Author: thekaintuckeean

No Destination: Mill Springs National Cemetery

Kentucky has seven national cemeteries and has the highest concentration of national cemeteries of any state in the Union. Mill Springs National Cemetery is the smallest cemetery in the national system, though its has existed since the system was first established in late 1862 with only twelve cemeteries. Because of complications associated with the war, it was impractical to create a proper resting place for our nation’s heroes until after the war. Congress in 1867 provided more specifics for the national cemetery system and Mill Springs National Cemetery was formally dedicated on June 15, 1881. Mill Springs Nat’l Cemetery sits atop a high, sloping hill next to the Mill Springs Battlefield Visitor Center (opened in 2006) in the Pulaski County community of Nancy.

The Battle of Mill Springs occurred in January of 1862. During the course of the battle, 39 Union soldiers fell while Confederate losses numbered 125. (Visit the Kaintuckeean on Wednesday for a post about Zollicoffer Park and the Confederate mass grave/cemetery). Prior to the battle, CSA troops had established themselves in the immediate area, though the Union had control of neighboring communities. Confederate attempts to keep the two groups of Union troops from joining were defeated during this battle, and the surviving Confederates fled their position and supplies.

The Battle of Mill Springs occurred nine days after the Battle of Middle Creek; these two Confederate losses shifted the field of battle from southeeastern Kentucky into Tennessee until the Battle of Perryville brought the war back to Kentucky.

NoDestination: Somerset’s Fountain Square & John Sherman Cooper

Fountain Square, the center of Somerset, was restored in 1963 by Senator John Sherman Cooper and his wife, Lorraine. At that time, Cooper was serving his third stint (1946-49, 1952-55 and 1956-73) as a United States Senator from Kentucky. The Senator was a liberal Republican who also served in the Army, in diplomatic posts to the U.N., East Germany and India as well as a member of the Warren Commission.

Cooper voted for the Civil Rights Act, was one of the first senators to stand up to McCarthyism and was instrumental in barring U.S. military operations in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Born in Somerset in 1901, Cooper died in 1991 in Washington. He never forgot his Kentucky roots; from his obituary in the NY Times:

Mr. Cooper worked quietly, avoiding histrionics. He left behind no ringing calls to action, perhaps because he was, by his own admission, “a truly terrible public speaker.” On the rare occasions when he did take the Senate floor, he was often inaudible. He mumbled and swallowed his words, and apparently made no effort to avoid use of Kentucky dialect in which “great” sounded like “grett,” “government” became “guv-ment,” and “revenue” was pronounced “rev-noo.”

He was, however, a man of principle. A man who was elected to serve his constituents and not party leaders. He frequently bucked party leadership to vote his conscience.

Fountain Square is the focal point of Somerset; its center where the Martin Luther King march began and where Somernites car show gathers each summer month. The land is owned by Pulaski County, a determination made following a court order prohibiting the city of Somerset from building a road through the square [cite]. According to the local Commonwealth-Journal, Fountain Square will soon undergo a $1 million renovation complete with improved pedestrian access and a “grand fountain” [cite and cite]. Along with the new Pulaski County Courthouse, it will bring even more activity to this city center.

NoDestination: Home of Gov. Morrow


Governor Edwin P. Morrow was the second of five Republicans elected to the office of Kentucky governor during the 1900s serving from 1919 to 1923 (thus, Republicans held the office for only 20 years in the century); his uncle was the first Republican governor of Kentucky. Morrow was a progressive who sought social change such as giving the vote to women and stopping racial violence. He built the above-pictured house in 1903.

Elected in 1919 and blessed with a friendly legislature, Morrow was successful in reforming state government, increasing teacher salaries, funding schools which would eventually become Morehead State and Murray State universities and passing the 19th Amendment in Kentucky. He deployed the Kentucky National Guard to Lexington in 1920 to quell a lynch mob at the trial of Will Lockett.

