NoDestination – Page 3 – The Kaintuckeean

Historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport Regains Status

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Newport, Ky.

In his final years, Colonel James Taylor donated a piece of land for the establishment of a church near the courthouse square in Newport, Kentucky. Taylor brought the first settlers in 1793 to the southeastern point of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio Rivers. By 1795, Newport was incorporated.

On the land donated by Taylor was a 30 x 40 foot brick structure that had been used by the Methodist Church, but they had already moved on to a larger structure. It was here that on Easter Sunday, 1844, that the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church first held services. Services were led by the then-rector of Cincinnati, Rev. Nicholas Hamner Cobbs. Also of note is that St. Paul’s was the first Episcopal church in the United States to have a vested choir.

The old Methodist meeting house was purchased later in 1844 for the sum of $500. In 1845, the church was admitted into the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky and was transferred to the Diocese of Lexington when the new diocese was formed in 1896. At that time, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church congregation was the largest in the newly formed diocese.

Postcard of Campbell County Courthouse Square and
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Courtesy: NKyViews)

In 1871, the Methodist meeting house was demolished and on the same site the cornerstone was laid for the present Gothic Revival church building. It was designed by J. R. Neff and was completed – well over budget – in August 1873. A parish house was added in 1929.

The Gothic Revival church is quite impressive. Its tall steeple, unlike the majority which are either pre-made or constructed with panels, was built stone-by-stone. The Gothic elements embody the popular Anglican architectural style prevalent in the 19th century: side entrance tower, buttresses, tri-window arrangement on the front and usage of the lancet window. In truth, the style has come to represent a “traditional look” for churches in America.

Historic Marker “St. Paul’s Church”

About forty years ago, St. Paul’s found itself unable to be self-sustaining due to dropping attendance and offerings. As a result, the diocese dropped St. Paul’s designation from parish to mission. Though once the largest parish in the diocese, St. Paul’s was relegated to a diminished status. But the faithful people of the mission were steadfast. Since the installation of a new rector in 2004, St. Paul’s has seen tremendous growth and only recently regained its status as a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.

Those who have worshipped here included Taylor and his family, Rep. Brent Spence, and Henry Stanberry who represented President Andrew Johnson during his impeachment trial.

Sources: Cinncinnati.com; Cinn. Dly Cmlth (Taylor St. Meth.); Ky. Enc.; N. Ky. Enc.; N. Ky. Views; NRHP

Paintsville Post Office, circa 1931, is the ultimate in adaptive reuse

The Old Post Office – Paintsville, Ky.

If you walk down Paintsville’s Second Street, you can not help but notice the seven-bay Colonial Revival post office at the intersection with College Street. The impressive building, its front door at the building’s center, dates to 1931. One of Paintsville’s oldest commercial structures, the old post office features a brick and concrete parapet with balustrade below the Mansard roof. It was built two years after the start of the depression-era and three years before the Works Progress Administration started bringing jobs and construction to communities across the country. And although many WPA projects occurred in Paintsville, but the post office predated them all.

Inside, the old post office featured many luxurious features which must have been quite foreign to both rural Paintsville and the Depression period. Terra cotta floors, pink granite walls, and marble baseboards all would have been evidence in the early 1930s of a federal government attempting to show strength and power despite the weakening economy. The year after ground broke on this post office, President Roosevelt would be swept into office and in his first 100 days, the New Deal.

Outside the post office, nearer the corner of Second and College streets, is a blue mailbox. It is the only part of the property still in use by the federal government. For the house is an amazing tale of adaptive use since its conversion to residential use several years ago. The house has been featured in This Old House and on NPR’s All Things Considered.

One can easily see the changes done to the old Paintsville post office by comparing the original floor plan of the main building’s first floor with the adaptive reuse floor plan:

Original Floor plan (Courtesy: Kentucky Heritage Council)

Adaptive Reuse Floor plan (Illustration: Michael Luppino)

On the building’s rear, a mailing vestibule and mailing platform has been converted into a gardening room, sunroom, and verandah.

