NoDestination – Page 2 – The Kaintuckeean

Before the Vice-Presidency, Richard M. Johnson Started the Indian School at Great Crossing on his Scott County Farm

During tonight’s (April 19, 2013) Lexington Gallery Hop, the photography of Amy Palmer will be on display at the Susan Gilliam Gallery, 312 East High Street. Amy’s photography focuses on nature, equine and architecture, including the below photograph of the historic Indian School at Great Crossing. Visit her tonight!

Remaining Stone Dormitory from the Indian School at Great Crossing – Georgetown, Ky.
Photo: Amy Palmer (2013)

To the west of Georgetown, near the banks of the North Elkhorn Creek stands the stone remains of last remaining structure from the old Indian school established in 1825 by then-Colonel (later Vice President) Richard M. Johnson. The Indian School at Great Crossing, today referred to as the Choctaw Indian Academy had five buildings, four of which were constructed of stone; it is believed that this remaining building was a dormitory.

Roadside Historic Marker

Built into a hillside, the dormitory faces northwest. Built on three levels, the lowest level and main floor both have fireplaces and there is an ‘accessible’ upper third level to the three-bay.

As part of America’s attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American culture, the school was founded with federal assistance going to Col. Johnson to the sum of approximately $6,000 per annum – funding agreed to by a treaty between the Americans and the Choctaw Nation for the education of Choctaw children “at some point distant from the nation.” Although we look back at this era in American history with regret as it removed young Native Americans from both their lands and their traditions, the immediate reaction to the Academy was favorable as young Indians returned to their tribes educated in a trade.

When the Marquis de Lafayette visited the Bluegrass in the same year as the school opened, a large barbeque was held in his honor with an estimated 5,000 attending.

Dormitory, ca. 1972. Photo: Ann Bevins (NRHP File)

Attendance after just one year exceeded 100, including members of the Choctaw, Pottawatomie, Creek, and Chickasaw nations (as well as some local farm boys). An 1838 student log indicated that the Cherokee, Seminole, Prarieduchien, Chicaga, Miami, and Quapaw tribes were also represented at the Academy.

Ultimately, the school closed in 1843. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The black-and-white photo, taken by Ann B. Blevins and extracted from the National Register application, shows the condition of the property in 1972, when cattle freely roamed into the lower level while hay and farm tools were stored in the upper floors. A side-by-side comparison of the 1972 photo with Amy Palmer’s 2013 photo shows some significant structural decay during the intervening forty years.

The Kaintuckeean previously visited only the historic marker of this old Academy, not believing that anything could be found two miles from the marker. Now we know.

Mid-century foresight preserved Jessamine County’s Ebenezer Presbyterian Church

Ebenezer Presbyterian Church – Jessamine Co., Kentucky

According to the Christian Scriptures, “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, ‘The Lord helped us to this very point.'” 1 Samuel 7:12 (CEB). It was a moment where the people of Israel turned from disobedience and found restoration from God.

The name Ebenezer is found in words of the traditional hymn penned by Robert Robinson, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (1758):

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

And Charles Dickens adopted the name for a character in his 1843 novel, A Christmas Story. True to the tale from the Bible, Ebenezer Scrooge turned from his greedy, tight-fisted ways as he begged for the opportunity to re-embrace life.

But a historic church in Jessamine County, Kentucky, also shares the name Ebenezer. Older than Dickens, but more recent than the words of the hymnist is the Ebenezer Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. True to its name, Ebenezer Church was once abandoned and in great disrepair, but a group of individuals in the mid-1900s brought restoration to this old house of God.

Ebenezer Church & Cemetery

Ephraim January received from a young American government a land bounty of 1,000 acres. From this, he gifted in 1806 a small plat of land for the church and surrounding cemetery. By the time title to the land passed into the hands of the church, the stone church was already constructed. Orginally, the congregation met in a log meeting house since they were organized in the mid-1790s under the teaching of Lexington-based circuit rider Rev. Adam Rankin.

