The Kaintuckeean

Henry Clay Law Office

Henry Clay Law Office – Lexington, Ky.

Historic preservationists are often faced with a difficult question: which version of history should we preserve? A great illustration of this question exists on Lexington’s North Mill Street. The Henry Clay Law Office, which is the home of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, is a one story brick building adjacent to First Presbyterian Church. Henry Clay had the building constructed in 1803 as his law firm while he and his wife, Lucretia, lived across the street.

The building served as Clay’s law office until September 1810. While there, Clay was elected to the successive terms in the Kentucky legislature from 1803 to 1809 and was twice named (1807 and 1810) to fill unexpired terms in the United States Senate. Clay, the “Great Compromiser,” continued to grow in stature and prestige after he left his Mill Street office.

Henry Clay Law Office, ca. 1934
Photo: J. Winston Coleman, Jr. Special
Collection, Transylvania University

Despite its famous occupant, there is little architecturally significant about this small 22 by 20 foot structure. An 1830 addition encapsulated the little, old law office into a larger two-story structure but left intact the four walls, floorboards and chimney.

The building, circa 1830, is fairly historic in its own right even if it does envelops a structure twenty-seven years its senior? Preservationists in this case opted for the older structure which was tied to the building’s most important occupant.

In the late 1960s, the adjacent church owned the land and was prepared to raze the two-story structure when preservationists and the Commonwealth of Kentucky stepped in. Recognizing the historic value, the Commonwealth acquired the building and carefully demolished the 1830 exterior to uncover the good condition of the 1803 building. Through 1971, a detailed restoration took place that involved the turning of each exterior brick on the building. This was done because the clapboard siding once attached had damaged the brick’s then-exterior; now turned, the inside faces out and the building looks its original, 1803 self. Ultimately, the same church that once sought to demolish the building reacquired it and used it for various purposes before leasing it to the Center for Statesmanship.

Sources: Lex H-L; NPS; NRHP

The Bluegrass 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. Details are always available on Facebook! Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 2 where we will explore The Bread Box (501 W. Sixth St.)! Join us by meeting at West Sixth Brewing Company!! You can see Kaintuckeean write-ups on previous deTours by clicking here.

Veiled and Unveiled: Hunt-Morgan House Gets a New Historic Marker

Veiled Historic Marker – Lexington, Ky.

This evening, the new historic marker at Lexington’s Hunt-Morgan House was formally unveiled. The old marker, the venerable #3, was over fifty years old, difficult to read, and factually inaccurate. Thanks to some generous gifts and the good work of the Blue Grass Trust and the Morgan’s Men Association, we now have a much more informative history in front of the beautiful 1814 Federal at the northwest corner of Second and Mill streets:

HUNT-MORGAN HOUSE
1814 Federal-style home, named Hopemont, retains original architectural features, including a cantilevered staircase & fanlight window. Saved from demolition by the Blue Grass Trust in 1955. Built by John Wesley Hunt (1773-1849), a philanthropist and the first millionaire west of the Allegheny Mountains.

(Reverse) Inherited by daughter, Henrietta Hunt Morgan, mother of Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan (1825-1864), known as the “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy.” Birthplace of John Wesley Hunt’s great grandson, Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945), known as the “Father of Modern Genetics” and the first Kentuckian to win a Nobel Prize (1933).

More text and photos after the jump…

At the bottom of each side, the marker reminds us of its own history: “Update of original KY Historical Marker #3.” The old #3? A much shorter history (text after the photo):

Old Historic Marker – Lexington, Ky.

Since you can’t read that, it says:

Home of John Hunt Morgan, “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy.” Born Huntsville, Alabama, June 1, 1825. Killed Greeneville, Tennessee, September 4, 1864. Lieutenant, Kentucky Volunteers in Mexican War 1846-1847. Major General, C.S.A., 1861-1864.

Despite its own challenges, this old #3 (historic in its own right) will soon be displayed in the gardens of the Hunt-Morgan House. Now without further adieu, the new historic marker at the Hunt-Morgan House:

Hunt Morgan House Historic Marker Unveiling - Lexington, Ky.

Foster and Brenda Pettit Unveil the New Historic Marker – Lexington, Ky.