The postmaster’s office, with its pebble-glass door and stenciled Postmaster, remains as the owner’s home office. The old money order office, a dining room; its safe, silver. Originally divided between a public front and a large mail sorting facility, the owner has redesigned the interior while incorporating original design features to create a usable living space. A number of interior photographs are available on the This Old House website.

Sources: Hooked on Houses; Kentucky Heritage Council; NRHP; NPR; This Old House

Impressions of Martin County, Kentucky

Martin County Courthouse – Inez, Ky.

Without a doubt, Kentuckians are proud of our freedoms, our nation, and our flag. But I was immediately struck by a different form of patriotism when I entered Martin County: I was immediately taken by the number of Confederate flags flying on and in front of Martin County homes.

To many, the Confederate flag is nothing more than a racist symbol of hatred. For others, however, it is a cultural and historic reference to ancestors who fought and lost their right to independence. While I am sure there are some Martin countians who wave the Confederate banner for the former reason, I am confident that the vast majority do so for the latter. The people of Martin County I know and those I encountered while in Inez were and are all warm-hearted and willing to extend a friendly greeting to a non-native.

This, however, is truer throughout Appalachia and rural Kentucky than it is in any urban setting. And some high-profile visitors received in Inez have given her residents opportunity to exercise this hospitality.

Streetscape – Inez, Ky.

At roughly 35%, Martin County has among the nation’s highest poverty rates, though it is fifth among Kentucky counties. Martin County and its seat, Inez, became the face of poverty in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson and his wife visited. In fact, it was on the front porch of of Tommy Fletcher’s shack that President Johnson declared “war on poverty.” A coal boom in the 1970s brought jobs and a degree of prosperity to the region, but many of those jobs have been lost and coal seams exhausted. Presidential candidate John McCain returned in 2008 to Inez, which he described as one of America’s “forgotten places.” As part of his 2008 presidential campaign, John Edwards also visited Martin County to highlight his perspective on “two Americas.”

I did not stop along the rural highways of Martin to stop and photograph the scenery. I wish that I had. Even with the negative environmental impacts caused by surface mining and mountaintop removal, reclamation efforts and untouched land leave behind spectacular vistas and images of quintessential Kentucky. It is no wonder then that until 1874, Inez was called Eden. Or that two of Martin County’s other hamlets are named Lovely and Beauty.

I would love to return to Martin County. There is great history in the small communities of Warfield and Beauty. The questions though are how? and why? The road to Inez is certainly one that is, excepting the regular supply of coal trucks, less traveled. To arrive in Inez or in Martin County, one must make it their destination. I plan to do so again.

Sources: CNHI; Daily Yonder; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

NoD: Sen. Kathy Stein now represents these eight counties

Montgomery County stream – east of Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Late last week, the governor signed the state’s new redistricting law (HB1) into effect which redrew the boundaries of state legislative districts. In a highly political process, many were directly affected. Politicos and pundits have had much to say, with the most contentious move being the transfer of Lexington’s 13th Senate District to nor’eastern Kentucky taking with it Senator Kathy Stein. Lexington has gone all a’twitter and the folk at Barefoot & Progressive have led the charge. But this post isn’t about politics.

(UPDATE 2-24-2012): The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that HB1 was unconstitutional and, as a result, this won’t be Kathy’s new district. She shall continue to repesent the people of Lexington. But keep reading about eight of our wonderful Kentucky counties!

While the Herald-Leader took the opportunity to introduce Lexington its new state senator who lives two-and-one-half hours away in Henderson, no one appears to have yet offered Sen. Stein a tour of her new, very rural district. Having formerly represented a small, compact, urban district, Stein now has a lot of acreage to cover in representing her new constituents in Bath, Fleming, Harrison, Lewis, Mason, Montgomery, Nicholas, and Robertson counties. Off to the new 13th…

Maysville, Ky.

