NoDestination: Somerset's Fountain Square & John Sherman Cooper

Fountain Square, the center of Somerset, was restored in 1963 by Senator John Sherman Cooper and his wife, Lorraine. At that time, Cooper was serving his third stint (1946-49, 1952-55 and 1956-73) as a United States Senator from Kentucky. The Senator was a liberal Republican who also served in the Army, in diplomatic posts to the U.N., East Germany and India as well as a member of the Warren Commission.

Cooper voted for the Civil Rights Act, was one of the first senators to stand up to McCarthyism and was instrumental in barring U.S. military operations in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Born in Somerset in 1901, Cooper died in 1991 in Washington. He never forgot his Kentucky roots; from his obituary in the NY Times:

Mr. Cooper worked quietly, avoiding histrionics. He left behind no ringing calls to action, perhaps because he was, by his own admission, "a truly terrible public speaker." On the rare occasions when he did take the Senate floor, he was often inaudible. He mumbled and swallowed his words, and apparently made no effort to avoid use of Kentucky dialect in which "great" sounded like "grett," "government" became "guv-ment," and "revenue" was pronounced "rev-noo."

He was, however, a man of principle. A man who was elected to serve his constituents and not party leaders. He frequently bucked party leadership to vote his conscience.

Fountain Square is the focal point of Somerset; its center where the Martin Luther King march began and where Somernites car show gathers each summer month. The land is owned by Pulaski County, a determination made following a court order prohibiting the city of Somerset from building a road through the square [cite]. According to the local Commonwealth-Journal, Fountain Square will soon undergo a $1 million renovation complete with improved pedestrian access and a "grand fountain" [cite and cite]. Along with the new Pulaski County Courthouse, it will bring even more activity to this city center.

NoDestination: Home of Gov. Morrow

Governor Edwin P. Morrow was the second of five Republicans elected to the office of Kentucky governor during the 1900s serving from 1919 to 1923 (thus, Republicans held the office for only 20 years in the century); his uncle was the first Republican governor of Kentucky. Morrow was a progressive who sought social change such as giving the vote to women and stopping racial violence. He built the above-pictured house in 1903.

Elected in 1919 and blessed with a friendly legislature, Morrow was successful in reforming state government, increasing teacher salaries, funding schools which would eventually become Morehead State and Murray State universities and passing the 19th Amendment in Kentucky. He deployed the Kentucky National Guard to Lexington in 1920 to quell a lynch mob at the trial of Will Lockett.

Lockett, an African-American, was without a lawyer when he confessed to the murder. He was tried in a half hour and sentenced to die in the electric chair. The mob, however, sought to act more quickly than "swift justice" (though some versions of the story have the ultimate source of the ruckus as a photo op by a local newspaper photographer). The National Guard fired, killing 6 and wounding 50. With martial law declared, no further incidents occured and Lockett was executed at the state penitentiary 30 days later.

Governor Morrow received accolades from the NAACP for his efforts in the first successful squelching of a lynch mob in the south. The mob is pictured below.

walkLEX: The Flying General

As previously posted, Cheapside Park is undergoing a lot of change. Although the Fifth-Third pavilion is not yet taking shape, the statute of General John Cabel Breckinridge was today on the move:

[photo by PJWB from the Courtyard Deli]

[photo by Jamie Millard of the Lexington History Museum]

Oddly, in my picture you can see Jamie; in Jamie's you can see me. This is a really neat project to watch. It is scheduled to be completed by April 9 - the day before the opening of Lexington Farmer's Market.

NoDestination: Somerset

Somerset, the seat of Pulaski County, is apparently a haven for tourists making the trek to Lake Cumberland during the summer months. During the winter months, however, this community is quite sleepy. First settled in 1798 and named after Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset was incorporated in 1887.

Pulaski County, Kentucky's 27th, was named after Polish County Casimir Pulaski who came to America to help and fight for our independence (among other things, he at one point saved the life of George Washington). Pulaski gave his own life for the cause of American freedom at the Battle of Savannah; he died October 11, 1779. In fact, KRS 2.140 requires each October 11th to be commemorated in Kentucky as "General Pulaski's Day."

