peanut brittle and white chocolate covered popcorn from Sweet Emotions Candy (from Batavia, OH) and some cream candy from KC Candy (Owingsville, KY).  All of it was rather yummy, and the popcorn didn’t last the ride home…lol.

The Ohio River from the west end of Maysville Washington's main drag

Washington's main drag

While not what you’d consider a “major” event, the Washington Chocolate Festival was a fun way to spend a sunny Saturday.  I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re back up Mason County way to check out the rest the area has to offer.

On the way to Washington we stopped at the covered bridge over Johnson Creek, built in 1870

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Antiquing in Shelbyville

December 28, 2009 · Filed under Antiques, Family Fun, Local History, Travel · Tagged , ,

The gray skies and rain of Christmas gave way to sunshine on Saturday, sparking in us a desire for another short road trip.  This time our destination was the town of Shelbyville, which lies about midway between Lexington and Louisville on I-64.  We weren’t about to use the Interstate, of course, and instead enjoyed a leisurely drive down US-60.

Just about to Shelbyville, adjacent to the locality known as Clay Village, lies Jeptha Knob.  At 1188′ in elevation, it’s the highest point in the Bluegrass.  Once thought to be the result of pre-historic volcanic activity, Jeptha Knob has in recent years been determined to be the rim of an asteroid impact crater dating back about 425 million years ago.  I intended to drive to the summit and snap some photos, as the views are spectacular, but the access road was barred.  Maybe once the weather warms up some we’ll venture the rest of the way on foot.

After our short and unsuccessful side trek we hit the antique shops of Shelbyville.  Even though the town is known as an antiquing destination, this was our first time investigating what they had to offer.  The stores were much larger than I had anticipated, and are all clustered together in the very attractive downtown historic district.  Were the temperature a bit more above freezing than it was, and the wind a little less than blustery, I probably would have taken the time to snap some pictures as we walked around town.  Circumstances being what they were, pictures will have to wait for a future post.

As for the shopping part of our trip, we found quite a number of items that would look great in our home and on our bookshelves.  Unfortunately, all of it was “nice to have” sort of stuff and not “need to have”.  Cheryl did come away with an itch for Depression glass, however, and I suspect we’ll be targeting those items on future excursions.

On the way home we veered off US-60 a couple of times to visit the hamlets of Graefenburg and Bridgeport, both of which lie just a few hundred feet from the main road.  Graefenburg was founded in the early 1800s and incorporated as Hardinsville in 1856.  The name change occurred sometime before the post office closed in 1909, and little remains now but for a cluster of homes along Goose Creek.  Bridgeport’s history stretches back to just after the Revolutionary War, when the area on Benson Creek was settled by William Armstrong.  In 1810 the first of two covered bridges were built across the creek, and soon after a stagecoach stop and taverns sprung up.  Today, the remaining taverns are private homes and the post office and stores are all gone, as are the covered bridges.  A fortunate discovery for us was the Old Bridgeport School antique mall.  Occupying the massive brick school built in 1941, the mall offers a number of treasures and a small cafe.  Our only purchase of the day came from here, as we found a very nice book on ancient Egypt that we picked up for Brendan.

In the end, even though we didn’t return home with armloads of goods, we had a great time browsing the shops and seeing the sights.  I’m sure it won’t be very long before we have a closer look at that Depression glass…lol.

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Williamstown, Sherman Tavern, and the Ford Stone House

December 15, 2009 · Filed under Family Fun, Local History, Travel · Tagged , ,

After snapping a few shots of the Joseph Fields Burgess house, we continued north on US 25 and eventually came to the town of Williamstown. Founded in 1820 by Revolutionary War veteran Captain William Arnold, the town was originally called Philadelphia until it was learned that another Kentucky settlement had already claimed that name. From the start, Williamstown has been the seat of Grant County, but remained a sparse village until the arrival of the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railroad (now known more simply as the Cincinnati Southern) in 1877. Today the population hovers just over 3,000 people.

Captain Arnold William House, Williamstown, KY

Captain Arnold William Log Cabin

With it being a Sunday afternoon when we rolled through, most of the shops and businesses were shuttered and the sidewalks were deserted. Of course, that’s not at all out of the ordinary for any small town in Kentucky. I’d read about an antique mall that once was located right in the center of town, kitty-corner from the courthouse, but it appears to have gone out of business at some point in the recent past. A few large furniture items could be seen, but for the most part the storefront was vacant. Although a bit disappointed by this, we did manage to snap a couple of pictures of Captain Arnold’s restored log cabin. Built in 1811, the cabin once stood on the grounds of the Williamstown Baptist Church but was moved to it’s present location south of the courthouse earlier this year to make way for the church’s expansion. Thankfully the cabin was saved, but I can only speculate what might have happened to the Arnold family cemetery that had been located adjacent to the cabin on the church property. The cabin now houses a museum that is usually open to the public every Friday, but as of this posting it is closed until the first week in March.

