Uncategorized – Page 73 – The Kaintuckeean

Laurel County Courthouse – London, Ky.

Let me start by saying that the Kentucky Almanac led me astray on the Rockcastle County factoid. There appear to be a number of counties that are not named after people, i.e. Ohio and today’s entry, Laurel County.
Downtown London is really nice. Its very clean, and contains a nice mix of older and new buildings. London’s appreciation for aesthetics is really evident in the courthouse pictured above. It is the third courthouse to sit on this site, after a second was destroyed by fire. This Georgian-style courthouse was built in 1961, yet looks much, much older.

London is also home to a Federal building and courthouse, pictured above. The old Federal building is to the left, and a new Federal Courthouse fits in perfectly with the surroundings. Then, across the street sits. . .

This insanely huge judicial center. I don’t know if the massiveness of the building is really conveyed by this picture, but I can’t imagine that enough business is conducted in Laurel County to necessitate this thing. Maybe I’m wrong.

No Destination: Choctaw Indian Academy

Choctaw Indian Academy, Scott County, Ky.

I’m realizing that photographs of historic markers probably aren’t as enjoyable for you as pictures of buildings, landscapes, etc. So I tried to make this one a little more artistic. And if I for a minute actually thought that the old academy still existed, I would have trekked the two miles to find it. That said, I figured it was long gone. I may be mistaken as I was able to find pictures at www.thepeopleofthehuntingground.com.

The History of Scott County, Kentucky provides an account of the indian school:

Lafayette in his tour of the country in that year, (1825) visited it at Blue Springs, and a great feast was prepared for him by the neighborhood, the ladies making a cheese for the occasion weighing 500 pounds. In 1831 the school was removed from Blue Springs to White Sulphur Springs, which was also on a farm owned by Col. Johnson . . . There were generally from two to three hundred Indian boys in attendance, and it brought a considerable revenue to Col. Johnson’s exchequer. Some of the boys afterward filled prominent positions in the country—several became preachers of the Gospel.

Several other of the indian boys would becomes chiefs of their respective tribes. The Col. Johnson mentioned above was Col. Richard Mentor Johnson who would serve as Vice President from 1837-1841 during the administration of President Martin Van Buren. There is some controversy surrounding Johnson’s establishment of the school and his intentions; it seems that he was quite good as securing government contracts, including the establishment of the school.

An 1838 student log shows students from several tribes: Choctaw, Potawatomi, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Seminole, Creek, Prarieduchien, Chicaga, Miami, and Quapaw. The school ultimately closed when financial support from the tribes dried up (they were being forced west into Oklahoma). The OSU Digital Library is a tremendous source of information about the Academy.

My flickr for Choctaw.

No Destination: First Camp Site in Kentucky

First Camp Site in Kentucky, Pineville, Ky.

Near the entry to Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a marker designating the First Camp Site in Kentucky:

Dr. Thomas Walker and 5 companions, employed by the Loyal Land Company, came into this region April 14, 1750, to locate lands for settlement in these western reaches of Virginia. His 1750 journal relates that he established a camp at this spot and spent 3 days here, hunting and fishing. He then moved on to the river, which he named Cumberland River. Walker preceded Daniel Boone in Kentucky by 16 years.

So many Kentuckians are familiar with Daniel Boone, but few are aware of Dr. Walker. Walker’s naming of the Cumberland River preceded the naming of the pass his group took to enter the area, a pass later named Cumberland Gap. Walker was also the first American to discover a use for coal.

After returning from his exploration of the “western frontier” of Kentucky, Walker returned to Virginia. In 1957, he became Thomas Jefferson’s guardian as the young Jefferson’s father had passed away.Walker, having a grant of 800,000 acres in what would become southeastern Kentucky, remained in Virginia.

Rockcastle County Courthouse – Mt. Vernon, Kentucky

Rockcastle County is an interesting place. It’s one of two counties in Kentucky not named for a person (Okay Peter, what’s the other county?), as it’s named after the Rockcastle River, which is in turn named after the castle-like rock formations that surround it. One quarter of the county is in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and the drive through Rockcastle on the old Dixie Highway is pretty scenic. The most notable area of Rockcastle is probably Renfro Valley, a country music Mecca that I’ve really wanted to visit for a show, but have never found the time.
This courthouse seems relatively modern and pretty nondescript. I can’t find much information about it – the Kentucky Encyclopedia mentions that the first log courthouse here burned in 1873. Can anyone help me fill in the blanks?

No Destination: Georgetown

Downtown Georgetown, Kentucky

I’ve already mentioned a number of locations in and around Georgetown – the College, the Japanese Garden, Ward Hall – but I haven’t discussed Georgetown itself. Originally named Lebanon, the town was renamed after George Washington in 1790 (present day Lebanon, Ky. wasn’t named until 1815).

