thekaintuckeean – Page 57 – The Kaintuckeean

NoD: McCreary County from Mile Marker 0

US 27 at the Tennessee State Line – McCreary County, Ky.

On a recent trip to Tennessee, I found myself eschewing the interstate in favor of Highway 27. From the Tennessee border, one crosses through McCreary, Pulaski, Lincoln, Garrard and Jessamine counties and the trip marked my first venture into McCreary County.

When not travelling by interstate, a state line can be a fascinating place. A noticeable line in the asphalt marks where one transportation’s work ends and another begins. ‘Unbridled’ signage encourages entrance to Kentucky while the “McCreary County” and “Mile 0” signs are mere statements of fact. But the broader picture is grand. At the state line, Kentucky’s state flower – goldenrod – grows. A cigarette store in Kentucky sits only feet from Tennessee, but offers our neighbors to the south a great discount on tobacco due to our lower taxes on the product. But Rocky Top isn’t short changed as they host a liquor store a mere 15 yards from dry McCreary County.

McCreary County is quite unique in that its county seat, Whitley City, is not an incorporated city. In fact, McCreary County has no incorporated cities or towns — the only county in Kentucky with such a claim. McCreary County was the last Kentucky county – #120 – when it was formed in 1912 from Pulaski, Wayne and Whitley counties.

During the Civil War, the area was very pro-Union. Even so, the county is named after a Confederate war hero and two-term Kentucky governor, James B. McCreary. It is a beautiful county that creates another beautiful entrance into the Commonwealth.

Pictures by the Kaintuckeean on flickr.

NoD: Rural Carriage House

Carriage House – Madison County, Ky.

When driving through Madison County earlier this year, I was struck by the number of “destinations” along U.S. 25 south of Richmond. Historic markers abound, a military complex is imposing, and this abandoned carriage house stands as a reminder of days gone.

I’ve previously written a series on the carriage houses of Lexington’s Gratz Park (series pts. 1, 2, and 3), but unlike those urban instances this carriage house appears in a rural setting. Although I cannot find any specifics on this carriage house at this time, I am hopeful that readers might fill in the gaps.

The carriage house is situated off a small private road adjacent to US25 (Berea Road), formerly the eastern portion of the Dixie Highway. It is probable that the private road was the original Dixie Highway and that the carriage house opened directly upon it. With two stories and large windows above each of the carriage ports, it is likely that living quarters were included above. The stately stone entrance to the drive reveals no great manor behind, likely the home to which the carriage house belonged has been lost to the annals of history. (Any help on the history here… por favor?)

Amazingly, the only reference to this carriage house I can find online comes from the Madison County Quilt Trail as the Star Shadows barn quilt can be seen behind the carriage house.

Oh… and check this out: I’ve added Lightbox to the blog.

Photos on flickr.

NoD: Pikeville College began in today’s City Hall

City Hall – Pikeville, Ky.

In 1887, three men rode into the hills of eastern Kentucky as members of the Ebenezer Presbytery, now part of the Presbyterian Church, USA. These men – Dr. W.C. Condit of Ashland, Dr. Samuel B. Alderson of Maysville, and Dr. James Hendricks of Flemingsburg – were concerned that “some of America’s finest people were being neglected both in educational and spiritual development.” After several trips into the area and upon the urging of the people, it was determined that Pikeville (then a community of about 300 people) should be the situs for an educational facility.

Ground was broken in 1889 for the Pikeville Collegiate Institute and the Institute held its first classes on September 16, 1889. Using clay from the nearby Big Sandy River, bricks were fired on-site to create this two story structure which rests upon a foundation of locally sourced stone. The building is the oldest educational building in Pike County, even though its purpose is no longer educational. The building is also considered to be one of the oldest within Pikeville’s city limits.

Pikeville Collegiate Institute, in 1909-1910, split into Pikeville College and the Pikeville College Academy, a prepatory institution. The Academy occupied this building, dubed the “Old Academy Building,” until the Academy closed in 1955. When the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, it was used for art classes but had been used over the years for classes, as a community center and as a chapel. After a period of abandonment, the City of Pikeville restored the Old Academy Building as its City Hall.

