Tag: NoDestination

The Horse Cemetery: Hamburg’s Last Vestige of Itself

Hamburg Horse Cemetery on Sir Barton Way, Lexington. Author’s Collection.

In the shadow of the Super Walmart at Hamburg Place in northeast Lexington is a small cemetery of famed equines. Hamburg was once a massive horse farm which encompassed some 2,000 acres. The horse cemetery is seemingly all that is left of the site’s heritage.

And the horse cemetery isn’t even in its original location for it has been moved a few hundred yards from its original site which is now the parking lot for the aforementioned Walmart.

Birdseye View of Hamburg Place. U. of Ky Libraries.

The origin of Hamburg Place began in 1898, when John Madden purchased 235 acres along the Winchester Pike. Madden, a successful thoroughbred trainer and owner, named his farm Hamburg after his horse of the same name, which had been sold and the proceeds from which were used to acquire the farm. Although John Madden died in 1929, his family continued his legacy and success.

That is, until development became too tempting.

In the late 1990s, development began by Madden’s family.

Lamenting the loss, a 2000 publication by the Sierra Club suggested that “the conversion of Hamburg Place, a historic farm outside of Lexington, is emblematic of the changes that poorly planned growth is bringing to Kentucky.” The report went on to note that “where once there were 400 acres of trees and pasture there is now an Old Navy clothing franchise and lots of parking.”

Although, the names of Madden’s horses – among them Old Rosebud, Sir Barton, Alysheba, Star Shoot and Pink Pigeon – can be found on Hamburg’s street signs, it is the cemetery which is the most tangible reminder of what once occupied this massive expanse of land.

Monument to John Madden in Hamburg. Author’s Collection.

Buried here are many of the horses named above, each with a headstone in a circle around the central monument to Nancy Hanks.

Nancy Hanks was born in 1886 and named after the mother of Abraham Lincoln. Her great achievement as a trotter was a world’s record of 2 minutes, 4 seconds to the mile.

There is also a memorial, though not the gravesite, of founder John Madden. “The Wizard of the Turf” and the “Founder of Hamburg Place.”

This post contains excerpts from LOST LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

Lexington has dozens of well-restored landmarks, but so many more are lost forever. The famous Phoenix Hotel, long a stop for weary travelers and politicians alike, has risen from its own ashes numerous times over the past centuries. The works of renowned architect John McMurtry were once numerous around town, but some of the finest examples are gone. The Centrepointe block has been made and unmade so many times that its original tenants are unknown to natives now.

Preorder LOST LEXINGTON here

The Retirement Home of Senator John Pope

Retirement house of Sen. John Pope in Springfield, Kentucky. Author’s Collection.

One of Lexington’s finest landmarks is the Pope Villa which was designed by Benjamin Latrobe for Senator John Pope and his wife Eliza. The senator sold Pope Villa in 1829 after President Jackson appointed Pope to serve as the territorial governor of Arkansas.

John Pope. Congress.

Departed for the Gem State, Pope would serve as governor until 1835. While in Arkansas, he brought in Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock to design the state capitol for Arkansas. The old capitol remains standing as the oldest state capitol (albeit no longer used as the capitol) west of the Mississippi River and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

After his governorship, Pope returned to the Commonwealth and retired to Springfield, Kentucky, in 1835. Eliza had died in 1818 and Pope remarried in 1820 to a widow from Washington County. In Springfield, Pope returned both to the practice of law and elected office including serving in Congress from 1837-1843.

Retirement house of Sen. John Pope in Springfield, Kentucky. Author’s Collection.

Pope’s retirement home in Springfield is unlike his historic Lexington home designed by LaTrobe. The biggest similarity among the two is that when each was constructed, the residences were built on the edges of town but are today located in dense residential areas.

In the case of Pope’s retirement home, 207 Walnut Street in Springfield, the home was built in 1839 by designer-builder John Riley. The lack of a prominent architect accounts for “the relatively conservative style of the house” as suggested in the National Register application (PDF). Built as a one-and-a-half-story brick building, [the home has] the usual four rooms on both
stories, each with a fireplace served by the two projecting chimneys at the ends of the
main block.”

While common in lesser homes of the era, especially those with multiple tenants, the dual front doors of the home are quite unique. It is thought that this would facilitate a separate entrance to Pope’s library and office.

