This Just Happened, a weekly roundup

Fall Colors at Mount Hope, Gratz Park, Lexington, Ky.

From this week on The Kaintuckeean:

And from elsewhere around the Commonwealth, after the jump:
The Lexington Farmer’s Market will remain open, outdoors, all winter. [BizLex]
Talk of new city hall in Lexington raises some questions and retrospective thinking [Streetsweeper]
Shorty’s, Lexington’s downtown grocery, set to reopen under new ownership [BizLex]
Interesting and thought-provoking question à la Jeff Foxworthy: you might be a preservationist if? [Bricks+Mortar]
NKU is offering a historic preservation class. Wish I had taken something like that instead of all those accounting classes… [KyForward]

Kentucky a leader among States

Kentucky State Capitol – Frankfort, Ky.

Though I’m not a native, I love Kentucky.

Her terrain, her people, and her culture make her one of the Union’s most spectacular states. Unfortunately, we have historically ranked near the bottom in other important metrics such as health, economics, and education.

So when Kentucky is heralded as a model for something done right, we should accept the compliment with gratitude and take pride in a job well done.

Politics aside, we should be taking pride in the fact that Kentucky is being heralded by politician and prognosticator alike for kynect.ky.gov.

That is Kentucky’s healthcare exchange website created under the Affordable Care Act (aka, Obamacare).

Among those breathing the words “Kentucky” and “success” (without the word “basketball”) in the same sentence have included those at the Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio.

Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville indicated President Obama’s pride in the Commonwealth, “The president said … the place that has done best is Kentucky.”

So while Washington’s healthcare.gov was haphazardly unveiled with only limited testing, Kentucky’s website was smartly created with sigificant testing along with utilizing a simpler website design less likely to cause headaches.

It worked. A simple website design was needed because many Kentuckians do not have high-speed Internet, a problem that plagues many rural parts of the country. Kentucky considered this fact, though it seems that the federal website ignored this factor.

Of course, many can’t seem to put politics aside and just be proud of the Commonwealth’s achievement.

The Republicans — five Congressmen and two Senators — sent by Kentuckians to Washington have derided Obamacare at every opportunity along with the federal government’s healthcare.gov.

They have, however, been largely silent on Kentucky’s own success story.

I understand the politics at play, but I cannot accept partisanship over pride when it comes to the Commonwealth.

I’d suggest Sens. McConnell and Paul and Reps. Barr, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers, and Whitfield each issue a statement along these lines: “Though personally opposed to Obamacare, I commend the ingenuity and hard work involved in creating Kentucky’s website. The country should look to states like Kentucky for leadership, not Washington.”

That would be a strong message of democracy in action, of federalism, and of conservative values while still expressing a “job well done” mentality. It’s the kind of statesmanship that is missing in Washington.

Instead of taking that approach, Sen. Paul prophesied the failure of Obamacare over the weekend because it was a government-created solution.

“I think government is inherently inept, because they don’t work on a profit motive,” Paul said.

While Sen. Paul may believe government to be inherently inept, it is disturbing to follow his logic.

Consider the following which don’t operate “on a profit motive”: churches, charities, aid relief organizations, non-profits.

While specific organizations may have flaws, the non-profit motive does not make an organization “inherently inept.”

Sen. Paul, an ophthalmologist, is known to provide pro bono eye surgeries to Kentuckians during Congressional recesses. And he should be commended for giving back to needy Kentuckians.

But using the Senator’s own logic, would he suggest that his performance during a pro bono surgery is inept simply because it is being provided without a profit motive?

Of course, he wouldn’t. I’m sure that Dr. Paul takes great care in each surgery he performs. I’m sure he always does his very best.

Yet so do churches, charities, aid relief organizations, non-profits. And yes, even governments.

So take heed of these Kentucky lessons. To do your best, to accept a compliment with gratitude, and to take pride in a job well done.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Sears, Roebuck & Co.: An 85 Year Affair in Lexington, Ky.

Sears Roebuck, 1934. Photo: UKY (KDL).

In 1893, Richard Warren Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck collaborated on a mail order catalogue under the name Sears, Roebuck & Co. In 1894, the catalogue was 322 pages in length and featured farm implements, clothing, automobiles and even “vibrators for treating female hysteria.”

The successful business began opening brick-and-mortar stores in 1925 and the first Sears, Roebuck & Company store opened in Lexington in 1928 at 250-256 East Main. It was one of many department stores on Lexington’s busy Main Street.

In those days, success seemed to follow everything touched by Sears. In only two years, the Lexington store doubled its floor space and added several departments. Another addition, this time in 1932, added a full line of farm implements.

