This Just Happened, a weekly roundup

Kentucky Heritage Council recommends fifteen sites for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places [KHC Presser]

Answering complaints of Lexington's wayfinding signs being too autocentric, Leadership Lexington plans for pedestrian oriented signage [KyForward]

A conference on Appalachian feuds? It's set to occur at the Filson Society in Louisville [Courier-Journal]

Lots of great photos from a tour of the new Newtown Pike campus for BCTC [KyForward]

Most Kentuckians want medical marijuana; a quarter support recreational legalization. We miss you, Gatewood! [NKY.com]

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke last weekend at EKU's commencement. Some text and video. [cn|2]

Once struck by lightning, Newport's Old Salem Methodist Church emerges as an arts house [KyForward]

Maysville and Bardstown are now designated Kentucky Cultural Districts [Bluegrass Politics]

Reinternment of the 178 former patients at Eastern State occurred this week on the campus of the future BCTC [Herald Leader]

Along the Great Allegheny Passage: Ohiopyle

Ohiopyle Low Bridge Spanning the Youghiogheny River

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania had as of the 2010 population a permanent population of 59. This small borough, however, comes alive during the summer months. Arriving in April, we beat the summer rush of adventure seekers on the rapids of the Youghiogheny River.

Restored Ohiopyle Rail Depot

Ohiopyle is also a trail town along the Great Allegheny Passage, a rail-trail linking Cumberland, Md. to Pittsburgh, Pa. Ohiopyle was also our starting point for our first venture on the GAP which would take us along the route of the old rail lines of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Union Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railroad. Our journey would extend from Ohiopyle to Frostburg, Md. and back.

Ohiopyle and the Low Bridge

We arrived in Ohiopyle later than expected, but early enough to get a bite to eat before beginning our day's trek to Meyersdale, Pa. A tasty lunch at the Ohiopyle Bakery & Sandwich Shoppe was both tasty and filling. The bakery/cafe opened in 2011 and is one of many eateries in this community - a testament to the tourism brought to this trail town of 59!

Kentucky's Reputation Hurt by de Tocqueville's Missed Opportunity

Chaumiere's "octagon room" asserted to have been built
for Gen'l Lafayette, who never visited
Photo: Jess. Historical Society

Alexis de Tocqueville

On Dec. 5, 1831, the Ohio River froze over, making voyage impassable for Alexis de Tocqueville and his party. They disembarked at Westport, Oldham Co., Ky. and walked the cold 22 miles to Louisville. It was one of many poor experiences that during a 10-month voyage planned to determine “what a great republic is like.”

Upon reaching Louisville, the river still offered no passage and de Tocqueville experienced a large swatch of central Kentucky as he traveled south toward Nashville. His writings on Kentucky were not kind:

“Nothing in Kentucky ... gives the impression of such a finished society.”

Kentuckians “are well known through the union for their violent habits.” “They seem to deserve that reputation.”

Ouch.

Though unimpressed with Kentucky, de Tocqueville extolled the United States in his great work, Democracy in America. In this magnum opus, he warned that “when the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.”

To avoid such darkness, we should take occasion to examine our history. A great starting point in the history of Jessamine County is the grand country estate of Colonel David Meade: Chaumiere des Praries.

Louisville's Most Endangered Properties

Preservation Louisville has released the names of the community's most endangered historic properties.

• Vacant & Abandoned Shotgun Houses, which are in dwindling supply in the city
• Colonial Gardens, described as a "dilapidated reminder of the South End's colorful past, historic value and uncertain future."
• Mid-century modern structures are not old enough to be recognized by enough people for their signficance and too few steps are being taken to preserve the era's architecture
• Ouerbacker House, 1633 W. Jefferson Street, ca. 1860-1865.
• Corner store fronts of retail establishments from antebellum to midcentury were staples of American life as we shopped in the local general store. 
• Roscoe Goose house, 3012 S. Third St., ca. 1900, was occupied by the jockey who rode 91-1 Donerail to victory in the 1913 Kentucky Derby.
• Lampton Baptist Church, located at 850 S. Fourth Street, was founded in 1866.
• Doerhorfer house, 422 W. Broadway, was designated a city landmark in 2011. Despite the designation, the 2 1/2 story frame structure remains at risk.
• Historic Old Clarksville Site in Indiana is where George Rogers Clark built his cabin and mill. It is a key part of Kentuckiana history and must be protected for future generations.
• Water Co. Block downtown Louisville contains many older structures utilized by the old water company. A mixed use development proposal puts them at risk.