A service ell on the rear of the building was quite typical, though the design was conceptually distasteful to the architect of Pope’s Villa in Lexington.

The historic marker outside of Pope’s retirement residence reads

Eminent Washington Co. citizen. Brilliant Kentucky lawyer, statesman. Born, Va. Represented Shelby Co., 1802, Fayette Co., 1806, in Leg.; U.S. Senate, 1807-13; Ky. Sec. of State, 1816-19; Ky. Sen., 1825-29; Gov. Arkansas Ter., 1829-35, named by Pres. Jackson; U.S. Congress, 1837-43. Federalist and Democrat. Built this home, 1839. Died here; buried in Springfield Cemetery.

Noting Pope to only have served as a Federalist and Democrat, the historic marker doesn’t acknowledge Pope’s later identity as a Whig. As a Whig, Pope was thrice elected to Congress from Springfield.

John Pope died here on July 12, 1845.

Some Respite in Casey County

Early morning fog over a pond at Camp Wakon’da Ho in Casey County. Author’s collection.

A church retreat found me and the Lil’ Kaintuckeean bound for rural Casey County (not that there is much of an urban center, with all due respect to those in Liberty). The destination was Camp Wakon’da Ho which is located in the small unincorporated community of Yosemite, Kentucky.

Oddly, I’d passed through Yosemite once before and then remarked it to be “a beautiful site.” Of the two camp sites owned by the Christian Church in Kentucky (Disciples of Christ), this was the first time I’d visited. My home church utilized the camp site on a hot and steamy August weekend for a retreat; it was a lot of fun with fellowship, food, worship, and relaxation.

Like much of Casey County, Camp Wakon’da Ho also offered breathtaking vistas.

The valley containing the Camp from atop the
adjoining hills. Author’s collection.

The rolling hills of the region prompted the naming of the Yosemite community by the daughter of logger Eugene Zimmerman who established the community as part of his business. The topography reminded Miss Zimmerman of the Yosemite valley in California.

Waking in the morning, I could exit my cabin and gaze out upon a wooden cross that stood next to a small fishing pond. In the still still waters, I could find the reflections of an old wooden barn and the magnificent trees.

As said by Martin Luther, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”

The “Walter Scott” Cabin Author’s Collection.

Each of the cabins bears a historic name related to the Restoration Movement from which the Disciples of Christ originates. Of course, that Movement began here in central Kentucky!

We stayed in the Walter Scott Cabin. And no, he wasn’t the author of Ivanhoe though both shared the same name and both were from Scotland. The Walter Scott for whom my cabin was named was an evangelist who helped to separate the Restoration Movement from the Baptists. He spent most of his ministry in Ohio, but spent his final years leading a school for women he established in Covington, Kentucky.

Kentucky’s beautiful landscapes offer so many spots for camping which can provide peaceful respite from your daily life.

For more on Camp Wakon’da Ho’s, go to its Facebook page.

On #VeteransDay, Remembering the Doughboy Statue

Viquesney Doughboy Statues in Jamestown, Pikeville, Grayson, and Morehead, Ky.
(Photos: the author, identified circular from the left)

On this Veterans Day, we recall the service of those who served our nation. To those veterans, we say “thank you.” Around the country and around Kentucky, memorials stand to the veteran of the several conflicts. One of the most recognizable memorials is the Viquesney statue of which 140 known copies exist.

When in Meyersdale, Pa. in April of this year while cycling on the Great Allegheny Passage, I immediately recognized the outstretched arm of the Viquesney’s “The Spirit of the American Doughboy.”

First designed and sculpted by E.M. Viquesney in 1920, “The Spirit of the American Doughboy” went through a few design changes over the years. Though most don’t realize it, Viquesney’s doughboy is likely the most witnessed sculpture in the United States other than the Statue of Liberty herself.

In Kentucky, eight Viquesney statues are known to exist in the following towns: Grayson, Harlan, Jamestown, Liberty, Monticello, Morehead, Pikeville and Winchester. The first of these to be installed was the Monticello doughboy in January 1923; the last was in Jamestown 75 years ago today on Armistice Day, 1936.

Beyond being noted as Veterans Day in the U.S., November 11 has a symbolic meaning in our country and around the globe for on “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” in the year 1918, hostilities with Germany ended thus concluding “The Great War” (n/k/a World War I). In America, this date was celebrated for years as Armistice Day until after the conclusion of another great war – World War II – that the date became known simply as Veteran’s Day. In other countries, November 11 is referred to as Remembrance Day.

