thekaintuckeean – Page 74 – The Kaintuckeean

No Destination: Georgetown

Downtown Georgetown, Kentucky

I’ve already mentioned a number of locations in and around Georgetown – the College, the Japanese Garden, Ward Hall – but I haven’t discussed Georgetown itself. Originally named Lebanon, the town was renamed after George Washington in 1790 (present day Lebanon, Ky. wasn’t named until 1815).

Although founded by Rev. Elijah Craig and his fellow Baptists, its modern history goes back a little further. In 1774, John Floyd led the first whites into the area during a surveying expedition. Floyd and his men discovered the Royal Spring (which was Georgetown’s primary water source for years). Although Floyd claimed the surrounding 1,000 acres, he never settled the land. John McClelland began establishing a fort in April 1775, but the site was abandoned after an Indian attack in 1776. The white man did not return until Elijah Craig came in 1782.

The community remained a sleepy neighbor to nearby Lexington for many years. Georgetown, however, grew drastically when Toyota located its North American manufacturing facility here. Most notably, all Toyota Camry’s are manufactured in Georgetown. The town is also the home of the Cincinnati Bengals’ summer training camp.

Pictured is the downtown business district, called the Oxford Historic District. It is known for its beautiful examples of late Victorian and Greek Revival architecture. Check out all of my pictures of Georgetown on flickr.

No Destination: St. Matthew AME

St. Matthew AME Church, Midway, Ky.

In historic Midway is the St. Matthews African Methodist-Episcopal Church. Its historic marker, unveiled in 2008, reads:

St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church. Est. in 1860. Served as a recruitment office during Civil War. Lot was purchased May 9, 1854, for location of first church building. Rev. Moses Burks was 1st minister of the old frame church. In 1886, Rev. J. Frazier & members erected brick church that later burned with old frame church. Present church was built in 1892.

It is a beautiful, well-kept structure that congregants should be proud of. Unfortunately, with the exception of the marker I can find no history on the building or the congregation.

No Destination: Nat’l Bank of Cynthiana

Adaptive Reuse in Cynthiana, Ky.

For my regular readers, you know I love historic preservation. A key part of preservation is adaptive reuse, which simply means utilizing existing structures for purposes other than those which were originally intended. Although some historic significance is lost, often the historic streetscape is not disturbed.

A great example of adaptive reuse in Cynthiana is the old National Bank of Cynthiana which today houses a diner smartly named “The Vault” as well as the visitor’s center.

No Destination: Carnegie Library (Middlesboro)

Carnegie Library, Middlesboro, Ky.

The Carnegie Library in Middlesboro is one of 35 libraries built between 1899 and 1914 by the Carnegie Foundation. [*] Completed in 1912, the keys to the structure were never turned over to the city because the municipality could not gather the $1,500 (10% of the cost) necessary to receive the structure under the terms of the Carnegie grant. As a result, the building stood vacant for several years. Ultimately, the Bell County library moved into the building. Other tenants have included the police department, a classroom building for the overcrowded schools and as a bandage preparation facility for the Red Cross during World War II.

Today, the old Carnegie Library houses the county’s historical society and museum.

As Carnegie said, “The[ libraries] only help those that help themselves. They never pauperize. They reach the aspiring, and open to these the chief treasures of the world—those stored in books. A taste for reading drives out lower tastes.” Despite not funding their share of the library, the people of Middlesboro did want the facility [PDF of letters by citizens to Carnegie, compiled by J. Jeffrey of Western Kentucky University].

No Destination: Site of Fairfield

Site of Fairfield, Bourbon Co., Ky.

US-27 between Paris and Cynthiana is filled with historic markers. At each sign, I dutifully pull over to explore. Historic Marker #82, Site of Fairfield:

One mile northeast. Built by James Garrard, second Governor of Kentucky, 1796-1800; reelected 1800-04. Bourbon County’s first court held here, 1786. Near here, Mt. Lebanon, Kentucky’s earliest Governor’s mansion.

Mt. Lebanon was actually Gov. Garrard’s residence, constructed by him in 1782 on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. He is buried at Mt. Lebanon. Fairfield was Gov. Garrard’s son’s home and was adjacent to Mt. Lebanon. Many Garrard family members – a major family in Kentucky’s history – claimed Fairfield as their birthplace.

No Destination: A Renowned Piscator

“A Renowned Piscator” Historic Marker, Cynthiana, Ky.

In Cynthiana, a historic marker is dedicated to A Renowned Piscator. To be honest, I had to look this word up. It simply means “fisherman” or “angler.” The marker reads:

Dr. James A. Henshall, 1836-1925, author Book of the Black Bass and others, brought fame to Kentucky’s South Licking, Elkhorn, and Stoner streams. He came here to practice medicine. During Civil War healed wounds for men in Blue and Gray. Left, regained health, returned in 1880, wrote book. With U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, 1896-1917, he found new method for fish propagation.

In fact, this native of Baltimore, Maryland’s book (Book of the Black Bass) is considered by some to be “everything about the black bass just as Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is all you want to know about whales.” (Ken Duke, ESPN “Bassography“).