When Rankin formed Ebenezer, he had already begun a number of other Presbyterian congregations in central Kentucky, including Pisgah and Glenn’s Creek in Woodford County and Mount Zion (now First Presbyterian) in Fayette County. His earlier affiliations, however, were with the proper Presbyterian Church. And you will note above that Ebenezer was of the “Associate Reformed Presbyterian” variety.

The distinction is noted for Rankin had been removed from his posts within the Presbyterian church’s Transylvania Presbytery in 1792. The following year, Rankin began his ministry with the Associated Reformed church and soon thereafter founded Ebenezer. He would serve at Ebenezer until 1803. Rankin was a disagreeable fellow (in 1789, he rode by horseback from Kentucky to Philadelphia to plead against the use of Isaac Watts’ hymns like ‘Joy to the World’ in services) which undoubtedly led to his rift with the denomination.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1898 (15 years after abandonment)
Photo: History of Jess. Co., by B.H. Young.

After Rankin departed in 1803, the same year in which the stone church replaced the old log meeting house. Ebenezer’s new minister, Rev. Robert Bishop, served from 1803 to 1814. Bishop also served on the faculty of Transylvania University in Lexington. A feud, of sorts, erupted between Rankin and Bishop over the years which ultimately resulted in Bishop leaving Ebenezer and Rankin being permanently suspended from the ministry in the Associated Reformed church. In 1824, Rev. Bishop would go on to serve as the first president of Miami University in Ohio.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1910 (27 years after abandonment)
Photo: Published Sept. 2008 in H-L

A long series of itinerant ministers served Ebenezer until 1841 when Rev. Neal Gordon assumed leadership of the church until his death in 1870. Due to its remote location, the stone church then began to decline and was abandoned by 1883. After it was abandoned, the years took their effect on the old off-the-beaten-path church. The photos on the right show how years of abandonment took a great toll on this old church.

Ebenezer Church, ca. 1940 (57 years after abandonment)
Photo: Ebenezer Cemetery Assoc.

In 1922, the Ebenezer Cemetery Association was formed to care for, preserve, and maintain the church and grounds. At that time, the stone building had almost entirely collapsed. Wrote James Harvey Guyn, association president, in 1953: “[t]he walls had completely fallen, except for one corner. These were rebuilt, using the old stone, and a concrete floor was laid. A new roof, new pane glass windows, and wooden slat shutters were added, following the design of the old building as closely as possible.” Total cost to rebuild was $3,664.

According to the National Register of Historic Places application (listed in 1983), the Ebenezer Church is the “only surviving stone church in co[unty]; oldest religious structure in co[unty] dating from settlement period.” Today, the property is owned by the Ebenezer Cemetery Association. Once a year, the organization meets for its annual meeting in the historic church.

Additional photos of the Ebenezer Church and Cemetery can be found on flickr.

Sources: Bishop Biography; Ebenezer Cemetery Assoc.; NRHP (Ebenezer); NRHP (First Presbyterian);

Keene Springs Hotel A Refuge During Lexington’s 1849 Cholera Epidemic

Keene Springs Hotel – Keene, Ky.

During the cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1849, Lexingtonians feared the deadly disease. Five hundred souls perished out of a population of just 7,000. Many of the dead were buried by the now infamous King Solomon. While King Solomon can thank his alcohol-filled veins for keeping him alive during the epidemic, many of the survivors did so by leaving Lexington. But where did they go?

Wrote Bennett H. Young in his 1898 History of Jessamine County, Kentucky: “during the prevalence of cholera, in Lexington, about this time, a large number of people came to Keene and lived during the panic, occasioned by this disease in Lexington and surrounding towns.” They stayed in “a very nice hotel.”

Keene Springs, ca. 1868 (Source: KDL)

The Jessamine County community of Keene prospered during each of Lexington’s two epidemics, but it was during the second epidemic that the Keene Springs Hotel truly succeeded due in part to the 1848 discovery of the area’s “white sulphur water.” Declared by the dean of Transylvania’s Medical College, Dr. Robert Peter, as “incomparably the best medical water on this continent … eminently adapted to the cure of every species of Indigestion, Liver Complaint, Dropsy, Scrofula, Cutaneous Affections, Mercurial Diseases, a variety of Nervous Diseases and nearly all diseases that are usually denominated chronic.” Yes, the ails plaguing Lexingtonians could be cured by the medicinal springs in nearby Jessamine County. And while Kentucky boasts other natural mineral springs, none was quite as close to Lexington as Keene.

