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Excited for California Chrome … and a Triple Crown?

California Chrome Wins the Preakness. Photo: Jay Baker.

Will history be made this Saturday?

We will find out with the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown is a peculiarity in sports. In college sports, we cheer on the Wildcats. Most of us have at least a preferred NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL team, if we aren’t a rabid fan of one or more.

But horse racing is different. A young foal is born and three years later is at the pinnacle of its racing career. The following year, a new set of horses are ready to race. One could draw similarities here to the new crop of players in each of Calipari’s freshman classes, but each of those basketball players wears on the front of their jerseys the real source of our pride: KENTUCKY.

There isn’t the same sort of common ‘team’ interest in horse racing.

So on the first Saturday of May, we watched as California Chrome galloped ahead of his competition. The favorite to win under the twin spires of Churchill Downs did so by one and three-quarters lengths.

Immediately, we rallied around that chestnut horse who hadn’t set hoof in Kentucky until just a few days before the Derby.

And we cheered California Chrome to a win across the finish line some one and a half lengths ahead of second-place finisher Ride On Curlin when he competed in the Preakness Stakes two weeks after the Derby.

With two legs of the Triple Crown won, things got interesting. I don’t know about you, but when a horse wins both the Derby and the Preakness, then I really look forward to the Belmont. Three weeks seems too long.

California Chrome is the 34th to have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Since 2000, we’ve seen War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, Big Brown, and I’ll Have Another in the same position. But all of these have come up short at the track in Belmont, New York. In fact, I’ve never seen a Triple Crown winner. The last one occurred before I was born.

In the 1970s, three horses won the Triple Crown. And their names roll off your tongue. Secretariat. Seattle Slew. Affirmed. They join the eight other horses who have won each of these three prestigious races.

The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three races comprising the Triple Crown. It was first run in 1867. The newest race is the Kentucky Derby, which was first won in 1875. The term “Triple Crown” did not exist until a writer with the Daily Racing Form coined the term in 1930.

And today we look back on a 35-year drought with no Triple Crown winner, the longest drought in history. Will we have a new Triple Crown winner in California Chrome?

Or am I just California dreaming’?

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

This is #MyOldKYHome

Me at #MyOldKYHome

I grew up in downtown Lexington in a home in which my parents still reside. It has been on the market of late and I haven’t been able to bring myself as of yet to write its history for the site. I promise, it is coming. Here’s a little bit of history, though.

The home sits on West Short Street in the Historic Western Suburb. The age of the original structure is unknown, though the front room was built in 1843. The architect of that addition was John McMurtry whose work is so prevalent and prominent in Lexington’s downtown area.

My parents purchased the home in the early 1990s and I lived there from first grade through my first few years of college.

Without a doubt, it is – and always will be – My Old Kentucky Home.

What is Your #MyOldKentuckyHome ?

Is there a building or place in Kentucky that is meaningful to you? Is the place 50 years or older?

You should participate in the Kentucky Heritage Council’s “MY Old Kentucky Home” contest! It is a really cool idea and it will be a lot of fun to follow all the submissions. On social media, posts can be tagged #MyOldKYHome and you can follow the KHC/SHPO on Facebook and on twitter.
Launching yesterday, the Kentucky Heritage Council launched the “This is

From the KHC official press release, the details of the Contest:

In addition to the annual running of the Kentucky Derby, May is National Historic Preservation Month, and the goal is to highlight the many different kinds of historic places that Kentuckians feel at “home.” 

Participants download the contest sign, found at www.heritage.ky.gov, or make their own; hold it in front of their favorite Old Kentucky Home; get a snapshot; then “like” the Heritage Council’s Facebook page and submit it to win – the only rule being, the site must be 50 years old or older. We want to know where the photo was taken, and why the place photographed is special. The top five photos with the most “likes” will go into a random drawing to determine the winner. 

Contest period is noon April 23 through midnight (EDT) Friday, May 23. The winner will be announced during the last week of May.

The photo above is of myself and colleagues of Bunch & Brock outside of the University of Kentucky’s historic Spindletop Hall. For a history of Spindletop Hall, check out this earlier write-up from a BGT deTour.

