Author: thekaintuckeean

No Destination: LaGrange

Main Street in historic La Grange, Kentucky

As Nate alluded to last week, we visited Oldham County’s seat a few weeks ago. Founded in 1827, this community community was not incorporated until 1840. Named for the home of General Lafayette (the Château de la Grange-Bléneau), some suggest that LaGrange is severely haunted and may be part of the so-called “Fayette Factor.” (An anomaly that I’ve discovered and intend on researching at length.).

DeHaven Baptist Church

I think what stands out about La Grange is that it remains a thriving community. Despite a population of less than 5,700 (2000 Census), La Grange’s downtown is filled with active and successful businesses. Remarkable for a town of its size, particularly in our current economic downturn. Pictured above is Main Street with several of the businesses visible: Karen’s Book Barn, the Red Pepper Deli and Cafe, the 1887 Corner Store. A great toy store. Unfortunately, we visited on a Sunday and many of the shops were closed.

Several of Kentucky’s towns emphasize history and La Grange certainly counts itself among this class. The Historical Society has preserved churches and other historical structures (its HQ consists of an entire city block!) One of the most architecturally impressive structures is the DeHaven Baptist Church (pictured at right).

No Destination: Lewis & Clark

Historic Marker 2214 at the Shelby County Courthouse

Kentucky has a lot of connections with the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition. A few years ago in commemoration of the bicentennial of the expedition, Kentucky erected a number of historic markers commemorating these connections.

Marker 2214 in Shelbyville reads:

Meriwether Lewis & William Clark, leaders of the 1803-06 journety to the Pacific, visited Shelbyville several times. In Nov. 1806, on the Expedition’s return, Lewis arrived with Expedition veterans, Mandan & Osage Indian delegations bound for Washington, DC.

and

In Shelbyville on Oct. 28, 1809, Clark learned of the death of his Expedition partner, Meriwether Lewis. Clark stopped in town when traveling eastward and read a newspaper report that Lewis had killed himself in Tennessee.

Clark, of course, was a Kentuckian. Lewis was a Virginian and was President Jefferson’s personal secretary when he was tapped to lead the expedition. William Clark was selected upon the recommendation of his brother, George Rogers Clark. [cite]

No Destination: Church of the Annunciation

Church of the Annunciation

On a Sunday visit to Shelbyville, I sought out the local Catholic Church. I walked into the sanctuary only moments after the conclusion of the last service. The smell of incense still permeated the air and I was able to spend a few quiet moments in prayer.

Catholicism in Shelbyville has interesting roots; the first sermon (1843) by a Catholic priest in the community occurred  in the public square to a gathering anticipating the public execution of James McLaughlin. Father James Quinn of Louisville unsuccessfully pleaded with Gov. Letcher for a pardon. Hours before the execution, McLaughlin used a razor to slit his own throat and many accused Fr. Quinn of providing McLaughlin with the tool. Quinn’s sermon was on the value of life, though anti-Catholic sentiment lingered.

Nearly twenty years later, on October 2, 1860, the Church of the Annunciation was dedicated. When compared to Lebanon’s St. Augustine’s, the Church of the Annunciation is quite plain. Yet it is a beautiful sanctuary with aged clean lines and a genuine warmth.

See Parish History.

No Destination: Science Hill School

Shelbyville’s Science Hill School

Julia Tevis began in 1825 a college preparatory program for girls in Shelbyville. At the time, a “gentlelady’s” education consisted of only reading, writing and the social graces. Tevis sought to expand the minds of young women, including in areas such as the sciences. The school was a great success when on its first day, 20 women appeared at the door. Mrs. Tevis operated the school for 55 years until it fell under the principalship of Dr. W.T. Pointer.

Dr. Pointer brought great acclaim to Science Hill as it was declared one of the nation’s greatest college preparatory programs. The Lyceum Circuit regularly included Science Hill on its its itinerary, bringing distinguished speakers and educators to Shelbyville. This increased the cultural import of Shelbyville and prompted the construction of the town’s opera house.

After 114 years in operation, the Great Depression caused a number of preparatory institutions to close including Science Hill.

No Destination: Stanley House

The Stanley-Casey House

Augustus O. Stanley was born in the above-pictured house in Shelbyille on May 21, 1867, and would later go on to be Kentucky’s 38th governor (1915-1919). The house was erected c. 1816 Gov. Stanley also served in the U.S. House of Representatives (pre-governorship) and the U.S. Senate (post-governorship).

Stanley, a progressive Democrat, spent his time in Washington trust-busting (on behalf of Kentucky farmers against the American Tobacco Company and on principle against U.S. Steel). In 1912, Stanley authored a committee report that would be the basis of many of the reforms to the Sherman Act that would be embodied in the Clayton Act.

As governor, Stanley instituted a number of progressive reforms: state antitrust laws, ban on free railroad passes for public figures, campaign finance reform, worker’s compensation and budget reform. The biggest marker of Stanley’s political career was his opposition to prohibition; it and his progressivism ultimately cost him the 1915 Senate election and his Senate re-election bid in 1924.

Also of note, Stanley’s grandson (Augustus O. Stanley III, a/k/a Owsley Stanley a/k/a The Bear) was an underground LSD cook and financier for Grateful Dead. Oh, and he kind of designed the logo for the band.

No Destination: Shelbyille Fountain

Also at the intersection of Fifth and Main in downtown Shelbyville is the Shelbyville Fountain, erected in the middle of the intersection in 1895 to celebrate the community’s first public water works (Shelbyville Water & Light Co.). The statue and fountain were relocated to the southeast corner of the intersection in 1914 after the completion of the present courthouse.

The J. L. Mott Ironworks Company of New York designed and built the “Atlantis” patterned fountain. Its founder, Jordan Mott, was very creative in his designs and was successful in patenting a number of his iron works. President Buchanan offered him the position of Commissioner of Patents, but Mott refused.

The fountain was restored in 1992 in celebration of the Commonwealth’s (and Shelby County’s and Shelbyille’s) Bicentennial.

No Destination: Church of the Ascension

Church of the Ascension in Frankfort

Frankfort’s Church of the Ascension is the oldest congregation in the city. It has been instrumental in the growth of the city by sponsoring the first library, furnishing an orphanage from 1859 to 1939, and founding a free school for the poor.

The Episcopal Church is located on Washington Street in Frankfort’s historic district.

Constructed about 1850 and financed by Farmer’s Bank president John Hanna, the house of worship was enlarged in 1868 and both the parish house and chapel were erected in 1899. Hanna had traveled to Europe to see models of traditional church design before he funded the building of the Church of the Ascension.

No Destination: Shelbyville

5th & Main, Shelbyville, KY with county courthouse in background

In 1792, Kentucky became a Commonwealth, Shelby County split from Jefferson County and Shelbyville was first settled (though it would not be incorporated until 1846). Both the county and the city are named after Kentucky’s first governor, Isaac Shelby.

Civil unrest came to Shelbyville even before the Civil War began, prompting local officials to erect a blockhouse in the center of town. It stood at the intersection of what is now Fifth St. and Main St. and remained until “civil law and order were assured” in 1870. The intersection remains – with the courthouse, city fountain and memorial park – Shelbyville’s civil center (which is odd, given that it is Fifth Street).

Downtown Shelbyville is built around two one-way streets (Main and Washington) running parralel to one another. Historic sites, antique shops, cafes and other businesses prosper.