William Cleveland sold the resort hotel in 1841 to Mason Singleton, the grandson of the pioneer who first settled the community of Keene. Singleton retain Capt. G. L. Postlethwait to manage the facility which he greatly expanded with a ballroom and banquet hall. By 1857, however, Singleton was forced to sell the hotel. Alfred McTyre purchased the Keene Springs Hotel and operated it for a decade before he sold the hotel to Fielding S. Wilson. By this time, the resort’s popularity had waned. Though Wilson had a few occupants from time to time, operation was largely confined to a general store and, until liquor prohibited by local vote, a saloon. A general store continued to operate until the 1960s and the Wilson continues to own the building. Today, slow restorations are underway by a tenant operating a restaurant three days a week in this history locale.

More photos of the Keene Springs Hotel are available on flickr.

Sources: Bennett Young’s History; Jessamine Journal; National Register Application; RootsWeb

The County Fair and Deep Fried Snickers

My Deep Fried Snickers at the County Fair – Nicholasville, Ky.

On Monday evening, I went to the Jessamine County Fair. After setting up the Democratic party’s booth and registering a few voters, I strolled around the grounds a bit to see what was going on.

Jessamine County Fair

Haley Goen was crowned Miss Jessamine County. Tonight, Wednesday, we’ll find out who wins Jr. Miss and Little Miss Jessamine County. Apart from the glamour, livestock competitions, carnival rides, corn hole, truck and tractor pulls, and a greased pig competition will highlight some of the events taking place at the City County Park in Nicholasville.

But it isn’t only in Nicholasville. All summer long, across the state and the country, county fairs will occur with much the same offering. For many communities, these are the biggest social events of the year and are an exciting event. I’d highly recommend you check out your local county fair this year, or even venture to the grandaddy of them all: the state fair.

A first for me at the county fair was the deep fried Snickers bar. In appearance, it looks like a powdered-sugar covered corn dog, but the filling is a gooey mix of a Snickers bar wrapped inside funnel cake batter. Though the description isn’t much, it was quite tasty as all the components from the once frozen Snickers had come together into a hot (but not so hot as to scald my mouth) batter. And I’ve scheduled an appointment with my cardiologist for next week.

This Glorious Birthday of Our Freedom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

“When in the course of human events…” began that unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States, in Congress on July 4, 1776. We have, ever since, celebrated that date as being the birth date of our country (ignoring that the declaration was made on July 2, but recognizing instead its adoption on July 4).

Today’s celebrations are marked with parades, street fairs, and fireworks. Since 1777, Americans have recognized the importance of the holiday. The first such celebration in the West was in Jessamine County at the farm of Colonel William Price. Price, who had attained the rank of Major, preferred to be known as a Colonel likely due to his rank in the Kentucky militia.

Col. Price was present in October 1781 for the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and also saw action at the Battles of Brandywine, Monmouth, and Germantown.

In 1794, Colonel Price invited a number of his fellow patriots to his farm for a feast and memory of their struggle for freedom and independence. Forty attended this great event. What follows is a letter from Colonel Price to Governor Isaac Shelby recalling the event to which the Governor could not attend. The letter appears in Bennett Young’s 1898 A History Of Jessamine County, Kentucky:

Fayette county, Ky., July 5, 1794.
To His Excellency, Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky:

My Esteemed Friend — I was greatly disappointed by your not coming to my house on yesterday (July 4). We had a glorious time and a big dinner. Forty men sat down at my tables, who had served in the late struggle for our freedom and independence. It was a glorious sight to behold, and I wish King George III and Lord North could have witnessed the scene in the wilds of America. On the return of this glorious birthday of our freedom from British despotism, the heart of every patriot in the late struggle may rightfully pour its highest tribute to God and the great sages and soldiers who resolved to stake their lives and sacred honor in maintaining the Declaration of Independence. Throughout the limits of our country, from Massachusetts to Georgia, the hears of a free and happy people have been dedicated on yesterday to the contemplation of the great blessings achieved and bequeathed to us by such heroic leaders as George Washington, Israel Putnam and Nathaniel Greene. Such brave leaders took their lives in their hands, and liberty or death was inscribed on their hearts. God, in the plenitude of His beneficence, has generally chosen men qualified to resist kings and tyrants in their attacks on the rights of the people. The history of our mother country furnished full proof of this fact and our own glorious country in the late war for independence is a more brilliant illustration o the great truth that God hates all tyrants and despotic rulers, and sooner or later overthrows all such rascalsin causing the people to rise up and cut their heads off.