Sherman Tavern, Sherman, KY

The Sherman Tavern facing US 25

About ten miles north of Williamstown, just past the town of Dry Ridge, we came across Sherman Tavern. Built between 1820 and 1840 by Lewis Myers, another Revolutionary War veteran, the tavern served as a major layover point for stagecoaches and cattle drovers on the Lexington-Cincinnati road until the turn of the 20th century. Local lore has it that Sherman Tavern was the most popular stop on the route, which probably had a lot to do with the tradition of serving free bourbon to travelers. Its Greek Revival frame construction was relatively uncommon for the time, most structures being built of rough hewn logs, and the property originally consisted of several barns and slave quarters. All that remains now is the tavern itself, currently in the midst of the restoration process. The site is located on the west side of US 25 just in front of Sherman Elementary School, at coordinates +38° 43′ 27.37″ -84° 35′ 49.971″.

Sherman Tavern, Sherman, KY

The south facade of Sherman Tavern

The last historic site we visited on our Sunday excursion was the Ford Stone House, located south of the ghost town of Elliston and near the confluence of Ten Mile and Eagle creeks. Built of cut stone by John Ford around 1820, the Ford Stone House is thought to be the oldest stone building in Grant County. John moved to this location from Virginia, by way of Bourbon County, and upon his death in 1840 passed the property on to his son Elijah. In 1856, Elijah was killed by a slave named Warrick, and the swift conviction and hanging of the accused speaks strongly of the judicial practices of the time. The house stood abandoned for years and fell into disrepair, losing all of its original woodwork and interior plaster. It was renovated in the 1980s as a residential dwelling, serving that purpose to this day. The remains of a family cemetery is located on the property, containing five unmarked gravestones. The house can be easily viewed from Kentucky 467 at coordinates +38° 42′ 52.887″ -84° 44′ 58.863″ (note that these coordinates are slightly misleading. The property is located on the north side of the creek, to the east of KY 467, before the junction with Kentucky 1942).

Ford Stone House, Grant County, KY

The north facade of the John Ford house, which at one time was the rear of the structure.

John Ford Stone House, Grant County, KY

The west facade. The door to the right of the chimney was added during the most recent renovation.

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A Sunday Spent Exploring

December 14, 2009 · Filed under Antiques, Family Fun, Local History, Travel · Tagged , , ,

Even though Sunday dawned rather gloomy, we stuck to our plans and hit the road on our little adventure of local exploration. Our route took us through sleepy towns (such as Williamstown, Owenton, and Dry Ridge), remote hollers, and localities on the verge of disappearing from the map (Corinth, Mason, and Jonesville, to name a few). The goals for the trip were to photograph some of the historic sites in our area, to visit an antique shop or two, and to just enjoy some of the breathtaking scenery that this state has to offer. We succeeded in our first goal (posts on each of the sites will soon follow), had to settle for Plan B on the second, and returned home with fantastic memories and a strong desire for further exploration as a result of our third objective.

The first site we photographed lies not far up US 25 from Georgetown, on what has been since pioneer times the main route between Lexington and Cincinnati – at least until the interstate was constructed. The Joseph Fields Burgess house is a striking, and immense, example of 19th-century Greek Revival architecture. The frame house, with it’s uncommon stone kitchen, dates from 1838 when it was built by a prominent Scott County farmer named Joseph Fields Burgess (1809-1892), the grandson of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Fields of Frederick, Maryland. An industrious agrarian, Burgess amassed thousands of acres of northern Scott County land and became one of the leading crop and cattle producers following the Civil War. After his death, the house remained in the family when it passed to his daughter Eva (1840-1931), wife of Sterling Paul Smith, and to this day Burgess descendants own the property. Local tradition claims that, during the Civil War, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan was given sanctuary in the house while conducting his Kentucky raids. A prudent businessman, Joseph Burgess managed to secret away the family’s silver and drive off the farm’s horses before the General arrived.

Joseph Fields Burgess House - Front

The Joseph Fields Burgess house, facing US 25, showing the Stonewall for which the now-gone nearby village was named.

The house gained a shred of literary fame as an integral setting of the 1923 novel Weeds, by Edith Summers Kelley. The novel follows the life of Judith Pippinger and her husband, tenant farmers scratching out an existence in the pre-World War I tobacco fields of northern Kentucky. Acclaimed by critics, Weeds failed to capture the reading public and was lost to literary history until reprinted in 1972 as part of Southern Illinois University’s Lost American Fiction series. It wasn’t until the 1982 edition from The Feminist Press that a chapter dealing with the birth of Judith’s first child made it to print, editors of the original 1923 edition deeming the depictions too graphic.

Joseph Fields Burgess House - Carriage House

The carriage house just northwest of the main house.

Today the Burgess house is beginning to show signs of neglect, a tragedy that can hopefully be avoided. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house and associated outbuildings are prime candidates for preservation efforts.  For those who wish to have a look at this grand home for themselves, it’s located on US 25 at the intersection of Kentucky 356.  Or, just hit up Google maps for these coordinates:  38° 25′ 50.244″ -84° 33′ 59.568″.

