Tag: Menifee

Menifee County Courthouse – Frenchburg, Ky.


I really enjoyed Frenchburg. I’m not sure why, but it had a really pleasant small-town feel. It’s in the middle of NOWHERE, and its quite a pretty drive. I was on my way to court, and was pretty excited when I saw this courthouse. It’s unlike any other courthouse I’ve yet seen. According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, it was built in 1928, and its entrance resembles a Gothic castle tower, topped by a colonial cupola. Its really striking.

As Peter mentioned in an earlier post, Menifee County is actually misspelled, which had to be pretty embarrassing back in the day. They were trying to name the county after Richard Menefee, a brilliant young politician who tragically died at the age of 32.

No Destination: Cave Run Lake

I wasn’t expecting to see Cave Run Lake at all (road construction detoured my route), but I am so glad I did. It was peaceful, tranquil and beautiful. Above is a picture taken from a short trail near the Cumberland Ranger District office in Rowan County.

Below is a video taken near Clear Creek – at the southern end of Cave Run Lake in Menifee. The only sounds were the wind rustling the tree next to me and the water rippling onto the boat ramp (Leatherwood boat ramp, on which I was sitting).

The lake was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in a project that began in 1965. The dam became operational in 1974. Cave Run Lake is 8,270 acres (summer) in size.

No Destination: Frenchburg

Menifee’s County seat, Frenchburg, has (c. 2000) a population of 551. This small-town was established in 1869 to be the county seat and is the only incorporated community in this rural county.

The county was named after Congressman Richard Menefee, but the state general assembly misspelled the name when chartering the county. In a Congressional 1837 election, Menefee defeated Richard French. French, a lawyer and judge, is the namesake of Frenchburg.

Beyond the already discussed and defunct Frenchburg School, there is little in this town. Pictured above are a few of the ‘quilts’ that are frequently found in the area and a corner of the Menifee County courthouse. It is a really cool building…I’ll save the details for Nate.

No Destination: Frenchburg School Campus

Driving into Frenchburg, I noticed several abandoned buildings behind the Sav-A-Lot that piqued by interest. The three large brick buildings were completely out of place. Finding information, even with the internet, proved difficult at first.

The Frenchburg School opened in 1909 by the Presbyterian church. It provided religious, educational and medical services to regional residents. In fact, for several years after the opening of its hospital in 1915, Frenchburg had the only hospital located between Lexington and Ashland. (Note: Watch this YouTube video created in 1944 featuring Frenchburg physician Dr. Richard Adler – it is very interesting.) The Frenchburg School also provided the only high school educational offering in the county (despite state law mandates).

The three brick buildings I saw were the School Building (c. 1910, two-story), the Girls’ Dormitory (c.1917, three-story Georgian Revival) and the Hospital Building (c. 1941, Neo-Georgian replacing original 1915 structure lost to fire). In their hayday, the buildings would have been typical of the “classical renaissance that developed in the late 19th century … suitable for an academic setting.”

The buildings have been vacant since at least 1978, when the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Application was a source of much of the information in this post is available here (PDF).

No Destination: Menifee County

Just east of Means, Kentucky – an unincorporated community in Menifee County – I twice pulled off the road. Now in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the leaves were really starting to change colors. The first is pictured above.

The second time I pulled off the road, I went up a steep, gravel road (Scenic Ridge Road). About mid-way up, I questioned whether this was a good idea (for those that don’t know, I drive a Honda Fit). Anyway, I made it and the view was great. But also disappointing. I had no idea that the kudzu invasion had reached this part of Kentucky. Apparently, as evidenced below, it has.