The First Successful Leg Amputation Surgery. In Kentucky

Throughout the Commonwealth, roadside historic markers dot the landscape in both our cities and rural areas like. On this website, I have often profiled some significant (and not so significant) historic markers. Regardless of their recognition or renown, each represents an interesting piece of the Kentucky story. Each Monday, I will profile a different distort marker in a new series called #MarkerMonday.

“Success Surgery” – Bardstown, Ky.

Near the old courthouse in downtown Bardstown, stands a historic marker of medical significance. Fred was in this community, in 1806, that Dr. Walter Brashear performed the first successful imputation of the leg (hip joint down). Marker #1282 reads:

The first successful amputation of a leg at the hip joint in US. Done here by Dr. Walter Brashear in 1806 without any precedent to guide him. The patient was a seventeen-year-old boy whose leg had been badly mangled. Dr. Brashear was born in 1776, came to Kentucky, 1784, and studied medicine under Dr. Frederick Ridgely of Lexington. He died in 1860.

Ridgely House – Lexington, Ky.

The reference to Dr. Ridgely should not go unnoticed for Lexington history enthusiasts, for his house still stands at 190 Market St. in Gratz Park.

And as for Dr. Brashear, he was married to Margaret Barr of Lexington in 1802. After the succesful surgery, he continued to practice medicine until 1822. Then, he moved his family and slaves to Louisiana where he developed his sugar plantations.

It is peculiar to note that some records identify Dr. Brashear a United States Senator from Louisiana, though official biographies of members of Congress are silent on the matter

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round…

Today’s post is more of a PSA…



The wheels on the bus go round and round … all through the town.

There it is again: the yellow bus.

After a three-month slumber through the heat of summer, the numbered yellow carriages are again hitting the roads.

They criss-cross the county and leaving no child behind as the make their way down nearly every county road.

Morning and afternoon. Five days a week.

On board, they carry precious cargo: our children.

But without the school transportation system, many students would be unable to attend to attend school. Yes, gone are the days when one would “walk five miles uphill (both ways) regardless of the weather” to arrive for classes.

Our grandparents’ tales on getting to school just don’t hold up anymore. While they love to regale us with stories of times gone by, the ubiquity of the automobile, changes in academic theory and budgets, as well as the outward development of our communities have altered the location and size of our schools.

In fact, I was surprised how these factors wove together for the latest prohibition at the newly opened Red Oak Elementary. Reading last week’s Jessamine Journal, I discovered that walking to Red Oak is expressly prohibited.

I wonder what grandpa would think?

But whether we like it or not, our society is highly reliant on the automobile. And our schools rely on the yellow buses to get pupils into the classroom.

Without providing transportation, how else could we ensure that attendance rates remain north of 95%?

More critical than transporting our children, however, is doing it safely. Unfortunately, Kentucky has witnessed some of the worst bus crashes in American history on her own soil. In turn, our regulations concerning school bus safety are some of the more progressive in the country.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn on the Jessamine County Schools’ website that “a school bus is the safest form of ground transportation [and] is nearly eight times safer than a passenger vehicle.”

Let’s keep it that way, Jessamine County. The first few weeks certainly wreak havoc on morning commute times as commuters struggle to adjust to the many stops the yellow bus will make.

Be patient and adjust your schedules accordingly.

Pay attention not just when the bus is stopped, but whenever children are present. Statistics also show that the highest percentage school bus-related fatalities come from pedestrians in loading zones.

Be watchful and drive safely.

Remember, those yellow buses carry precious cargo.

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

A Courthouse is Today’s #TBT (Plus Last Week’s Answer)

Kentucky has 120 counties within its borders. Of course, each county has a courthouse in which it conducts its official business. Where is this impressive and beautiful courthouse located?

And the answer to last week’s #ThrowbackThursday is after the jump…

Wllis Green House
Photo: NRHP File

The answer to last week’s puzzle is the Willis Green House (a.k.a. Waveland), located in Danville. Recently acquired by a consortium of preservation groups seeking to protect this landmark. A bit of background on the property from an earlier post:

The property was built in 1800 by Willis Green as part of a several hundred-acre farm. Green was an early settler of the Commonwealth having first arrived here as a surveyor in 1782. Green even represented Kentucky County in the Virginia Legislature. He and his wife, Sarah Reed, along with their 12 children, called Waveland home. It is said that the 1783 Green-Reed nuptials were “one of the first Christian marriages ever solemnized on Kentucky soil.”

