Author: thekaintuckeean

No Destination: Joe B Hall Court

Joe B. Hall Court, Cynthiana, Ky.

Born in Cynthiana in November of 1928, Joe B. Hall went on to both play for and coach his beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats. He played on the 1949 and coached the 1978 National Championship teams. While UK’s coach, he compiled a record of 297-100 and three trips to the Final Four.

Coach Hall is a beloved figure in Kentucky athletics but the love for Joe B. is no greater than in his hometown of Cynthiana. In fact, the courthouse square (pictured above) was dedicated as “Joe B. Hall Court” in his honor in November 1994.

No Destination: Louisville Zoo

The Wife and our Lil Kaintuckeean viewing the Addax, Louisville Zoo.

Yep, we had a destination. I’d never before been to the State Zoo of Kentucky, the Louisville Zoo. Founded in 1969 (on land purchased by the City of Louisville and with funding by James Graham Brown of the Brown Hotel fame), it is a really nice zoo with 135 acres containing over 1,300 species. While there, however, I didn’t see two of the new featured exhibits. The first is the much anticipated “Glacier Bay” that is under construction; the second is (more interesting to me) the historic Louisville Clock. (Also missed the baby gorilla.)

Despite the timing-related shortcomings, it was a lot of fun and is, unsurprisingly, a great family atmosphere.

No Destination: William H. McGuffey

Site of McGuffey’s School, Paris, Ky.

Fewer names are better linked to American education than that of William McGuffey. His McGuffey Readers were sold from 1836 to 1960 selling at least 120 million copies. Born in Pennsylvania, McGuffey also attended Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in western Pennsylvania. For a while, however, he suspended his studies (needing funds for college) and opened a private school in Paris, Ky where he taught from 1823-1826. [*, *] The school, located across the street from Duncan Tavern, was located on the site of the structure pictured above; historic marker #178 designates the site.

Happy Weekend. What’s up in Kentucky?

Retailer, deli are coming to downtown Lexington. Decision to locate in Lexington made because of streetscape improvements. [BizLex]

Keeneland and The Greenbrier enter into an agreement that might bring (luxury) passenger rail service to Lexington? Technically, it would connect us to an Amtrak line. [NKY.com]

The Alltech Fortnight Schedule entertainment schedule has been released – great musicians of national/international renown entertaining statewide. [LexGo]

Frankfort’s Jim Beam distillery will soon undergo a $28 million expansion. [State-Journal]

Georgia Davis, the first African American in the Kentucky Senate, honored through a section of I-264 bearing her name. [Governor Beshear]

Winchester’s WWI Doughboy Statue restored to Courthouse lawn. One of eight in Kentucky. [Winchester Sun]

Summary of Mayor Newberry’s comments on historic, farm preservation. [WEKU]

Another critical eye on the CentrePointe project and TIF monies. [Lowell’s]

No Destination: Georgetown College

Giddings Hall at Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky.

Georgetown College, the first Baptist college west of the Alleghenies, was charted in 1829. The Baptists originally considered adding their college to the Transylvania University in Lexington, but locals persuaded the Baptists to locate the college in Georgetown through the use of $20,000 and a transfer of the assets and absorption of the Rittenhouse Academy. Rittenhouse was a land-grant institution founded by Baptist minister Rev. Elijah Craig (also renowned as a bourbon distiller). Everything almost failed when a Campbellite (Rev. Barton Stone) moved to Georgetown to run the Academy (the Baptists weren’t fond of the Campbellites).

Obviously, the squabbles were put to rest and GC remains. Today, it has nearly 2,000 students (combination of graduate, undergraduate bodies).

Update: @KyHistSoc reminds me of the legend of Bourbon at the above-pictured Giddings Hall: Bluegrass Note: Rev. Elijah Craig also founded Georgetown College. Legend has it that a quart of bourbon reposes under each of the six Ionic columns of the portico of the oldest building on campus, Giddings Hall, built in 1839.

walkLEX: Newtown Pike Extension


There is a lot of progress going on in the Newtown Pike Extension/Manchester Street area. After a conference at the Convention Center today, I attended a happy hour at Buster’s (the heart of what is becoming the Distillery District).

Unlike my peers, I walked. And I’m glad I did. The perspective from this angle (toward the northwest) revealed the under-construction Newtown Pike bridge and (behind me) the road path to Versailles Road. The Extension has been a proposal for Lexigton redevelopment and traffic-flow improvement for over forty years and the best news is that the construction is coming at a time when such emphasis is placed on roadways being visually and pedestrian/cyclist friendly.

