Jessamine – Page 7 – The Kaintuckeean

NoD: Santa Claus arrives in small-town Kentucky

Santa Claus has made it to town – Nicholasville, Ky.

Last week, I wrote of Lexington’s annual Christmas tree lighting which occurred the day after Thanksgiving. A week later, exurb Nicholasville had its own Christmas kick-off with its much smaller, small-town atmosphere. It is moments like this that make living in a smaller town so special.

A simple tree lighting ceremony was overseen by local officials before a crowd one-hundred strong. After the tree was lit, those gathered on the courthouse lawn peered down the recently redone Main Street. Although reindeer may have been more efficient, Santa Claus patiently took a more terrestrial approach to the courthouse by sitting in traffic aboard the recently restored Nicholasville Fire Dept. Engine No. 2.

Engine No. 2, a 1950 model year American LaFrance fire truck, was carefully restored over the past year by local firefighters. In service from 1951 until 1988, the fire truck has since been mothballed until efforts were made to restore beginning in 2010.

After arriving, Saint Nicholas walked up the stairs into the Jessamine County Courthouse wherein he took the children’s Christmas wishes while the county judge executive helped pass out hot chocolate.

The lil’ Kaintuckeean, age 3, preferred the Nicholasville celebration to its Lexington counterpart simply because the crowd was lighter. This allowed him to play in the courthouse lawn, an option not available in a at-occupancy Triangle Park. Yes, Lexington and her traditions are wonderful. But Kentucky’s small towns offer a quaint simplicity that often goes under-appreciated.

NoD: Jessamine’s Olde Hall Church

Hall Church – Hall (Jessamine Co.), Ky.

After the Civil War, many of the African American refugees who had been housed at Camp Nelson set roots in a small community nearby. Known originally as Ariel, this small community has remained through the years. Soon after the war, it was renamed Hall after Captain Theron Hall who had served as Chief Quartermaster for Camp Nelson and as superintendent of the refugee camp.

John Fee, who after the war purchased many acres of the Camp Nelson site, came to Camp Nelson in 1864. A minister and founder of Berea College, Fee worked with Captain Hall to establish this community for the refugees. While Hall favored the construction of barracks, Rev. Fee believed that cottages for the families would provide a more comfortable living. An agreement was devised that incorporated both structures types as well as a larger “home”. The community was built and many of its residents remained after the War — Fee sold his land at a dramatically reduced price to the former slaves in acre and half-acre lots.

Interior of Hall Church

Here, Rev. Fee also founded Ariel Academy, which was supported by the American Missionary Association, and the small church. The coed school was integrated until 1898 when whites stopped attending. By the 1920s, only girls attended. Hall began to decline shortly after World War II, though there are some remains of its historic past.

This quaint church, built in the late 1800s, no longer has a congregation but is often used for community events. In lieu of religious scenes, a mural depicting the old double-barreled covered Camp Nelson bridge hangs in the front of the meeting house. The church was restored by the Jessamine County Fiscal Court in 2005.

Recently, country singer Shooter Jennings (Waylon’s son) shot part of the music video for “Real Me” at the Olde Hall Church, with additional scenes shot in both Greensburg and Campbellsville. “Real Me” will be on the to-be-released album, “Family Man” which is expected to be released in January.

Also, on the first Sunday in December, the Olde Hall Church is used for an annual community Christmas concert that features traditionally African-American church choirs. It is a great holiday tradition in a beautiful, historic setting.

Sources: Camp Nelson; Jessamine Co; LHL; UIUC

NoD: Old Family Graveyard Not So Rural Anymore

Aaron Farra Family Graveyard – Nicholasville, Ky.

As Kentucky’s landscape changes, old farmhouses and barns are often torn down. The same goes for churches, post offices and general stores. Entire communities are consumed by an ever-growing suburbia. But what of the cemeteries?

In Kentucky, state law charges cities and towns with preserving burial grounds within the city limits. A perfect example is in Nicholasville where local ordinances about a decade old mandate specific treatment in cases of cemeteries within areas of development. In February 2003, the Aaron Farra Family Graveyard was removed from its original location.