The First Kentucky-Louisville Basketball Game

If you’re a college basketball fan here in Kentucky, this is going to be the longest week ever. In fact, if you aren’t a college basketball fan (or, heaven forbid, cheer for another team…), it’s probably going to be a pretty darned long week as well. As we count down the minutes until Friday night at 9:45, when the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Louisville Cardinals, I thought it would be fun to take a trip back in time — 101 years back in time to be exact — to the first meeting of the teams we now know as UK and U of L.
The first meeting of the Kentucky State University basketball team — deemed the Wildcats in 1909 — and the University of Louisville Cardinals took place on February 15, 1913. Revolution was in the air on the international political stage, as the Mexican Revolution had just begun and the House of Romanov, celebrating 300 years of rule in Russia, would soon be overthrown. In the United States, the Republican attorney from Cincinnati, William Howard Taft, was wrapping up his four-year term as President, soon to be succeeded by Virginia-born Democrat Woodrow Wilson, the Governor of New Jersey and former President of Princeton University. American women were rallying to make their voices heard in politics and the famed Woman Suffrage Parade would be held a few weeks later in Washington, D.C.

Here in Kentucky, James B. McCreary, a Madison County-born attorney, Centre College alumnus, and Civil War veteran was sitting as governor. The 1910 Census listed Louisville as the 24th largest city in the U.S., with a population of 223,928 people. The Ford Motor Company would soon establish a Louisville factory at the corner of Third Street and Eastern Parkway, which would employ 17 workers. Lexington had a population of 47,715, and neither Keeneland nor the Kentucky Theatre had yet been established.

Downtown Louisville, 1913. via U of L Libraries.
Kentucky State University had an established basketball presence, with teams dating back to 1903. The Louisville Cardinals had only begun playing organized basketball the previous season.  The teams met at Lexington’s newly-constructed Buell Armory Gymnasium.

Buell Armory 

Kentucky’s team had recently experienced a coaching shakeup. Edwin R. Sweetland, Kentucky’s first paid coach, had been forced to resign following a bit of a scandal involving the athletic office. The chair of the philosophy department, Dr. J.J. Tigert, was named athletic director and coach; he would later go on to serve as the President of the University of Florida. The first game of Taggart’s 1912-1913 season was a crushing loss to the Lexington YMCA team. The Cardinals, under Coach William Gardinier, were at the disadvantage of having no gymnasium on campus and held games at the Tharp Business School gym.

Coach Edwin Sweetland’s 1911-1912 Kentucky Wildcats
1913-14 Louisville Cardinals
Kentucky women’s team, early 1910s

The game on February 12th was part of a double-header. Kentucky’s women’s team was taking on Kentucky Wesleyan, and the box office draw was $87.95, offsetting the $76 expense of putting on the game.

Gardinier’s Cardinals suffered from injuries — two starters were out of the game. Kentucky emerged victorious, 34-10, and set off an intrastate rivalry that is now in its second century.

Here’s to another 100 years of great basketball between the Commonwealth’s signature college basketball programs!

This post originally appeared on HerKentucky. The author, Heather C. Watson, is a freelance writer and the founding editor of HerKentucky. Heather grew up in an Eastern Kentucky coal town and has called Lexington, Louisville, and Nashville “home.” A frequent contributor to Lexington’s Ace Weekly magazine, Heather specializes in essays about Southern life. She tweets as @heathercw.

A @HeraldLeader Issue Worth Reading

321 Henry Street – Home of BC Wood Properties and subject of a Tom Eblen column in
today’s Lexington Herald-Leader. Photo: Peter Brackney

An appointment this morning left me in a waiting room with a copy of the Lexington Herald-Leader at my disposal. It’s been awhile since I skimmed the pages of the local daily, and I was surprised with what I found.

Rarely do I remember the pages being filled with so many columns of interesting local fare. Especially for a Monday which is traditionally a bore for newspaper readers.

Local history, preservation, and natural conservation all held prominent places in the black-and-white print. I’m almost persuaded to renew my subscription, though my schedule doesn’t regularly permit me to peruse the hard copy.

Still, explore what was in today’s Herald-Leader after the jump.

I attended a lecture last Wednesday at the public library in Nicholasville. The topic was the natural resources of Jessamine County and how they can be preserved. It was a great lecture with various participants discussing forestry, the land itself, and the unique species of flora and fauna that inhabit Jessamine County. Greg Kocher had a great writeup on this lecture.

