Tag: Civil War

No Destination: Capitol Mural “Civitas”

I’ve been excited since First Lady Jane Beshear announced that the murals were coming to the Capitol. Part of the Capitol’s original design, plans were set aside after artist Frank Millet (a friend of then-Gov. August E. Willson) died on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. One hundred years later, the Capitol finally has its murals! This is the final of four posts about the murals.

“Civitas” Mural, Capitol, Frankfort, Ky.

This mural, Civitas, represents the “light of progress.” Athena, the Roman goddess of civilization, symbolizes progress and strength. Athena refers to a paper in the hand of the male standing next to, and enlightened by, her looks forward toward the future. The kneeling male holds a lantern to illuminate – a sign of both the future and Kentucky’s coal heritage. In background-right, the Roebling Bridge – the architect’s precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge – links Covington with Cincinnati. In background-left, the Jefferson Davis obelisk and the Lincoln Birthplace Memorial remind us of Kentucky’s historical importance as the birthplace of these two leaders.

I think that the Civitas mural is my favorite as it beckons a continued hope for Kentucky as “the light of progress.” I am also quite fond of the Roebling Bridge which appears in the background. All of the murals, however, are quite beautiful as is the newly painted rotunda.

The other murals are Nature, Industry, and Culture.

No Destination: Historic Midway

Midway, Kentucky

Midway, Kentucky is a bustling town in Woodford County. The land that would become Midway was purchased in 1835 by the Lexington & Ohio Railroad Company. Located “midway” between Lexington and Frankfort (and also “midway” between Versailles and Georgetown), the town was Kentucky’s first railroad down. Of course, its location as a great crossroads was already known from the importance of the nearby Offut-Cole Tavern. And a train still travels through the middle of town on Railroad Street (unlike LaGrange, the train doesn’t impede parallel traffic)

Historic Midway has so many stories, and it has many historic markers on its Railroad Street that shares those stories:

“Sue Mundy” Here, Marker 537:

Jerome Clarke, called Sue Mundy, one of Morgan’s Raiders, formed his own guerrilla band on Morgan’s death Sept. 1864. Clarke and band raided here November 1, 1864, killing Adam Harper. Four Confederate prisoners executed in reprisal by Union forces. On Feb. 2, 1865, Clarke returned with William Quantrill, another guerrilla leader, burned depot here and stole 15 horses.

 Edward Dudley Brown (1850-1906), Marker 2027:

This well known African American horse owner, trainer, developer, and jockey was born into slavery, 1850. Raised as a stable boy near Midway, he was nicknamed “Brown Dick” after the record-setting racehorse of that name. Brown was associated with great horses such as Asteroid, Ducat, and Kingfisher. Presented by City of Midway and the Ky. African American Heritage Commission.

(Reverse) Noted Horseman – “Brown Dick” worked with Kentucky Derby winners Baden Baden (1877), Ben Brush (1896), and Plaudit (1898). He died at a friend’s house in Louisville, May 1906, of tuberculosis and was returned to Midway for burial. He was inducted into National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame on August 8, 1984. Presented by City of Midway and the Ky. African American Heritage Commission. 

 Midway, Marker 1580

First Kentucky town established by a railroad. In 1831, Lexington and Ohio Railroad Co. began railroad between Lexington and Frankfort and first train reached midway point, 1833. John Francisco farm bought by L&O in 1835; town of Midway laid out by R. C. Hewitt, civil engineer for railroad. Many streets named for L&O officials. Midway incorporated, 1846, by Ky. legislature.

Morgan at Midway, Marker 516:

Taking 300 abandoned USA horses and mules at Versailles, Morgan’s Raiders came here July 15, 1862. Advised of troop train approach from Frankfort he had tracks torn up and howitzers set. Train warned and returned to Frankfort. Morgan took telegraph line and coaxed train at Lexington to come on but it turned back. He and his men reached Georgetown that evening.

Besides its fascinating history, Midway is also the home to several great restaurants and antique shops.

Grayson County Courthouse – Leitchfield, Ky.


