Uncategorized – Page 41 – The Kaintuckeean

Keene Springs Hotel A Refuge During Lexington’s 1849 Cholera Epidemic

Keene Springs Hotel – Keene, Ky.

During the cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1849, Lexingtonians feared the deadly disease. Five hundred souls perished out of a population of just 7,000. Many of the dead were buried by the now infamous King Solomon. While King Solomon can thank his alcohol-filled veins for keeping him alive during the epidemic, many of the survivors did so by leaving Lexington. But where did they go?

Wrote Bennett H. Young in his 1898 History of Jessamine County, Kentucky: “during the prevalence of cholera, in Lexington, about this time, a large number of people came to Keene and lived during the panic, occasioned by this disease in Lexington and surrounding towns.” They stayed in “a very nice hotel.”

Keene Springs, ca. 1868 (Source: KDL)

The Jessamine County community of Keene prospered during each of Lexington’s two epidemics, but it was during the second epidemic that the Keene Springs Hotel truly succeeded due in part to the 1848 discovery of the area’s “white sulphur water.” Declared by the dean of Transylvania’s Medical College, Dr. Robert Peter, as “incomparably the best medical water on this continent … eminently adapted to the cure of every species of Indigestion, Liver Complaint, Dropsy, Scrofula, Cutaneous Affections, Mercurial Diseases, a variety of Nervous Diseases and nearly all diseases that are usually denominated chronic.” Yes, the ails plaguing Lexingtonians could be cured by the medicinal springs in nearby Jessamine County. And while Kentucky boasts other natural mineral springs, none was quite as close to Lexington as Keene.

William Cleveland sold the resort hotel in 1841 to Mason Singleton, the grandson of the pioneer who first settled the community of Keene. Singleton retain Capt. G. L. Postlethwait to manage the facility which he greatly expanded with a ballroom and banquet hall. By 1857, however, Singleton was forced to sell the hotel. Alfred McTyre purchased the Keene Springs Hotel and operated it for a decade before he sold the hotel to Fielding S. Wilson. By this time, the resort’s popularity had waned. Though Wilson had a few occupants from time to time, operation was largely confined to a general store and, until liquor prohibited by local vote, a saloon. A general store continued to operate until the 1960s and the Wilson continues to own the building. Today, slow restorations are underway by a tenant operating a restaurant three days a week in this history locale.

More photos of the Keene Springs Hotel are available on flickr.

Sources: Bennett Young’s History; Jessamine Journal; National Register Application; RootsWeb

“A re-distribution of happiness”

Postcard of the Fayette County Court House – Lexington, Ky.

On Tuesday, I arrived at the office to find a letter and postcard from Mr. Lowell Joerg of Tucson, Arizona. It was generically addressed to my office, but both found their way to my desk. The postcard, above, is of the Old Fayette County Courthouse. His letter follows:

June 14, 2012

Good Morning:

I sure hope this letter brightens your day.

I was at an antique store here and found this old circa 1939 picture of your beautiful courthouse. How the card got to Arizona we’ll never know.

It’s an old time classic, for sure. I thought to myself, by golly, I’d send it home where it can be appreciated. Our heritage is valuable to all of us. Lots of changes over the years, I’m sure. Enlarged it will make quite a display.

Well, I gave 6.00 for it so if you want it for 7.00 or 8.00 or so why that’s sure o.k. Throw in a little postage if you want, too.

And my wife says if I hear from you I’ll have to take her to lunch. I am eighty-four years old and still going strong.

I like to call my littly hobby, “A re-distribution of happiness.” Our world sure needs it.

Thank you, and Godspeed in your work. Have a wonderful and progressive year.

[signature]
Lowell Joerg

PS: Send along a little about your place today if you want. I enjoy souvenirs, too, if it’s o.k. with you. I chose you at random off the net.

It was a delight to receive and read Mr. Joerg’s letter. A Google search reveals that he is a retired insurance salesman and that he sends out two or three of these postcards a month to recipients across the country.