I am particularly fond of the original term Armistice Day because of its historic context. The young Americans in the early part of the twentieth century crossed the ocean to fight the Germans in an era when crossing the ocean wasn’t something you did for reasons other than immigration.

Whatever its name, it is a day to thank the men and women in uniform who have served our country. And though many people only recognize today as being a day when schools, banks and government offices are closed, it is because our soldiers fought that we can enjoy our freedoms today.

Livingston is a Trail Town … and it Can’t Hide the Pride

Marker at the old Livingston School which is being converted into a Visitor’s Center
after being closed nearly twenty years.

On one of my first jaunts, I visited the small Rockcastle County community of Livingston. Soon after, I found an article that validated my findings of Livingston as a once-vibrant, but long forgotten community. 

But Livingston has no hotel, no drug store or bank or any of these sundry establishments. There was a time when all these and more were present. Not one, but four hotels and numerous boarding houses catered to temporary residents. Not one, but two doctors tended human frailty. All that remain now are ghosts, faint echoes of a once-prosperous past when Livingston was a busy and exciting place to live. Livingston’s Main Street, at the heart of the town, is a place of padlocked doors and boarded windows, of burned and sagging buildings, of broken glass and rotting timbers and unswept dust. (Focus, Winter 1999)

It was a sad indictment, yet even then there remained both a marker and a sense that Livingston “Can’t Hide the Pride.” So I returned last month to find a completely different place, except one thing had not changed at all. The Pride. It is almost as if the people of Livingston sought to fulfill my hope from September 2009, that “this community will again one day have a source of pride.”

As it turns out, Livingston has become its own Phoenix. On June 25 of this year, Livingston was designated the second Trail Town in Kentucky. This designation marks a major milestone for any small community.

The Livingston School (top) is being converted into a Visitor’s Center (middle),
while new opportunities are opening up throughout town (bottom).

Earlier in the year, my brother and I traveled by bicycle along a portion of the Great Allegheny Passage in southwestern Pennsylvania. There, strong industry used to keep employment high. But that industry vanished famished long ago. Yet through a committed citizenry and a group of elected officials with a forward looking vision, small communities have been reborn through increases in adventure tourism. Cyclists, mountain bikers, rafters, tubers, and kayakers all abound. These tourists also stay in locally-owned bed and breakfasts and hotels and eat at locally-owned diners and restaurants. It brings vitality and outside dollars into a small town, rather than seeing money only as an export.

And now, Livingston can share in this success. The old Graded School is being or has been converted into the new permanent trailhead. Along the S. Wilderness Rd. one can find directions to a canoe launch, the Wilderness Road Trail, and the Sheltowee Trace Trail. I could not be happier for Livingston.

The trailhead at Livingston

I pray that Livingston thrives on its new designation; if you haven’t been, go!

And the story of Livingston is a story that can be and should be told over and over again throughout Kentucky. The tourism dollars that flow into Kentucky represent a new form of industry that Kentucky has long allowed to go elsewhere.

The beauty of Eastern Kentucky could easily be a tourist’s paradise rather than the victim of mountaintop removal. Communities along the old Big Sandy Railroad – Winchester, Mount Sterling, Olympia, Morehead, Olive Hill, and Grayson – each stand to gain so much if the proposed rail to trail along that old railroad line between Lexington and Ashland were completed. It is this kind of new economy which encourages locally owned business, historic preservation, and landscape preservation.

The costs are relatively low, but it takes a vision. And it takes leadership.

Lower Howard's Creek: A Story in Both Beauty and History

Pool in the Lower Howard’s Creek – Clark Co., Ky.

As we entered the Lower Howard’s Creek State Nature Preserve and Heritage Park, as adults visiting for the first time, we were taken aback by the beautiful sweeping views of the region’s agricultural landscape. As we gathered near an old dry stone limestone fence, we anticipate our three-hour hike.

Contrast out perspective with that of our guide: Clare Sipple, the Preserve Manager, has a professional and personal connection with this land. Her earliest memory of visiting the creek dates to age 3 – traversing the snow-covered creek banks on a horse-drawn sled. Her passion for Lower Howard’s Creek was evident through both the knowledge of an expert and the wonderment of a child.