Mason County. Kathy may be most accustomed to Maysville (Mason County) which is the district’s largest city, though it still has fewer than 10,000 people. It was here that Rosemary Clooney started her career. In the small hamlet of Minerva, Kathy will find the birthplace of Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reed. As an attorney and ACLU member, Senator Stein will be interested to know that the Justice grew up in a house that was on the underground railroad all of which may have influenced his laying the groundwork for voting rights and ending racial desegregation in Smith v. Allwright.

Montgomery County. On Comment last Friday evening, Joe Gerth of the Courier-Journal noted that though Senator Stein was staying in Lexington, her temptation would be a relocation to Mount Sterling. With convenient access to Lexington via Interstate 64, Montgomery County offers beautiful rural scenes. Mount Sterling’s downtown features excellent examples of historic preservation and its annual Court Days festival is renowned.

Bath County. Getting to Owingsville is challenging, but well worth the effort. The people I encountered were all friendly and all well-informed about their community. The old jail was built in the late 1800s and is almost a miniature of the county courthouse. Quite unique! Civil War heritage is present, but the historical prize is the Owings House which ties political intrigue, fine architectural, royal guests, and a remembrance of the Alamo!

Fleming County. A look at our map shows that I haven’t yet ventured to Flemingsburg, but I can assure Senator Stein that there is something to see here! After all, Fleming County is the covered bridge capital of Kentucky!

Harrison County. When Senator Stein ventures into Cynthiana, she’ll see welcome signage to “a town as beautiful as its name.” Behind the courthouse is a log-house in which Henry Clay defended an accused murderer; at the close of the trial, Clay had given such an impassioned plea that the accused’s wife planted a big kiss on the great orator’s lips.

AA Highway

Lewis County. The only courthouse lawn memorial to a Union soldier south of the Mason-Dixon line can be found here, in Vanceburg. It is a fine town with a great recognition of its history – more can be learned at the visitor’s center which is located in the restored home in Rep. George Morgan Thomas, a Republican who also received numerous appointments from Presidents Garfield and McKinley.

Nicholas County. A well-known landmark in the county seat of Carlisle is the Doll and Toy Museum. And Nicholas County had no greater ambassador than her native son, the late Gatewood Galbraith.

Robertson County. Without a doubt, Mount Olivet is the most different from downtown Lexington. But it does have its own sense of charm … and its own golf driving range. Robertson County, in terms of both population and square acreage, is Kentucky’s smallest. In history, the Johnson County Covered Bridge reminds of bygone times and the Blue Licks Battlefield State Park and Nature Preserve is a contemplative place that recalls a great incident from the French & Indian War.

NoD: Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Somerset

Below is a modified rerun of a 2010 post about my experience walking in Somerset’s annual March to Remember Dr. King. This year, I won’t be able to take off and explore and march. Across Kentucky – in small towns and large – we gather to pay homage to a great American who taught us so much.

Somerset, Kentucky

I celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Day 2010 by hopping in the car and driving to see more of Kentucky. As I drove into Somerset along Highway 80, I couldn’t help but notice the flashing lights of a police car and a crowd of about sixty persons gathering in front of the old courthouse. I got out of the car and joined the group in prayer. A short march through downtown followed and I was immediately welcomed into this diverse crowd which was marching to remember the legacy of the slain civil rights leader. One of the marchers, Richard (below), invited me to join them for a meal which followed this annual walk. Unfortunately, I wanted to drive more and I declined the offer. I wish I had taken the opportunity to sit down and talk and learn.

Richard

The prayer in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse reminded me of another prayer I shared with a diverse crowd the year before on January 20, 2009. Then, we were led by Rev. Rick Warren. He asked that we all join him in praying the Lord’s Prayer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

There, on Washington’s Pennsylvania Avenue – surrounded by people various ages, races and backgrounds – so many voices prayed the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father, who art in Heaven… On that day, just over a year ago, it was truly about We the People.