I wrote Mr. Joerg back yesterday telling him of the great history of our courthouse. I also shared with him the twist of irony: that the day prior to his letter, the city of Lexington indefinitely closed the old courthouse. I also included with my letter printouts from this website on the two pictured buildings:

Old Courthouse & Lexington History Museum (Oct. 2009)
Fayette County’s old courthouse is all history (March 2012)
Lexington’s Old Courthouse Indefinitely Closed (July 2012)
Fayette National Bank Building (Lexington’s First Skyscraper) (June 2011)
“The Worst Kept Secret in Lexington” – 21C is Coming To Town (April 2012)

I hope that Mr. Joerg enjoys learning a bit more about these two terrific buildings. His concept for the “re-distribution of happiness” is fabulous and we should all attempt to share joy in our own way! Thanks, Lowell Joerg!

Cynthiana’s Church of the Advent

The native limestone façade of the Church of the Advent features a tower with pyramidal roof, steep gable-fronted nave with verge boards inspired by tracery, buttresses, triple lancet windows enclosed by stone pointed arch hood mold. This romantic Gothic Revival church, one of my favorites inspired me to look into a whole group of mid-nineteenth century churches associated with Kentucky’s first Episcopalian Bishop Benjamin Bosworth Smith.

The Church of the Advent was the first Gothic Revival Episcopal church built of stone in Kentucky. It was built beginning in 1855 when the cornerstone was laid and the tower was completed in spring 1860. The plan was said to be taken from a model made by Bishop Smith of St. Giles Parish Church at Stoke-Poges in England. St. Giles was famous as the setting for the poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray. A comparison of the Church of the Advent with the actual St. Giles shows, however,t only faint similarities.

The Church of the Advent was one of a number of Gothic Revival Episcopal Churches built through the influence Kentucky’s first Episcopal Bishop, the Right Reverend Benjamin Bosworth Smith. The Gothic style was felt to be the only proper style for a church by Anglicans who were part of the Ecclesiological Movement or the Oxford Movement. This influenced Episcopalians in America to favor the Gothic Revival style for church-building. The style of churches built after Bishop Smith’s model was patterned after the Early English Gothic style of the 12th and 13th centuries which was simpler than the later phases of Gothic, the Perpendicular Gothic and Decorated Gothic styles. This made it adaptable to the small churches designed for Kentucky towns. These churches are reminiscent of English country parish churches, particularly those built of native limestone.

The tower features a Tudor arch doorway with a shouldered hood mold. A Tudor arch is a flattened pointed arch. The stonework for the lower part of the tower is uncoursed stone while the upper part of the tower completed later has the stone laid in courses. Buttresses support outer corners, tall slender single lancet windows are on each face of the upper tower and the cornice has stone corbels under a pyramidal roof.

The Episcopal congregation in Cynthiana was formed in 1835 by N. N. Cowgill, a layman who later was ordained by Bishop Smith in 1838. For several years the congregation did not have its own church meeting and held services in the Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian churches as well as in the courthouse. Two more priests would serve the congregation before Reverend Carter Page in 1850 who would be pastor during the construction of the church. The church cost $6,500 dollars to construct. The lot was purchased by Dr. George H. Perrin who paid for $5,500 of the cost with the remaining$1000 donated by William Thompson. Once the tower was completed the church was consecrated on May 19, 1860 by the Right Reverend (Bishop) Benjamin Bosworth Smith.

During the Civil War, the church would be used for a hospital for the wounded soldiers from the Battle of Cynthiana fought on June 11th and 12th, 1864.

The side porch of the Church of the Advent with trefoil motifs in the brackets and verge boards. Note how acute the angle of the gable is. In medieval Gothic churches the porch was usually enclosed or partly enclosed.

Interior of the Church of the Advent
The first thing you notice when you enter the church is the open beam ceiling featuring cross beams supported by arched beams springing from the side walls. Centered on the front and back walls are the triple lancet windows. On each side of the windows on the back wall are the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and Apostle’s Creed, a common practice in 18th century Anglican churches of Virginia. The Apostle’s Creed uses an early version of the creed from the 1661 Book of Common Prayer rather than that from the 1789 Book of Common Prayer that was commonly used at the time.

