walkLEX: Uneeda Biscuit

Uneeda Biscuit Ghost Sign, Lexington, Ky.

Walking down Short Street, you can see two different buildings bearing old ghost signs of a bygone era. Ghost signs were popular marketing tools in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s (conveniently, when our society both walked and was sans-suburbia). You can find them in most urban areas, and they are great reminders of the past because of both the marketing technique and the product itself.

The Uneeda Biscuit was first produced and sold in 1898 - it was the first mass-produced cracker in the United States. Prior to Adolphus Green's creation for the National Biscuit Company, mothers would send sons with soap bags to get a fill of crackers at the local bakery. Unsurprisingly, many of the crackers came home broken. The company created a seal design for wax paper and the rest is history. Ultimately, National Biscuit Company became Nabisco in 1971. The Uneeda Biscuit was discontinued in 1999.

Snowfall in Nicholasville

We got our first snowfall of the year yesterday morning and our first ever at our new house. It was a light dusting, but pretty unexpected. This was the view out the bedroom window:

Go Cats! Beat the Vols!

For my regular readers, you know I rarely deviate from my usual format - avoiding subjects such as sports and politics (so many other great blogs and websites cover the topics). But today is different, today we play Tennessee in football.


Today may be the end of... the streak. Not since 1984 - 25 years - has Kentucky beaten their "SEC rival." My wife was not born (and I was in the cradle) the last time Kentucky defeated Tennessee. Then, as today, the venue is Knoxville's Neyland Stadium. Can history repeat itself? I sure hope so! To pacify us for the next few hours until kickoff, here are some amazing historical statistics pulled together by the greatest sports blog of all time, KentuckySportsRadio:

Games in Lexington (13 losses)Combined Score: Tennessee 477, Kentucky 246
Average Score: Tennessee 37, Kentucky 18
Closest Games: 52-50 (2007), 24-22 (1987), 34-31 (1995)
Biggest Blowouts: 48-0 (1993), 42-0 (1985)

Games in Knoxville (12 games)Combined Score: Tennessee 464, Kentucky 178
Average Score: Tennessee 39, Kentucky 15
Closest Games: 28-24 (1988), 17-12 (2006), 37-31 (2004)
Biggest Blowouts: 52-0 (1994), 56-10 (1996), 59-20 (2000), 59-21 (1998)

UK has had 5 coaches during the 25 game streakJerry Claiborne (5 games)
Bill Curry (7 games)
Hal Mumme (4 games)
Guy Morris (2 games)
Rich Brooks (7 games)

13 QB’s have started against Tennessee during the 25 game streakBill Ransdell (1985, 1986)
Glenn Fohr (1987, 1988)
Freddie Maggard (1989, 1990)
Pookie Jones (1991, 1992, 1993)
Antonio O’Ferral (1994)
Billy Jack Haskins (1995, 1996)
Tim Couch (1997, 1998)
Dusty Bonner (1999)
Jared Lorenzen (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
Shane Boyd (2004)
Andre Woodson (2005, 2006, 2007)
Randall Cobb (2008)
Morgan Newton (2009)

UK has lost 9 games by less than 10 points during the 25 game streak1987: 24-22
1988: 28-24
1991: 16-7
1995: 34-31
2001: 38-35
2004: 37-31
2006: 17-12
2007: 52-50
2009: 30-24

Kentucky has beaten these opponents 5 or more times since 1984
Vanderbilt: 17 times
Mississippi State: 10 times
Louisville: 8 times
South Carolina: 6 times
Georgia: 5 times

Since November 24th, 1984:
-Today marks the 9,498th day since that date
-5 US Presidents
-6 Kentucky Governors
-5 US Senators from Kentucky
-4 UK Presidents
-3 UK Athletic Directors 

Other notable facts:-22 consecutive football senior classes have now graduated without beating Tennessee
-Every SEC team has beaten Tennessee at least once since 1993
-UK has had 55 players drafted in the NFL since 1984
-UK has won 126 football games since November 1984
-Kentucky basketball has beaten Tennessee 42 times since November 1984
-Kentucky baseball has beaten Tennessee 28 times since November 1984

And no I-hate-Tennessee post would be complete without the obligatory video:  

GO CATS!!

Cheapside Park, c. 1920-1921

Cheapside Park, circa 1920-1921.

With my office around the corner, Cheapside Park has been any easy target for posts. Its new Fifth Third Bank Pavilion is a great community asset, but we can roll back the clock and see what Cheapside looked like around 1920-1921.