With the aid of developers and the Jessamine County Historical Society (JHS), great detail was taken in exhuming all of the bodies and caskets. The arrangement of bodies and headstones was carefully documented so that the new cemetery location would mirror the original internment site. Today, the cemetery is immediately adjacent to Kohl’s Drive off U.S. 27, but it was originally 921 feet southwest of its current location. If it had been left alone, the Farra Family Graveyard would be underneath Sam’s Club! (There’s also a Starbucks within eyeshot of the cemetery.)

Aaron Farra and his wife, Sally Neet Farra, once owned this land. Aaron and Sally passed this world in 1859 and 1861, respectively, an 1861 map of property owners in Jessamine County identifies a large area of land – on both sides of the Nicholasville Turnpike as it was once called – controlled by different members of the Farra family. Yet, it seems little is known of the family.

Sally’s parents, George Neet (born in Germany in 1767, his headstone is pictured above with the Kohl’s Department Store in the background) and Sally Neet, are buried here. As are a few of Aaron and Sally’s grandchildren. The earliest burial in this family graveyard was in 1826 and the most recent in 1866.

The graveyard is surrounded by an iron fence which was also transplanted from the original site. It is a well-maintained, small cemetery in what many now find an ‘odd’ location. But remember, they were here first!

more photos are available on flickr

Sources: 1861 map; JHS Cemetery Listing; JHS Newsletter; Rootsweb

NoD: Camp Nelson Bridge (v. 2.0)

Abandoned Camp Nelson Bridge – Jessamine/Garrard Counties, Ky.

Three bridges have crossed the Kentucky River at Camp Nelson and the pictured bridge was the second installation having replaced a double-barreled covered bridge that had carried travelers since 1838. Today, this abandoned bridge has been replaced by the less-scenic bridge that has carried four lanes of US-27 traffic since 1971.

This steel truss bridge features two Pennsylvania-style trusses which span 275 feet over the Kentucky River; with abutments and approaches, the length is extended to 543 feet. When the waters of the Kentucky River are lowest, the bridge rises 60 feet above them. Over 600,000 pounds of structural steel were used for construction, including the 15,000 rivets connecting the I-beams. [*] Bridges are impressive structures and version 2.0 of the Camp Nelson trilogy doesn’t disappoint.

As with all things abandoned, it is a little eerie to walk onto the bridge — completely alone. The rusting trusses and fauna growing through cracks and clumps of dirt give a certain “Life After People” aura. But the spectacular views from this bridge, and the perspective of the three different Camp Nelson bridges is in itself a walk through history.

kernel: Hickman Creek

Hickman Creek – near Nicholasville, Kentucky (Jessamine)

kernel: Liquor for One’s Own Comfort

I’m adding a new hashtag: kernels. Yes, occasionally I want to share a picture, a story, an epithet or an anecdote without the research and detail that comes with one of my NoDestination posts. So, I hope you enjoy these Kentucky kernels.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals (then Kentucky’s high court) made this declaration in Commonwealth v. Campbell, 133 Ky. 50, 63 (Ky. 1909), a case rising from the quashing of a warrant issued against Campbell for bringing more than a quart of booze into Nicholasville:

The right to use liquor for one’s own comfort, if the use is without direct injury to the public, is one of the citizen’s natural and inalienable rights, guaranteed to him by the Constitution, and cannot be abridged as long as the absolute power of a majority is limited by our present Constitution.

hat tip: @williamhadamsii

NoD: Camp Nelson National Cemetery

Headstones at Camp Nelson National Cemetery – Nicholasville, Ky.

In southern Jessamine County lies the Camp Nelson National Cemetery, one of eight national cemeteries in the Commonwealth. Prior to being a designated national cemetery (1866), Sections A, B, C and D contained the buried dead from the Civil War-era Camp Nelson. This 3.5 acre area was subsequently expanded around the time of its designation to approximately 8 acres, but today it is much larger at about 51 acres (thanks in part to a donation of 10 acres made in 1975 and the acquisition of 21 acres in 2010). In fact, current acreage would allow a total of approximately 30,000 graves while the current census is less than 15,000.