An historic pump organ made in 1881 by H. Pilcher and Sons of Louisville is in the transept recess on the right. The organ was electrified in the 1950s.

The church had some minor redecoration in 1899 which included raising the chancel to a platform and adding a wood and cast iron railing separating the chancel from the nave. Lucy “Lutie” Tebbs and several other ladies carved the wood altarpiece and presented it to the church. It is said that she exhibited a large carved wooden pedestal at the Chicago World’s Fair.

The interior window openings are splayed and have original clear diamond-shaped panes. Lancet windows in the Early English Gothic style were usually in pairs or groups of threes. The wainscoting added in 1899 probably was unpainted in natural wood. The original pews have a jigsaw trefoil motif as finials on the top of each end.

I had a wonderful visit to Church of the Advent thanks to B. T. Darnell, Senior Warden. Besides the church stories she shared, she had fascinating stories to tell of her own property which was the site of Ruddle’s Station and the 1780 siege and massacre of settlers there by Captain Henry Byrd and his British and Indian troops during the American Revolution.

I hope to visit the other churches built during Bishop Smith’s tenure and report on them because they are each wonderful romantic churches. These include Holy Trinity Church, Georgetown (stone); St. Philip’s Church, Harrodsburg; Church of the Ascension, Frankfort; St. Paul’s Church, Shelbyville; St Paul’s Church, Pewee Valley (stone); St. Paul’s, Newport (stone). My next visit is to Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown.

Another Contributor Joins the Fray! ¡Hola, Chris Ertel!

Portrait of Chris Ertel by
Madelaine Enochs-Epley

I’m pleased to announce that Christopher Ertel will be adding his voice to The Kaintuckeean beginning tomorrow. I’ve known Chris from his tireless efforts on behalf of The Blue Grass Trust and his avid following of our deTours. He is a tremendous resource on the history of the Bluegrass and I’m so excited that he is willing to share with us!

Chris attended Georgetown College before graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Historic Preservation. He has restored two homes for himself and consulted on others. He is retired from the Kentucky Court of Justice and volunteers for The Blue Grass Trust’s Hunt-Morgan House and its Antiques and Garden Show. For his work at this year’s AGS, Chris received the Betty Hoopes Award.

Although his broad and diverse knowledge covers much of the region’s history and architecture, his current passion includes the beautiful stone Episcopal churches constructed during the service of the first Episcopalian bishop of Kentucky, Bishop Bosworth Smith. Welcome, Chris Ertel!

In a place called Munfordville…

Hart County Courthouse – Munfordville, Ky.

Hart County has long been a place that I heard much about, but had never visited. A truly good friend from college was a Munfordvillian, and he used to regale me with stories of its importance in the Civil War. We used to laugh as my friend would amp up his southern drawl, and begin to speak of the battles that took place in this tiny little community – including tales of the local boy who went on to be a general in the Confederate Army, General Simon Bolivar Buckner.

Turns out he was right. Hart County was first settled in the late 18th century around the Horse Cave area, with Munfordville being settled in 1816. Munfordville was named for Richard T. Munford, the man who originally owned the land upon which the town sits. Its strategic position along the railroad that ran between Louisville and Nashville made it an important location during the Civil War. Throughout the war, bridges were burned both figuratively and literally in Hart County.

John Hunt Morgan burned the bridge over Bacon Creek in 1861. During the Battle of Munfordville in 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg, at the urging of General Buckner, captured approximately 4,000 Union troops under the command of John T. Wilder. Bragg’s men also burned the bridge which crossed the Green River.

This is the third courthouse in Hart County, constructed in 1928. Except for a small circa 1918 bandstand, it is the only building within the court square itself. Listed on the National Register in 1980, this two-story Colonial Revival has an aura of classical Beaux-Arts design. It kind of reminded me of an old high school. When I visited, there appeared to be some renovation going on near the front entrance – a positive sign as judicial activities moved in 2008 to the new judicial center one block east of the old court square.