Check out these other pictures from the unveiling and of the historic Hunt-Morgan House.

Dr. Walter Warfield Building Central to Lexington Commerce

Dr. Walter Warfield Building – Lexington, Ky.

John Jordan, Jr. was a major nineteenth century Lexington merchant who owned most of the property fronting the courthouse square along Upper Street. The block between Short and Main streets was known as Jordan’s Row. At the northern end of the block is the Dr. Walter Warfield Building which was built around 1806.

Dr. Warfield was a noted surgeon from the Revolutionary War from Maryland who ultimately settled in the Bluegrass as a “highly esteemed and excellent citizen.” As with any “esteemed and excellent citizen” of the day, Warfield amassed significant land holdings in the region.

From his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Christian Dickerson, Warfield purchased 1,000 acres in 1805. This land was situated in what is now both Fayette and Scott counties. Ms. Dickerson had inherited the land from her father (William Christian) in 1786; he had acquired the land (and 8,000 other acres) by grant from Virginia Governor Patrick Henry in 1779. After being sold, inherited, and divided, these acres have had a storied history with storied names in the equine industry. Today, however, much of Warfield’s acreage is now owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky as part of the Kentucky Horse Park.

Downtown, Dr. Warfield had built a two-story brick building in the late-Georgian style. An 1870 remodel added the notable Mansard roof and dormers creating a third-story. A number of changes through the years have made it difficult to imagine the building’s original appearance, but some clues linger. The stone belt-course between the first and second floors, the lovely keystones over the second-story windows, and a sliver of the original stone water-table remains between the main entrance and the plain shop window.


1970s (Photo: NRHP)		Today

Over the years, the building has had many varying occupants. For those who have worked downtown for years, the corner diner has taken many names. In the 1930s, it was Southern Brothers. In the 1940s, Wallace Brothers. For many years, it was A Family Affair (see 1970s photo, above). Currently it houses Della’s Diner, an excellent source of grilled chefs and inexpensive comfort diner foods in a setting that is both clean and quintessentially diner.

The National Register listing also includes 148 West Short Street, a mid-19th century Greek Revival with gable roof and storefronts. Two story with 9 bays, a number of shops have called the building home for many, many years. The Dr. Walter Warfield Building has been and continues to be central to Lexington’s center of commerce.

Sources: Downtown Inventory; NRHP

“The Worst Kept Secret in Lexington” – First National 21C is Coming to Town

Steve Wilson at the 21C Announcement – Lexington, Ky.

When Mayor Gray took to the podium, he formally announced what he described as “the worst kept secret in Lexington: 21C is coming to town!” Gray spoke of a decision made by the directors of the Fayette National Bank one hundred years ago this month (April 25, 1912). They opted to erect a fifteen story skyscraper at the northeast corner of Main and Upper Streets. The building would be the tallest in Kentucky outside of Louisville.

Gray took a pause from his remarks as the bell at the old Courthouse rang ten times as if to honor each of the decades since that 1912 decision.

After Mayor Gray left the podium, owner/visionary/philanthropist Steve Wilson took the podium. Amid laughter, he discussed the ubiquitous red penguin that marks the 21C brand. Wilson and his wife/business partner Laura Lee Brown knew that a red penguin wouldn’t fly in Lexington so he quickly presented to the assembled crowd the Italian designed blue penguin (pictured above).

Fayette National Bank Building – Lexington, Ky.

The Fayette National Bank Building is in the Beaux-Arts classical design. Under its new 21C brand, it will house a contemporary art museum, approximately 80 hotel rooms, a restaurant, meeting rooms, ballroom and bar.

The building was completed in 1914 and it is anticipated that 21C will begin work later this year with completion one hundred years later in 2014.

Architecturally, the building is divided into three distinct vertical tiers spread across four bays.The first four stories are of Bedford limestone with 2 pairs of Ionic columns stretching three floors to create an impressive, yet approachable Main Street frontage. The top four floors of the building act as a cap with beautiful three-story arched windows. Although the middle floors are a non-descript shaft, the top and bottom tiers give the building incredible beauty and character. More of the buildings history, architecture, etc. can be found on my earlier post.