No Destination: Les églises de Paris

Paris, as well as its churches, are filled with history. There are several beautiful churches in Paris.

First Christian Church, Paris, Ky.

The First Christian Church in Paris was first organized in 1827. The beginning of the “Christian Church” actually began nearby in Bourbon County at the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801. The early congregation hosted leaders of the movement, Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell. The church is set on a slight hill and is the church’s third structure. Built in the Romanesque style, it was dedicated in 1902.

Annunciation Catholic Church, Paris, Ky.

The Catholic Church in Paris has lovely grounds with a garden walk. The cornerstone of this beautiful church was laid in 1858 by the first bishop of Covington, Bishop Carrell; the church was completed in 1861 and dedicated under the “Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” And as always, I love that Catholic Churches are open for prayer during the day!

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Paris, Ky.

Finally, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is located next to the Duncan Tavern. I can’t find much information about the history of this church, but I know it has a gorgeous sanctuary (my wife used to have her voice recitals there). Being so close to both Duncan Tavern and the Bourbon County Courthouse, one must know that it was a house of worship for many early leaders in the area.

No Destination: Cumberland Gap Tunnel

Cumberland Gap Tunnel (Tennessee Portal), Cumberland Gap, Tenn.

Traveling between Middlesboro, Ky. and Cumberland Gap, Tenn. used to be quite a dangerous trip; old US 25E was nicknamed “Massacre Mountain” because of the number of fatalities occurring on the windy road. Today, that path has been restored to nature and is a hiking path. There is a great 33-photo-tour of the old US 25E soon after it was closed and the ‘restoration to nature’ project began. Here is a photo in 2002 of students planting saplings in the old roadbed. Of course, this old pass – one of only three natural paths through the Appalachians – “served as a gateway in prehistoric times, when Native Americans used it as a footpath and buffalo used it to seek greener pastures.” [*]

Vehicular travel now travels under the mountain through the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Begun in 1991 and opened in 1996, there are two two-lane tubes with each traveling 4,600 feet.  During construction, subterranean mountain streams would have pumped hundreds of gallon every minute into the tubes. As a result, the tubes are lined with thick PVC piping. [*] The total project to construct the tunnel ran $280 million (the project was about 2x budget).

Interestingly, the Cumberland Gap Tunnel is one of only two tunnels in the United States that traverse a state line (the other is on I-77 between W. Va. and Va.). Although the old US 25E meandered also through Virginia, the tunnels do not (though they are mere yards away). [* – great link on planning, construction details]

Note: Yes. The photo was taken of the Tennessee portal, but the Kentucky portal looks about the same. And the latter is in Bell County. So there.

No Destination: Paris Cemetery

Gateway to the Paris Cemetery. Paris, Ky.

Driving from Lexington to Paris, one cannot help but notice the magnificent Gothic Revival entrance to the Paris Cemetery. Established in 1847, the cemetery’s entrance was completed in 1862. The entrance was designed by architect John McMurtry (McMurtry also designed a gateway for the Lexington Cemetery pictured here but that was torn down in 1890).

Buried in the Paris Cemetery are several notables. Among them Associate Justice to the Supreme Court Robert Trimble (for whom Trimble County is named); CSA Gov. Richard Hawes (Kentucky’s Second Confederate Governor in a pseudo-state government); Sen. Garrett Davis (credited with keeping Kentucky from seceding); and John Fox, Jr. (author of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the first book in American literature to sell over one million copies).

The oldest headstone in the cemetery is that of Elisha Ford, who died in 1807. Upon the establishment of the Paris Cemetery, many smaller cemeteries in town were closed and the bodies exhumed and transferred to the new Paris Cemetery. [*]

walkLEX: Bluegrass Airport Runway 9-27

My lil Kaintuckeean headed down the runway, Lexington, Ky.

Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport hosted this month’s Second Sunday (a monthly event in Lexington; once a year in October around the state) which is designed to get people out exercising. The new Runway 9-27 is 4,000 feet long and was the perfect venue for the event. People had bicycles, roller blades, roller skates, skateboards and scooters. There were old WWII era planes on display and various emergency vehicles were also present. The biggest hit was probably the LFUCG ambulance since its patient area is air conditioned (a plus in 90-degree weather!)

Runway 9-27 replaces the old runway, 8-26, from which the ill-fated Comair Flight 191 took off. Runway 9-27 is expected to open for general aviation traffic in August – just in time for the World Equestrian Games. Here’s what the Herald-Leader had to say.