Lexington’s Old Courthouse Indefinitely Closed

Old Fayette County Courthouse – Lexington, Ky.

Last Friday, the doors of the Lexington Museum Center were indefinitely closed due to “dangerous levels of damaged and deteriorating lead-based paint in the building.” Also cited by the city were asbestos, mold, and structural problems. The Lexington Public Safety Museum, the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum, and the Lexington History Museum all call the Museum Center, Lexington’s old courthouse, home. And while these museums each tell a great history, the greatest history at the Museum Center is that of the old courthouse itself. Anyone who has explored the upper floors of the old courthouse knows that the building requires a tremendous amount of work in order to be fully restored and it is disappointing that impediments so great stand in the way of that vision.

The 1898 Richardson Romanesque courthouse is at the heart of downtown Lexington; it is decidedly Lexington’s most recognizable structure. It served as the county courthouse for over a century until the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza opened in 2002. And although the façade is incredible, the building’s interior is more spectacular.

Imagine in circa 1900 Lexington, a 100-plus foot atrium featuring the architecture of a 14th century Tibetan palace above a split steamboat stairway. After remodeling in the 1960s, the dome only reached fifty-two feet above the newly added fifth floor.

Though this fifth floor has not been accessible to the public for many years due to the now-familiar lead-based paint, I’ve twice had the opportunity to explore the upper reaches of the old courthouse. I first saw the detailed beauty, colors, and lights that evidenced Lexington’s world-class architecture in October 2009 while the Lexington History Museum celebrated its sixth birthday. This February, the Blue Grass Trust deTour of the Old Courthouse gave many the same opportunity.

Some estimates for complete restoration of the old courthouse have reached $25 million. This amount, however, was suggested a few years ago for a full restoration. Ongoing deferred maintenance may raise the overall price tag, though the full amount would not be necessary to once again open the doors of the old courthouse to the public.

But a full restoration of the old courthouse to its 1898 grandeur is not and should not be out of reach. The city committed to cultural improvements, namely the rehabilitation of the old courthouse, as part of a settlement with the state following the demolition of the Ben Snyder block (location of the current courthouses on North Limestone). To accomplish this commitment, the city created in 2009 a TIF district to accompany the proposed Centrepointe project which would have committed the inherent increase in tax revenues from the project to public infrastructure improvements including the old courthouse’s rehabilitation.

I discussed this funding mechanism at lunch yesterday with the Streetsweeper and he observed a number of issues with that TIF district. As progress on Centrepointe may be on the near horizon, perhaps revisiting our TIF application is necessary. As observed by the Streetsweeper, most of the public infrastructure goals sans courthouse rehabilitation are either completed or scrapped from the final project. Restoration of the old courthouse has also been discussed as part of the Arena, Arts & Entertainment District.

You can also help to save the old courthouse! Donations may be made at www.goodgiving.net or mailed to the Museum at 215 W. Main St., Lexington, Ky. 40507. However we act, we must act to save this key part of our community’s history. As former Governor Martha Layne Collins said, “the focal point [of our] community is the courthouse – the place where so much of Kentucky’s rich and fascinating history has been written…” We can not afford to lose that.

The dome of the old courthouse – Lexington, Ky.

Covington’s Treasured Licking Riverside Historic District

J.J. Audubon Statue near the Point – Covington, Ky.

The first Europeans to set foot in Covington likely did so at what came to be known to pioneers as “The Point.” There, the Ohio and Licking Rivers — as well as Covington, Newport, and Cincinnati — all meet.

Nearly two hundred years since Covington was founded, a great deal of this part of the city would still be familiar to many of its first residents. In fact, Covington’s founders built their homes in what is now known as the Licking Riverside Historic District, where the streets are lined with sprawling antebellum estates and townhomes in the Greek Revival, Federal, Queen Anne, High Victorian, Gothic, Italianate, and French Second Empire styles. While much of Covington’s early history can be traced to the streets of this neighborhood, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati with its appealing walkability, architectural intrigue, and the most perfect views of the rivers and the Cincinnati skyline.