North side of the house showing the stone kitchen in the rear

Our desire to find a quaint antique shop in one of the out-of-the-way places we traveled through unfortunately remained unsatisfied. One in Willamstown appeared to have gone out of business, and another on the outskirts of Owenton was closed for the day (it was Sunday, after all), so we settled for Plan B which was a visit to Peddler’s Mall in Frankfort. Peddler’s Mall is actually a 19-store chain of antique/flea market stores here in Kentucky. We’ve only visited two of the nineteen, the Frankfort and Georgetown locations, but of the two the Frankfort store is the least desirable. I would recommend it only to the most avid antique hunters as some worthwhile finds can be had, but overall the store is comprised of everyday flea market paraphernalia. We enjoyed browsing, but predictably left empty handed.

Abandoned storefront in Elliston, KY

Brendan standing in front of the abandoned store in Elliston

The scenery we enjoyed on our drive was, for lack of a better word, spectacular. Even though the day was overcast with occasional drizzle, the weather actually seemed to enhance the beauty and majesty of our surroundings. Driving along the ridge tops on one-lane roads, gazing out over the wooded hills and mist-shrouded valleys stretching for miles in every direction, simply defies description. One of the highlights for me was experienced driving through a holler along Ten Mile Creek where we encountered the ghost town of Elliston. Founded in 1868 and named for descendants of local settler Benjamin Elliston (1770-1846), the station on the Cincinnati & Lexington RR has now practically disappeared into the surrounding hillsides. As we drove through, Cheryl noticed the door on an abandoned building was slightly ajar so I parked the car for a closer look. Brendan and I slowly eased the door open further, hoping to find a building full of antique hunter dreams. Sadly, such was not the case. The interior was practically bare and exhibited evidence of being renovated in the mid- to late-20th century. The door knob appeared to be a vintage brass fixture, so I snapped a picture of it.

Old brass doorhandle

All-in-all we had a great time exploring and seeing first-hand the history and beauty of our area. Keep checking back for more posts of the sites we visited.

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The Prewitts and their Cupboard

June 25, 2009 · Filed under Local History

I mentioned in my last post that we’ve been in contact with a local historian who provided us a good deal of information regarding the history of our home and the people who lived in it before us.  She also sent along a picture of Henry Duke and Mary Prewitt posing in front of a cupboard that Mary’s father had built in 1900.  They’re standing in what was their dining room, which now serves as my “office”, with the kitchen in the background.  According to an interview that accompanied this picture in the local paper, the cupboard was Mary’s most cherished possession and she stated that she hoped whomever it passed to would take good care of it.  Let’s hope that’s indeed the case.

The Prewitts

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The Dog Days of Summer – Already

June 23, 2009 · Filed under Family Fun, Local History, Miscellany · Tagged , , ,

The end of June is still a week away, but the last several days have been absolutely blah thanks to the 90-degree temperatures and 100% humidity – aspects of summer usually encountered in July and August.  Our house isn’t blessed with air conditioning and the window in our bedroom is fused shut (it’s scheduled to be replaced in the next round of new windows), so sleep has been hard to come by lately.  Our Northern blood combined with the fact that we’ve all been accustomed to having AC is really working a number on us, but we’ve been keeping in mind the fact that humans have survived millennia without climate controlled living spaces.  Little solace, I agree, but it’s better than wallowing in misery.

Mixed in with the heat and humidity has been an almost daily occurrence of rain, usually in the form of a thunderstorm, which has really benefited our crops.  The corn is surging and the tomato plants are getting quite weighty, while most of the other veggies are doing admirably.  The carrots are a bit sparse, and the onion seeds seem to have failed to sprout, but overall the fields are looking quite nice.

Two weekends ago my parents ventured down from Michigan along with my aunt and uncle who were visiting from California.  We had a wonderful time visiting and experiencing some of the local color, even stopping in at a local winery where we stumbled upon a rally urging Kentucky to secede from the Union – no, that’s not a repeat from 1861.  As interesting as that was, for me the highlight of the visit was the cookout on Saturday.  We enjoyed standard BBQ fare – burgers, brats, beans, potato salad – along with sweet corn purchased that day at the farmer’s market in Lexington as well as strawberry shortcake made with the berries we’d picked a week before.  Sitting out front under the shade of the huge maple trees, enjoying good food and conversation, is a memory I’ll hold always.  Even Daniel and his girlfriend stopped by for a time before taking Brendan to the movies.

Since then life on our farm has returned to the usual routine.  This past weekend, since Sunday was Father’s Day, Cheryl and the kids allowed me to satisfy my love of historical sites as we spent a lot of time roving the countryside taking pictures of old homes and buildings, as well as spending an afternoon at Fort Harrod in Harrodsburg.  All of that exploring has sparked an idea for another blog, so stay tuned.  While digging up information on the places we visited, I managed to contact a local historian who has spent 40 years researching and writing about the history of Scott County.  I asked for help in researching our house and was surprised to learn that she’d already done so, even publishing an article about it and the Prewitts in the local paper a few years back!  It turns out that the “original” section of our home was in fact built in the late 1880′s, while the “new” section was added in 1962.  Very cool!  Knowing for sure that our house was built in the 19th century has rekindled in me the desire to return the interior to a style appropriate for the time period – if only this humidity would lighten up a little so I could get started!

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