Truly thy old friend,
William Price

A truncated version of the events marks the location of this commemoration on State Historic Marker #201:

July 4, 1794, Col. William Price, veteran of the Revolutionary War, held the first celebration of Independence Day west of the Alleghenies. At his plantation, near here, forty veterans dined to commemorate the “glorious birthday of our freedom.”

Imagine the great time these veterans had with each having encountered different battles, different fronts. While some thought the war ended at Yorktown, the numbers included those who fought ten months later in the last major battle of the American Revolution which happened to occur in Kentucky: Blue Licks. Some suffered the frightful winter at Valley Forge and others were among Kentucky’s earliest settlers. Each contributed greatly to our Nation’s freedom and each reveled at Col. Price’s home on July 4, 1794. Then, as now, together we stand but divided we fall.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Scott County Pioneer Station Established in 1790 by Jesse James’ Ancestor

Lindsay’s Station Historic Marker – Stamping Ground, Ky.

About a mile north of Stamping Ground, at the junction of KY 227 and 368 stands a Kentucky historic roadside marker bearing information about an early Kentucky settlement established along a buffalo trace near Lecompte Run in 1790. It was there, in three log cabins and a stockade to hold livestock, that Anthony Lindsay created a small settlement and from where he would grow to be a successful farmer in his day. Prior to his settlement, he was a veteran of the French & Indian War and a Revolutionary War Patriot.

Historic marker #218 reads:

Anthony Lindsay chose this site for his station, built about 1790. lt was located near Lecompte’s Run, a branch of the Elkhorn named for Charles Lecompte, who was here with William McConnell and others in 1775. The station was on old buffalo trace, leading north to Ohio River, and was a regular stop for travelers and traders. Lindsay’s grave is 100 yds. north.

The graves, while not visible form the road, are within a fenced thicket. [*] Lindsay’s Station was not among the first or the most significant of Kentucky’s early settlements, but at each early pioneers and settlers struggled with the elements and the reality of clearing land, planting crops, and risking the threat of Indian attack. Their contributions to Kentucky cannot be discounted.

Neither can this footnote in history: certain of Anthony Lindsay’s descendants moved on to Missouri and his great-grandson, Jesse Woodson James, was one of the most notorious outlaws in American history. Another side note: this isn’t the first time we’ve encountered a Jesse James ancestor in the Commonwealth.

Jalapeño Beer at Country Boy Brewing

Country Boy Brewing – Lexington, Ky.

At first, I was a little skeptical at the concept. Gimmicky? Perhaps. Worthy of trying? Absolutely.

It took me a while to make it down to Lexington’s Chair Avenue to explore and taste the brews of Country Boy Brewing Company, one of the several microbrews to open and be embraced by Lexington within the past year. Since I first learned of Country Boy, I wanted to taste their Jalapeño brew. On the day I visited, they had two of their twenty-four taps featuring the mighty jalapeño.

The Jalapeño Smoked Porter is spicy, but pleasantly so. Even better for my palate was the Jalapeño Smoked Porter XXX which was slightly mellower on the Scoville scale thanks to a some aging in bourbon barrels. With either, however, I’m not sure how I’d make it through an entire pint (having some food from a nearby greasy spoon would probably do the drink, but jalapeño beer really ought to be coupled with some food). Though no food is served at Country Boy, they welcome outside food. And Tolly-Ho is really close!