A lot of the history and promise of the future was captured in a fantastic video by Bullhorn which was shown by the Mayor at the announcement:

Other details are emerging about this exciting project. Check out B&P, Beverly Fortune and KyForward for the latest. Also, a special mention to WKYT for the incredible photography featured in their on-air story:

Sometimes, it’s nice to see your “name” on air.

Forsythe-Shewmaker House in Mercer County on National Register

Forsythe-Shewmaker House – Salvisa, Ky.
Photo: NRHP Application, Ky. Heritage Council

On the banks of the Salt River in Mercer County, Andrew Forsythe built his two-story brick home as the centerpiece of his farm around 1830. In the Federal-Greek Revival style, Forsythe’s home also incorporated a number of French considerations which would have been quite en vogue at the time such as the parlor wallpaper being imported from Paris.

Forsythe was born in 1795 in Mercer County. He was the grandson of one of the five McAfee brothers who settled the area around what is now Salvisa. From the age of 17, Forsythe ventured in the transport of goods utilizing the many waterways around Mercer County. He would often “fill a flat boat at Oregon with produce, take it down to New Orleans, sell it and then walk home.” He would also transport items via horseback to eastern Kentucky and to Maysville by road.

Forsythe took to farming in 1820 and by 1832 had amassed 250 acres along the Salt River. Eventually, his holdings would include 693 acres before he died in 1886 at the age of 91.

Forsythe’s home, known now as the Forsythe-Shewmaker Home, was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just shy of 19 acres remains part of the property. One of the notable points in the nomination form is how the structure and design of the home lent to impress others and to improve Forsythe’s social position.

The application points specifically to the one story brick servants home built in close proximity to the main house. In the 1830s, having two brick structures so close together was significant and showed Forsythe’s importance in the local economy.

The Shewmaker name is added to the identity of the home because that family bought the dilapidated house in 1937 at auction on the courthouse steps in Harrodsburg, restored it and held the property until 1976.

On a personal note, I’m quite fond of this area as it was where I took my first No Destination drive, including a visit down to the dock at Oregon where Forsythe’s career was forged. Much of the family, including Forsythe’s father, worshipped at New Providence Church and is buried in the church cemetery.

Source: Ky. Heritage Council NRHP Application

Lexington’s History Encapsulated in First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church – Lexington, Ky.

Under an old Virginia law, the city or town acting as county seat could only have a church of the Anglican persuasion within her limits. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and others located their houses of worship outside of the city limits in order to circumvent the establishment law.

In 1784 Virginia, the area known as Kentucky today remained part of Virginia. Lexington had already been established as the county seat of Fayette and thus the establishment law applied here as well. Circumventing it, the people of Mount Zion Presbyterian Church established their church home beyond the city limits on a 190-acre tract in the vicinity of today’s Agriculture Experimental Station at the University of Kentucky, near the corner of South Limestone and Huguelet.

Mt. Zion counted among its members some of Lexington’s most prominent eighteenth century names: Robert Patterson and John Maxwell. By 1792, a location closer to town was sought and found by the courthouse square at Cheapside. Yet it was the same convenience and centrality which brought the Presbyterian congregation to the center of town that took it away — the noise was just too great. So in 1808, the church again relocated to the corner of Broadway and Second streets where it constructed a temporary one-story meeting house.

First Presbyterian Church, later Broadway Christian
Photo: Louis Edward Nollau (KDL)

During an 1817 service at the old meeting house, two women visiting (but not having joined) First Presbyterian were struck and killed by lighting. The following week, another church’s minister proclaimed it a classic lesson in procrastination and urged quick heed.

Benjamin LaTrobe was contacted and consulted for the erection of a new house of worship. Plans were drawn, but the vision never completed. Instead, a two story brick church was built on the same location in 1857. When First Presbyterian (as the congregation had been remonikered) left Broadway in 1870, the incoming Broadway Christian Church took its place where the first sermon pronounced it to be the “first Christian sermon to be preached in this building.”

Organ at First Presbyterian – Lexington Ky.