Outgrowing space opportunities in its location on the south side of Main Street, Sears relocated in 1934 to 213 East Main Street. The photograph above shows employees of the Brock Electrical Company installing the Sears & Roebuck Company sign at the new location that year.  The site is now occupied by the Chase Bank Building.

The changing face of America required the Sears, Roebuck & Co. to face modern realities beginning in 1939. The popularity of the automobile was ever-increasing and Sears capitalized on the transition by constructing a $12,000 service station at the site of the old Morton Junior High School, Short and Walnut Streets.

“The new super-service station of Sears, Roebuck and Company, conveniently located in down-town Lexington at Short and Walnut Streets is attracting motorists by the thousands. Fine service combined with high grade products and efficient workmanship and money saving prices are the reasons … for such splendid patronage.” (Lexington Leader, 17 Aug. 1940. (p. 3., col. 3-4)).

In addition to the service station, Sears offered another amenity for its customers: free parking. Even in 1940, businesses and cities were beginning to experience the challenges associated with limited parking facilities. As cities like Lexington grew in numbers and out into the suburbs, the automobile became a more major competitor for space in a confined downtown area. To satisfy this growing need, Lexington lose many historic buildings over the decades to follow. In 1956, Sears would open on East Short the cities largest parking lot: 145 spaces.

In 1950, Lexington’s Sears began to carry the newly introduced “non-bolt-down automatic washer and automatic clothes dryer.” Together with an ironer, the mid-century Lexington housewife could own a complete automatic, electrical home laundry.

Americans sought convenience and Sears, Roebuck & Co. recognized the market and capitalized on it. In fact, when Sears executives visited Lexington in the autumn of 1950, one remarked that “Lexington is one of the most promising markets in the United States.” And so it was as Lexington was entering into one of its most significant periods of growth.

Fayette Mall floor plan featuring Sears (CBL)

That growth, of course, again fueled a change in consumer demands. The growing suburban population sought to have amenities closer to them … and with more available parking. Sears recognized the change in consumer appetite and, in 1967, planned to relocate into a new 45-acre shopping center site on the southwestern corner of Harrodsburg Road and Mason-Headley.

Though approved by the zoning commission, the Trapp Center never materialized due to lawsuits filed by nearby residents. Another location was sought and, as they say, the rest is history.

Sears became one of the original anchors at Fayette Mall (the others were Cincinnati-based Shillito’s and Louisville-based Stewart’s). And since, Fayette Mall has gone through multiple expansions. The retail climate, however, has changed and Sears has opted to close its operations at Fayette Mall.

The auto center is already shuttered and the “store closing” sales abound. Next year, the old Sears store will have been remodeled into a collection of smaller stores and restaurants which are believed to include a two-story H&M, a Cheesecake Factory, a Lego store, and more.

So while a new chapter is being written at Fayette Mall, we won’t forget this community’s 85 year history with Sears.

“Business and Businesses.” Lexington Herald, 7 Dec. 1939 (p. 16, col. 8); 6 Sept. 1956 (p. 28, col. 2); 20 Oct. 1968 (p. 1, col. 3); “Fine products, prompt service featured at Sears new station.” Lexington Leader, 17 Aug. 1940 (p. 3, col. 3-4); “Free parking lot provided for patrons at Sears store.” Lexington Leader, 15 Feb. 1941 (p. 2, col. 3-4); “Sears Roebuck executives visit Lexington.” Lexington Leader, 20 Oct. 1950 (p. 17, col. 1-3); “Sears now distributed complete home laundries.” Lexington Leader, 25 March 1950 (p. 2., col. 6-7); “Sears-Roebuck to open new addition.” Lexington Leader, 11 June 1930 (p. 2, col. 3); “Sears, Roebuck Expands Store.” Lexington Leader, 20 February 1932 (p. 3, col. 5); “Sears to expand services with store opening on Thursday.” Lexington Leader, 26 June 1940. (p. 17, col. 1-2); “Trapp Center Denied; Sears Zoning Attacked.” Lexington Herald, 25 Aug. 1967 (p. 1, col. 3); 28 July 1967 (p. 1, col. 6).

Plaques Make Historic Properties Stand Out

The Blue Grass Trust’s plaque program makes historic properties in central Kentucky easily recognizable, but they aren’t the only markers that tell the story.

Of course, homes on the National Register can (but are not required to) have plaques indicating their inclusion. But driving through central Kentucky, I’ve found at least two other organizations with plaque programs committed to raising funds for the sharing of local history.