Unfortunately, you would not learn much of this in Somerset. Despite a few memorials, history is not at the forefront of this community's concern. It's most impressive monument was erected in 1976 to commemorate the nation's bicentennial; it is located in a parking lot between two strip malls/office parks. Pictured above, it is a white brick obelisk with an eagle perched on top. In front, is an exposed portion of the spring which first brought settlers to this location. The saying goes (and is inscribed in the memorial), "Whoever drinks from Old Town Springs has Wisdom & Will Always Return to Somerset." Witnessing the spring (as pictured below) makes me leery of drinking this water, despite any promise of Wisdom.

walkLEX: Rupp Arena & Kentucky Wildcats

The University of Kentucky Wildcats are the winningest men's basketball program in the country! Earlier this season, the Cats achieved a mark: 2,000 Wins. After the win over Drexel (score 88-44), the celebration began as shown above. The celebration emphasized Kentucky history - as well as its future; honors to Coach Hall, Coach Rupp and Mr. Wildcat. The crowd, which often leaves early in a blowout, remained glued to their seats long after the game ended. To date, the Cats remain undefeated this season at 18-0.

Rupp Arena has been the scene of many, many events in Kentucky's history. It has been the home of the Wildcats since 1976. It hosted the 1985 Final Four - when Villanova upset Georgetown. Since in Rupp, Kentucky has won the National Championship three times: 1978, 1996 and 1998. The official capacity of 23,500 is routinely exceeded and record crowds continue to be reached (most recently the record was broken on Jan. 2, 2010 when Kentucky defeated Louisville 71-62 before a crowd of 24,479.

Currently, there is a proposal to build a new downtown arena for the Wildcats which would include needed amenities like luxury boxes. If this is done, the existing Rupp Arena might be converted into a smaller music venue and additional conference floor space for the Lexington Center.

I hope that readers will share in the comments their favorite Rupp Arena memories.

Spontaneous Sightseeing: Sanders Cafe: Corbin, Ky.

Last Thursday I happened to be in Corbin for a hearing. Corbin, interestingly enough, is one of few cities in Kentucky that is in two counties (Whitley and Knox). In fact, an unincorporated portion of Corbin is actually in a third county (Laurel), but due to state law, a city cannot be located in three counties.
I found Corbin to be notable because of its relative lack of a cohesive downtown area - probably because it isn't a county seat, and lacks a true courthouse area and the traffic and businesses such a center brings. Anyway, I decided for some random reason to go through town on my way back home, and I literally stumbled upon the Sanders Cafe - the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. I had yet to eat lunch, so I figured why not? So I followed my instincts and "ate where it all began."
The Sanders Cafe is weird. Putting aside the fact that it is a KFC with a museum in it, the building itself is a bizarre blending of the past and the present. Imagine taking a full service KFC counter and those plastic booths they have and dumping it inside of a Cracker Barrel. This is sort of the feel of the place. There is also a fully accurate recreation of Colonel Sanders' kitchen, and a mock up of what a room in the old hotel that the Colonel ran looked like.
As I ate my chicken sandwich and potato wedges, I began to realize that given its stature throughout the rest of the world, I was probably sitting in the most famous place in all of Kentucky. In a way, I guess this was sort of sad, but in another way I guess its better than what other states have as their claim to fame.
I guess its better than nothing to be known around the world for good food and hospitality - and pretty cool string ties.

No Destination: Somerset on MLK, Jr. Day

On Monday, I celebrated MLK Day by hopping in the car and driving to see more of Kentucky. When I arrived in Somerset, however, I was able to join in prayer and a short march through downtown. I abandoned the walk before its terminus, but Richard (pictured below) informed me that a meal in the park followed each year's march.

I arrived at the central town square to see a diverse group of about 60 people gathered in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse. I joined in prayer with this group prior to walking. I was reminded of another diverse crowd I prayed with last year. 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, "Our Father, who art in Heaven." On that day, just over a year ago, it was truly We the People. I thought of Washington while 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, the people here know and recognize the import and legacy of Dr. King. Together, they walked and sang and remembered and lived his Dream.

Below is Richard, who 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.