Soon we descended the trail into the gorge formed by the creek. As we trekked, Sipple regaled us with detailed explanation of the many flora (several endangered) we encountered. Rare plants in the Preserve include water stitchwort, running buffalo clover, Kentucky viburnum, white walnut, and nodding rattlesnake-root. A second growth forest largely covers the LHC Preserve with approximately 400 different plant species growing under the canopy.

But this is not merely a State Nature Preserve filled with flora and fauna, it is also a Heritage Park that contains multiple structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Though described today as remote, one must examine LHC with the sense that it was once an industrial center for water-powered stone milling from the late 1700s until the mid-19th century.

Ceramic Shards and the Martin/Bush House

Martin/Bush House at Lower Howard’s Creek

Research conducted in 2002 examined the ceramic shards around the Martin House to find an unusually high concentration of refined earthenwares. Researchers concluded that “although secluded and isolated by today’s standards, the valley was at one time connected to a larger national and global economy through its position on the Kentucky River.”

The John and Rachel Martin House began as a log cabin in the 1780s, but two stone additions were added in the following decades to create a rather significant structure. Though the log cabin is lost to history, great effort is being made to preserve the stone remaining stone structure. And though the National Register of Historic Places (as well as the majority of documentation on the property) identifies the property as the “Martin House,” it may well be in error.

To understand this conundrum, local historian Harry Enoch provided me with several documents explaining the long standing confusion. Apparently, Clark County’s history contains no fewer than five John Martins. The John Martin associated with Lower Howard’s Creek owned a 250 acre farm here, but it was situated outside the bounds of what is now the Preserve. Enoch and Sipple both suggest that the stone house and nearby mill were those belonging to Jonathan Bush as the Bush family held title to the land and the elaborate tablet over the tomb box from Jonathan’s second wife, Diana Emerson Bush, was discovered near this significant stone house.

Whether Martin or Bush, the house and the nearby mill are both spectacular examples of stone construction in this remote corner of the world. The sheer size and grandeur of the structures seem to support the suggestion that the area was economically connected to the rest of the nation and world.

The Bush Mill

The old Bush Mill (clockwise from top: remains,
rendering from Patent No. 3, remains of chimney)

The Bush Mill is in such good condition that one can understand the workings of Oliver Evans’ automatic flour mill (U.S. Patent No. 3) from what remains. A dam, nearly a half mile upstream from the mill, diverts water down the gravity-fed mill race to a point some thirty feet above the mill. From the pooled water, a sluice transports the water to the twenty-foot mill wheel which then turns the numerous inner workings of the mill. Turned water then drains through a series of channels back into the creek. A significant portion of the corner fireplace in the mill’s interior, as well as the chimney, remain.

Throughout the Preserve, the limestone walls seemingly indigenous to Kentucky abound. Several have been rebuilt in the past decade through joint efforts with the Dry Stone Conservancy. Two parallel dry laid limestone walls create a wide path along what would have been part of the wilderness road linking Fort Boonesborough to the Blue Licks.

Murder at Hieronymous Place

The chimney at Hieronymous Place

Another interesting story was that of the triple murder at Hieronymous Place. Of the house, begun as a cabin in the early 19th century and added to through the years, only the chimney remains. The story of intrigue dates to January 3, 1939. The Lexington Herald reported “three men were shot to death late this afternoon during a bloody gun battle staged in a ramshackle three-room cabin on the side of a hill near the Kentucky river in Southern Clark county.” Apparently, one of the three (Sowers) “had been awful drunk since about Christmas Day.” So, naturally, Sowers and Robert Martin spent the afternoon finishing off three pints of whiskey before they started to argue. Sowers shot Robert Martin who escaped with only a buckshot wound to the face. Sampson Estepp, whose family lived in two of the three rooms of the cabin, heard the shot and went forward to investigate. He arrived to find a 12 gauge shotgun firing at him at point-blank range.

John Martin, who lived across the creek and is different than the other five John Martins mentioned above, rushed over to see what the commotion was about; he was instantly killed by Sowers. Finally, John Martin’s brother, Stanley, arrived. Seeing his brother dead on the floor must have sent him into a rage for the scene that followed would have appropriately fit into the song “Cell Block Tango” from the Broadway revival of Chicago. Stanley shot Sowers ten times with a .22 before bludgeoning Sowers head with the butt of not one, but two, shotguns. The force was such that neither shotgun was operable after the incident which the presiding judge described as “the bloodiest in Clark County history.” Unlike the ladies in the “Cell Block Tango,” the claims of self-defense and of temporary insanity were successful as the murder charges brought against Stanley Martin were ultimately dismissed.

