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Lina Tharsing is “Making a New Forest”

Lina Tharsing “Making a New Forest Exhibit” at UK Hospital – Lexington, Ky.

The work of Kentucky artist Lina Tharsing is “driven by a profound sense of curiosity and a fascination with science, technology, and the natural world.” Her recent works, as found in the exhibit at the Chandler Medical Center, contain filmstrip-colored imagery inspired from the archives of New York’s Museum of Natural History.

The museum itself contains an amazing collection of dioramas portraying themselves wildlife in natural habitats. Many of these old dioramas can seem dated to museum-goers today, whose appreciation is for fast action. Though Tharsing does nothing to ‘speed up’ the dioramas, her unique interpretation of their creation itself resonates.

The paintings are described as seeking “a precise moment in both time and space when the lines of fiction and reality intersect.” The fiction is the creation: there is no bison under the dioramist’s arm as he carefully places his herd.

But to those who have constructed a school display or a volcano for a science fair, there is a connection to the real world. And yet, there is a connection to the divine as God found his creation “good” in Genesis. So, too, these dioramists and artists found their creation good. For decades, they have withstood time at the iconic New York institution.

By bridging the gap of reality and fiction, Tharsing is able to succeed where many artists fail. She creates a body of work where the call on the exhibit showcard can be achieved: “to study not the individual painted figures, animals, or props but to look through a window onto other worlds and landscapes, across place and time, and to find their own truths.”

Find your own truth in Tharsing’s “Making a New Forest.” It is presented by UK Arts in Healthcare and the art can be seen in the East Gallery of the UK Albert B. Chandler Medical Center. An opening reception will be held Friday, April 27 from 6-8 p.m. with details being available and reservations made on Facebook.

All of my photos are available on flickr.

Oldest Disciples of Christ Church is Historic Central Christian Church in Lexington

This is part 1 in a two part series on Central Christian Church. This installment discusses the building and the church itself with some interesting tidbits, while Part 2 examines the great art found at Central. An earlier post on this site commented on the prayer garden at the church.

Gathered on the Steps of Central Christian Church – Lexington, Ky.

In 1891, the Main Street Christian Church had an enrollment of 914. Too many for its space. A new location was found at the corner of Walnut and Short streets on the site of the derelict Masonic temple. The site was bought for $12,100 and the temple razed. At 5 p.m. on August 7, 1893, the cornerstone for the renamed Central Christian Church was laid atop the foundation of the old Masonic temple.

Central Christian Church, ca. 1898. Source: NRHP.

On July 22, 1894, the new church, constructed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, was dedicated. The photo, at right, is the earliest known photo of Central Christian Church. Taken in 1898, the photo shows the building’s original entrance with an “elegant concrete walks and steps leading to and around the building [all] in bold relief.” The paired steps along both Walnut and Short stand in contrast to the single set of steps now along only Short Street (the change being made due to a 1930s fire, discussed below).

According to the National Register Application, Central is Lexington’s only major remaining Richardsonian Romanesque, describing the old courthouse as being stylistically provincial.

A Growing Church. Around 1911, the church began to find their space inadequate and enlargement was discussed. An education wing was formally dedicated in November 1915.

In 1933, a fire in the church caused significant damage to the sanctuary. The decision was made to reconfigure it to its present layout (save the chancel which was later enlarged); the new sanctuary was dedicated in September 1934. In the time between the fire and the dedication, the church found refuge for its weekly services at the Kentucky Theatre.

Central Christian Church, ca. 1952. Source; NRHP.

Another expansion in 1950 saw the demolition of the previously mentioned education wing in favor of an enlarge education wing as well as another sanctuary remodel and the construction of the Chapel of Memories. During this remodel, the congregation met in the auditorium at the old Henry Clay High School on East Main Street.

In 1954, “My Father’s Garden” was dedicated. It had been designed by Central’s Mrs. Wilson Case Lawwill with Louis Hillenmeyer serving as consulting landscape architect.