I thought of this experience while I was in Somerset. Somerset is a small southern town located in a county and in an area sympathetic to the Confederacy. Memorials here speak to the Confederate “Southern Manhood” and “Glorious Immortality.”

History and memorials aside, Pulaski Countians know and recognize the import and legacy of Dr. King. Together, they walked and sang and remembered and lived his Dream. We sang and hummed “We shall overcome.”

Richard thought I was with the local paper. He wanted his picture taken; he had always wanted to be in the paper. I told him I wasn’t with the paper, but that I’d make sure his photo got published on a blog. If you know Richard, make sure he sees this! The local paper did, however, post this article about the march.

NoD: Fort Vancouver was Short-Lived Settlement at what is present day Louisa

Vancouver’s Fort Monument – Louisa, Ky.

Seven hundred feet east of the Lawrence County courthouse lawn was established in 1789 the “first settlement in this section.” Called Vancouver’s Fort (or the Big Sandy Blockhouse), the establishment survived only a year. It would take two more attempts before the lands could be permanently settled in what would become Louisa.

One of Vancouver’s Land Grants

Charles Vancouver, originally of London, England, acquired two land grants for a combined 15,000 acres along the Big Big Sandy River where the Tug and Levisa forks meet. At the time, this “section” was the easternmost reaches of Fayette County, Virginia – part of Virginia’s Kentucky District. The lands are reputed to have been surveyed by George Washington himself. With his grants, Vancouver sought to secure the men necessary to establish a fort through advertisements in the Kentucky Gazette. Little record of Fort Vancouver existed for several years after the advertisements ceased.

Then in 1838, the sworn story of John Hanks was taken and recorded for posterity providing a record for what happened to Vancouver’s Fort. As quoted in Judge Charles Kerr’s History of Kentucky:

I was employed by Charles Vancouver in the month of February, 1789, along with several other men, to go to the forks of Big Sandy River, for the purpose of settling, clearing and improving the Vancouver tract, situated on the point formed by the junction of the Tug and Levisa Forks, and near where the town of Louisa now stands. In March, 1789, shortly after Vancouver and his men settled on said point, the Indians stole all their horses but one, which they killed. We all, about ten in number, except three or four of Vancouver’s men, remained there during the year, and left the next March, except three or four men to hold possession. But they were driven off in April, 1790, by the Indians. Vancouver went East in May, 1789, for a stock of goods, and returned in the fall of the same year. We had to go to the mouth of the Kanawha River, a distance of eightyseven miles, for corn, and no one was settled near us, probably the nearest was a fort about thirty or forty miles away, and this was built maybe early in 1790. The fort we built consisted of three cabins and some pens made of logs, like corn cribs, and reaching from one cabin to the other.

We raised some vegetables and deadened several acres of ground, say about eighteen, on the point, but the horses being stolen, we were unable to raise a crop.

(Signed) John Hanks.

Survey of Vancouver Land Grant

The Fort Vancouver blockhouse survived but a year, suffering from both Indian raids and the difficulties of farming. The settlement was replaced a few years later by another short-lived settlement called Balclutha. A Philadelphian, Frederick Moore, laid out a town at the confluence of the Tug and Levisa forks in 1815. By 1818, the community was deemed “substantial”and would become the seat of the newly formed Lawrence County in 1822.

Sources: Kentucky Encyclopedia; Kentucky’s Last Frontier; Kerr’s History of Kentucky; KY Secretary of State

NoD: Odd Fellows Still Active in Paintsville

Lodge #288 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows – Paintsville, Ky.

Following the Civil War and until FDR’s New Deal, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows grew in numbers during an era known as the “Golden Age of Fraternalism.” Over time, however, these numbers withered away. Today, Freemasonry is the best known of the active, classic fraternal orders, but the Odd Fellows were at one time, the largest fraternity in the world. The organization is based on the three principles of Friendship, Love and Truth symbolized always by three interlocking rings. This symbol is visible on the headstones of deceased Odd Fellows and on the IOOF lodges.