Grayson County has a pretty unique history according to the Kentucky Encyclopedia. The county was the fifty-fourth to be formed, and among the early landowners was George Washington himself. The county is actually named for an aide of Washington’s Col. William Grayson. The county has several unique distinctions. It was the home of Grayson Springs, a summer resort community, and is the home of the Walter T. Kelley Bee Hive Factory, one of the largest manufacturers of beekeeping equipment in the country.
The courthouse above is the fourth built in Leitchfield, the first being burned in the Civil War, and two others after it having suffered the same fate. This Beaux Arts structure was built in 1938 with a PWA grant.
Here’s the really strange thing about this courthouse. As I drove into town, I couldn’t help but feel deja vu. It’s impossible not to be reminded of Bardstown. The courthouse squares of both Grayson and Nelson counties are identical. The courthouses are different, but they have the same roundabout design with the courthouse in the middle. Weird…but it gets weirder in E-town.

No Destination: Gen. William O. Butler

Born in Jessamine County, General William Butler was a Mexican War hero who practice law and ultimately died in Carrollton.

The Presidential election of 1848 was full of Kentucky connections and is evidence of Kentucky’s political prowess of old. In the race, Zachary Taylor (interred in Kentucky) defeated Kentuckian Henry Clay for the Whig nomination. In the general election, Taylor/Filmore defeatedthe Democratic ticket of Cass/Butler.

Significantly, Butler represented Kentucky in the oft-forgotten 1861 peace conference which took place in Washington, D.C. as an attempt to stave off civil war. Another Kentuckian, Senator John J. Crittenden, emphasized his crazy proposals for six Constitutional amendments to prevent war. Of course, Crittenden would have permanently recognized slavery in the U.S.

Kentucky Historical Marker #634, the only state historic marker on the Carroll County courthouse lawn, reads:

Gen. William O. Butler, born Kentucky 1791, died here, 1880. War of 1812: River Raisin, Pensacola, and New Orleans. Gen. Andrew Jackson’s staff 1816-17. Cited for heroism in Mexican War 1846-48. Practiced law here. Congressman 1839-43. Defeated as candidate for Governor 1844, Vice President 1848 and US Senate 1851. A Kentucky Commissioner to Peace Conference in Feb. 1861.

Named after General Butler is a state park just southeast of Carrollton, as well as counties in both Iowa and Missouri.

No Destination: Shelbyville

5th & Main, Shelbyville, KY with county courthouse in background

In 1792, Kentucky became a Commonwealth, Shelby County split from Jefferson County and Shelbyville was first settled (though it would not be incorporated until 1846). Both the county and the city are named after Kentucky’s first governor, Isaac Shelby.

Civil unrest came to Shelbyville even before the Civil War began, prompting local officials to erect a blockhouse in the center of town. It stood at the intersection of what is now Fifth St. and Main St. and remained until “civil law and order were assured” in 1870. The intersection remains – with the courthouse, city fountain and memorial park – Shelbyville’s civil center (which is odd, given that it is Fifth Street).

Downtown Shelbyville is built around two one-way streets (Main and Washington) running parralel to one another. Historic sites, antique shops, cafes and other businesses prosper.

No Destination: Lebanon

Three miles from the middle of Lebanon is the geographic center of Kentucky, but this community of about 6,000 stands on its own. First settled in the 1700s, the town was incorporated in 1815. Named after the “Biblical Lebanon” because a number of cedar trees also grew in this area. Much of the communities growth can be attributed to the L&N Railroad that once rolled through town. The historic depot constructed in 1857 survived a burning by Gen. Morgan’s men during the Civil War, but it could not escape teenage arsonists in 1992.

The above-picture is clearly not the best, but it shows the route that the railroad once took a block north of Main Street. In the distance you can see the Marion County municipal building. A new courthouse is being built just to the south of this municipal building. Hopefully, the historic courthouse on Main Street will be preserved!

Bonus Kaintuckeean: J. Proctor Knott. A Kentucky Congressman, Governor and member of the 1891 Constitutional Convention during which he led the effort to keep Frankfort as Kentucky’s capital. He was also the first dean of Centre College’s law school. Knott County is named after him. [Marker 728]

No Destination: Campbellsville

Centrally located Campbellsville – Taylor County’s seat – is eighty miles from Lexington, Louisville and Bowling Green. Established in 1817, the town’s history is quintissentially Kentucky. Began as a grist mill, grew in population as a stop on a stagecoach route and later a rail line, and the target of Civil War raids by the infamous Gen. John Hunt Morgan. Today, Campbellsville’s Main Street (pictured, above) remains active with a number of businesses due at least in part to the presence of Cumberland University.

What is now Campbellsville was on the Cumberland Trace – that route through the Cumberland Gap that would serve as the early route for western settlers; ultimately those who passed through what would become Taylor County continued past the Cumberland River to what is now Nashville, Tenn.

