Tag: towns

No Destination: Stanford


After a disappointing visit to Lancaster, I wasn’t sure what to expect upon my arrival in the county seat of Lincoln County. Adding to my dilemma was that I was immediately drawn to one of the most dilapidated strucutures: the old Baughman Mill. Built in 1884 with logs from the first steam mill in the county, the mill operated until consumer demands and and market supply changed. The mill is located next to the old L&N Depot (which FDR visited while campaigning for President in 1932). In researching for this post, I came across another picture of the old mill taken only last year; note that an entire wing has since been demolished.)

History is very important to Stanford (and to Lincoln County). The county was one of three originally created when the Virginia legislature divided the Kentucky territory into three counties (5 counties existed in 1792 when Kentucky became a state). Stanford is the second oldest community in the state and its Main Street was once part of the Wilderness Road (making it the oldest Main Street in Kentucky).

Another neat structure was the First Presbyterian Church – the congregation was organized in 1788 and the structure (original destroyed by a 1838 tornado) was built in 1888. Pictured left, it seems oddly reminiscent of a courthouse.

But history is not all that is left for Stanford. Despite not having rail service for many years, the economy of the county seems relatively strong. The tourism director seemed quite positive and excited about the current state of the county. The optimism seemed warranted – a large, new library is under construction.

No Destination: Garrard County & Lancaster


Nate often mentions how he loves approaching the county seat, scouring the horizon for the courthouse. Lancaster is the perfect example of this. The picture above was taken as we we were leaving Lancaster from the grounds of the Gov. William Owsley’s “Pleasant Retreat.” Owsley, a fiscal conservative, was a major proponent of public education, an opponent of the Mexican War (though he still, as governor, called for volunteers) and was crticized for his pardoning of Delia Webster (who had been convicted of abetting the escape of slaves).

I had never before been past the “Pleasant Retreat,” though I have driven through Lancaster several times before. Each time, I had always been impressed by the little downtown. This time, however, I got out of my car and found walking the central area very challenging. Despite the challenges, little Lancaster had a few bright spots: First Presybyterian Church (established 1816; current structure built 1879 and pictured at right) and the old Garrard County Jail (built 1873, now the Historical Society).

Despite these and a Farmer’s Market (coming soon) and a revitalization of the Grand Theater, Lancaster left me a little disappointed. Apparently, I am not alone. A conversation today with a Garrard Countian revealed the most sobering fact of all: No grocery stores (a sore spot for this particular resident, at least).

No Destination: Nicholasville

I traveled with Nate on a Courthouse tour and walked around four communities. Often, I would get out of the car a few blocks away from the courthouse and explore the little towns for about 20 minutes. Also, No Destinations will begin to examine the landmarks found rather than only the day’s journey. This should allow me to delve into each discovery a little more.

Nicholasville was named after Col. George Nicholas, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who authored Kentucky’s first Constitution. The city was laid out in 1798 – the same year in which Jessamine was carved from Fayette County. A number of historic churches are within a block of the courthouse, but it is the courthouse that dominates this little ville.

Being a resident of little Nicholasville – one of Lexington’s bedroom communities – is both a blessing and a curse. Despite its pitfalls, however, Nicholasville’s central business district is improving and has several great little jewels. One of those jewels is Main & Maple, a small coffee house and cafe that is housed in a renovated pharmacy. I pictured a corner of Main & Maple above along with the school bus. Despite its storied past (look for a future post on the Chaumiere des Praries), I feel that this picture captures the pace and attitude of Jessamine, i.e., a working class bedroom community with schools and a few other things too.