In a nutshell, Henshall thought the small-mouthed black bass to be a fish with a lot of spunk – especially given its size. He set forth to improve its popularity among anglers and began raising the fish on ponds (this was a new idea in those days). Ultimately, he went to work for the U.S. Fish Commission and used his skills in creating hatcheries in Montana.

No Destination: John Hunt Morgan Bridge

John Hunt Morgan Bridge, Cynthiana, Ky.

General John Hunt Morgan, the Thunderbolt of the Confederacy, is a favorite Civil War general among many Kentuckians. In Lexington, the statute of him upon his steed is the only one in Kentucky with a mounted Civil War soldier or officer.

In Cynthiana, site of two Civil War battles (both involved JHM), a bridge “honor[s] famous Confederate calvary leader.” Opened to traffic on October 8, 1949, the General John Hunt Morgan Bridge was dedicated in 1950. It replaced a wooden, covered bridge which had been erected in 1837. Closed in 1944 and the flooring and sides removed, daring teenagers attempted to cross the skeletal remains of the covered bridge in 1946. Four drowned. In December 1948, that bridge was pushed into the river and construction began on the present bridge. [*] [*]

The bridge crosses the south fork of the Licking River.

Fourth of July Celebrations

On Friday evening, I enjoyed the sounds of the Lexington Singers and the Lexington Philharmonic at the Patriotic Concert held on the steps of Transylvania University’s Old Morrison with the crowd filling Gratz Park. Saturday, July 3, included the annual downtown festival, parade and fireworks. Lexington always puts its best foot forward on the Fourth of July and I always love being downtown on this day. On this day, all of Lexington comes together to celebrate – in one place. The politics, the people watching, the food – everything makes for a terrific day.

I’m not posting any histories today, but I am encouraging you to post comments here about how you celebrated the Fourth of July. Also, check out all the pictures I took over the weekend in my flickr Fourth of July Festivities set.

And Happy Independence Day!

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Happy Weekend; Happy Fourth of July on the Third

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Lexington is celebrating today (it started last night with a terrific Patriotic Concert). I’ll be there taking pictures and uploading them to flickr when time permits (Already posted last night’s pictures…enjoy)!

Lexington celebrates its Fourth of July activities today, July 3rd. There is a lot going on downtown. Come and see. [LFUCG]

Future of Centrepointe as permanent downtown greenspace? If we preserve it, will they come? [Lexington Streetsweeper]

An artshow at the Hopewell Museum, Paris, features Kentucky’s artists of the past and present. Admission is cheap. [Tom Eblen]

Exhibit on Lewis and Clark Expedition housed is housed until mid-August at the Boone County Public Library. A lot of Kentucky connections [NKy]

Horse Mania and Horse Play foals will soon be appearing around downtown Lexington and in the libraries. [Herald-Leader]

Blogging with Substance

The Kaintuckeean has been awarded the “Blogging with Substance” award. Thank you to SSW of La Fin des Haricots for bestowing this high honor on us! To accept this award, we must (1) thank the award presenter, (2) share our blogging philosophy in five words and (3) bestow the award on ten other blogs. Having already thanked SSW, we now move forward to our other tasks at hand.

As for a blogging philosophy, we obviously love Kentucky. So too did Daniel Boone. In fact, he once said: “Kentucke, which I esteemed a Second Paradise.” The more we explore our Commonwealth, the truer we believe this claim. And so, our blogging philosophy: Exploring Kentucky, Our Second Paradise.

Now, to recommend ten blogs. First, there are several great Kentucky blogs (I hope to learn of more in the future!). It is true evidence that Kentucky, to so many, is truly a “Second Paradise!”

Unusual Kentucky is fantastic as the author finds the most bizarre Kentucky sites. His book, Weird Kentucky, is a must read!
My Old Kentucky Backroads is another site exploring Kentucky’s backroads and finds unique, historic sites.
LEXplore focuses on my friend’s new discoveries in the Lexington area. A variety of history, business/restaurant and &c. It is a new site, but it has much promise!
Bluegrass Romance Project is one of my new favorite sites. The author loves life and lives it passionately here. In so doing, she finds the amazing, unique Kentucky.
Genuine Kentucky is a beautiful site “celebrating the Bluegrass.” That, they do!
Broken Sidewalk is bizarre only because the author remains intimately involved with the details of Louisville while living in Brooklyn, NY. In May, he took a hiatus from writing and has returned to a limited extent and I’m hoping for more!
The Bluegrass & Beyond is essential for Kentuckians. Written by Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen (a lover of Kentucky, of its history and its future), this site is a fantastic resource (and at times, inspiration).
UrbanUp is a Cincinnati blog, but it doesn’t ignore the happenings in Northern Kentucky.
The Lexington Streetsweeper is a little political, but it is striving for a better (and preserved) Lexington.
History Burgoo is the official blog of the Kentucky Historical Society. Not surprisingly, it is quite an interesting read!

Happy reading!