Of the nine state constitutional conventions held in Danville, Green was a delegate at two. He was one of the original trustees of Transylvania Academy and was involved in the establishment of both Centre College (1819) and the Kentucky School for the Deaf (1822). From 1839-1845, Green served as a Whig in Congress as a representative from Kentucky.

It is a two-story, brick home in the Georgian style. Though vacant for decades and despite damage to windows, doors and a roof collapse, the interior woodwork – the product of Irish craftsmen from Philadelphia – remains intact and in good condition.

You can expect to see more about the history of the Willis Green House on this site in the coming weeks! And congratulations to Rachel Alexander of Bricks + Mortar who was the first to correctly guess last week’s #TBT!!

Event at the Clark County Library

Tomorrow at noon, I will be speaking at the Clark County Public Library in Winchester. Below is the synopsis of the event as it appeared in the library’s newsletter.

Book Lunch: Kaintuckeean Blogger, Peter Brackney, Talks about his Travels around the State
Thursday, August 15, Noon 

Peter Brackney says that somewhere deep inside him there is a history gene and his interests and writings certainly suggest that. He spends his spare time visiting and exploring historic sites in Kentucky and then reports on his travels in his blog, www.Kaintuckeean.com and a Twitter feed, @kaintuckeean. His travels include trips to Winchester and Lower Howard’s Creek.  

In June his leadership in supporting historic preservation in Central KY earned him the Lucy Graves Advocacy Award from the Bluegrass Trust. For August Book Lunch, as part of the Library’s Local History happenings, Peter will speak about his travels around the Commonwealth, his blog, and
interesting bits of Kentucky history. Come hear one of the leading new advocates for historic preservation in Kentucky. This program is free and open to the public. A light lunch is served, so please register to attend.

For details about this event or to register, contact the library at (859) 744-5661.

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup

Might construction on Centrepointe begin in October [Herald-Leader]

nky.com examines the recent, old and ancient history of Petersburg – the oldest community in Boone County [northernKY]

All aboard the choo-choo train! RJ Corman Dinner Train launching this week from Rupp Arena parking lot! [BizLex]

Lexington Drive-in Parkette launches new dining room. [Herald-Leader]

New plaque design for historic homes from the Boyle Landmark Trust. [Advocate-Messenger]

Last Week’s #ThrowbackThursday a Clue to this Week’s Blue Grass Trust deTour of First African Baptist Church

Last Week’s #TBT Photo

The Streetsweeper successfully guessed that a connection might lie between last week’s #TBT post and this week’s Blue Grass Trust deTour of the First African Baptist Church.

I had significantly cropped the contest photo, displayed above, from the original. In so doing, I actually masked the church from view. In the foreground is a Sunday School class from what was known in its day as the First Baptist Church (Colored) while the background showed the streetscape of Short Street ca. 1911 looking west from Deweese Street. At the time it was highly residential and quite different from its present form.

The uncropped photo follows after the jump.

1911 Photo of First African Baptist Church Sunday School – Lexington, Ky.
Photo: University of Kentucky.

The uncropped photo also shows the church as it originally appeared, prior to the 1926 Collegiate Tudor addition.

Further back in history, this congregation was the largest in the Commonwealth. The church acquired the property in 1833 and the extant structure was erected in 1856. But the congregation itself traces its roots back to 1790 and its first minister, Peter Durrett.

To learn more about this beautiful piece of Lexington’s East End history (and how you can help preserve her), join the Blue Grass Trust deTour tomorrow evening (that’s Wednesday at 5:30). More details are available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bgtdetours/events.

Also, be sure to check out Merlene Davis’ column which appeared in today’s Lexington Herald-Leader, “Efforts continue to purchase Lexington’s historic First African Baptist Church.”

Eleven Pocket Museums Tell Pieces of Lexington’s History

After the judiciary left the historic Main Street courthouse in favor of more spacious facilities on South Limestone, the 1898 courthouse was transformed into the Lexington History Museum. Nearly a decade later, the courthouse was shuttered by the city due to various public safety concerns. Efforts remain underway to restore the historic facility with The Courthouse Square Foundation leading the charge.

But for the Lexington History Museum, a change was needed to ensure that they could continue sharing the history of Lexington with the community. A return to the historic courthouse would be ideal, but that vision is years away from realization and a generation of our history would be lost on young Lexingtonians in the meanwhile.