Licking Riverside stretches eight blocks from north to south and boasts important points of history every step of the way. The streets from east to west are named for Kentucky’s first five governors, Shelby, Garrard, Greenup, Scott, and Madison (though Shelby served a second term between Scott and Madison, he did not score himself a second spot in Covington’s street grid). Daniel Carter Beard, founder of the Sons of Boone which he later integrated into the Boy Scouts, first discovered his love for the outdoors in this neighborhood in the mid-nineteenth century. The parents of President Ulysses S. Grant lived in Covington where Jesse Grant served as Postmaster; their house still stands. United States Senator Richard P. Ernst resided in a corner mansion near the Licking River where a bridge connects Kenton and Campbell Counties.

From the time George Rogers Clark organized his troops here during fights with the Indians, to the time Covington founding father Thomas Carneal built his stunning mansion (which is believed to be the oldest home in Covington today, and is currently for sale), to the Civil War where north truly met south right at this spot, to now where the residences are filled with some of the region’s most prominent professionals, Licking Riverside is a living historic treasure and a must-see during any visit to Covington.

Michael Monks is the publisher of The River City News, an online newspaper based in Covington, Kentucky. Check out more of Michael’s Licking Riverside photos after the jump:

The County Fair and Deep Fried Snickers

My Deep Fried Snickers at the County Fair – Nicholasville, Ky.

On Monday evening, I went to the Jessamine County Fair. After setting up the Democratic party’s booth and registering a few voters, I strolled around the grounds a bit to see what was going on.

Jessamine County Fair

Haley Goen was crowned Miss Jessamine County. Tonight, Wednesday, we’ll find out who wins Jr. Miss and Little Miss Jessamine County. Apart from the glamour, livestock competitions, carnival rides, corn hole, truck and tractor pulls, and a greased pig competition will highlight some of the events taking place at the City County Park in Nicholasville.

But it isn’t only in Nicholasville. All summer long, across the state and the country, county fairs will occur with much the same offering. For many communities, these are the biggest social events of the year and are an exciting event. I’d highly recommend you check out your local county fair this year, or even venture to the grandaddy of them all: the state fair.

A first for me at the county fair was the deep fried Snickers bar. In appearance, it looks like a powdered-sugar covered corn dog, but the filling is a gooey mix of a Snickers bar wrapped inside funnel cake batter. Though the description isn’t much, it was quite tasty as all the components from the once frozen Snickers had come together into a hot (but not so hot as to scald my mouth) batter. And I’ve scheduled an appointment with my cardiologist for next week.

Kentucky Courthouses and America’s Most Endangered Places

Fayette County Courthouses – Lexington, Ky.

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation publishes a list of America’s Most Endangered Places. This year, Texas Courthouses made the list for the second time. Some background from the National Trust:

Texas courthouses helped establish a unique identity for each of the state’s counties, and 234 of the state’s 244 county-owned historic courthouses are still in active government use. Unfortunately, many – including some of the oldest and most architecturally distinguished – have fallen into disrepair due to inadequate funding and maintenance. In 1998, the National Trust named Texas courthouses to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The following year, the Texas legislature and Governor George W. Bush created the Texas Historic Courthouse Program. Administered by the Texas Historical Commission, this program has provided $247 million in matching grants to fully restore 62 historic courthouses and partially assist 21 more. While these results are impressive, more than 72 courthouses remain to be restored, including the Karnes County Courthouse. Continued state funding for the Texas Historic Courthouse Program is needed to assist preservation efforts across the state.

In Kentucky, we’ve taken a different approach citing judicial demands for increased space. As a result, preservation has not been at the forefront in all locales. Kentucky’s system has resulted in the construction of over 70 “judicial centers” since 1998.