Bibliography
Cornelius Carroll
Historic Marker
National Register

EV: Resting Place of Henry Clay (Lexington Cemetery, Part VII)

Tomb of Henry Clay – Lexington, Ky.

When most people think of the Lexington Cemetery, they probably immediately think of the Henry Clay monument. And for good reason. It dominates the skyline of this area of Lexington. Though, as a curious aside, it’s really tough to see the monument from the cemetery below. It takes up an entire section (Section M) of the cemetery and is surrounded by a dense group of cherry trees.

When Henry Clay died in June of 1852, the ensuing ten days of memorials and mourning were national news. The day after he was buried, a group met at the courthouse in Lexington to begin planning “a national monument of historic proportions.” They certainly achieved their goal.

The monument was completed in 1861, but because of the Civil War, Clay’s body was not laid to rest there until 1864, when both he and his wife’s bodies were placed there. The monument stands on a small hill, and Clay faces east, towards his home – Ashland.

Curiously, the monument has had a rather rough time over the years. In 1909, a storm knocked the head off the statute, necessitating a new statue to be built at the cost of $10,000. Then in 1910, the replacement statue was struck by lighting and lost its right hand and leg. The statue was once again repaired for another $10,000.

By the time the 1970s rolled around, the statue was a mess, as technically, there was no group responsible for its upkeep. The Cemetery had long ago deeded the land to the Henry Clay Monument Association, a group that no longer existed. To remedy this issue, the orphan monument was vested to the city by the Fayette Circuit Court. The monument saw a complete restoration at the hands of the city in 1976. The city transferred ownership to the Lexington Cemetery in 1999.

NoD: “The Man Who Moved A Mountain”

William Hambley, “The Man Who Moved a Mountain” – Pikeville, Ky.

From 1973 until 1987, over eighteen million cubic yards of earth was moved in a project known as the Pikeville Cut-Through. It was the largest earth moving project ever undertaken in the United States and only the second largest in the western hemisphere, paling only to the Panama Canal project.

But this isn’t about the project, it is about the man behind the project. A man who loved Pikeville, but who didn’t like how dusty she was. So he decided to take action.

Even in elementary school, William Hambley didn’t care for the railroad tracks that divided his hometown and the local college. The tracks also created a “wrong side of the track” mentality and the substandard housing that comes with it.

The railroad tracks also brought dirty coal cars through the middle of Pikeville. Intermittent flooding of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, which created a horseshoe around Pikeville, was a major problem for this eastern Kentucky community.

By 1960, the young William Hambley had grown. He was a doctor who ran and won the office of mayor in his beloved Pikeville. And through his perseverance, he maneuvered the red tape of over 20 federal, state and local agencies to improve Pikeville’s lot.

Thirteen years after his election, the Army Corps of Engineers broke grown on moving the Peach Orchard Mountain. The river, the tracks and a highway were put in the new cut-through and the old riverbed was filled and reclaimed. Over it, a roadbed – the William Hambley Blvd. – allowed for Pikeville’s expansion.

“The Man Who Moved a Mountain” served as Pikeville’s mayor for 29 years – until 1989 – and oversaw the entire project. Today, the bronze statue of Dr. Hambley forever looks down Pikeville’s changing and growing Main Street from its perch in City Park.

walkLEX: Northside Neighborhood Association Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary

263 North Broadway – Lexington, Ky.

Last week on one of my walking lunches, I couldn’t help but notice a few brightly colored flags in front of several houses in the area around Third Street just west of Broadway. It was not until Friday that I discovered that the flags marked sites on the Northside Neighborhood Association walking tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the association. Of course, the neighborhood and its homes have existed for a much longer period.

When Lexington was originally platted, the area was divided into five acre lots. But by the 1810s, Lexington was beginning to grow northward toward what is now Transylvania University. In 1830, Transylvania University relocated its campus across Third Street to its present location and Lexington continued to grow in her direction. The Northside Neighborhood is expansive – reaching from Newtown Pike to Limestone and from Church Street to north of Seventh. Because of its geographic diversity, Northside also includes a broad variety of socioeconomic classes, architectural styles and historical communities within its bounds.