Further north, Lexington’s tree canopy covers approximately 25% of the city’s core. This is a good number, but it could be improved. Beth Musgrave digs into the numbers on steps being taken by the city to improve urban forestation.

And if you want to improve your own tree canopy, an AP squib identifies how trees seedlings can be purchased from the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

The photo above was taken during a BGT deTour of 321 Henry Street. I’ve been derilect in getting a writeup posted on this site, but you can read Tom Eblen’s column on the incredible restoration of the old coal and feed company into modern office space.

And in the Feedback section, Hayward Wilkirson argues against the Maxwell & Broadway location for a new downtown multiplex in favor of a site within the Rupp Arts & Entertainment District.

Yes, there was a lot in today’s Herald-Leader. I wonder what will be there tomorrow?

Robertson County Courthouse – Mount Olivet, Ky.

Robertson County Courthouse – Mt. Olivet, Ky. 

One of the things I’ve always tried to stress with my entries on this blog is how special it is when you can find living history in Kentucky. So many buildings have been demolished; so many stories have been forgotten.

That is why a place like the Robertson County Courthouse is so important.

The building you see above is the only courthouse that has ever stood in Robertson County, and it is a beautiful structure. I have never had the chance to practice in Robertson County, and I keep waiting for a case to happen there that I can swoop in and take, just so I can make appearances in this courthouse.

The courthouse renovation project saw an annex added
to the historic 1872 structure. Photo: Peter Brackney.

It was built in 1872, and when it was half completed, the project ran out of money. The Masons fronted the necessary $1,500 to finish the second floor, and that space was reserved for their use. This structure, which is of Italianate design, was said to be the only brick structure in the county when it was completed.

Robertson County is tiny. In fact, it’s only about 100 square miles. Even with its tiny size, some remarkable history has taken place here. It is the site of what many believe to be the final battle of the Revolutionary War – the Battle of Blue Licks – where in 1782 a group of Native Americans, led by the British, ambushed 176 Kentuckians.

And here’s a weird note – at one time, county seat Mt. Olivet, which is obviously a name with Biblical implications, was called “Hell’s Half Acre.”

Introducing Gerry James and Explore Kentucky

Hello everyone, my name is Gerry James. I am a recent graduate (December 2013!!) of Mass Communication at Campbellsville University and currently work as a social media/PR strategist. Over the past few years, I’ve become a published journalist and photographer with hopes to pursue a MFA in photography at either at University of Louisville or University of Kentucky this coming fall.

I am elated to be part of The Kaintuckeean. Why ?

Because I’m a huge fan of Peter Brackney’s conservation and community work. Because I totally enjoy being part of anything that promotes Kentucky. And because I am absolutely head-over-heels, hold-the-boombox-overhead in love with Kentucky.

So in love that I started a project called Explore Kentucky. I must come clean: I was born in Wisconsin and have lived in Kentucky for less than 4 years. After Air Force reserve training, I came here to be with my sweetheart at the time who had just started college in Kentucky, but found a deeper passion: an affection for the Fifteenth State.

When I first flew into Louisville, I was intrigued by the sheer beauty of the state spotting that sprawling metropolis bordered by a sea of green. An 80+ mile ride through that sea into central Kentucky was amazing as the modern cityscape of Louisville transitioned into giant hills, horse farms, and beautiful small towns.

Arriving in Campbellsville, I was struck by how Campbellsville University is an über-modern college campus located in a small town with a strong historic downtown and a church on every corner. Campbellsville’s Taylor County thrives on farming and serves as the home for manufacturers of parts for Toyota cars, church steeples, military uniforms and more. Taylor County also moonlights as a major vacation destination thanks to Green River Lake.

Although classmates lamented the lack of access to “ready-made fun” like malls, the city, etc., I embraced Kentucky. I joined the volunteer fire squad. I explored and documented life in the community. I became involved. I was apart of a student radio broadcast team that covered the 2012 presidential debate at Centre College. I helped start a community movement for historic downtown Campbellsville, worked with Taylor County Tourism, was apart of student film crew that assisted the great Jason Lyle Garrett in shooting a short film in a beautiful 19th century Somerset home, and as a photojournalist covered school events like our 2012 spring formal at Louisville’s Frazier Museum.