A final addition occurred in the early 2000s after Central purchased the old municipal building at the eastern end of Barr Street. Though once a beautiful structure, a flat façade added in the 1960s or 70s eliminated all beauty. The decision was made to raze the building and in its place, a new fellowship, youth and children center, and additional parking were made available for the growing church. It was a wise decision (particularly when compared to the alternative of abandoning the downtown site), and the church has since grown.

Sanctuary of Central Christian Church – Lexington, Ky.

Interesting Tales. A review of the old newspaper archives is always revealing, and a few stories related to Central Christian Church are of note. In 1902, “Patrolman James Dodd, while searching for a burglar, fell into the baptistry at Central Christian Church.” In 1905, “Central … votes to try individual communion cups for 30 days.” (They still use them.) In 1918, “Fifty stars on flag unveiled at Central Christian Church yesterday.” (I don’t understand this as we didn’t get a fiftieth (or forty-ninth) state until 1959. Ideas, anyone?) In March 1955, noted Disciple Ronald Reagan, in town as a movie star and program supervisor for General Electric Theater, delivered a “layman’s witness” to the congregation.

Evolution of Church Polity and Doctrine. Theologically, the church and its prior inceptions represent the oldest Disciples of Christ church in the denomination (though other churches are older, they began under other denominational brands before taking the Disciples identity). The church can be linked through history to a founding in 1816.

In its early years, the church was a hotbed for the community’s temperance movement. The annual meetings of the Kentucky Women’s Christian Temperance Union met almost annually at Central. On the opposite corner from the church, Tom Lyons had to go to court against the church in order to open his saloon, though he ultimately succeeded in 1897. A 1911 sermon series on “Vital Church Discipline” including a message entitled “Excommunicate the unworthy” which “created a profound impression and caused much favorable comment.” Though taking harsh posititions in the early years, both Central (and Disciples, generally) ultimately have softened their tone with regard to alcohol (recognizing that, after all, Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine) and other matters. In 2011, Central was recognized as an Open & Affirming congregation, showing a grand shift in social thought from its former days as a hotbed of WCTU activity.

A deTour to Remember. Though I’ve attended services several times at Central, I knew little of its history until our Blue Grass Trust deTour of the venue in early April 2013. The senior minister since 1995, Dr. Michael Mooty, led an adventurous crew through the church’s old boiler room with the exposed foundation from the old Masonic temple. It was joked that a dusty old chair in the boiler room was the a strict form of discipline for those talking during Sunday school or during services; it would seem this to be less strict, however, than that proposed in the 1911 sermon on “Excommunication: Withdrawal from the Church of Unworthy Members” preached by Rev. I. J. Spencer.

  


Our adventure continued through a portal off the balcony into a small mechanical room where we discovered a ladder mounted to the wall. Up we climbed to a small landing next to the magnificent stained glass rose window of Jesus that is visible from Martin Luther King Blvd, but not from the church’s interior since the 1933 fire and reconfiguration.

Another long ladder, fixed at about 30-45°, took the most adventurous from the landing to the platforms that span above the sanctuary. Though the spaces were tight, the sense of construction and the sentiment of history was strong in this surprising elements to the deTour.

Shimmying to the area atop the sanctuary

An ajar light fixture above the sanctuary revealed the height from the ground below. Pictured through the opening in the light is the front pew of the church, upon which lay a few hymnals.

More photographs of Central Christian Church can be found on flickr.

Sources: Central Christian Church (DoC); Local.LexPubLib.org; NRHP; Ward Russell’s Church Life in the Bluegrass.


The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour for young professionals (and the young-at-heart). On May 1, the group will meet at the Michler Florist on East Maxwell Street before visiting the Pope Villa. Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Learn more details about this exciting group on Facebook! You can also see Kaintuckeean write-ups on previous deTours by clicking here.

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup (Preservation Kentucky Leader Awards edition)

Check out PK’s 2013 Preservation Leader Award winners listed below!