No Destination: Yocum Hite House

As I've said before, historic Bardstown is great because they have done so much to tell the history of the community and of individuals structures. Nearly every old building has a marker. Which brings me to my favorite: The Yocum Hite House. Its marker reads:

Yocum Hite House. Circa 1792. Early log residence sold for "152 lbs. of merchantable beef cattle" in 1797.

There is something about the bartering of real estate for beef that really made me laugh. The construction of the house was typical of the era, particularly for a "substantial" house such as this. The main portion of the home is a two-story, three-bay, V-notched log building. It utilizes a single, central chimney - a common feature in 18th century Pennsylvania Deutsch homes. It is one of a handful of pre-1800 buildings in Bardstown, the most famous being the old Talbott Tavern.

No Destination: Bibb Burnley House

Ever eaten Bibb Lettuce? As is often the case, you can thank a Kentuckian for this buttery goodness. At the above house, Lt. John Bibb (War of 1812) developed the lettuce variety.

After serving in the War, Bibb returned to Logan County where he practice law and served in the state legislature as a Whig. Around 1856, he constructed this twenty-one room, Gothic-style house which was then called Gray Gables. In the garden and greenhouse behind the house he developed the lettuce variety also known as limestone lettuce sometime after 1865. Although he never commercially marketed the lettuce, it was made popular after his death by the Grenewein greenhouse in Louisville.

Construction of the Bibb-Burnley House was with materials from a cabin formerly on the site, constructed by John Instone in 1786. Instone named the street, Wapping, after a street in London, England from where he came.

No Destination: Danville Presbyterian Church

The Danville Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian Church west of the Allegheny Mountains, having been established in 1784 by Rev. David Rice.

The historic marker outside of the church mentions those who here worshippped:

James G. Birney, whose presidential candidacy in 1844 caused defeat of Henry Clay; John C. Breckinridge, whose 1860 candidacy resulted in election of Lincoln; Samuel D. Burchard, whose "Rum, Romanism and Rebellion" defeated James G. Blaine in 1884. Marker #754.

Rev. Rice actually organized three Presbyterian congregations in what would become the central Kentucky region, though he is most connected with this Danville congregation. Rev. Rice routinely delivered sermons opposing slavery; as a delegate to the 1792 Kentucky Constitution convention he unsuccessfully sought a clause that would have banned slavery in Kentucky.

The congregation moved to its present location in 1831 and a second congregation was begun in 1853. In 1869, the Presbyterian Church split and the two congregations took separate paths. The two congregations eventually rejoined in 1969 and restored this structure before returning in 1996.

No Destination: Valley View Ferry

Fjording the Kentucky River at the point where Fayette, Jessamine and Madison counties meet is the John Craig. This boat has provided a motor for the Valley View Ferry since 1996, but the ferry is much older. In fact, the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1785 issued John Craig (a Revolutionary War veteran) the "perpetual and irrevocable" charter to operate the ferry at the site.

Since that time, a ferry has operated at Valley View and it is the longest, continuously operating business in the Commonwealth. For more than 200 years, the franchise for the privately-owned ferry was transferred between seven families. In 1991, it was purchased for $60,000 by the three counties who have since operated the ferry toll-free.

The barge adjoining the John Craig was replaced in 2000 and can now ferry three vehicles across the river at once (before the upgrade, only two could cross at the same time). About 250 vehicles cross the Kentucky River each day aboard the Valley View Ferry.

Flying above the John Craig are four flags: the American flag, the Kentucky flag, the Virginia flag and the POW-MIA flag. The Virginia flag flies as a tribute to the colony which first provided Cpt. Craig his franchise.

I always find it fun to ride the ferry, though my wife has a clear preference against it. Though, I guess the same could be said about all of my No Destinations.

NoDestination: Switzer Covered Bridge

Even though Fleming County is Kentucky's Covered Bridge Capital, the Commonwealth's Official Covered Bridge is located in northern Franklin County. The Switzer Covered Bridge spans 120 feet and was built in 1855 by George Hockensmith (it was restored in 1906, 1990 and rebuilt in 1998 the March 1, 1997 flood).

The bridge is of the Howe truss design. It carried traffic until 1954 and was listed on the National Register in 1974. You can see Switzer off KY-1262 between Frankfort and Georgetown; there is a small pull-off on the far side of the bridge.