Old Mercer Co. CH – Harrodsburg, Ky.
(Photo: NRK)

In Fayette County, two buildings on opposite sides of Short Street leave behind an old courthouse that has become a center for community museums. Most of the historic buildings that once stood on these blocks were destroyed prior to the decision to build the courthouse, but in several counties historic commercial structures are being razed to make way for judicial centers adjacent to or near the old courthouses (see Laurel County or Magoffin County as an example). In Mercer County, the historic courthouse has been demolished in favor of a replacement.

In Nelson County, the old courthouse at the historic center of Bardstown has been replaced by a judicial center on what is now the “main drag” far outside of the old city limits. In fact, the new Nelson County Judicial Center occupies the site of an old Wal-Mart. The same phenomenon can be seen in Johnson County. And while the ease of access to these judicial centers is convenient for jurors, attorneys, and judges, it can be the death knell for a small town’s downtown. While Bardstown is likely safe with its old courthouse now occupied by a welcome center in a well-visited community, Bardstown’s traffic doesn’t exist in each of Kentucky’s small-town county seats.

Consider that when the druggist closes for the big box drug store and the retail shops on Main Street close when Wal-Mart opens, what will be left of a downtown when the attorneys pack up shop and move closer to the ‘new’ courthouse?

When federal dollars are spent on a project, section 106 of the National Preservation Act requires each Federal agency involves to consider the impact on our national heritage. Kentucky’s courthouse projects have largely gone without Federal funds as noted in the State Historic Preservation Plan:

Historic county courthouses in Kentucky are now being replaced by large judicial centers or complexes. The construction of these facilities has led to the demolition of entire blocks of historic buildings in urban centers or downtowns. The judicial center projects do not usually involve the spending of federal funds; therefore, they do not require review by the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office.

Suffice it to say, some of our old courthouses have been in need of repair or additional space. Two of the state’s handsomest courthouses – those in Hancock and Robertson Counties – have been largely preserved through the judicial center fervor of the past fourteen years. Hancock County’s courthouse, described as “singularly tranquil and substantial architectural presence,” desperately needed an update. As one commenter pointed out, the courtroom “now resembles the transporter room from Star Trek.” A new judicial center now stands across the street from the old Hancock County courthouse, which now faces an uncertain future. Meanwhile, the historic Robertson County courthouse in Mt. Olivet was incorporated into the new judicial center’s design.

Kentucky’s courthouses are vital to our collective history and our individual community’s uniqueness. In the words of former Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson, “Only when you have seen [all of the courthouses] can you get a true
appreciation for the history represented by these unique and individual
landmarks… Each is different from the other; distinctive in its architecture
and its history.” Former Governor Martha Layne Collins remarked that “one of the focal points of any community is the courthouse – the place
where so much of Kentucky’s rich and fascinating history has been written…”.

Tragically, our Kentucky courthouses are just as at-risk as those in Texas, but they are without the national preservationist’s limelight.

Bullitt County Courthouse in Shepherdsville, Ky.

Bullitt County, Kentucky, has an astoundingly large amount of judicial space. I even got a little confused when attending a hearing there as I wasn’t sure of which building to enter!

Shepherdsville was founded in 1793 where the old Wilderness Trail crossed Salt River. Bullitt County was formed four years later, on January 1, 1797, from lands taken from Nelson and Jefferson counties. This Beaux-Arts style courthouse is only the second to occupy Shepherdsville. It was constructed in 1900-01.

Salt licks in the area were important to attracting early settlers. The first commercial saltworks in Kentucky were established in Bullitt County, and the area experienced rapid growth in the 1800s due to the presence of the railroad that ran from Louisville to Nashville.

Source: KDL (Frank C. Dunn Collection)

Not suprisingly, whiskey distilling remains an important industry in the county. The drive form Shepherdsville to Bardstown features both the Jim Beam distillery and Four Roses. I highly recommend the route.

The majority of judicial activities now occur in the new judicial center which is located behind the old Beaux Arts building. The old courthouse now houses the Bullitt County History Museum.