Shameless plus: Some local history blogger got a write-up by Cheryl Truman as part of her UnCommonwealth series. [Herald-Leader]

Who didn’t see this coming? The last block of Fourth Street (adjacent to the future BCTC site) is going two-way. More two ways are coming? [Herald-Leader]

The childhood home of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, located on Lexington’s Main Street, will be featured Monday (4/22, 9:00 PM) on CSPAN’s series, “First Ladies: Influence and Image.” [KYForward]

A free tour of Louisville’s segreated history will occur on Tuesday. [Courier-Journal]

Georgetown’s Toyota plant will expand to begin production of a Lexus model [NYTimes]

And last night in Covington, Preservation Kentucky presented their 2013 Preservation Leader Awards to:

  • Linda Bruckheimer Award for Excellence in Rural Preservation: Jess and Angela Correll, Stanford
  • Edith Bingham Award for Excellence in Preservation Education: Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend, Bellevue, Covington, and Newport
  • Christy and Owsley Brown Exemplary Public Service to Preservation: State Representative Arnold Simpson, Covington; County Judge James L. “Buddy” Gallenstein, Mason County; and State Representative Tanya Pullin, Greenup County
  • David L. Morgan State Historic Preservation Tax Credit: Whiskey Row Lofts, Louisville (Excellence in Commercial Rehabilitation); John David and Mary Helen Myles, Shelby County (Excellence in Residential Rehabilitation); and Beth Johnson, Covington (Excellence in Residential Rehabilitation)
  • Barbara Hulette Young Preservation Leader: Chad Needham, Lexington
  • Sutherland Award for Excellence in Environmental Preservation: Marksbury Farm, Garrard County; Gill Holland and Augusta Brown Holland for Nulu Business District, Louisville; and Tim Peters and Lois Mateus for Nulu Business District, Louisville
  • Helen Dedman Award for Excellence in Preservation Advocacy: Helen Dedman

Before the Vice-Presidency, Richard M. Johnson Started the Indian School at Great Crossing on his Scott County Farm

During tonight’s (April 19, 2013) Lexington Gallery Hop, the photography of Amy Palmer will be on display at the Susan Gilliam Gallery, 312 East High Street. Amy’s photography focuses on nature,  equine and architecture, including the below photograph of the historic Indian School at Great Crossing. Visit her tonight!


Remaining Stone Dormitory from the Indian School at Great Crossing – Georgetown, Ky.
Photo: Amy Palmer (2013)

To the west of Georgetown, near the banks of the North Elkhorn Creek stands the stone remains of last remaining structure from the old Indian school established in 1825 by then-Colonel (later Vice President) Richard M. Johnson. The Indian School at Great Crossing, today referred to as the Choctaw Indian Academy had five buildings, four of which were constructed of stone; it is believed that this remaining building was a dormitory.

Roadside Historic Marker

Built into a hillside, the dormitory faces northwest. Built on three levels, the lowest level and main floor both have fireplaces and there is an ‘accessible’ upper third level to the three-bay.

As part of America’s attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American culture, the school was founded with federal assistance going to Col. Johnson to the sum of approximately $6,000 per annum – funding agreed to by a treaty between the Americans and the Choctaw Nation for the education of Choctaw children “at some point distant from the nation.” Although we look back at this era in American history with regret as it removed young Native Americans from both their lands and their traditions, the immediate reaction to the Academy was favorable as young Indians returned to their tribes educated in a trade.

When the Marquis de Lafayette visited the Bluegrass in the same year as the school opened, a large barbeque was held in his honor with an estimated 5,000 attending.

Dormitory, ca. 1972. Photo: Ann Bevins (NRHP File)

Attendance after just one year exceeded 100, including members of the Choctaw, Pottawatomie, Creek, and Chickasaw nations (as well as some local farm boys). An 1838 student log indicated that the Cherokee, Seminole, Prarieduchien, Chicaga, Miami, and Quapaw tribes were also represented at the Academy.

Ultimately, the school closed in 1843. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The black-and-white photo, taken by Ann B. Blevins and extracted from the National Register application, shows the condition of the property in 1972, when cattle freely roamed into the lower level while hay and farm tools were stored in the upper floors. A side-by-side comparison of the 1972 photo with Amy Palmer’s 2013 photo shows some significant structural decay during the intervening forty years.