Tribute to Dr. Clark in the Congressional
Record, signed by Sen. McConnell

So the idea to create pocket museums – small displays with rotating content in various locations was born. In time for the Fourth of July holiday last month, the LHM began phase one of the pocket museum program with locations at Victorian Square, the library, the government center, banks, and more. The current eleven topics include Belle Brezing, Dr. Thomas Clark, hotels of Lexington, and Prohibition.

I ventured into the Lexington Public Library recently where I found Pocket Museums on Prohibition in Lexington and Dr. Thomas D. Clark. On the former, a number of local bourbon bottles were available leaving the evidence of the variety of distillers once in the area. Explanation of the Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment laid the groundwork for a “pocket” understanding of the era and its impact on Lexington.

The “pocket museum” on Dr. Thomas Clark told the story of the now-deceased historian who told Kentucky’s history better than any other. Originally from Mississippi, Dr. Clark was also influential in the foundation of the Lexington History Museum. 

All of the current Pocket Museums are downtown and it is definitely worth exploring.

More information about the Pocket Museums can be found on the website of the Lexington History Museum, lexhistory.org.

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup

The Old Baughman Mill (ca. 2009) – Stanford, Ky.

One of my earliest jaunts was through Stanford where “I was immediately drawn to one of the most dilapidated structures: the old Baughman Mill. Built in 1884 with logs from the steam mill in the county.” The old mill is undergoing stabilization and repairs as the first step toward a thorough restoration. [Interior Journal]

In case you missed it, Kentuckians state Sen. Damon Thayer (R) and LaRue Co. Judge Exec. Tommy Turner were on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. [Kaintuckeean]

Historic bridge being replaced over Boone Creek at the Fayette-Clark County line. [Herald-Leader]

Kentuckian Skyler Hornback (Hardin County) won on Jeopardy (kids edition). Actually, he won big winning the kids single day record with a $66,000 payday. A self-described Civil War buff almost guaranteed victory going into Final Jeopardy by his margin, he wagered the risky sum of $30,000 on the category “Abraham Lincoln.” He won anyway with the answer “Emancipation Proclamation.” But my heart breaks for the kid who was runner-up: he misspelled the correct answer. [KyForward]

Downtown Richmond is getting community support, as shown by the energetic revitalization. [BizLex]

Evaluating the condition of a thunder-struck and diseased 250+ year old red oak at Woodland Park. [Herald-Leader]

Update on Nicholasville H-1 Overlay: Denied

Jessamine County Courthouse - Nicholasville, Ky.
Jessamine Co. Courthouse –
Nicholasville, Ky.

On July 22, the Nicholasville Planning Commission voted 8-1 to deny an application by the Nicholasville Historic Preservation Commission which sought to apply a zoning overlay over certain properties in Nicholasville’s downtown core which includes residential, commercial, and religious structures.

It was the second hearing on the matter as the June hearing saw the motion tabled.

Opponents to the zoning overlay outnumbered the proponents at each hearing, though each side was passionate. Opponents derided the potential loss of their property rights. Several property owners sought to “opt out” of the proposed zone.

From this preservationist’s perspective, however, the zoning overlay did not extend far enough. The boundaries should have included more properties that have historic integrity and contribute to the fabric of our county seat. (Disclosure: I spoke in favor of the zoning overlay at the June hearing.) Both meetings were contentious.

Additionally, the restrictions on the properties in the proposed overlay did not go far enough in preserving architectural features and components.

Even so, the proposed overlay was a good step forward toward establishing a meaningful layer of protection over Nicholasville’s historic center.

The zoning restrictions, if enacted, would have required a review by a commission of appointed persons for issues related to demolition, structural additions, or property relocation.

Despite the hyperbole, the zoning overlay would not have required approval for a change of paint color or the installation of “giant styrofoam pyramids” in a front yard.

The ordinance would have, however, been a small but necessary step to prevent future gaping holes in our streetscape like the one on the eastern side of the 100 block of South Main Street.

But in the end, a handful of procedural issues may have damaged this attempt at a zoning overlay beyond repair.

But that doesn’t mean it is down for the count. As was best said in a letter to the editor in support of the overlay, “downtown Nicholasville is unique to Kentucky and worth preserving.”

It is because of this uniqueness that I would expect to see another push for the zoning overlay in the future.

When it does, I hope that it will be successful and that it will include a larger footprint as well as more restrictions geared toward retaining the architectural heart of our town.

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