Although founded by Rev. Elijah Craig and his fellow Baptists, its modern history goes back a little further. In 1774, John Floyd led the first whites into the area during a surveying expedition. Floyd and his men discovered the Royal Spring (which was Georgetown’s primary water source for years). Although Floyd claimed the surrounding 1,000 acres, he never settled the land. John McClelland began establishing a fort in April 1775, but the site was abandoned after an Indian attack in 1776. The white man did not return until Elijah Craig came in 1782.

The community remained a sleepy neighbor to nearby Lexington for many years. Georgetown, however, grew drastically when Toyota located its North American manufacturing facility here. Most notably, all Toyota Camry’s are manufactured in Georgetown. The town is also the home of the Cincinnati Bengals’ summer training camp.

Pictured is the downtown business district, called the Oxford Historic District. It is known for its beautiful examples of late Victorian and Greek Revival architecture. Check out all of my pictures of Georgetown on flickr.

No Destination: St. Matthew AME

St. Matthew AME Church, Midway, Ky.

In historic Midway is the St. Matthews African Methodist-Episcopal Church. Its historic marker, unveiled in 2008, reads:

St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church. Est. in 1860. Served as a recruitment office during Civil War. Lot was purchased May 9, 1854, for location of first church building. Rev. Moses Burks was 1st minister of the old frame church. In 1886, Rev. J. Frazier & members erected brick church that later burned with old frame church. Present church was built in 1892.

It is a beautiful, well-kept structure that congregants should be proud of. Unfortunately, with the exception of the marker I can find no history on the building or the congregation.

No Destination: Nat’l Bank of Cynthiana

Adaptive Reuse in Cynthiana, Ky.

For my regular readers, you know I love historic preservation. A key part of preservation is adaptive reuse, which simply means utilizing existing structures for purposes other than those which were originally intended. Although some historic significance is lost, often the historic streetscape is not disturbed.

A great example of adaptive reuse in Cynthiana is the old National Bank of Cynthiana which today houses a diner smartly named “The Vault” as well as the visitor’s center.

No Destination: Carnegie Library (Middlesboro)

Carnegie Library, Middlesboro, Ky.

The Carnegie Library in Middlesboro is one of 35 libraries built between 1899 and 1914 by the Carnegie Foundation. [*] Completed in 1912, the keys to the structure were never turned over to the city because the municipality could not gather the $1,500 (10% of the cost) necessary to receive the structure under the terms of the Carnegie grant. As a result, the building stood vacant for several years. Ultimately, the Bell County library moved into the building. Other tenants have included the police department, a classroom building for the overcrowded schools and as a bandage preparation facility for the Red Cross during World War II.

Today, the old Carnegie Library houses the county’s historical society and museum.

As Carnegie said, “The[ libraries] only help those that help themselves. They never pauperize. They reach the aspiring, and open to these the chief treasures of the world—those stored in books. A taste for reading drives out lower tastes.” Despite not funding their share of the library, the people of Middlesboro did want the facility [PDF of letters by citizens to Carnegie, compiled by J. Jeffrey of Western Kentucky University].

No Destination: Site of Fairfield

Site of Fairfield, Bourbon Co., Ky.

US-27 between Paris and Cynthiana is filled with historic markers. At each sign, I dutifully pull over to explore. Historic Marker #82, Site of Fairfield:

One mile northeast. Built by James Garrard, second Governor of Kentucky, 1796-1800; reelected 1800-04. Bourbon County’s first court held here, 1786. Near here, Mt. Lebanon, Kentucky’s earliest Governor’s mansion.

Mt. Lebanon was actually Gov. Garrard’s residence, constructed by him in 1782 on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. He is buried at Mt. Lebanon. Fairfield was Gov. Garrard’s son’s home and was adjacent to Mt. Lebanon. Many Garrard family members – a major family in Kentucky’s history – claimed Fairfield as their birthplace.

No Destination: A Renowned Piscator

“A Renowned Piscator” Historic Marker, Cynthiana, Ky.

In Cynthiana, a historic marker is dedicated to A Renowned Piscator. To be honest, I had to look this word up. It simply means “fisherman” or “angler.” The marker reads:

Dr. James A. Henshall, 1836-1925, author Book of the Black Bass and others, brought fame to Kentucky’s South Licking, Elkhorn, and Stoner streams. He came here to practice medicine. During Civil War healed wounds for men in Blue and Gray. Left, regained health, returned in 1880, wrote book. With U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, 1896-1917, he found new method for fish propagation.

In fact, this native of Baltimore, Maryland’s book (Book of the Black Bass) is considered by some to be “everything about the black bass just as Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is all you want to know about whales.” (Ken Duke, ESPN “Bassography“).

In a nutshell, Henshall thought the small-mouthed black bass to be a fish with a lot of spunk – especially given its size. He set forth to improve its popularity among anglers and began raising the fish on ponds (this was a new idea in those days). Ultimately, he went to work for the U.S. Fish Commission and used his skills in creating hatcheries in Montana.