My undergraduate weekends were spent adventuring either solo or with friends around Kentucky. Traversing across Knob State Forest in Bullitt County. Daydreaming about the Civil War on the battlefields at Perryville. Determining whether the Land Between the Lake’s “monster” was real. Getting spooked in a Confederate war cemetery in Wingo. Dancing the night away at concerts in Louisville. Participating in the world’s largest water balloon fight. Picking tobacco. There is so much to do in Kentucky.

Before coming to Kentucky, I pictured a giant Mayberry full of Gomer Pyles ( that what is the media portrays Kentucky as). My journey to become a professional communicator, coupled with my adventures, led me to become an advocate for Kentucky and to advocate against this limited vision. Kentucky’s people are so diverse.

Skilled in traditional crafts as well as in science, film-making, and photography, the people of Kentucky are wonderful. When working the social media center during the 2012 Super Bowl, many were blown away that a Kentucky college kid would be equipped with enough knowledge to work at one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

I attribute my success to God, my parents, my professors, and everyone I’ve met across the Commonwealth. It, and they, have shaped and molded me as I’ve experienced the essence of Unbridled Spirit.

This past October, I launched Explore Kentucky to provide Kentuckians and its visitors a platform to share how they perceive Kentucky. As a photographer and lover of social media, it is the perfect time for everyone with a smartphone or digital camera to share their vision of the world around them. Social networking has connected our world in such a grand way, that a picture shot in Wingo, Kentucky can be uploaded and viewed by someone in China in mere milliseconds.

The power of interconnectedness can bring humanity together to learn more about each other and help to end harmful stereotypes. Since launching the project:

The purpose of Explore Kentucky is to showcase adventures in Kentucky so that a true representation of the Commonwealth can be had. I aim to inspire pride and establish a community of explorers within Kentucky. Ultimately, I plan to create a documentary from all the insta-videos submitted to form a cohesive visual narrative about Kentucky.

I really believe Kentucky deserves to be highlighted and considered among the coolest places in the world. Most of all, I love the way people are taking pride and marveling at the imagery captured by their fellow Kentuckians.

To participate in Explore Kentucky, just fire up your smartphone, camera, or whatever you’ve got, snap a photo/shoot a video, and upload it via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook with the hashtag #ExploreKentucky! A website is coming soon where you’ll be able to find a live feed of the images as well as learn more about both the project and the film.

I look forward to seeing how you #ExploreKentucky!

Action Alert: Support Improvements to Kentucky’s Historic Tax Credit

L&N Depot – Stanford, Ky. 

Historic preservation is a vital part of economic growth for Kentucky. It celebrates what makes Kentucky unique and interesting while encouraging new investment, creating jobs, and revitalizing communities. State historic tax credits are the carrot that encourages the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic structures in the Commonwealth. Proposed amendments to the Kentucky tax credit program are expected to be heard before the House Appropriations Committee this month through the Simplification of Kentucky State Historic Tax Credit bill (HB 258).

The bill proposes to simplify the application and approval process of the state rehab tax credit, remove current caps for commercial and residential projects, and remove the $5 million program cap. The legislation will also simplify administrative procedures for the user and State Historic Preservation Office/Kentucky Heritage Council, which administers the program. (You can review the proposed bill here and a one-page fact sheet explaining this update in more detail here.)

How can you get involved? Contact your legislator to let them know how important preservation is to Kentucky and to you.

It’s easy. Just follow these three steps:

First, contact your Kentucky State Representative AND Kentucky State Senator to express your support for HB 258.

If you are not sure who your legislators are or you do not have contact information at hand, you can access this information here.

Use these talking points:

  • HB 258 proposes to eliminate project and program caps by substituting a flat 15% tax credit per project for proposed rehabilitation as certified by KHC. Because this figure will be fixed prior to construction, developers told us it will greatly enhance their utilization of the program and draw more investment to Kentucky.
  • This change better aligns Kentucky’s program with the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, which is a flat 20% per project, with no project or program caps.
  • By eliminating the current cumbersome allocation process imposed by project and program caps, HB 258 will generate more investment in Kentucky communities. This is important because, in 2013 alone, the state tax credit generated nearly $79 million of investment in 113 projects in 31 counties.