Prior to the Civil War, African American enclaves grew along College, Henry, and Miller Streets, but blacks (both freed and slave) generally lived dispersed among their white neighbors. After the War, African American urban clusters such as Brucetown, Goodloetown and Taylortown arose as Lexington became more segregated. A black Catholic parish, St. Peter Claver, opened in 1887 to serve these communities and remains a vibrant parish today at Fourth and Jefferson.

In the 1880s and 1890s, many of the old large five acre tracts were opened up to speculation, construction, and a growing population. In turn-of-the-century Fayette and Elsmere Parks, lumber companies built quality homes with architectural detail but without the without a commissioned architect. These were truly some of Lexington’s first “suburbs.”

It has been noted that both the black urban clusters and the predominately white suburbs were both developed off of the major roadways, yet the former occupied the valleys between the more-elevated suburb.

Interspersed among the homes were various commercial enterprises, be it groceries, restaurants, tailors or saloons and many of the old storefronts remain. And infill continued so that the Neighborhood contains examples not only of Federal and Victorian architecture, but also contains homes in the bungalow and arts and crafts style. Today, Miller Street is being redeveloped with townhouses and some quasi-modern architecture. I never have really considered the size and scope of Northside because it contains so much; I have hardly scratched the surface. I guess I know where I’ll be walking…

Sources: National Register (Listing and Expansion); Hat/Tip: Herald-Leader.

walkLEX: Clyde Carpenter’s Carriage House

The Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour to a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored – the group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Details are always available on the Kaintuckeean Calendar and on Facebook! In September 2011, the deTour group visited three carriage houses; this is the second installment with the first having been the Hunt-Morgan House Carriage House and the second the Maria Dudley Carriage House. More pictures from this deTour are available on flickr.

Clyde Carpenter Carriage House – Lexington, Ky.

Every time I pass down Lexington’s New Street, a one block path between North Mill and North Broadway, I am taken away to the narrow, history-filled streets of Boston, Mass. The narrow street, nestled between a busy road and beautiful Gratz Park, has a variety of architectural styles — all relatively traditional — that are perfectly scaled to the street’s width. Adaptive reuse and infill are the common themes on this one-block stretch.

But the greatest example of adaptive reuse here, and arguably one of the best examples of adaptive reuse in the city, is the carriage house-turned-residence at 340 New Street. When architect Clyde Carpenter first envisioned turning the carriage house into a home in 1966, he entered through the main door to find an actively used garage. In his living room, a vehicle sat. In the loft, there remained hay and grain.

But a great mind can envision great things. And Clyde Carpenter did. Of course, other hurdles remained beyond his control. Financing was a tricky thing to obtain, particularly given that the area around nearby North Broadway was not considered ‘prime’ for a single family dwelling. ‘Adaptive reuse’ was also not in its ‘prime,’ but despite these odds Mr. Carpenter succeeded in securing financing to turn a dilapidated carriage house into a beautiful residence.

Inside, part of the second floor was removed to expose the first floor to the building’s height and to showcase the preserved beams from the original structure. The second floor could be opened up in this way because it is suspended from those same ceiling beams.

Rather than constructing a privacy fence around the garden, Carpenter constructed a narrow (10ft wide) addition on the southwest corner of the home in which he has placed the master bedroom and bath and a sitting area. Due to the dimensions of this addition, the bed and bath are obviously quite a tight fit and, despite the scale of the overall house, recall the now-popular small house movement.

Between kitchen and dining room, an original horse stall gate connects the house to its origins. For his remarkable work, Carpenter and his carriage house have been recognized by many organizations and the Blue Grass Trust’s annual adaptive reuse award is named in Carpenter’s honor.

And if you didn’t click the link above, check out all of the pictures of the Clyde Carpenter Carriage House on flickr.

walkLEX: Maria Dudley Carriage House

The Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour to a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored – the group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Details are always available on the Kaintuckeean Calendar and on Facebook! In September 2011, the deTour group visited three carriage houses; this is the second installment with the first having been the Hunt-Morgan House Carriage House. More pictures from this deTour are available on flickr.

Maria Dudley Carriage House – Lexington, Ky.