Historic Marker for Capt. John
Holder near Hall’s on the River

In our three hours, I feel that we merely scratched the surface of the Preserve. There is so much history and so much beauty that you could easily explore Lower Howard’s Creek for days. One option of seeing the Preserve is to hike the publicly accessible John Holder Trail. This Trail opened in 2012 as a 3 mile loop with the trailhead at the parking lot of Hall’s on the River.

Most of the trails through the Preserve, including those which we traversed on our visit are accessible only on official tours which are conducted almost every Saturday on trails not connected with the John Holder Trail. For these guided treks, reservations are required and a $5 donation is suggested for those who are not members of the Friends of Lower Howard’s Creek. Information about these tours, and about the Preserve generally, are available at www.lowerhowardscreek.org.

Additional photographs are available here.

  This column originally appeared in a recent issue of Preservation Matters, 
a publication of the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Danville’s Willis Green House to be Auctioned … Saturday

Willis Green House – Danville, Ky. (Photo Source: Wilson Realty & Auction)

The Willis Green House in Danville, known as Waveland, will be the subject of an absolute auction this weekend (Saturday, June 8 @ 10:30 AM) (click here for auction flyer details). The property was listed in both 2009 and 2012 by The Blue Grass Trust on its Most Endangered Properties List.

Willis Green House – Danville, Ky. (Photo: email link)

The property was built in 1800 by Willis Green as part of a several hundred-acre farm. Green was an early settler of the Commonwealth having first arrived here as a surveyor in 1782. Green even represented Kentucky County in the Virginia Legislature. He and his wife, Sarah Reed, along with their 12 children, called Waveland home. It is said that the 1783 Green-Reed nuptials were “one of the first Christian marriages ever solemnized on Kentucky soil.”

Of the nine state constitutional conventions held in Danville, Green was a delegate at two. He was one of the original trustees of Transylvania Academy and was involved in the establishment of both Centre College (1819) and the Kentucky School for the Deaf (1822). From 1839-1845, Green served as a Whig in Congress as a representative from Kentucky.

It is a two-story, brick home in the Georgian style. Though vacant for decades and despite damage to windows, doors and a roof collapse, the interior woodwork – the product of Irish craftsmen from Philadelphia – remains intact and in good condition.

Those interested in the property may contact Barbara Hulette of Boyle Landmarks Trust, (859) 239-0038 or Bethany Rogers at the Heart of Danville, (859) 236-1990, with additional questions about the property.

Sources: The Blue Grass Trust, 2009; email; Herald-Leader; Wilson Realty

To be Saved, Anatok (an African-American and Religious Landmark) Needs Help TODAY

Anatok – Bardstown, Ky.
(Photo: Courier-Journal)

In 1847, Daniel Rudd was born in Nelson County, Kentucky at the home of his mother’s master, Charles Hayden. (Rudd’s father was the property of the Rudd family whose estate was nearby.)  This slave would go on to establish the American Catholic Tribune and found the National Black Catholic Congress.

The Tribune was “the only Catholic Journal owned and published by colored men.” The Congress, established in 1889, continues to this day with a mission of enriching the lives of African American Catholics.

Anatok, the mansion in which Rudd was born, is directly across from the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral. In 1808, the Diocese of Bardstown was established along with the Dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston (all carved out of the Baltimore Diocese). Later, the Diocese of Bardstown would be relocated to the more populous Louisville – but the importance of Catholicism is key to the history of this Kentucky region.

Daniel Rudd

Rudd’s slave parents were both custodians at the Proto-Cathedral and Catholicism was a key part of Rudd’s daily life – from cradle to grave.

But the mansion, Anatok, in which Rudd was born is facing possible demolition as the neighboring Bethlehem High School seeks to expand. Though preservationists were successful in obtaining a temporary injunction on demolition, the time is running out. Funds must be gathered today for matching funding so that preservationists can partner with the high school to adapt and reuse the mansion as educational space.