Taylor County was separated from Green County in 1848 (named for General Zachary Taylor in the same year that he would become President) and Campbellsville at that time was selected to be the seat of the new county. The first courthouse was erected soon thereafter and was destroyed during an 1864 raid by Confederate forces. The next courthouse was built and survived until 1965 when it was razed in favor of a “contemporary” brick design. This is another instance in which, architecturally speaking, the courthouse project currently underway in Kentucky is “a good thing” as the new Taylor County Courthouse has that “modern take at an old building” quality that at least returns a bell tower to the courthouse square. All historic markers, however, remain at the site of the 1965 courthouse.

Nate, on his courthouse visits, loves the feel of coming over the hill into a town to see the tallest building in town – his immediate indicator of the courthouse’s prominence and central role for a community. Not in Campbellsville: the tallest spire will lead you up a hill to the Campbellsville Baptist Church (pictured, right). The congregation began as early as 1791, but the name of the church was not adopted until 1852. Following a 1962 fire, the present church was constructed. It replaced a 1916 sanctuary that consisted of “a domed ceiling and four walls of stained glass.”

No Destination: Columbia-Union Presbyterian Church

The oldest church in Columbia was erected just beyond the town’s original boundary. Known only as the Columbia Presbyterian Church until 1925 when it took on the combined name with the Union Presbyterian Church (the county congregation, the congregations having actually merged in 1912), the church has a storied past.

The church was constructed in 1857 and contained a balcony for slaves, though the balcony was removed in1885. During the Civil War, the attic was used both as a lookout for rebel forces and as a place to make bullets. Doors inside the church were taken down following an 1863 skirmish and were used as stretchers to carry the wounded back to the church where the structure served as a temporary hospital. A 1908 renovation replaced the plain (or frosted) windows with the stained glass windows seen today.

The steps leading to the door of the sanctuary are original from 1857, hand carved from Kentucky marble (aka limestone).

See: Columbia Magazine’s Walking Tour of Columbia.

No Destination: Perryville Mass Grave

In western Boyle County lies the community of Perryville, the site of Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle. On October 8, 1862, Union and Condederate forces each suffered heavy casualties as the Union army repelled Confederate forces out of Kentucky.

CSA Gen. Bragg, on a mission to secure supplies from Bardstown, was forced into battle near Perryville by a larger force of Union troops under the direction of USA Gen. Buell sent to stop the advancing Rebels. The first casualties, however, were not caused by musketfire – but by heat and sunstroke. The high temperatures and drought conditions left insufficient water for both soldier and steed.

Once the daylong battle was over, the dying – both CSA and USA – were transported to neighboring communities for treatment.  The dying lingered for months. As was the case following the Battle of Mill Springs, locals knew not what to do with the Confederate dead and a mass grave was dug. From the Perryville Enhancement Project:

As Union troops hastily buried their own dead in regimental plots, local residents were left to inter the dead Confederates. Local farmer, cabinetmaker and justice of the peace Henry P. Bottom, whose property was strewn with corpses, buried a majority of the Southern soldiers. With several field hands and neighbors, Bottom buried several hundred Confederates in two large pits. This mass grave is located in what is now the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.

This is a full post for one of the locales visited on my June 5, 2009 No Destination journey.

No Destination: Jamestown

Although Russell Springs is the largest city in Russell County, Jamestown is the county seat. Originally named Jacksonville (after President Andrew Jackson), the area was renamed to honor James Wooldridge who had given the land for the town. The renaming of the community was actually prompted for political reasons; those opposed to Jackson came into power in the area around 1826.

Two Civil War skirmishes occurred near this sleepy community, a community that grew in popularity (particularly in the summer months) after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed Lake Cumberland in 1952. [Simultaneously, the population of Russell County dropped 19.3% between the 1950 and 1960 census.]

Jamestown’s city center is well-designed. A large town square finds the old (1978) courthouse in one corner, which is complemented on its opposite corner by the new judicial center (under construction). The other two corners have a number of businesses, including cafes, antique stores and other small-town essentials. The northwest corner is pictured above. In the center of the square is a large American flag under which a Doughboy stands as a memorial to the soldiers who served our nation. All of which begs the question: How many Doughboys stand on the “lawns” of Kentucky courthouses? (Casey and Carter Counties, among others, come to mind…)