A part of the massive Civil War-era Camp Nelson complex – once 4,000 acres – the first soldiers buried here were likely victims of smallpox and other non-conflict causes. At least one death was noted due to a “falling tree.” [*] After becoming a designated national cemetery, 2,023 dead from various Kentucky battlefields and skirmishes were reinterred here: from Frankfort (104), Richmond (241), London (266), Covington (437), and from Perryville, where the Confederates were defeated in October of 1862 (975).

Pictured above is one of the many headstones located at the cemetery. If you look closely, you’ll note that it is that of Larry C. Vrondis (a WWII Veteran who I have mentioned on this site before). On this Memorial Day, we thank all of our veterans (and their families) for their service to our country.

You can visit Camp Nelson for its Memorial Day events on Monday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m.

Save the Historic Valley View Ferry

A variation of the following originally appeared on ProgressLex on May 18, 2011. I have previously written on the historic Valley View Ferry on the Kaintuckeean, but current events bring history to the forefront.

The John Craig at the Valley View Ferry, Ky.

The flags of Virginia and Kentucky fly over the John Craig vessel at the
Valley View Ferry, Ky.

The Valley View Ferry is a great example of what makes the Bluegrass unique. Crossing the Kentucky River at the point where Fayette, Jessamine and Madison counties meet (at the very end of Tates Creek Road), Valley View is the oldest, continuously operating ferry service west of the Alleghenies and the third oldest operating ferry in the country. In fact, Valley View predates the Commonwealth itself by seven years. When Virginia Gov. Patrick Henry (yes…that Patrick Henry) signed the Ferry’s charter in 1785, it was to be both “perpetual and irrevocable.”

The Lexington mayor’s budget proposes to withdraw Lexington’s funding for this historic landmark and important traffic corridor, undoing that which was begun by one of our Nation’s Founders.

Mayor Gray’s budget includes many tough decisions that affect a number of worthy groups and interests. Many of the cuts involved millions of dollars, yet the Valley View Ferry budget for Fayette County ($40,000/year) is fairly small. But this amount (most of which is in-kind materials and services rendered by the LFUCG for Ferry maintenance), and the overall support for the Ferry by the LFUCG, is critical for this important economic, transportation, and historic operation.

The Valley View Ferry is owned and operated by the Valley View Ferry Authority, which is the product of an inter-governmental agreement between Fayette, Jessamine and Madison Counties. Each county, plus the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, contribute to funding the Ferry. This inter-governmental organization is exactly the kind of regional cooperation in which the LFUCG should participate. Regionalism is key to the region’s economic growth and is a staple of any economic development report.

Each day, the Valley View Ferry transports workers across the Kentucky River to and from work in Fayette County (remember, these workers pay Lexington payroll taxes which are the chief revenue source for LFUCG). For many, the Ferry saves nearly an hour of commuting time each way. It is an indispensable economic link between the three counties. An average of 15,000 passengers take the ferry each month; it is estimated that between 50-70% of the passengers live or work in Fayette County and pay Lexington taxes.

The Ferry supports “a major traffic corridor in the area and continued funding at both the state and local level is vital to its continued operation.” [*] Of the several ferries operating entirely within Kentucky, ridership on the Valley View Ferry is the highest. Importantly, the Valley View Ferry is an “alternative emergency route when I-75 is closed.” [*]

The Valley View Ferry is also a tourist destination. When my nieces and nephews visit, one thing they always want to do is “take the ferry.” Valley View provides a beautiful view of the Kentucky River and, in the distance, the Palisades. Bicyclists often take the Ferry to cross the Kentucky River on their treks over scenic byways.