Even without food, the $1 sampling glasses allowed me a flight of five of Country Boy’s delicious and unique brews. My other three tastes were of the English Brown Ale (Brown Chicken/Brown Cow, on nitro at 4.8%), the incredibly unique Schnickelfritz Spruce (a 5.7% beer brewed with fresh spruce tips), and the Cliff Jumper IPA. All brewed in house and all quite tasty, but it is the willingness to experiment outside-the-box (jalapeños, spruce tips) that sets Country Boy Brewing apart.

As for location, it certainly is different than Lexington’s other newly opened watering holes. Lexington Beerworks occupies a historic North Limestone structure and West Sixth Brewing has transformed the old Rainbo bread building. On the other hand, Country Boy’s taproom and brewery are located in a nondescript, modern industrial building of concrete block and corrugated sheet metal. If blue laws were different, this plain building could be lifted and relocated to any of the smaller towns surrounding Lexington and fit in perfectly. I wouldn’t object if their taproom did just that.

Inside, Country Boy delivers on its name with a homey, relaxed experience. There is no pretense here. Just good beer and good times.

Hatfield & McCoy History Still Alive in Pike County

McCoy House – Pikeville, Ky.

The History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys miniseries has brought renewed national attention to the deadly family feud that embroiled the Tug River valley for much of the nineteenth century. The Hatfield clan of West Virginia had a long-standing dispute with Kentucky’s McCoy family that included numerous deaths in both genealogies from 1865 to 1890.

During the New Year’s Night Massacre in 1888, the Hatfields rode to and torched the McCoy home on Blackberry Creek. Two of the McCoy children were injured, but the McCoy patriarch (Randolph, aka Randall) and his wife Sarah (aka Sally) escaped.

McCoy House Historic Marker
Pikeville, Ky.

The governors of Kentucky and West Virginia had urged the families to distance themselves from one another, and the New Year’s Night loss was enough to push Randall and Sally to Pikeville. There, the McCoys purchased a house at the corner of Main Street and Scott Avenue and Randall operated a ferry at the near crossing of the Big Sandy River.

Sally died first, date unknown. Randall lived until 1914 and both are buried in Pikeville’s Dils Cemetery along with other members of the McCoy family.

Pikeville’s and Pike County’s Hatfield-McCoy history lives with a number of other sites and markers; it is well worth the trek into history.

Source: C-J; Hatfield-McCoy Driving Tour Brochure

Forged by Fire: Ashland’s Calvary Church

Calvary Episcopal Church –
Ashland, Ky.

Thomas Underwood Dudley, the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, emphasized growth among the Episcopal church among the populations in eastern Kentucky and among African Americans. Despite the segregationist views prevalent in his day (and his own background as a Confederate veteran), Bishop Dudley sought an integrated church: “God hath made of one blood all nations of men.”

Efforts to grow the Episcopal Church in eastern Kentucky included the first recorded service in Ashland being presided by Bishop Dudley on February 2, 1885. From that service, a mission was formed in the diocese and from this group grew the Calvary Church. In March 1887, the Rev. W. H Hampton was called as the first minister of the parish. On September 8, 1888, Bishop Dudley laid the cornerstone and Rev. Hampton preached the first sermon in the Calvary Church which opened on Easter Sunday, 1889 for a congregation of 300. Architectural notes are limited, but this structure was described as an “eclectic brick and shingle” church.

Growth continued in the Ashland church and throughout the diocese, which as divided in 1896 with the Ashland church joining the newly formed Diocese of Lexington. Several transitions occurred during this diocesan split including the transfer of the Ashland School for Girls to Versailles where it became the Margaret Hall Church School for Girls. Disappointed at losing the school, the parish rector also departed in May 1898.

On July 3, 1898, Calvary’s first rector – W. H. Hampton – returned from Ironton, Ohio to administer the Holy Communion. Eight days later, the darkest days in the church’s hour came when the church was destroyed by fire. Only a few furnishings were salvageable.

Remarkably, a new cornerstone was laid ten days later. In June 1903, the new church was dedicated by the Bishop Burton of the Lexington Diocese. The building, a brick and stone Gothic structure, dominates its corner at Winchester Avenue and 14th Street. With its three story tower, stonework, battlements, and lancet window, the church building is traditionally Episcopalian.