There is something amazing about any old covered bridge; they are unique and evidence of a bygone era. Here is what the Lexington CVB says:

Four of Kentucky’s [13 remaining] covered bridges are still open to traffic; you can walk through the others. As you rumble across in your car, or pass your hand across the heavy wooden pegs and timbers — rough-hewn to the eye, but worn smooth by the years — you’ll experience the living sensations of another era.

For more on Kentucky's Covered Bridges, check out the Kentucky Digital Library.

NoDestination: Ward Hall

Just west of downtown Georgetown on U.S. 460 lies Ward Hall. This 75'x75' mansion was constructed in 1853 by Junius Ward. Ward, a Mississippi plantation owner, had Kentucky roots and utilized Ward Hall as his summer home. Not surprisingly, the Civil War and the end of slavery destroyed Ward's fortune and he was forced to sell his estate in 1867.

For a time in the 1880s, the General Assembly contemplated an offer whereby it would take Ward Hall and the surrounding 250 acres as a new state capitol.

Ward Hall is an impressive structure and is described as Kentucky's best example of Greek Revival architecture. The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc. describes some of the lavish detail:

Built on the Corinthian order, its two-story tetra-style portico has columns forty feet high that support a deep, pedimented entablature. Pilasters with Corinthian capitals ornament all four sides of the house, which is seventy-five feet square. The interior carries out the attention to detail with plaster cornices rich with decorations of egg-and-dart and bead-and-reel patterns and anthemion blossoms. The woodwork is rubbed walnut, and a gracious winding staircase ascends to the third floor.

Interestingly, Ward Hall originally had two roofs. The sub-roof was of slate, the top roof was of copper and all of the rainwater was channeled to a copper cistern. All of the copper was removed and sold during World War I.

NoDestination: The State Seal

The state seal of Kentucky is memorialized in bronze at the Governor's Circle in the Constitution State Park (Danville). Around the seal is a depiction of each of Kentucky's governors.

The seal itself has gone through various designs, but was originally an inspiration of the first governor, Isaac Shelby. Shelby, a war hero, was said to have loved the 1768 John Dickinson tune, "The Liberty Song." The fourth verse reads:

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;
In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed,
For heaven approves of each generous deed.

Thus the state motto: "united we stand, divided we fall." The seal depicts "two (2) friends embracing each other, with the words 'Commonwealth of Kentucky' over their heads and around them the words, 'United We Stand, Divided We Fall.'" K.R.S. 2.020. One of the friends is a pioneer, the other a statesman.

NoDestination: The Old Talbott Tavern

For over 200 years, the Talbott Tavern has provided accomodation to travelers passing through Bardstown. In the old courthouse square sits the stone building marked by several additions. Bardstown - originally called Salem - was established in 1780, a year after the then-called Hynes Inn opened.

Originally the terminal of a western stage coach line coming east from both Philadelphia and Virginia, the Hynes Inn remains the oldest western stagecoach stop still in operation. Its earlier guests included George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone and exiled-King Louis-Philippe of France. Later Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison and Abraham Lincoln would visit. Henry Clay, John James Audubon, Stephen Foster and Jesse James also rested at the Talbott Tavern. Romanian Queen Marie lunched here in 1926 and General George Patton also passed through. To say the least, it has a "who's who" list of patrons!

A fire ravaged much of the structure in the 1990s and "generic" renovations were made. Most unfortunate was the loss of murals painted by the entourage of King Louis-Philippe. It would seem that the paintings could be restored, but that funding has remained unavailable.

Pike County Courthouse - Pikeville, Ky.

Seasons Greetings to everyone. I apologize for the relative lack of posts on the Kentucky 120 project. It turns out that the practice of law is pretty hectic. Who knew?
I've spent my New Year's Eve with my wife's family in Eastern Kentucky, and decided that I would swing by the Pike County Courthouse while in the area. The old courthouse is pictured above, with the new courthouse behind me. The shot above is actually the back of the old courthouse, but I thought it was much more interesting than the front. You can see the clock tower lit up on the right. This picture was taken with my Iphone, and obviously at night, so I apologize for the quality.
The Pike County Courthouse pictured above was built in 1888-89 and renovated in 1932-33. The courthouse is most famous for being the cite of the murder trials in the Hatfield-McCoy feud.