The Kaintuckeean previously visited only the historic marker of this old Academy, not believing that anything could be found two miles from the marker. Now we know. 

Welcome, Herald-Leader Readers!

A big thanks to Cheryl Truman for a wonderful write-up on the Kaintuckeean in today’s Lexington Herald-Leader. If you can, buy a print edition (not available online) and you’ll get to see a photo of me when I was ten in the referenced Civil War-themed room!

A number of locales were mentioned in the article, and I wanted to create an easy place for you to find them! They’re at the bottom of this post. Of course, don’t stop by reading this handful of links — be sure to read more! For ease of finding different posts from around the Commonwealth, you can utilize the tag cloud in the right sidebar which is organized by county. You can also subscribe via email and find links to social media

Finally, the Herald-Leader article mentioned my ‘contributors’. At this time, there are three: Nate, Jason, and Chris. Jason and Chris have written on their own jaunts and their shared posts are excellent (in fact, it was Chris – not I – whose Saturday adventure included visiting an up-for-auction Mercer County mansion). But Nate has been part of the Kaintuckeean since its inception and has written a significant percentage of our posts; we’ve gone on several jaunts together and the Kaintuckeean is only what it is thanks to his help!

Posts mentioned in the Herald-Leader article, after the jump:

This Just Happened, a weekly update (Louisville Cardinals edition)

Well, I tried to stay out of it. But the NCAA Basketball Championship rightfully remains in Kentucky! Congratulations to the 2013 Louisville Cardinals! 

Also in the ‘ville: Louisville is negotiating the purchase of Colonial Gardens and will seek developers for the site which is a “dilapidated reminder of the South End’s colorful past, historic value and uncertain future.” [Courier-Journal]

Shades of Watergate? Sen. McConnell’s campaign office was apparently bugged and senior campaign staff were caught making disparaging remarks about Ashley Judd’s mental health, religion, and family values. Unknown if any ‘Aqua Buddha’ references were made. The FBI is investigating… what is apparently now referred to on twitter as #bluegrassgate [The Hill]

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray’s proposed budget includes some funding for key projects of interest, including the Kentucky Theatre restoration and making critical repairs to the old courthouse. [BizLex]

Irish Americans in northern Kentucky are planning an Irish Memorial for Covington’s Devou Park with the design being that of a dolmen, or portal grave. [RiverCityNews]

Also, Covington’s downtown streetscape project is taking another step forward. [NKY.com]

Last week, I mentioned that historic markers were being stolen in Georgetown. Apparently this is a thing as Louisville’s roadside markers are also being targeted [Courier-Journal]

Which means the new Shelby Park historic marker going up in Louisville had better watch out! [Courier-Journal]

And the Kaintuckeean has resumed its relationship with KYForward, so be sure to check out their website for great updates on Kentucky’s history [KYForward]

First Lady Michelle Obama will speak at the commencement ceremonies at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond at 7:30 p.m., May 11. She’ll also receive an honorary doctor of humane letters from EKU. [Richmond Register]

Rose-Daughtry Farmstead in Bowling Green Added to the National Register

Rose-Daughtry Farmstead – Bowling Green, Ky.
Photo: Nat’l Reg. Application (KHC)

Northeast of Bowling Green on the Louisville Road sits the old community of Bristow. There stands the most recently listed Kentucky property on the National Register of Historic Places. The principal building on the Rose-Daughtry Farmstead, the residence, dates to circa 1880. Six other contributing structures are now included on the Register which exemplify the “overall character … of a prosperous farmstead that had its origins in the late-nineteenth century.”

Judge Rose’s residence, ca. 1880, is T-shaped with both a front and back porch. Though architectural plans were widely available through catalogues of the day, Judge Rose clearly did not adopt this approach as the house is unique and avoids and specific traditional design. “The round-headed windows, brick arches and brackets are typical of Italianate style,” but the “porch roof on the façade … topped by a balustrade … is not style-specific.”