Across America, beautiful lodges were constructed in large cities and small towns alike during the heyday of IOOF fraternalism. We’ve already profiled the beautiful lodge in Lexington that was designed by Cincinnatus Shryock – a lodge that closed many years ago. And though the presence of the Odd Fellow has waned from central Kentucky, it remains present in a few pockets of the Commonwealth.

According to the IOOF.org website, only five lodges remain active in the Commonwealth fulfilling the mission of the organization. These five lodges are, in addition to the pictured Paintsville lodge, located in Frankfort, Madisonville, Inez, and Bowling Green. (An internet search also reveals an active lodge in Pikeville.) The Odd Fellow’s traditional mission is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan,” though the organization’s role in the community has shifted over the years as needs vary.

Thomas Wildey brought the organization across the pond from Britain in 1819, but its name “odd fellow” is more uncertain. Some believe their desire to aide the downtrodden made them “odd,” but a more likely version finds tradesman organizing in various trade guilds. Those with insufficient number to organize could come together as “common laboring men” to “associate themselves together and form a fraternity for social unity and fellowship and for mutual help.” This was unique for the times, and so the men were known to be “odd.” The name stuck. Today, the Odd Fellow valediction echoes the mission:

I AM AN ODD FELLOW: I believe in the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of man. I believe in Friendship, Love and Truth as basic guides to the ultimate destiny of all mankind.I believe my home, my church or temple, my lodge, and my community deserve my best work, my modest pride, my earnest faith, and my deepest loyalty, as I perform my duty “to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan” and as I work with others to build a better world, because, in spirit and in truth, I am and must always be, grateful to my Creator, faithful to my country and fraternal to my fellow-man; I AM AN ODD FELLOW!

Of the Paintsville Lodge specifically, I can find little information, though genealogical records online do record attorneys, the local postmaster, and local businessmen as members. As for the present, the bench bearing the “Odd Fellows” name – immediately across from the old Johnson County Courthouse – caught my eye because I recognized just how much rarer today is the Odd Fellow.

Sources: Freemasons for Dummies; IOOF; Wikipedia

NoD: Louisa’s Wellman Hardware Epitomizes Victorian Architecture of Small Kentucky County Seat

Wellman Hardware – Louisa, Ky.

“Since 1879 because of you” reads the sign in front of the Wellman Hardware Store in the Louisa Commercial Historic District, though the Lawrence County business has been in different hands over its 130-plus year history.

The store was established by Augustus and Thomas Snyder. Thomas had arrived in Louisa in 1872 earning his keep primarily blacksmith shop but also engaging in general merchandise. The younger Augustus followed in 1876 from the family home in Barboursville, West Virginia and began to learn the blacksmithing trade from his elder brother. In 1879, they began to operate a hardware store which was finally incorporated some twenty years later. Both of the Snyder brothers became active in local civic and business activities, with Augustus Snyder spending a number of years as Louisa’s progressive mayor. During his term, Louisa was much improved with the paving of its streets and other public improvements.

Wellman Hardware – Louisa, Ky.

The hardware store, sold to E.E. Shannon around the turn of the century, remains in one of Louisa’s oldest commercial buildings and remains its oldest operating business. In 1919, Shannon sold the store to Lafe Wellman who renamed the now-Wellman Hardware Store. The exterior of this National Register-building has remained the same (sans a couple of additions not affecting the Main Street frontage), its original trim still present; the interior, however, assumed that of a modern hardware-store in the late 1980s.

The National Register form describes the building’s “salient features of original wood-framed storefronts, prominent ornamental metal molds at the second-story windows, and a pressed metal modillion cornice” to aptly conclude that “the building epitomizes the Victorian commercial architecture of a small county seat in Kentucky.”