A brick parish hall was built immediately to the sanctuary’s northwest after a 1979 fire caused $1 million in damage to a building donated to the church in 1975. Another fire struck the church in 1982. Despite its setbacks, the church remains strong as it searches for its new rector.

“It is a beautiful church, inhabited by a charming and cultured people and set in the midst of delightful surroundings.”
-H. P. Almon Abbott (1938)

Sources: Calvary Church; EpiscopalKY; Fiftieth Anniversary Church History (1938); Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory; NRHP Application (Ashland Commercial Historic District) Sunday Independent (11/16/1987). Special thanks to Marty Perry of the Kentucky Heritage Council and Lisa Pullem, the Convenor of Calvary’s Rector Search Committee, for their assistance in gathering the research for this post.

Tornado Hits West Liberty, Kentucky: Before & After

Aerial from WKYT-TV

In 62 years, Morgan County experienced three tornados. But in the past three days, the same county has experienced two. * The tornadoes have been absolutely devastating with incredible property damage and, more importantly, loss of life. My heart aches as I lift up my prayers for all of those who were affected in West Liberty and beyond.

I was fortunate enough to visit West Liberty during the summer of 2011 and see part of this beautiful eastern Kentucky town. Following my visit, I profiled the Judge John E. Cooper House which was built in 1872/73 as well as the Millstone Monument on the Courthouse Lawn. Nate has also profiled the Morgan County Courthouse (1907).

For Jake of PageOneKentucky, it is particularly personal as he is a native of West Liberty. His immediate impression this morning, on the ground:

Is that it’s not just a few roofs ripped off. Telecommunications infrastructure is dead at the moment. There are maybe two buildings in town that are structurally sound. The rest are gone or just a few walls remain. Funeral homes are gone. Most pharmacies and stores are gone. Gas stations demolished. Flooding is separating part of the town. The hospital was severely damaged. Schools damaged.

We echo Jake’s plea: If you have a dollar, DONATE IT HERE (RED CROSS).

For perspective, I’ve pulled some photographs that I took last summer with those now available.

West Liberty United Methodist Church

West Liberty United Methodist Church (July 2011)

West Liberty United Methodist Church (March 2, 2012)
Photo: Kristen Kennedy, WKYT-TV. Used with permission.

Kentucky Leadership assesses West Liberty, KY

West Liberty United Methodist Church (March 3, 2012)
Photo: Ky. Nat’l Guard Public Affairs Office

Main Street – West Liberty
For perspective, look the awnings of the building at the far-left of each photo.

Main Street – West Liberty, Ky. (July 2011)

Main Street – West Liberty, Ky. (March 3, 2011)
Photo: Jason Coffee, from pageonekentucky

World War I Memorial
On the lawn of the old courthouse stood a WWI soldier as a memorial to those brave men who served their country during the Great War. As you can see, only the base remains.

Morgan Co. World War I Memorial (July 2011)

Gov. Beshear Viewing Damage; WWI Memorial at right
Photo: Ky. Nat’l Guard Public Affairs Office

Old Courthouse

The old courthouse was built in 1907 and its listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new judicial center (condition below) has been under construction immediately behind this building. Early reports were that this building was flattened – clearly not accurate – but it is uncertain whether the damage sustained will warrant demolition or whether it can be saved. It is clear, by comparing Nate’s picture (#2) with the after-storm photo that the beautiful cupola is gone. In discussing the damage with Nate, we agreed that Morgan County’s was one of the most beautiful courthouses in eastern Kentucky.

Morgan County Courthouse - West Liberty - Ky.

Old Courthouse – West Liberty, Ky. (July 2011)

Old Morgan County Courthouse with Cupola
Photo: Nate Kissel

Old Courthouse (March 3, 2012)
Photo: Ky Nat’l Guard Public Affairs Office

New Judicial Center
Not yet complete, the new judicial center appears to have sustained a lot of damage.

New Judicial Center (July 2011)

Aerial Photo of Tornado Damage – West Liberty, Ky.
TV Screenshot of WKYT-TV Skyfirst (March 3, 2012)

All of my Morgan County photos are available on flickr.