The ‘jail’ at the Rose-Daughtry Farmstead
Photo: Nat’l Reg. Application (KHC)

One contributing structure is the one-pen ‘jail’ having a high rock-faced stone foundation and brick walls surrounding a dirt floor and front gabled roof. Oral histories suggest that Judge Rose kept prisoners here due to the distance (six miles) from town. It has been suggested that Judge Rose also utilized the prisoners as farmhands.

The property remained in the hands of the Rose family until 1949. Today, the property is located within the Ephram White Park owned by the Warren County Fiscal Court. It was listed on the National Register on March 13, 2013.

The National Register application is available from the Kentucky Heritage Council (the Kentucky state agency charged with recommending sites for inclusion to the Interior Department) shows an interesting history to the Rose-Daughtry application itself. Originally recommended for inclusion in 2008, the application was returned to KHC for additional information. Apparently, the original application had both “technical and substantive” deficiencies. A major part that was lacking was the comparison and contrast between the typical features of regional farming sites and the applicant property. The application contains good insight for those preparing National Register applications.

Mid-century foresight preserved Jessamine County’s Ebenezer Presbyterian Church

Ebenezer Presbyterian Church – Jessamine Co., Kentucky

According to the Christian Scriptures, “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, ‘The Lord helped us to this very point.'” 1 Samuel 7:12 (CEB). It was a moment where the people of Israel turned from disobedience and found restoration from God.

The name Ebenezer is found in words of the traditional hymn penned by Robert Robinson, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (1758):

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

And Charles Dickens adopted the name for a character in his 1843 novel, A Christmas Story. True to the tale from the Bible, Ebenezer Scrooge turned from his greedy, tight-fisted ways as he begged for the opportunity to re-embrace life.

But a historic church in Jessamine County, Kentucky, also shares the name Ebenezer. Older than Dickens, but more recent than the words of the hymnist is the Ebenezer Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. True to its name, Ebenezer Church was once abandoned and in great disrepair, but a group of individuals in the mid-1900s brought restoration to this old house of God.

Ebenezer Church & Cemetery

Ephraim January received from a young American government a land bounty of 1,000 acres. From this, he gifted in 1806 a small plat of land for the church and surrounding cemetery. By the time title to the land passed into the hands of the church, the stone church was already constructed. Orginally, the congregation met in a log meeting house since they were organized in the mid-1790s under the teaching of Lexington-based circuit rider Rev. Adam Rankin.

When Rankin formed Ebenezer, he had already begun a number of other Presbyterian congregations in central Kentucky, including Pisgah and Glenn’s Creek in Woodford County and Mount Zion (now First Presbyterian) in Fayette County. His earlier affiliations, however, were with the proper Presbyterian Church. And you will note above that Ebenezer was of the “Associate Reformed Presbyterian” variety.

The distinction is noted for Rankin had been removed from his posts within the Presbyterian church’s Transylvania Presbytery in 1792. The following year, Rankin began his ministry with the Associated Reformed church and soon thereafter founded Ebenezer. He would serve at Ebenezer until 1803. Rankin  was a disagreeable fellow (in 1789, he rode by horseback from Kentucky to Philadelphia to plead against the use of Isaac Watts’ hymns like ‘Joy to the World’ in services) which undoubtedly led to his rift with the denomination.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1898 (15 years after abandonment)
Photo: History of Jess. Co., by B.H. Young.

After Rankin departed in 1803, the same year in which the stone church replaced the old log meeting house.  Ebenezer’s new minister, Rev. Robert Bishop, served from 1803 to 1814. Bishop also served on the faculty of Transylvania University in Lexington. A feud, of sorts, erupted between Rankin and Bishop over the years which ultimately resulted in Bishop leaving Ebenezer and Rankin being permanently suspended from the ministry in the Associated Reformed church. In 1824, Rev. Bishop would go on to serve as the first president of Miami University in Ohio.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1910 (27 years after abandonment)
Photo: Published Sept. 2008 in H-L

A long series of itinerant ministers served Ebenezer until 1841 when Rev. Neal Gordon assumed leadership of the church until his death in 1870. Due to its remote location, the stone church then began to decline and was abandoned by 1883. After it was abandoned, the years took their effect on the old off-the-beaten-path church. The photos on the right show how years of abandonment took a great toll on this old church.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1940 (57 years after abandonment)
Photo: Ebenezer Cemetery Assoc.