  

Do you recognize these community plaques? They are from the Historic Paris/Bourbon County, Inc. and the Shelbyville Historic Society designating local Shelby County Landmarks.

Can you think of other local plaque programs?

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup

From the Kaintuckeean and around Kentucky,

And a nice honor to have Yahoo Editors select one of my Transylvania University pumpkin photos selected for their Pumpkins Abound gallery. Check out these great jack-o-lanterns!
Now for elesewhere around the Commonwealth:
Just because it is nice to see Kentucky being praised in the news. This time, for the healthcare exchange website. [TPM]
The development that will make Nicholasville Road even busier, The Summit, got preliminary TIF approval [Herald-Leader]
Elkhorn City seeking ‘trail town’ designation [KyForward]
Incredible discussions taking place to improve, revitalize eastern Kentucky [Herald-Leader]
The owner of Chaumiere des Praries, Margaret Rash, passed away. [Herald-Leader]

A Kentucky Jack-O-Lantern and the History of Halloween

And now, the History of Halloween as it originally appeared in yesterday’s Jessamine Journal:

Like any modern holiday, Halloween has an ancient history. First influenced by Gaelic paganism, the holiday took on Christian significance over time.

The Gaelic festival of Samhain, held at the end of October was to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. During this time, spirits and fairies could more easily enter our world so people left for them both food and drink. Either imitation or disguise from these spirits prompted many to wear costumes and visit neighbors seeking small morsels of food.

Sound familiar?

And in 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration of All Saints’ Day from mid-summer to Nov. 1. On the church calendar, Nov. 2 is All Souls’ Day.

These solemn, or hallowed, days had by the 12th century become holy days of obligation in prayer for the souls of all who had died.

But in Ireland and the other old Gaelic countries, the old tradition of Samhain lingered on the eve of these hallowed days. And so the term ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ evolved into ‘Halloween’.

When Europeans first came to America, they did not bring Halloween celebrations with them. The English who established the early colonies were Puritans who did not recognize — but largely opposed — Halloween.

(Remember the Salem Witch Trials? Suffice it to say that the Puritans weren’t fond of anything even remotely linked to paganism.)

But decades later, the Irish began to immigrate to the United States and with them they brought their traditions. Among these was the celebration of Halloween. With the celebration came visits from door-to-door in costume in exchange for treats and carved pumpkins to ward off evil spirits.

Like so many of our holidays, Halloween has its roots in both paganism and early Christianity with a hearty dose of American capitalism.

Yes, Halloween is big money in America. Second only to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween (candy, decorations, costumes, etc.) each year than any other holiday on the calendar. It is estimated that the economic impact of Halloween is around $5 billion.

That’s a lot of Reese’s pieces.

At our church, we celebrated Halloween last Sunday evening with a trunk-or-treat where the kids dressed up and went from tailgate to tailgate to collect candy from fellow parishioners before we had a costume contest and ate supper together. A lot of good fun.

And tonight, my family will walk down Nicholasville’s Main Street as we see friends in the community doling out candy or receiving the same, all in costume. It will be, as it’s called, a Spooky Time on Main.

Whether it be witches or ghouls or goblins or, given our current obsession, zombies, the costumes are sure to give fright. Unless dressing up as a ninja or princess or doctor or other more subdued character is the costume of choice.

I think one of my favorite aspects of Halloween mirrors an aspect of the old Samhain simply because the holiday marks the onset of the long darkness of winter. Cabin fever will soon begin as our sense of community dissipates during the cold months of winter; we simply don’t see our neighbors as much when it is cold.

Until spring, our front porches sit largely barren. Our lawns won’t need mowing.

Our opportunities to see one another suffer a natural decline during the cold months.

So Halloween offers that last chance to visit with friends before the onset of winter.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

The Haunting of Transylvania – Happy Halloween!

A Haunted Old Morrison Hall at Transylvania University – Lexington, Ky.

On this All Hallows’ Eve (aka Halloween), I remind you of the former professor of Transylvania University who cast a spell upon the school and is buried in the crypt beneath Old Morrison. Of course with a name like Transylvania, the school embraces this autumnal holiday.

Check out these great photos of their decorations and pumpkin carvings that annually are placed on the steps of Old Morrison.

The story of Professor Constantine Rafinesque is after the jump.

Jack-O-Lantern’s on the steps of Old Morrison – Lexington, Ky.

Rafinesque Tomb at Transylvania University - Lexington, Ky.
The Tomb of Constantine Rafinesque – Lexington, Ky.

No, it is not Dracula. Although Bram Stoker may be impressed with the story of the man entombed under Transylvania University’s Old Morrison.