Lockett, an African-American, was without a lawyer when he confessed to the murder. He was tried in a half hour and sentenced to die in the electric chair. The mob, however, sought to act more quickly than “swift justice” (though some versions of the story have the ultimate source of the ruckus as a photo op by a local newspaper photographer). The National Guard fired, killing 6 and wounding 50. With martial law declared, no further incidents occured and Lockett was executed at the state penitentiary 30 days later.

Governor Morrow received accolades from the NAACP for his efforts in the first successful squelching of a lynch mob in the south. The mob is pictured below.

walkLEX: The Flying General

As previously posted, Cheapside Park is undergoing a lot of change. Although the Fifth-Third pavilion is not yet taking shape, the statute of General John Cabel Breckinridge was today on the move:

[photo by PJWB from the Courtyard Deli]

[photo by Jamie Millard of the Lexington History Museum]

Oddly, in my picture you can see Jamie; in Jamie’s you can see me. This is a really neat project to watch. It is scheduled to be completed by April 9 – the day before the opening of Lexington Farmer’s Market.

NoDestination: Somerset


Somerset, the seat of Pulaski County, is apparently a haven for tourists making the trek to Lake Cumberland during the summer months. During the winter months, however, this community is quite sleepy. First settled in 1798 and named after Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset was incorporated in 1887.

Pulaski County, Kentucky’s 27th, was named after Polish County Casimir Pulaski who came to America to help and fight for our independence (among other things, he at one point saved the life of George Washington). Pulaski gave his own life for the cause of American freedom at the Battle of Savannah; he died October 11, 1779. In fact, KRS 2.140 requires each October 11th to be commemorated in Kentucky as “General Pulaski’s Day.”

Unfortunately, you would not learn much of this in Somerset. Despite a few memorials, history is not at the forefront of this community’s concern. It’s most impressive monument was erected in 1976 to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial; it is located in a parking lot between two strip malls/office parks. Pictured above, it is a white brick obelisk with an eagle perched on top. In front, is an exposed portion of the spring which first brought settlers to this location. The saying goes (and is inscribed in the memorial), “Whoever drinks from Old Town Springs has Wisdom & Will Always Return to Somerset.” Witnessing the spring (as pictured below) makes me leery of drinking this water, despite any promise of Wisdom.

walkLEX: Rupp Arena & Kentucky Wildcats


The University of Kentucky Wildcats are the winningest men’s basketball program in the country! Earlier this season, the Cats achieved a mark: 2,000 Wins. After the win over Drexel (score 88-44), the celebration began as shown above. The celebration emphasized Kentucky history – as well as its future; honors to Coach Hall, Coach Rupp and Mr. Wildcat. The crowd, which often leaves early in a blowout, remained glued to their seats long after the game ended. To date, the Cats remain undefeated this season at 18-0.

Rupp Arena has been the scene of many, many events in Kentucky’s history. It has been the home of the Wildcats since 1976. It hosted the 1985 Final Four – when Villanova upset Georgetown. Since in Rupp, Kentucky has won the National Championship three times: 1978, 1996 and 1998. The official capacity of 23,500 is routinely exceeded and record crowds continue to be reached (most recently the record was broken on Jan. 2, 2010 when Kentucky defeated Louisville 71-62 before a crowd of 24,479.

Currently, there is a proposal to build a new downtown arena for the Wildcats which would include needed amenities like luxury boxes. If this is done, the existing Rupp Arena might be converted into a smaller music venue and additional conference floor space for the Lexington Center.

I hope that readers will share in the comments their favorite Rupp Arena memories.

Spontaneous Sightseeing: Sanders Cafe: Corbin, Ky.