In 1922, the Ebenezer Cemetery Association was formed to care for, preserve, and maintain the church and grounds. At that time, the stone building had almost entirely collapsed. Wrote James Harvey Guyn, association president, in 1953: “[t]he walls had completely fallen, except for one corner. These were rebuilt, using the old stone, and a concrete floor was laid. A new roof, new pane glass windows, and wooden slat shutters were added, following the design of the old building as closely as possible.” Total cost to rebuild was $3,664.

According to the National Register of Historic Places application (listed in 1983), the Ebenezer Church is the “only surviving stone church in co[unty];  oldest religious structure in co[unty] dating from settlement period.”  Today, the property is owned by the Ebenezer Cemetery Association. Once a year, the organization meets for its annual meeting in the historic church.

Additional photos of the Ebenezer Church and Cemetery can be found on flickr.

Sources: Bishop Biography; Ebenezer Cemetery Assoc.; NRHP (Ebenezer); NRHP (First Presbyterian);  

This Just Happened, a weekly update

The Colonel’s Bucket may soon contain only boneless chicken.
Photo from the Patriotic Concert at Transy, 2010.

If true, the Colonel may be rolling over in his grave. KFC is considering not having bone-in chicken in their “restaurants.” [HuffPost]

Plans are afoot for a rehabilitative reuse of Waverly Hill Sanitarium in Louisville as a hotel and conference center. I’d like to reserve my room at the bottom of the chute? [Bricks+Mortar]

You may have noticed I love historical markers because they share history. And were an old one offered to me, I’d gladly accept. But not if it were stolen. Stealing history is wrong, but someone is up to no good in Scott County. [News-Graphic]

On Wednesday, I looked out my office window and noticed a new red spire on the horizon. Turns out, a red-colored Churchill Downs-style roof has been added to the RJ Corman facility. [Herald-Leader]

Pulaski County could become third largest city in Kentucky? It could happen if a proposed merger between it and its four municipalities occurs. [Herald-Leader]

In a historic moment, Governor Beshear appointed Judge Michelle Keller to the seven-member Kentucky Supreme Court. For the first time in history, three Kentucky Supreme Court Justices are women. [Governor’s Mansion Presser]

The Courthouse in Bloody Harlan, Kentucky

WWI Doughboy Statue at the Harlan County Courthouse – Harlan, Ky.

A lot of areas in Kentucky can be described as being remote. But Harlan County is about the most remote county in the state. Its located in the far southeastern corner of the state, high up in the mountains. Driving into Harlan, you immediately notice the tall flood wall along the Martin’s Fork River, which was constructed back in the 1990s in response to flooding problems back in the late 1970s.

This beautiful courthouse sits in the center of town, which is surprisingly large. Based on historic population figures, Harlan County now has less than a third of the population that it had back in the 1930s. This large and beautiful courthouse was built during this boom time in Harlan, from 1918 through 1922. It is a two story Beaux-Arts style structure built of stone. It is actually the fifth courthouse constructed in Harlan, and the second on this site.

Memorial to the Coal Miner in Harlan, Ky.

The initial site for the first three courthouses in Harlan located on a mound in the city, which due to this mound was initially called Mount Pleasant. Turns out that this was an Indian burial mound, as further digging an excavation during the building of subsequent buildings onsite revealed bones and other artifacts. When the courthouse was moved to the present site pictured above, the old courthouse remained, and was later used as a meeting hall and Masonic lodge.

Sitting on the courthouse lawn is a monument to those who were killed in coal mines. Coal mining remains an important part of Harlan and its history. Repeated attempts to organize labor and the related conflict between mine owners and their security led to a great deal of violence in the region, and the nickname “Bloody Harlan” being attached to the area. The National Guard was even called in May 5, 1931, in response to violence surrounding a strike.

The courthouse itself was the scene of many heated contests over land suits, mineral rights, settlement cases for disabled miners and widows. In its mining heyday, Harlan was bustling with activity and the courthouse was at the center of it all.