Sources: Connelley’s History of Kentucky; Daily Independent; NRHP

NoD: Union Mill Bridge Down for the Count


An Overgrown Union Mill Bridge; Photo by George W. Dean		Site of the old Union Mill Bridge; December 2011

In 1915, raging flood waters took from the Jessamine County community of Union Mill its covered bridge. The bridge connected the two sides of this community and provided a link between Nicholasville and the Valley View Ferry. Almost immediately, the Jessamine Fiscal Court awarded the contract for construction of a replacement bridge to Lexington’s Empire Bridge Company. The new bridge was to be of steel truss at a price was $2,697.

Spring 2010;
Photo by George W. Dean

About forty years later, the 1915 bridge was abandoned when the road was rerouted slightly downstream. For over fifty years, the abandoned bridge experienced rising and receding waters as well as an annual vegetation that nearly hid the bridge itself. But the years took its toll. Photos by Magistrate George W. Dean reveals only 2 1/2 feet of bridge above the water leaving an entire “roadbed” submerged for several days during the floods in the spring of 2010 (see photo at left).

Following the 2010 spring floods, local authorities discussed what could be done to restore and preserve this nearly century-old Jessamine County landmark. Any repair, however, would only prove to be a short-term fix. So costs and the lack of potential reuse left leadership with tied hands. With a new bridge over Little Hickman Creek just yards downstream, safety could not be ignored.

As a result, the last weekend in November 2011, witnessed the removal of that old truss bridge which had spanned the Little Hickman Creek for nearly a century.

Sources: George W. Dean emails; Jonathan Parrish emails; Municipal Journal

NoD: UK Art Museum Can “See Blue”

Gallery at the UK Art Museum – Lexington, Ky.

If you are in any way affiliated or connected to the University of Kentucky, you are aware of their “see blue” campaign. Even if your only connection to UK is watching basketball games, you have undoubtedly seen the commercial which morphs the school, the city and the world blue. Well, in the words of Oscar Wilde, we are seeing “art imitate life” through an exhibit at the University of Kentucky Art Museum at the Singletary Center.

Through January 22, works from UK’s permanent collection have been turned into an exhibit centered on (you guessed it) blue. It has been many years since I last ventured into the UK Art Museum which is tucked in a corner of the Singletary Center for the Arts, but I recently ventured in for a holiday party.

Because of its hidden location, few know about the UK Art Museum. Even so, it has been part of the Singletary Center since the SCFA opened in 1979. (Note: The Singletary name was not applied until the late 1980s.) Over the past ten years, it has often been discussed that the Art Museum should take a more prominent role as a local attraction. Years ago, a move to the old courthouse on Main Street was contemplated.

Portrait of Daniel Boone
by John Wesley

The “See Blue”special collection contained a few great pieces that caught my eye. First and foremost is John Wesley’s Portrait of Daniel Boone, a 1962 modern twist on the 1852 famous engraving of Kentucky’s frontiersman. Wesley’s interpretation looked toward the legend of Boone, which he found to be an “outsized… one-dimensional caricature, a flat depiction drained of color.”

Wesley, born in California, is typically genred in the “pop art” category and is is best known for his appropriation of cartoons like Blondie and Popeye.

I agree with the Museum’s suggestion that “it is especially meaningfully to “see blue” in a portrait of Kentucky frontiersman Daniel Boone.”

UK Basketball Game Between
UK and St. Johns, December 17, 1977
by Leroy Neiman

Another “see blue” work which I noted was a Leroy Neiman oil depicting a 1977 basketball game between the UK Wildcats and St. John’s University. Of course, UK has recently played and handily beaten St. Johns which was a repeat of this 102-72 affair featuring Kentucky greats Jack Givens, James Lee, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips and Rick Robey.

This oil was exquisite and the short brush strokes gave it a fervor that would have been present during the UKIT and throughout the season as our Cats would go on to a record of 30-2 and a National Championship (defeating Duke) under the helm of Joe B. Hall.

Neiman’s work, primarily depicting scenes of sport and leisure, are well known to the American eye.

There are a multitude of other fantastic works in this collection and elsewhere in the museum. More information about the UK Art Museum can be found on its website, http://www.uky.edu/ArtMuseum/.