No Destination: Joshua Fry Bell

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Joshua Fry Bell historic marker #198, Pineville, Ky.

Joshua Fry Bell, for whom Bell County is named, was born in Danville and is a 1828 Centre College alum. Bell, a lawyer, was elected to the U.S. House as a Whig. Seeking to return to Kentucky, he served a short time as secretary of state under Governor Crittenden. But history tells us that the Whig Party disappeared. Before the rise of the Republican Party, however, Bell (and others) identified with the Opposition Party. It was under this banner that Bell ran for governor, losing to Beriah Magoffin.

Bell served alongside fellow Kentuckians William Butler and John Crittenden at the Peace Conference of 1861, a last-ditch effort to avoid Civil War.

From 1863 to 1867, Bell served in the Kentucky House of Representatives. During this time, the county bearing Bell’s name was formed. In fact, the county’s official name was “Josh Bell County” until 1873.

No Destination: Capitol

Kentucky State Capitol
Kentucky State Capitol, Frankfort, Ky.

A group of five commissioners selected in 1792 that Frankfort should be the state’s capital (the question was revisited in 1904). Since that selection, four capitol buildings have been constructed. The current structure was completed in 1910 (Happy 100th Birthday post) and is in the Beaux Arts style. Inside are housed all branches of the government: executive (first floor), judiciary (second floor) and the legislature (third floor)

Parts of the building reflect Kentucky’s love of French architecture. For example, architect Frank Mills Andrews modeled the capitol’s grand staircase after the staircase at the Paris Opera. From 1910 until 1927, the Capitol was Kentucky’s tallest building (replaced by Louisville’s Heyburn Building).

On the first floor, under the rotunda, are statutes of Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Ephraim McDowell, Jefferson Davis and Alben Barkley. The statues of Clay and McDowell are replicas of those in the U.S. Capitol’s statuary. Above, the recently painted and restored dome shines over the four pendentive murals: Nature, Industry, Culture and Civitas.

Check out all my Pictures on Flickr of the Capitol!

No Destination: Floral Clock of Frankfort

Floral Clock, Frankfort
Floral Clock, Frankfort, Ky.

Since 1961, the Floral Clock has sat behind the Kentucky State Capitol. When Gov. Bert T. Combs provided $50,000 from his contingency fund to erect the clock the project was labeled a folly by political opponents. Happy Chandler declared in a gubernatorial debate: “Well, they don’t say it’s half past 2 in Frankfort anymore. They say it’s two petunias past the jimson weed.” Today, however, the clock is one of Frankfort’s most popular destinations.

All of the flowers used are grown in nearby greenhouses. The “100” noted in the floral arrangement celebrates the Capitol’s 100th Birthday. The floral clock is one of the largest in the world and is similar to those in Edinburgh, Scotland and Niagara Falls, Canada.  Weighing 200,000 pounds (the hour hand alone weighs 420 pounds), the usual floral design includes 13,000 plants.

Happy Weekend, Kaintucks!

Telling us what we already knew: ticket sales to the WEG are slow, but the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion at Cheapside Park is quickly becoming the place to be. [Tom Eblen]

Northern Kentucky’s Fort Mitchell has litterally grown over the years – read its history as NKY.com profiles pieces from the The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. [NKY]

Uncovering Alltech, Nicholasville’s international biotech company which is hosting the WEG. [Jessamine Journal]

Tackling a big roundabout coming to the roads of Rineyville, Kentucky. [Columbia Magazine]

UK Hospital will open its new emergency room next month; some got a sneak peek. [Kentucky.com]

Might Southland Christian Church be expanding into Lexington and redeveloping the old Lexington Mall? [BizLex]

No Destination: Governor’s Mansion

Governor’s Mansion, Frankfort, Ky.

When the new Capitol was being constructed, Governor Augustus E. Wilson told the state legislature that a new governor’s house was needed closer to the capitol. Within months, $75,000 was appropriated (the final cost was $95,000). The result is this Beaux Arts home inspired by Marie Antoinette’s villa, Petit Trianon, in Versailles, France. The residence, completed in 1914, has been the home to twenty-three governors. It has undergone two notable renovations: the first was spearheaded by First Lady Phyllis George (John Y. Brown, Jr.) and the second, of the ballroom, was led by First Lady Glenna Fletcher (Ernie Fletcher).