Second, share this information. Post it on Facebook or Twitter. Repost it on your blog. Or simply forward it to other preservation supporters and ask them to do the same.

Third, that’s it – you’re done! Pat yourself on the back. You participated in democracy and you’ve done something to make Kentucky an even more awesome place to live!

Historic Preservation, the University of Kentucky, and Legos

Funkhouser Building of the University of Kentucky in Lego.
Though not on the BGT’s Endangered List, many of the campus structures by its
architect (Ernst Johnson) are slated for, or at risk of, demolition. 

For Christmas, I received the Lego Architecture Studio. It is truly a Lego set for adults, especially those with an interest in architecture. And even though I have no training, I’m always up for a little fun. With a bourbon in hand, one of my first “projects” was to recreate, in Lego, some of the historic structures in Lexington. Of particular interest were those properties slated for inclusion on the Blue Grass Trust’s “Eleven in Their Eleventh Hour” list for 2014.

The BGT’s focus for 2014 was on historically significant structures located on the campus of the University of Kentucky. Many, though not all, of these buildings are modern in design (which is well suited for the Lego Architecture Studio, I might add) and the architectural beauty and significance of such mid-20th century structures have been discussed with much greater detail than prior properties listed on endangered lists. The release of the BGT’s 2014 list dovetailed with UK Trustee meetings on which the same very buildings’ fate would be determined. Within a short time, the wrecking ball will strike several of these unique structures.

The Kirwan-Blanding Complex was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone. UK has not
confirmed whether these 1967-era, 23-story towers and surrounds will survive. Of them and
their architectural style, Tom Eblen wrote that while “modernist buildings [are] not
for everyone … they’re worth saving anyway.” 

Once the fate of the buildings had been determined, the BGT reiterated a Plan B: “documenting [the buildings] thoroughly  … provid[ing] an opportunity for preservation and design students to become involved and educated [and to leave] behind an accurate and detailed record for future research.” UK’s own VisCenter and historic preservation programs could make great effort together to accomplish these aims.

Wenner-Gren Aeronautical Research Laboratory in Lego is slated for immediate demolition.
Built in 1940, the stories related to Wenner-Gren are numerous and its importance huge.
It was designed by architect Ernst Johnson, a noted Lexington architect. A chapter in the
book accompanying the Lego set discussed the concept of scale, something I practice with
my interpretation of the Wenner-Gren Laboratory.

Though my Lego interpretations are hardly accurate or detailed of the original structures, they show how these campus facilities can be a source for imagination and inspiration if given the opportunity. Though preservation of the structures is no longer an option, I do hope that each building can be fully documented.

The Saddest Courthouse of Them All … in Booneville, Ky.

Owsley County Courthouse – Booneville, Ky.

They all can’t be winners, folks.

I visited Owsley County on a snowy morning last spring. Driving down through Jackson and Beattyville, it was a pretty surreal experience heading through Lee County and along the edge of the Natural Bridge State Park through the snow.

When I arrived, I parked in a muddy gravel lot across from the courthouse and headed into the courthouse.

To be completely honest here, Owsley County is a depressing place.

Owsley County is extremely isolated and is in fact one of the poorest counties in the entire country. Forty-five percent of the county is below the poverty level, and the median income for a household is just under $16,000.

Old Owsley County Courthouse from 1929-1967
(from CourthouseHistory.com)

This lovely little gem of a courthouse was built (suprise!) in the 1970s. It replaced a beautiful 1929 Colonial revival courthouse that stood on this site before burning in 1967. That courthouse had already been condemned when it burned.

You can still (and may actually be required to) smoke in the Owsley County Courthouse. The permeating smell of tobacco smoke makes the trip to Owsley County even more unpleasant.

The figure you see emblazoned on the front of the courthouse is Earl Combs, Owsley County’s most famous son.

Combs was the leadoff hitter for the famous New York Yankees teams of the 1920s and ’30s. He played on teams with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and compiled a lifetime .325 batting average, deserving of this place in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Combs left Owsley County when he turned 18 and rarely returned.  Combs ultimately settled instead in Richmond at the end of his life.

[ed. note: without a doubt, there is rampant poverty in Owsley Co. and its condition is sad. These are our neighbors and I’ll never forget what I saw in 2012 when Huffington Post published photos from when the Poorest County in America Celebrates Prom.]