Category: Uncategorized

walkLEX: Silversmith Shop

Silversmith Shop
@ Cheapside’s Patio, Lexington, Ky.

The patio at Lexington’s Cheapside Bar & Grille was once the site of Asa Blanchard’s silversmith shop. A historic marker identifies the site:

On this site, 1810-1838, was shop of Asa Blanchard, the most noted of Kentucky’s silversmiths. Blanchard silver was as prized in Kentucky as that of Paul Revere in New England. Among his customers were the most prominent families in the Bluegrass. A master craftsman who trained many apprentices, Blanchard was a goldsmith as well as a watch and clockmaker. He died in 1838.

Little is known of Blanchard prior to his arrival in Kentucky, but it is believed that he trained in England and his name appears in the 1790 and 1800 censuses of Wildersburgh Town, Vermont. He arrived in Lexington probably in 1808 and began acquiring the property at this corner (Short and Mill) in 1808. His work was presented to Henry Clay, governor Isaac Shelby. Also a clockmaker, one of his works appears at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. [*] Asa Blanchard died in Lexington in 1838.

And in economic development news, remember that another modern silversmith – Tiffany & Co. – is opening a manufacturing facility in Lexington next year.

This post was republished by KyForward on June 1, 2011.

NoD: Nicholasville Streetscape Project

Election 2010
Main Street, Nicholasville, Ky.

Lexingtonians can sympathize with what is currently going on with Nicholasville’s Main Street. Lexington’s months of burying utility lines, sidewalk adjustments have ended and moved south to Nicholasville. (Though Nicholasville’s beautification project is not [at least partly] prompted by a settlement with the EPA.)

Nicholasville’s improvements will come in three phases and will utimately include three new parks in the downtown area. Nicholasville Now has a lot of information about the project on their website. I’ll post more when Phase I is complete, but until then watch out for traffic cones!

NoD: Northern Kentucky Firefighter’s Memorial

Firefighter Memorial
Firefighter’s Memorial in Newport, Ky.

Near the Campbell County courthouse (seen in background) is the Northern Kentucky Firefighter’s Memorial depicting a firefighter carrying one child and walking two other children to safety. The “northern Kentucky” region is unlike any other in Kentucky: its citizenry identifies itself not by county or community, but simply by its generic “northern Kentucky” term. This memorial – and the corresponding firefighter’s association – is dedicated to the brave men of the various Northern Kentucky fire departments (39 departments in 4 counties) [*] and particularly those brave men and women who have laid their lives in service of their neighbors and communities.

NoD: Hopewell Presbyterian Church

Hopewell Presbyterian Church
Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Paris, Ky.

Hopewell Presbyterian is one of the oldest church congregations in Bourbon County first holding service in 1785 and being officially recognized by the Transylvania Presbytery in 1787. Fire twice caused the church to be rebuilt, most recently in 1904.

You might recall that Paris was originally charted as Hopewell; this church remains one of the few reminders of the community’s original name. The church remains an active congregation with weekly services. Additional pictures are available on flickr.

walkLEX: Uneeda Biscuit

Uneeda Biscuit
Uneeda Biscuit Ghost Sign, Lexington, Ky.

Walking down Short Street, you can see two different buildings bearing old ghost signs of a bygone era. Ghost signs were popular marketing tools in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s (conveniently, when our society both walked and was sans-suburbia). You can find them in most urban areas, and they are great reminders of the past because of both the marketing technique and the product itself.

The Uneeda Biscuit was first produced and sold in 1898 – it was the first mass-produced cracker in the United States. Prior to Adolphus Green’s creation for the National Biscuit Company, mothers would send sons with soap bags to get a fill of crackers at the local bakery. Unsurprisingly, many of the crackers came home broken. The company created a seal design for wax paper and the rest is history. Ultimately, National Biscuit Company became Nabisco in 1971. The Uneeda Biscuit was discontinued in 1999.

Go Cats! Beat the Vols!

For my regular readers, you know I rarely deviate from my usual format – avoiding subjects such as sports and politics (so many other great blogs and websites cover the topics). But today is different, today we play Tennessee in football.


Today may be the end of… the streak. Not since 1984 – 25 years – has Kentucky beaten their “SEC rival.” My wife was not born (and I was in the cradle) the last time Kentucky defeated Tennessee. Then, as today, the venue is Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium. Can history repeat itself? I sure hope so! To pacify us for the next few hours until kickoff, here are some amazing historical statistics pulled together by the greatest sports blog of all time, KentuckySportsRadio:

Games in Lexington (13 losses)Combined Score: Tennessee 477, Kentucky 246
Average Score: Tennessee 37, Kentucky 18
Closest Games: 52-50 (2007), 24-22 (1987), 34-31 (1995)
Biggest Blowouts: 48-0 (1993), 42-0 (1985)
Games in Knoxville (12 games)Combined Score: Tennessee 464, Kentucky 178
Average Score: Tennessee 39, Kentucky 15
Closest Games: 28-24 (1988), 17-12 (2006), 37-31 (2004)
Biggest Blowouts: 52-0 (1994), 56-10 (1996), 59-20 (2000), 59-21 (1998)
UK has had 5 coaches during the 25 game streakJerry Claiborne (5 games)
Bill Curry (7 games)
Hal Mumme (4 games)
Guy Morris (2 games)
Rich Brooks (7 games)
13 QB’s have started against Tennessee during the 25 game streakBill Ransdell (1985, 1986)
Glenn Fohr (1987, 1988)
Freddie Maggard (1989, 1990)
Pookie Jones (1991, 1992, 1993)
Antonio O’Ferral (1994)
Billy Jack Haskins (1995, 1996)
Tim Couch (1997, 1998)
Dusty Bonner (1999)
Jared Lorenzen (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
Shane Boyd (2004)
Andre Woodson (2005, 2006, 2007)
Randall Cobb (2008)
Morgan Newton (2009)
UK has lost 9 games by less than 10 points during the 25 game streak1987: 24-22
1988: 28-24
1991: 16-7
1995: 34-31
2001: 38-35
2004: 37-31
2006: 17-12
2007: 52-50
2009: 30-24
Kentucky has beaten these opponents 5 or more times since 1984
Vanderbilt: 17 times
Mississippi State: 10 times
Louisville: 8 times
South Carolina: 6 times
Georgia: 5 times
Since November 24th, 1984:
-Today marks the 9,498th day since that date
-5 US Presidents
-6 Kentucky Governors
-5 US Senators from Kentucky
-4 UK Presidents
-3 UK Athletic Directors 
Other notable facts:-22 consecutive football senior classes have now graduated without beating Tennessee
-Every SEC team has beaten Tennessee at least once since 1993
-UK has had 55 players drafted in the NFL since 1984
-UK has won 126 football games since November 1984
-Kentucky basketball has beaten Tennessee 42 times since November 1984
-Kentucky baseball has beaten Tennessee 28 times since November 1984

And no I-hate-Tennessee post would be complete without the obligatory video:

 

GO CATS!!

Cheapside Park, c. 1920-1921

Cheapside Park, circa 1920-1921.

With my office around the corner, Cheapside Park has been any easy target for posts. Its new Fifth Third Bank Pavilion is a great community asset, but we can roll back the clock and see what Cheapside looked like around 1920-1921.

Thanks again, Asa Chinn for all the great photographs you took in your day. And to the KY Digital Library for making them available! And to my paralegal, Leann, for emailing me this picture. The KDL identified the various businesses as follows:

Cheapside: Main to Short (West), 111 Monarch Loan Co., Burrough’s Adding Machine Co., W.F. Johnson, 115 Cheapside Shoe Market, 117 George M. Ramsey Sign Co., 119 J.C. Berryman, 121 Republic Trust Company, 123 A.B. Jones, 125 Arcade Drug Store, 127 J.T. Slanton, Dr. E.D. O’Leary, Daniel O’Leary, Arthur Stewart, 129 King & Daniel, 131 H.G. Riddle, W. King & Son, J.C. DeLong

Nat Northington

At the Kentucky-Charleston Southern football game, I examined the program and read about UK’s “History and Traditions.” I noted one I had not seen before: Nat Northington. 

Nat Northington

Nat Northington was the first African-American football player to sign with an SEC school (UK) when he did so in 1965. Two African-Americans signed with Coach Charlie Bradshaw to the 1967 squad, the other being Greg Page. Page was paralyzed during a preseason practice and died from complications 38 days later; the university opened a residential apartment community bearing Page’s name in the 1979.

As a result of Page’s injury, only Northington would play football for the Wildcats during the 1967 season. He therefore became the first African-American to play in an SEC game when Ole Miss came to Lexington’s Stoll Field on September 30, 1967. It would take another three years before UK’s basketball team would sign an African-American player.

Sources: ESPN, UKAthletics, Lex H-L. Photo: KYVL.

Save the Pennington House

Pennington House, London, Ky.
Photo by Tom Eblen, Lexington H-L. Used c Permission.

Surface parking lots and parking garages are necessities – we have to park our vehicles so we can shop, eat, etc. (absent public transportation options … of which there are few in Kentucky). Downtown Lexington is filled with surface lots which always raises the question for me, “What used to be there?”

London, Kentucky – with its new courthouses – knows the answer to that question and has the opportunity to stop the destruction of the pre-Civil War Pennington House. The issue is before the Laurel County Fiscal Court: Should the county acquire the property for a surface lot? (The source of funds appears to be excess funds from the courthouse construction; the desire to spend comes from the “use it or lose it” mentality).

In the words of Realtor Chris Robinson, the answer is no. “Any community can have a gravel parking lot. Only London can have the Pennington House.” Although eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, the effort has never been made for the Pennington House. As a result, some of its story is more difficult to find. But it appears that this house has survived threats before. London experienced five large-scale fires in 1891, 1892, 1893, 1909 and 1910. In 1974, a tornado missed the house by 100 feet. But the threat of demolition for a parking lot may be the home’s greatest threat to date.  If you are from Laurel County, speak loudly to your local officials. Let’s do what we can to save this London treasure.

Sources: Tom Eblen (Lex. H-L); Tara Kaprowy (Sentinel Echo); Nita Johnson (Sentinel Echo)