No Destination: Middle Creek Battlefield

I traveled down the Mountain Parkway to a court hearing in Pikeville. The trip took me through Pike, Floyd, Magoffin, Wolfe and Morgan counties – counties unvisited on No Destination. Still, I had to get where I was going and had work to deal with when I returned to Lexington, so a leisurely drive was not possible.

Notwithstanding, I did pull off the road in Floyd County when I spotted a Civil War battlefield. Dressed in a suit, I couldn’t venture down either the Union or the Confederate Trail, but the small Middle Creek National Battlefield was a worthy visit. Admittedly, I had never before heard of the Battle of Middle Creek, but according to the signage (and a little Googling) it was relatively significant.

President Lincoln believed that keeping Kentucky in Union hands was an important task and the outnumbered Union troops pushed the Rebels back into Virginia during the January 1862 battle. The Union troops were led by Col. James A. Garfield. Garfield, who later became our twentieth President, was promoted to brigadier general as a result of the victory at Middle Fork.

Encompassing 450 acres, the Battlefield officially opened in 2004. The land was donated by the family on whose land the battle was fought (they have owned the land since 1798). Though only signage and trails now exist, plans are in the work for additional facilities. A great step for historic (and battlefield) preservation!

walkLEX: Sayre School


In 1854, David Sayre founded the Transylvania Female Institute to promote the education of women in “the widest range and highest order.” Renamed Sayre Female Institute a year later, the school has since 1942 been a co-educational public-school alternative named Sayre School.

Names are important at Sayre. The school does not have a cafeteria; it has “The Buttery.” It does not have a grade school and a high school; it has the Lower School, the Middle School and the Upper School. Between its three schools, the campus hosts over 600 students. The school has recently gone through a multi-million dollar renovation and has expanded its campus along the North Limestone corridor.

One of many “Spartans” to pass through Sayre’s halls is Kentucky Wildcat super-fan and actress, Ashley Judd.

walkLEX: Limestone (Mulberry) Street


Since Lexington was first laid out, many roads have changed their name. Walnut Street has become Martin Luther King Blvd. Cross Main Street is now Broadway. Winslow Street is now Euclid (though one block of Winslow Street remains, between Limestone and Upper).

My favorite is Limestone Street. Originally called Limestone Street because it was the road heading north to the Ohio River town of Limestone (now Maysville). In an attempt to create a softer and more Victorian name, Limestone Street was renamed Mulberry Street.

According to some accounts, many disliked this name as not being helpful for directional purposes. In time, the street was renamed Limestone Street. Remaining vestiges of the “Mulberry Street” era are many maps, a historic district (Mulberry Hill includes North Limestone from Salem Alley to Fifth Street) and the shop pictured above that curiously takes its name out of history.

walkLEX: Gratz Park

Bounded by Lexington’s Third, Mill, Second and Market Streets is Gratz Park. On its grounds once stood the Transylvania Seminary, which moved north across Third Street to its present-location. Remaining in the park from the days of the school is the Old Kitchen Building.

The park also contains “The Fountain of Youth,” a statue gifted to the “children of Lexington” by author James Lane Allen. The cities old library, a Carnegie, remains on the south end of the park and operates as the Center for Literacy. The park is named after Lexington businessman Benjamin Gratz, whose home stands at the corner of Mill and New Streets. Some of the cities finest historical homes are in this neighborhood. It also serves as a public gathering place for art fairs and the annual Fourth of July Concert by the Lexington Philharmonic.

walkLEX: St. Paul’s Catholic Church

Since 1868, the St. Paul’s Catholic Church has towered over Lexington’s western side (now, the western side of downtown). It is a beautiful structure – once described as a “perfect example of Gothic Revival architecture.”

The first parish priest, Fr. Bekkers, was instrumental in the founding of St. Joseph Hospital (then located on Second Street between Jefferson and Old Georgetown). Fr. Bekkers also purchased the land for Calvary Cemetery (across Leestown from the Lexington cemetery).

walkLEX: Flying Horse of Gansu

In 2000, the Kentucky Horse Park hosted an exhibit that was acclaimed worldwide: Imperial China (the art of the horse in Chinese history).

As a gift to the host city of Lexington, the Chinese city of Xi’an (and Shaanxi province) had shipped to Lexington (at Lexington’s $15,000 expense) a replica of an1,800 year old Han dynasty sculpture. The city placed it in a plaza across from city hall at Main Street and North Martin Luther King Blvd.

The Flying Horse is the official symbol of tourism for China and has become a fixture in downtown Lexington (except for the year that the leg broke and repairs cost the city $38,000).
Fear not: the horse should be fine. Seth Tuska, of Lexington’s Tuska Fine Art Studio and Foundry, did the repairs.

walkLEX: Sister Cities

Lexington has four “sister cities.” The purpose of the relationship is to have strong cultural and economic ties, but I don’t think Lexington derives much benefit from these relationships. All of Lexington’s sister cities are considered to be Thoroughbred breeding centers in their respective countries, so there are certainly economic relations (if not direct benefits) between Lexington and her sisters.

Lexington’s first sister was Deauville, France (since 1957). Then came County Kildare, Ireland (1984) and Shizunai, Japan (1988, merging governments resulted in Shinhidaka being the sister city since 2006). Finally, Newmarket, England and Lexington became Sisters in 2003.
In the courthouse plaza, their lies a way-finding sign to Lexington’s sisters. Perhaps it should be my duty to visit them…

And another sign of relationship between Lexington and Deauville – a wonderful French restaurant (le Deauville) is located only a couple blocks north of the way-finding sign on North Limestone.

walkLEX: The Children of Downtown

Lexington has a number of statues in the downtown area. Three utilize children as their figures; one is a water-fountain and one is a fountain. Each are unique

At the Sayre School on North Limestone, two children are playing leapfrog:

At the northern end of Gratz Park, a young boy shows a young girl his sailboat as they sit atop a rock. The statue is part of a fountain. It was a gift “to the city’s children” from 19th century author and Lexingtonian James Lane Allen.

In front of the old Fayette Courthouse stands Trois Enfants dans le Font, a useful statue of three children in the nude clutching a tree (which is topped by a light fixture). Beneath the children is a water fountain for adults and at ground level, “a drink for our friend.”

No Destination: Frankfort Co. Courthouse

Yesterday, the facilities committee of the AOC announced great news for the Franklin County Courthouse. The 1835 Gideon Shryock-designed structure (and the historic Good Shepherd Catholic Church) will be preserved in the creation of the new Franklin County “Judicial Center.”

This blog – particularly Nate’s Kentucky 120 Project – has touched on the creation of judicial centers at the expense of historic downtowns and city centers. Strike Franklin County as a win for historic preservation!

A rendering of the “new”courthouse is below (photo from: kentucky.com). Additions made in the mid 1900s will be torn down and new wings will be added to the 1835 structure. The old Catholic Church (c. 1858) is expected to be a non-profit center. At one point, authorities considered adaptively reusing the church itself as part of the courthouse (housing two courtrooms).

No Destination: Morehead

Once off campus, there is very little to see in Morehead. The “old” courthouse (not that old) is now an Arts Center. It is clear that the Center is uncertain what to do with the old jail – a neo-gothic structure behind the old courthouse that was constructed as a Works Progress Administration in 1938. Peering in its only window (on the door), I saw the following:
Additionally in Morehead, the First Christian Church has a forty-foot (diameter) labyrinth on its grounds that is open to the public. Walking the seven-circuit path – with St. Francis of Assisi in its center – was a wonderful experience at the end of a long day during which I saw so much (family, Cave Run Lake, the old Frenchburg School, the gravel road).