As noted in a press release by Preservation Kentucky, “if preserved, this historic site would be the only site directly associated with the rise of Black Catholicism in Bardstown – known as the cradle of Catholicism in the early 19th century on the Western Frontier.”

AFTERNOON UPDATE: Matching funds to a $125,000 grant have been achieved, so the total raised now has eclipsed $250,000. This is only half way to the finish line of $500,000! (Other contributions (in-kind, tax credit) also help toward the goal.)  The good news is that Bethlehem High School has extended the deadline to July 15 (date deconstruction of Anatok will begin) – if sufficient funds can be raised in the next 45 days, Anatok can be saved!

A JULY 8, 2013 UPDATE: Preservation groups have raised over $300,000, but plans appear to be moving forward toward the demolition of Anatok. [WFPL]

A JULY 30, 2013 UPDATE: A judge has reinstated the injunction preventing the demolition of Anatok. Stay tuned for more details!

Please contact Preservation Kentucky at [email protected] if you can help save this important piece of both Kentucky history.

In Memorium, Paintsville style.

World War I Memorial – Paintsville, Ky.

This Memorial Day, we remember those who have fallen in service to our country. Kentuckians have served nobly since the days of the Revolution and they continue to do so today.

World War I Memorial – Paintsville, Ky.

In county seats across Kentucky, memorials are dedicated to those who valiantly gave their lives to defend America. Many are simple markers or tableaus, while others are ornate works of art. I have always been particularly fond of the memorial to the World War I memorial on the Johnson County courthouse lawn in Paintsville.

Solemnly with love, honor and respect, do we hereby dedicate this memorial to the memory of the soldiers, sailors, marines and nurses who gave their lives in the cause of this great Nation. To them there is no death, they live forever in the memory of their glorious achievement.

 The beautiful memorial is unique – I have seen no other like it. Unfortunately, I can find little history on this gem. From a central column emerges the bust of an upward looking doughboy, holding a downward-pointing sword, which rests atop a simple Celtic cross. Perhaps the soldier is in prayer for his fallen comrades? Below, etched into the sides of a two tiered platform are the names of the battles from the Great War: Chateau Thierry. Argonne Forest. Belleau Wood. Soissons. St. Mihiel.

What was once the Great War has become the Forgotten War. On NPR’s Fresh Air, I heard an interview (listen here) this weekend of Richard Rubin, the author of The Last of the Doughboys. In the interview, Rubin was asked why World War I is largely forgotten from the American conscience. His response:

You know, that’s a very interesting question because once upon a time, that was not so. If you walk around with your eyes open, you’ll quickly discover that there are more monuments and memorials in this country to World War I than to any other war. But the war was also a terribly traumatic experience for this country. You have to remember that Americans were in that war for only about 19 months, and yet in that time, we lost 117,000 men. It was a terribly traumatic experience, and afterwards, America withdrew into itself. And then, of course, the Great Depression came along and World War II, and the Great War got pushed further back in our national consciousness.

May we never forget.

A Map Received with Gratitude: 1873 Colton Map is Unique

Colton’s Map of Kentucky (1873)

At least one colleague and friend discovered my interest in history through last week’s Herald-Leader article by Cheryl Truman. To my luck, the avid baseball fan and history buff had an 1873 map of Kentucky which he has graciously given to me. It originally belonged to his grandparents, and he knew I would appreciate it.

The 1873 map was published by G.W. and C.B. Colton & Co. of No. 172 William St., New York. I’ve reached out to noted New York bloggers and amateur historians, The Bowery Boys, to see what they knew about the cartographers or their locale in the early 1870s? So far, I got nothing. But a study of their website does reveal a picture from 1859 of William Street, which today runs from the foot of Brooklyn Bridge near Pace University downtown to Broad Street. 172 William, near the intersection with Beeker, is now predominated by Downtown Hospital. Here’s what it looked like a few years before the Coltons published by map from two blocks uptown:

NYC: William Street from Frankfort (via Bowery Boys)

I learned that J.H. Colton was an internationally recognized cartographer from 1831 to 1890. His two sons were brought into the fold in the early 1850s: George Woolworth Colton and Charles B. Colton.

G.W. and C.B. It looks like the two sons published the map which is seemingly unique. There are many Colton maps spanning multiple decades which combine Kentucky and Tennessee, but I’m not finding one of just Kentucky. Truly unique, at least per the University of Alabama’s historic map collection.

Do you have any information about this map?