Although the gardens have taken many forms, the current layout is based on the original 1912 design. The first floor contains two reception rooms (one for the First Lady and one for the Governor), two dining rooms (one for the family, the other for state occasions), the family sitting room, and the ballroom (chandaliers are original to the home). Below are some additional pictures of the magnificent interior which I toured during the Capitol’s Centennial. At the time the photo was taken, the State Dining Room was to host former governors and other dignitaries for a luncheon within the hour.

Governor’s Reception Room

Ballroom

State Dining Room

No Destination: The Citizen Advertiser

The Citizen Advertiser, Paris, Ky.

Although the Library of Congress only indicates publication to 1966, the Citizen Advertiser’s history is much older. Under a few different names, the paper traces its roots to the Western Gazette which was first published in 1807. As evidenced from the picture above, the paper thus claims title as the “oldest newspaper west of the Alleghenies.”  The Kentucky Press Association published an article celebrating the Citizen Advertiser’s bicentennial which outlined the paper’s history.

Noticing those six words, of course, made me pull over to take this picture. As a Kentuckian, I want to hold them as true and allow our state to lay claim to this title. But, a little research revealed that the Chillicothe Gazette of Ohio (Ohio’s oldest commercial enterprise still in operation) was begun in 1800. [*] The Pittsburgh Gazette, now the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, traces its roots to 1786 giving it the rightful claim to being the oldest newspaper west of the Alleghenies. [*] [*]

OK, so the 6 words may not be true. BUT… the newspaper is still significant as it is the oldest operating newspaper in the Commonwealth. (Unless someone can debunk that claim…)

No Destination: Joe B Hall Court

Joe B. Hall Court, Cynthiana, Ky.

Born in Cynthiana in November of 1928, Joe B. Hall went on to both play for and coach his beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats. He played on the 1949 and coached the 1978 National Championship teams. While UK’s coach, he compiled a record of 297-100 and three trips to the Final Four.

Coach Hall is a beloved figure in Kentucky athletics but the love for Joe B. is no greater than in his hometown of Cynthiana. In fact, the courthouse square (pictured above) was dedicated as “Joe B. Hall Court” in his honor in November 1994.

No Destination: Louisville Zoo

The Wife and our Lil Kaintuckeean viewing the Addax, Louisville Zoo.

Yep, we had a destination. I’d never before been to the State Zoo of Kentucky, the Louisville Zoo. Founded in 1969 (on land purchased by the City of Louisville and with funding by James Graham Brown of the Brown Hotel fame), it is a really nice zoo with 135 acres containing over 1,300 species. While there, however, I didn’t see two of the new featured exhibits. The first is the much anticipated “Glacier Bay” that is under construction; the second is (more interesting to me) the historic Louisville Clock. (Also missed the baby gorilla.)

Despite the timing-related shortcomings, it was a lot of fun and is, unsurprisingly, a great family atmosphere.

No Destination: William H. McGuffey

Site of McGuffey’s School, Paris, Ky.

Fewer names are better linked to American education than that of William McGuffey. His McGuffey Readers were sold from 1836 to 1960 selling at least 120 million copies. Born in Pennsylvania, McGuffey also attended Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in western Pennsylvania. For a while, however, he suspended his studies (needing funds for college) and opened a private school in Paris, Ky where he taught from 1823-1826. [*, *] The school, located across the street from Duncan Tavern, was located on the site of the structure pictured above; historic marker #178 designates the site.

Happy Weekend. What’s up in Kentucky?

Retailer, deli are coming to downtown Lexington. Decision to locate in Lexington made because of streetscape improvements. [BizLex]

Keeneland and The Greenbrier enter into an agreement that might bring (luxury) passenger rail service to Lexington? Technically, it would connect us to an Amtrak line. [NKY.com]

The Alltech Fortnight Schedule entertainment schedule has been released – great musicians of national/international renown entertaining statewide. [LexGo]

Frankfort’s Jim Beam distillery will soon undergo a $28 million expansion. [State-Journal]

Georgia Davis, the first African American in the Kentucky Senate, honored through a section of I-264 bearing her name. [Governor Beshear]

Winchester’s WWI Doughboy Statue restored to Courthouse lawn. One of eight in Kentucky. [Winchester Sun]

Summary of Mayor Newberry’s comments on historic, farm preservation. [WEKU]

Another critical eye on the CentrePointe project and TIF monies. [Lowell’s]