Last Thursday I happened to be in Corbin for a hearing. Corbin, interestingly enough, is one of few cities in Kentucky that is in two counties (Whitley and Knox). In fact, an unincorporated portion of Corbin is actually in a third county (Laurel), but due to state law, a city cannot be located in three counties.
I found Corbin to be notable because of its relative lack of a cohesive downtown area – probably because it isn’t a county seat, and lacks a true courthouse area and the traffic and businesses such a center brings. Anyway, I decided for some random reason to go through town on my way back home, and I literally stumbled upon the Sanders Cafe – the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. I had yet to eat lunch, so I figured why not? So I followed my instincts and “ate where it all began.”
The Sanders Cafe is weird. Putting aside the fact that it is a KFC with a museum in it, the building itself is a bizarre blending of the past and the present. Imagine taking a full service KFC counter and those plastic booths they have and dumping it inside of a Cracker Barrel. This is sort of the feel of the place. There is also a fully accurate recreation of Colonel Sanders’ kitchen, and a mock up of what a room in the old hotel that the Colonel ran looked like.
As I ate my chicken sandwich and potato wedges, I began to realize that given its stature throughout the rest of the world, I was probably sitting in the most famous place in all of Kentucky. In a way, I guess this was sort of sad, but in another way I guess its better than what other states have as their claim to fame.
I guess its better than nothing to be known around the world for good food and hospitality – and pretty cool string ties.

No Destination: Somerset on MLK, Jr. Day


On Monday, I celebrated MLK Day by hopping in the car and driving to see more of Kentucky. When I arrived in Somerset, however, I was able to join in prayer and a short march through downtown. I abandoned the walk before its terminus, but Richard (pictured below) informed me that a meal in the park followed each year’s march.

I arrived at the central town square to see a diverse group of about 60 people gathered in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse. I joined in prayer with this group prior to walking. I was reminded of another diverse crowd I prayed with last year. Then, we were led by Rev. Rick Warren. He asked that we all join him in praying the Lord’s Prayer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

There, on Washington’s Pennsylvania Avenue – surrounded by people various ages, races and backgrounds – so many voices prayed, “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” On that day, just over a year ago, it was truly We the People. I thought of Washington while in Somerset.

Somerset is a small southern town located in a county and in an area sympathetic to the Confederacy. Memorials here speak to the Confederate “Southern Manhood” and “Glorious Immortality.” History and memorials aside, the people here know and recognize the import and legacy of Dr. King. Together, they walked and sang and remembered and lived his Dream.

Below is Richard, who thought I was with the local paper. He wanted his picture taken; he had always wanted to be in the paper. I told him I wasn’t with the paper, but that I’d make sure his photo got published on a blog. If you know Richard, make sure he sees this! The local paper did, however, post this article about the march.

No Destination: Yocum Hite House


As I’ve said before, historic Bardstown is great because they have done so much to tell the history of the community and of individuals structures. Nearly every old building has a marker. Which brings me to my favorite: The Yocum Hite House. Its marker reads:

Yocum Hite House. Circa 1792. Early log residence sold for “152 lbs. of merchantable beef cattle” in 1797.

There is something about the bartering of real estate for beef that really made me laugh. The construction of the house was typical of the era, particularly for a “substantial” house such as this. The main portion of the home is a two-story, three-bay, V-notched log building. It utilizes a single, central chimney – a common feature in 18th century Pennsylvania Deutsch homes. It is one of a handful of pre-1800 buildings in Bardstown, the most famous being the old Talbott Tavern.

No Destination: Bibb Burnley House

Ever eaten Bibb Lettuce? As is often the case, you can thank a Kentuckian for this buttery goodness. At the above house, Lt. John Bibb (War of 1812) developed the lettuce variety.

After serving in the War, Bibb returned to Logan County where he practice law and served in the state legislature as a Whig. Around 1856, he constructed this twenty-one room, Gothic-style house which was then called Gray Gables. In the garden and greenhouse behind the house he developed the lettuce variety also known as limestone lettuce sometime after 1865. Although he never commercially marketed the lettuce, it was made popular after his death by the Grenewein greenhouse in Louisville.

Construction of the Bibb-Burnley House was with materials from a cabin formerly on the site, constructed by John Instone in 1786. Instone named the street, Wapping, after a street in London, England from where he came.