Born in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) in 1783, Constantine Rafinesque immigrated to the United States in 1802. Here, he met a number of young botanists and began to collect his specimens. In 1804, while travelling in the Virginia-Maryland area he met President Jefferson. It was suggested, but never realized, that Rafinesque should join Lewis and Clark on their famed expedition. Whether he was rejected or declined an offer, Rafinesque returned to Europe with his specimens and settled in Palermo, Sicily.

In 1815, he returned to the United States and continued to work diligently in the fields of biology and zoology. He came to the Athens of the West (Lexington) and its famed institution (Transylvania) as a professor of botany in 1819. Throughout his career, Rafinesque published the binomial names of over 6,700 species of flora and fauna, but he was never recognized during his life for his work. Perhaps it was because he was a little too eccentric for anyone’s taste.

On one occasion, Rafinesque stayed at the home of French-American ornithologist (bird guy) J. J. Audubon famed for his detailed color illustrations of birds in North America. In his room was Audubon’s prized violin and a live bat which Rafinesque did not recognize, so Raf swung and destroyed the violin in an attempt to seize the bat for his specimen collection. To thank him for destroying the violin, Audubon later gave his guest a beautiful color illustration of a gigantic fish which swims in the Ohio River. Rafinesque wrote and published a paper on this eight-foot-plus beast only to thereafter discover Aubudon’s joke. Needless to say, the two were not close.

As a professor, Rafinesque was more likely to skip class than were his pupils. He used the time to take nature walks. It is believed, but not confirmed, that Rafinesque also was quite friendly (perhaps a little too friendly) with the wife of college president Horace Holley. Further, Rafinesque (a Unitarian in faith) did not endear himself to the more conservative faiths and faithful of Kentucky.

So, whatever the reason in particular, Rafinesque was forced out of Transylvania in 1826. Upon his departure, however, he left a curse on both president Holley and Transylvania itself: “Damn thee and thy school as I place curses on you.” (or something to that effect).

As with curses, they always come true. The following year, Holley was himself forced out from the college whereupon he and his wife set out to teach in Louisiana. But he caught yellow fever and died. Transylvania’s main building (then within what is today Gratz Park) burned within two years of the curse. And Old Morrison itself suffered from extensive fire damage in 1969.

Rafinesque returned to Philadelphia after being relieved of his professorship and continued his work until his death from cancer in 1840. Without a church home, Rafinesque was buried in Ronaldson’s Cemetery at 9th and Bainbridge in Philadelphia. Ronaldson created his cemetery for travelers and others in Philadelphia who could not, without membership, be buried in a local church cemetery, but who would not be relegated to the public pauper’s field. Even so, up to six bodies would share the same space at Robertson’s and over time, the area became part of Philly’s slums (today it is quite regentrified).

But when Robertson’s Cemetery was to be destroyed in the 1920s, a group of Transylvanians came to recover the body of the old professor with the hope that the curse would end. And so his body was removed from its grave, brought to the campus of Transylvania University, and re-interred in a small crypt under the steps of Old Morrison.

At least, we think it was Rafinesque.

VisCenter Opens Eyes to New Ways of Seeing the World

Davis Marksbury Building at the University of Kentucky – Lexington, Ky.

If you’ve ever Whenever you watch a college football or basketball game, you always see the commercial for the university. Typically in three parts, the school’s marketing team includes a scene from the school’s athletics tradition, a scientist looking into a microscope, and a group of students helping those in a third world country. Insert a tagline and maybe a #hashtag, and you’ve aced college marketing.

But in some corners of academia, really cool stuff does happen. At the University of Kentucky, one of those places is the Center for Visualization & Virtual Environments located in the Davis Marksbury Building. The VisCenter, as it is called, is a multi-disciplinary center charged with changing the way in which we view the world. (And the Marksbury Building, opened in 2011, was the first LEED Gold building on the UK campus.)

The applications stretch through medicine, security and defense, engineering, and the humanities. On last month’s Blue Grass Trust deTour, we were given access to this tremendous (and largely unknown) resource right in the heart of UK.

The advances occurring in facial recognition and the research being done to help educate those with autism is amazing, but the focus of our visit was on the visualization possibilities on urbanization and historic preservation.

Illustrating a stage in the photogrammetric 3D reconstruction process at the VisCenter

Photogrammetric 3D Reconstruction utilizes two-dimensional photography to reconstruct three-dimensional structures with precision by having a camera that can properly gauge distance. (I’m not the one to explain this, go to the VisCenter’s site for a better description). As it was explained, one could imagine the proper technology being mounted to a vehicle to create full 3D measurements of a structure or some other resource. Precise models of historic or natural sites could be created so that, if necessary, a model or recreation of the site could eventually made. At a minimum, the data utilization is endless!

