As I have mentioned before, my wife’s family is from Whitesburg, so I frequently find myself in Eastern Kentucky. I noticed the last time that I put up an update on my status that I had inexplicably failed to make it Lee County, which seemed like a huge hole in my map. So last evening, I was headed to Jackson to meet the in-laws halfway, and I decided that on the way back we would swing through Beattyville instead of Campton.
The drive from Jackson to Beattyville is spectacular. State highway 52 runs parallel to the railroad tracks, and the tracks run a considerable height above the roadway. This means that occasionally, a few really amazing old tunnels run underneath the tracks. I’ve never really driven side roads through the mountains, and after this trip, I can highly recommend it. The roads might be a little crazy at times, but you get a completely different experience than the one you get sticking to the Mountain Parkway.
Beattyville reminds me a lot of Morehead. The Main Street areas are just very similar. I’ve recently become a big fan of the Kentucky Explorer, a really interesting little magazine full of history and photos. According to a recent issue, Beattyville had a population of 400 in 1879, with a 4 lawyers, a couple of general stores, several hotels, a flour mill and a grist mill.
When I came up to the courthouse square, I immediately noticed a couple of buildings across the street that looked like they had been pretty heavily damaged by fire. I had forgotten about the Beattyville fire of 2009, which destroyed an entire block of the city that sits across from the courthouse pictured above.
So I was taking my pictures and walking around the courthouse square when I noticed a sign that stated that Beattyville is a part of Homeland Security initiatives, and any suspicious activity would be reported to local authorities. I started to ask myself what sort of suspicious activities might be happening in Beattyville, when the realization struck me that a stranger taking pictures of the courthouse was probably pretty unusual. So I got in the car pretty quickly.
Author: Nate Kissel
Kentucky 120 progress
So I’m up to 39 out of 120. Almost a third of the state done. Though looking at this map, there are clearly a few that for one reason or another I keep missing. What’s my problem with Lee County?
Henry County Courthouse – New Castle, Ky.
New Castle always seems slightly depressing to me. My only experiences in the county seat of Henry County have been on depressing rainy days. And my last trip through Henry County was no exception. Don’t get me wrong, the courthouse above is a beautiful old building, but downtown New Castle could use a little TLC. It’s a downtown that could really use a little revitalization, as there are a lot of really interesting old buildings that are still standing. I’ve found that most people are surprised that the county seat of Henry County isn’t in Eminence, the larger community down the road.
Carroll County Courthouse – Carrollton, Ky.
Downtown Carrollton is really pretty, and couldn’t be any closer to the river. Main Street backs right up to the river, and the street that used to sit north of Main has long been washed away. The courthouse square you see above is enormous and beautiful, and was built in 1884.
Trimble County Courthouse – Bedford, Ky.
Trimble County is an interesting place. I think the courthouse in Bedford is one of the prettiest smaller courthouses in the state, and Bedford is full of history. Just outside of Bedford, the remains of the plantation where escaped slave and abolitionist newspaper publisher Henry Bibb spent years as a slave. I got the chance to visit the site a couple of years ago.
I really hope that they don’t end up building some huge judicial center to replace the courthouse pictured above. Peter will probably blog about this later, but I feel that I have to talk about the old County jail that sits in the courthouse square in Trimble. The jail is like something you would see out of the old west – a big stone block building with little slits in the side. And this jail was in use UNTIL 1983. Just think about that for a second.
Oldham County Courthouse – La Grange, Ky.
I love La Grange. I lived in downtown La Grange for three years, and La Grange is where I fell in love with small-town life. For those of you who have never been, you owe it to yourself to visit. Main Street La Grange is split by a train track that is still active – more than 30 trains run through La Grange every day. I used to do historic tours through La Grange, and you’d think I could remember more about this structure. If I remember correctly, this building was constructed in the mid 1870s, after a fire destroyed the previous courthouse in 1873. The circuit courtroom upstairs is a pretty amazing space. The county jail is connected to the courthouse just to the left of the picture, and the Oldham County History Center sits just across the street. Directly behind me in this picture is the old La Grange Opera House, which I’m hoping Peter blogs about later.
As an interesting aside, Peter and I were walking through La Grange when Kentucky pulled off its miracle comeback to beat Mississippi State in the SEC championship game. We watched the final two minutes of overtime in the La Grange McDonald’s.
Shelby County Courthouse – Shelbyville, Ky.
A few weekends ago me and Peter decided to combine our powers and take a Kentucky 120/No Destination trip through my old stomping grounds. For 3 years I lived in Oldham County and commuted to see my fiance every weekend in Lexington. Shelbyville was the mid-point of that drive, and I’ve always loved the town. I especially love Main Street, which looks like something out of a movie. On the west end of Main are some of the prettiest older homes in the Commonwealth, and at the center of town is the amazing Greek Revival courthouse you see above. It’s really unlike anything else I’ve seen in Kentucky. This courthouse was built in 1913, and displaced the unique Shelbyville fountain that Peter blogged about earlier.
Kentucky 120 Progress – September 27, 2009
So I’m up to 34 now out of 120. That’s a little over 28%. Not too shabby, though I need to get started on the western part of the state.
Fayette County Courthouse – Lexington-Fayette, Ky.
Hopefully Peter won’t be too upset, but I decided to just get Fayette over with today. Pictured below are the new Circuit and District Court buildings at the corner of Main and Limestone. They don’t bother me as much as they apparently bother others, though I do absolutely love the old courthouse above, which is now the History Center. There are TONS of stories to be told about this old courthouse (Cheapside Park, the statutes, the water fountains, etc.) but I’m going to let Peter tell you those, because he knows those stories better than I do. All I know is that this is the FIFTH courthouse to sit on this spot, and based on the pictures in some of my Lexington history books, most of them were really really beautiful buildings.
So, Peter…whatcha know?
Powell County Courthouse – Stanton, Ky.
Powell County’s courthouse looks like a middle school. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it just looks very 80s. Honestly, it completely blends in and I almost didn’t realize what it was before I passed it. The drive through Stanton was pleasant, as this concluded my drive back from Eastern Kentucky on this beautiful cool Kentucky day. Among the most interesting things I learned about Powell County’s courthouse was its Civil War history. It was among the many Kentucky courthouses burned during the Civil War, but Powell County’s courthouse had the unique honor of having been burned down TWICE during the Civil War. Man, that would be rough.