Until the new church on Mill Street was completed in 1872, the First Presbyterian congregation met in the Melodeon Hall on Main Street. Originally four bays deep, the First Presbyterian Church on Mill Street cost approximately $338,000 to construct. It is a beautiful construction in the Gothic style and it was designed by Cincinnatus Shryock. It prominently features an eighteen foot square, 180 foot tower/spire at Mill Street while its Market Street side was added on in 1897 to add a fifth bay as well as the wonderful Kimble organ. The organ pipes were recently discovered to have been originally stenciled and this design has been reincorporated.

First Presbyterian Church Sanctuary – Lexington, Ky.

The ten stained glass windows are each unique and were installed over a number of years following the 1897 addition. Money for these improvements came from pew rentals, while the loose plate offerings were used for incidentals and to aide the poor.

First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian (k/a Mt. Zion)’s first minister was Adam Rankin. A great speaker, but highly opinionated, Rankin shared his duties between the Lexington church and the Woodford County congregation as Pisgah. Controversially, he withheld communion from parishioners who liked Isaac Watts’ paraphrased hymns (the lyrics paraphrased scripture). Ultimately, the Transylvania Presbytery removed Rankin from the pulpit.

Another noted minister was Rev. Robert J. Breckinridge who was known as the “Napoleon of the Pulpit.” Serving from 1847 to 1853, Breckinridge was known for his strong favor of education. For his views, Governor Owsley (a very pro-education governor) named him Kentucky’s first superintendent of public instruction.

The Civil War found a splintering First Presbyterian Church as its members loved the Union but wanted to keep their slaves. By the end of the war, however, the split couldn’t be avoided. The suspension of habeus corpus and emancipation caused a major rift in the congregation and the congregation of Second Presbyterian. From 1866 until the 1880s, each of the two churches had two separate congregations with separate ministers with each aligning with either the northern or southern wings of the Presbyterian church.

The two wings of the Presbyterian Church were reunited in 1968 and the church remains one of Lexington’s finest. The church’s duration and functions (e.g., John Cabell Breckinridge’s 1875 funeral) have witnessed nearly all of Lexington’s storied history.

ky360: First Presbyterian Church
Flickr Photo Album of First Presbyterian Church

Sources: deTour; First Pres. Church History; KDL; NPS; NRHP

The Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour for young professionals (and the young-at-heart) to a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored – the group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Details are always available on Facebook! Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 4 where we will explore the North Limestone neighborhood! Join us by meeting at Al’s Bar!! You can see Kaintuckeean write-ups on previous deTours by clicking here.

Gr8ness! GO Big Blue! #BBN

Senior Night (2012) – Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.

Tonight, the University of Kentucky Wildcats will face the Jayhawks of Kansas in the National Championship game. Having defeated two Kentucky schools en route (Western Kentucky and Louisville), only one more hurdle stands in the way of bringing Kentucky back to hang a NC banner. GO CATS!

I’ve missed writing and I’ll be back soon. I promise. Problem is, there have been a few things that have gotten in the way. Early spring. Basketball. Family.

Yes, I confess. I cannot make the blog first in my life, but I’ll get it back on the agenda. That’s what April is for. Until then, love Kentucky and remember: Louisville Sucks.

Join Kaintuckee’s Bracket Challenge!

Ready to bleed blue? March Madness is upon us. Join the Kaintuckeean March Madness Bracket Challenge (for the pride of being the greatest Kaintuckeean since Ali) at ESPN by clicking here.

No cost. Just fun. And since we are Kaintuckeeans, we have a lot of fun basketball to watch! Remember:

One Commonwealth. One #1 in the Nation. Two Top 10s. Three Top 25s. Four Teams in the Tournament. The Fourth Team just played in front of the President and British Prime Minister in an awesome comeback.

I love March! So join in on the fun with the Kaintuckeean Bracket Challenge!

ky360: First Presbyterian Church Sanctuary in Lexington

Last Wednesday, the Blue Grass Trust deTour to First Presbyterian Church revealed a beautiful sanctuary and other fascinating bits of history. I’ll post soon, but check out this ky360 panorama taken from the rear of the sanctuary of the North Mill Street Church.

On another note, there is a tremendous amount going on right now so posting will be more sporadic and limited for the next few weeks. Blame me… and basketball!