Saving the historic Valley View Ferry will not be easy. With many legitimate interest groups competing for a shrinking budget, we can not simply ask Mayor Gray to restore the Ferry budget without suggesting painful cuts to other parts of the LFUCG budget. But what we can ask is that Mayor Gray provide the visionary leadership that will bring the public and private sectors in Fayette, Madison and Jessamine counties together to work for a solution. Specifically, Mayor Gray should work with the Ferry Authority, government representatives of the effected counties, the Blue Grass Trust, Preservation Kentucky, the Kentucky Heritage Council, and preservation groups in Jessamine and Madison counties. With Mayor Gray’s leadership, a coalition of these groups stands a good chance of developing the creative public/private strategy that is needed to ensure that Valley View continues a mission and a legacy that dates back to the founding of our Republic.

A couple of action items. First, contact the Mayor (859/258-3100) or other persons of interest to urge the cooperation and leadership necessary to preserve the Valley View Ferry – a key part of central Kentucky’s unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage.
Second, ride the Ferry (open dawn til dusk daily, except where the water on the Kentucky River is high – check here).
Third, donate to the Valley View Ferry Authority: Valley View Ferry Authority, ℅ Roger Barman, Chairman, PO Box 856, Nicholasville, KY 40356-0856. All donations are tax-deductible.

NoD: Camp Nelson (Oliver Perry House)

Big White House at Camp Nelson, Nicholasville, Ky.

Somehow, it was not until February 2011 that I visited Camp Nelson. A Jessamine County landmark, it is a well-spring of historical information and trivia. A Civil War-era camp established to supply Union troops, it also served during that war as a recruitment center for African-American troops and as a military hospital. Of the 4,000 acres once within its bounds, 400 acres have been preserved. It is also now the home of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery.

I could, and eventually plan to, write a number of posts about the rich history surrounding Camp Nelson, but I’ll begin with its most notable landmark that is locally known simply as the “White House.” Formally, it is the Oliver Perry House and was used as quarters for the officers. The only building remaining from the Civil War era, it is a two-story frame Greek Revival originally constructed by Oliver and Fannie (Scott) Perry circa 1850. During the War, the Union added the rear two-bay deep addition. The building had fallen under complete disrepair prior to its meticulous restoration by the Jessamine County Fiscal Court which has been an instrumental force in preserving this historic area.

In 1863, General Ambrose Burnside (for whom the sideburn is named – check out these chops) commandeered the Perry-Scott House and it was utilized by the Union for two years. Surrounding landowners also had their lands confiscated by the Union army to amass and secure the 4,000 acre site. The largest landowner was Mary Scott, Fannie Scott-Perry’s mother.

Streetscape Project Threatens Local Businesses Again

Main Street, Nicholasville, Ky.

This post was originally published yesterday on ProgressLex.

Lexington’s South Limestone Street is truly beautiful. The work done to revitalize that gateway into downtown Lexington put the utilities underground, improved the sidewalks and streetscape and completed some necessary underground storm sewer work. But the improvements came at a great cost as many locally-owned businesses struggled to survive (some failed) during a construction process that lasted much longer than projected.

I am confident that Nicholasville’s Main Street will be equally as beautiful once its streetscape project is complete. But in a small town without a college next door, it may take longer for the local businesses affected by the construction to rebound.

The project engineers, CDP Engineers, originally suggested that construction would be coordinated to “minimize the overall effect to the downtown businesses unlike … the S. Limestone Project in Lexington where the entire street will be closed for up to a year.” Now, six months after work began, the project is less than 50% complete.

At a meeting on March 21, a representative from CDP Engineers reminded those gathered at a public informational meeting that the stated goal of the revitalization project was to bring “urban life [to] downtown Nicholasville.” One of downtown Nicholasville’s finest “urban” assets was the Main & Maple Coffee Shop – a community gathering place, that closed its doors on March 18. Other businesses have shuttered as a result, at least in part, due to the ongoing construction.

But in Nicholasville, gems remain. The Alternative Jewelry Shop creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind fine jewelry. Euro is a tapas bar which turns out excellent tastes and even more excellent drinks. These locally-owned businesses (and others) have survived the first six months of construction only to face a still-uncertain construction timetable.

Remember supporting the South Limestone businesses when they faced a similar situation? Now is the time to come to Nicholasville and support its fantastic locally-owned businesses.