In the realm of preserving relics and documents, consider the following explanation of the research on Digital Preservation and Visualization of Historical Artifacts: We are in race to use 21st century technology to preserve the traces of ancient cultures before the relics disappear forever. The EDUCE project (Enhanced Digital Unwrapping for Conservation and Exploration) is developing a hardware and software system for the virtual unwrapping and visualization of ancient texts. The overall purpose is to capture in digital form fragile 3D texts, such as ancient papyrus and scrolls of other materials using a custom built, portable, multi-power CT scanning device and then to virtually “unroll” the scroll using image algorithms, rendering a digital facsimile that exposes and makes legible inscriptions and other markings on the artifact, all in a non-invasive process.

Images from the all-digital Porgy & Bess set design.

All of these advances are quite remarkable. So, too, is the technology that created an all-digital backdrop for a UK Opera production of Porgy & Bess. The technology trekked to Atlanta for use by the professional Atlanta Opera. Images of that technology were visible to those of us on the deTour on a giant touchscreen table similar to what you might see on election night on CNN.

A trip to the VisCenter for an adult is like a visit to Disney World for a child. The sense of wonder is overwhelming as you imagine a different way of seeing the world.

More photographs from the VisCenter are available on flickr.


The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour for young professionals (and the young-at-heart). The group meets 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.

A Plaque for the Friendliest Pooch, Smiley Pete.

Smiley Pete Plaque - Lexington, Ky.
Smiley Pete Plaque – Lexington, Ky.

Two plaques in downtown Lexington recall Lexington’s friendliest pooch, Smiley Pete. He was a roving landmark with a grin resembling a human smile. For that, his nickname was “Smiley.”

Of course, his other nicknames gave a more perceptive look at what Smiley was really up to. Magnificent Mooch. Canine Con Man. Panhandling Pooch.

Yes, Smiley Pete new how to work it.

Smiley Pete Plaque - Lexington, Ky.And he did. With a daily routine of hamburger and waffles for breakfast from Brandy’s Kitchen (Main & Limestone) followed by a bowl of draft beer from Turf Bar (122 North Limestone). A little bit later, chocolate was needed from the Short & Lime Liquor (figure it out). The Panhandling Pooch finally would eat a dog treat and water from Carter’s Supply (339 West Short) before retiring for popcorn at the movie theater operating at the Lexington Opera House. According to a 1950 Lexington Leader report, Smiley would also make the trek to U.K. where he would enter a classroom only to yawn at a professor’s lecture.

Local police turned a blind eye to Smiley Pete, even as other strays were regularly rounded up. Only in 1949, during a rabies scare, was Smiley “incarcerated” by his friends in quarantine at a veterinary clinic on Southland Drive.

At the age of 14 (that’s 98 in dog years), Smiley Pete died in June 1957 and he was buried by his human friends at 904 North Broadway under a marker which reads “Pete – Our Dog – A Friend to All and A Friend of All.” Another plaque was placed closer to the dog’s old stomping grounds at Main & Lime in front of Welch’s Cigar Shop. The plaque was removed in 1990 but replaced close to its original location at the courthouse plaza.

Smiley Pete is also remembered annually by an award given by the LFUCG to those who make “people feel good about being downtown.” Live on, Smiley!

Sources: BizLex; local.lexpublib.org; LuAnn Farrar (H-L)

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup (Happy Halloween edition!)



I wanted to start with an awesome picture from Keeneland pulled from the UK Instagram account. Happy Halloween!

This week from the Kaintuckeean and elsewhere from around the Commonwealth. First, from the Kaintuckeean ….

And one more item from social media. I took this picture from my office window early Thursday. Sts. Peter and Paul School in downtown Lexington was celebrating 100 years of Catholic education in downtown Lexington. A rosary service in Triangle Park ended with releasing this giant balloon rosary over Lexington:

No, I didn’t get a RT from His Holiness. And now from elsewhere in Kentucky:

A profile on the hauntings of the Willis Green House in Danville [Advocate-Messenger]

KyForward republishes my #MarkerMonday piece on Duncan Tavern in Paris [KyForward]

95 acres added to Mill Springs Battlefield while another 100+ could be added in future [Herald-Leader]

Launching on Friday, the Beer Cheese Trail is now open in Winchester which is the Official Birthplace of Beer Cheese [Winchester Sun]