Built contemporaneously with the Maria Dudley House in 1879, the carriage house at 215 North Mill Street has been and continues to be beautifully converted into a usable garage and cottage. A stable stall door in the rear of the garage hearkens back to the structure’s prior use, though the carriage house now ably stores vehicles and its upper floor is being remodeled into a very usable living space or possibly an apartment.

The first floor has ample parking room, a wonderful gardener’s prep area, a storage area and a powder room, while the upstairs remains a wholly unfinished 1,044 square feet. Architecturally, however, the carriage house could not be more different than the Victorian Eclectic main house with its octagonal tower that uniquely stands among the beautiful houses in Gratz Park.

walkLEX: Hunt-Morgan Carriage House

The Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour to a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored – the group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Details are always available on the Kaintuckeean Calendar and on Facebook! In September 2011, the deTour group visited three carriage houses; this is the first installment. More pictures from this deTour are available on flickr.

Carriage House behind the Hunt-Morgan House – Lexington, Ky.

Behind the stately Hopemont on North Mill Street is the home’s carriage house. A carriage house, like the carriage, is a relic of centuries past. Today’s automobile and garage were preceded by horse-drawn carriages and these carriages (and their noble steeds) required protection from the elements. And unlike today’s two-car garages, a carriage house was never attached to the residence it served (even without carbon monoxide issues!).

Hopemont, built in 1814, preceded the above carriage house by some twenty years. It is quite unlikely that John Wesley Hunt – believed to be Kentucky’s first millionaire – would have built Hopemont without an accompanying carriage house. On this notion alone, one must conclude that the pictured carriage house was the home’s second. Although much of the interior structure is original, the carriage house was slightly modified at the turn of the twentieth century, i.e. circa 1900.

It is said that John Wesley Hunt’s nephew, John Hunt Morgan – the famed “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy,” stalled his famous Black Bess in the carriage house. And although the legend has been told in different ways, one version is as follows: General Morgan saddled Black Bess in the carriage house before riding through the rear of the Hunt-Morgan House only to stop and kiss his mother on the cheek before galloping out the front door.

Of course, Black Bess has been immortalized herself in another way when artist Pompeo Coppini sculpted a masculine mare upon which General Morgan would forever bestride in front of the old courthouse in Lexington. Yes, this famous mare is likely the most infamous ‘tenant’ of the Hunt-Morgan House carriage house.

Bibliography
Alvey, R. Gerald. Kentucky Bluegrass County (p.64-65)
Federal Writers Project, Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State (p. 204)

EV: Confederate Memorials (Lexington Cemetery, Part VI)

Ladies Confederate Memorial – Lexington, Ky.

When the Civil War concluded, battlefield were littered with Kentucky soldiers who had lost their lives on both sides of the conflict. Some of the fallen were buried in the Lexington Cemetery. In total, 102 Confederate soldiers were buried in the Lexington Cemetery during the conflict. The Confederate plots, which are separated from the fallen Union by a small paved drive, were turned over to the Confederate Veterans Association in June of 1891 for the token payment of one dollar. In February of 1892, the CVA bought the adjacent 510 square feet for $50, and eventually the CVA purchased an additional two lots totaling 853 square feet.

The Confederate lot is highlighted by two sites on the National Historic Register.

First, the Confederate Soldier’s Monument (pictured at left). The Soldier’s monument was built with donations from four particularly wealthy residents of Lexington. Built in Carrara, Italy, and ordered from a catalog, the Soldier’s Monument was erected in 1893. It contains the names of 160 veterans.

The nearby Ladies’ Confederate Memorial (pictured at top) is much more striking in its appearance. It was erected in 1874. Instead of being about southern patriotism, the Ladies Memorial represents the grief of those lost in the war. The Ladies Memorial and Monument Association was founded by the wife of John C. Breckinridge. The monument features a marble cross adorned with a broken flag-staff. It was designed by George W. Ranck, a Lexington historian. Frank Leslie’s Weekly, a popular national magazine at the time, described the Ladies Memorial as “probably the most perfect thing of its kind in the South.”

I would agree. It’s truly unlike anything I have ever seen in a memorial.