Thanks again, Asa Chinn for all the great photographs you took in your day. And to the KY Digital Library for making them available! And to my paralegal, Leann, for emailing me this picture. The KDL identified the various businesses as follows:

Cheapside: Main to Short (West), 111 Monarch Loan Co., Burrough's Adding Machine Co., W.F. Johnson, 115 Cheapside Shoe Market, 117 George M. Ramsey Sign Co., 119 J.C. Berryman, 121 Republic Trust Company, 123 A.B. Jones, 125 Arcade Drug Store, 127 J.T. Slanton, Dr. E.D. O'Leary, Daniel O'Leary, Arthur Stewart, 129 King & Daniel, 131 H.G. Riddle, W. King & Son, J.C. DeLong

Nat Northington

At the Kentucky-Charleston Southern football game, I examined the program and read about UK's "History and Traditions." I noted one I had not seen before: Nat Northington. 

Nat Northington

Nat Northington was the first African-American football player to sign with an SEC school (UK) when he did so in 1965. Two African-Americans signed with Coach Charlie Bradshaw to the 1967 squad, the other being Greg Page. Page was paralyzed during a preseason practice and died from complications 38 days later; the university opened a residential apartment community bearing Page's name in the 1979.

As a result of Page's injury, only Northington would play football for the Wildcats during the 1967 season. He therefore became the first African-American to play in an SEC game when Ole Miss came to Lexington's Stoll Field on September 30, 1967. It would take another three years before UK's basketball team would sign an African-American player.

Sources: ESPN, UKAthletics, Lex H-L. Photo: KYVL.

Save the Pennington House

Pennington House, London, Ky.
Photo by Tom Eblen, Lexington H-L. Used c Permission.

Surface parking lots and parking garages are necessities - we have to park our vehicles so we can shop, eat, etc. (absent public transportation options ... of which there are few in Kentucky). Downtown Lexington is filled with surface lots which always raises the question for me, "What used to be there?"

London, Kentucky - with its new courthouses - knows the answer to that question and has the opportunity to stop the destruction of the pre-Civil War Pennington House. The issue is before the Laurel County Fiscal Court: Should the county acquire the property for a surface lot? (The source of funds appears to be excess funds from the courthouse construction; the desire to spend comes from the "use it or lose it" mentality).

In the words of Realtor Chris Robinson, the answer is no. "Any community can have a gravel parking lot. Only London can have the Pennington House." Although eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, the effort has never been made for the Pennington House. As a result, some of its story is more difficult to find. But it appears that this house has survived threats before. London experienced five large-scale fires in 1891, 1892, 1893, 1909 and 1910. In 1974, a tornado missed the house by 100 feet. But the threat of demolition for a parking lot may be the home's greatest threat to date.  If you are from Laurel County, speak loudly to your local officials. Let's do what we can to save this London treasure.

Sources: Tom Eblen (Lex. H-L); Tara Kaprowy (Sentinel Echo); Nita Johnson (Sentinel Echo)

Election Results

Yesterday, I reminded you that politics is the damnedest in Kentucky. But today, I want to draw our attention outside of Kentucky (yes, a first for this blog). You've probably figured out by now that history is important to us. Particularly preserving history.

And that is what the people of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations did yesterday. You see, they had a ballot measure which would effectively do this: Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to their state's name. Remember, America was founded as a number of small colonies (Jamestown, Plymouth, etc). In Rhode Island, these included (i) Rhode Island and (ii) Providence Plantations.

Opponents of the state's name thought the word "plantation" was a reminder of slavery and were offended by it. These opponents are clearly not historically savvy - plantation simply meant "a newly established colony." Plus, in all of the state's early slavery debates it was Rhode Island (not the anti-slavery and anti-slave trade Providence Plantations) which favored the position of slave traders.

History won (with 99% of precincts reporting), 78%-22%. We still have a State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

Politics the Damnedest... in Kentucky

In February 1902, Judge James H. Mulligan (1844-1915) delivered his poem In Kentucky to a banquet of state legislators at Lexington's Phoenix Hotel. The poem is most often quoted for its last line describing politics in Kentucky as "the damnedest." It being election day, I thought it appropriate to share the full text. Oh, Be informed and VOTE!

The moonlight falls the softest 

 In Kentucky; 

The summer's days come oft'est

 In Kentucky; 

Friendship is the strongest,

Love's fires glow the longest;

Yet, a wrong is always wrongest

 In Kentucky.

The sunshine's ever brighest

 In Kentucky;

The breezes whisper lightest

 In Kentucky;

Plain girls are the fewest,

Maidens' eyes the bluest,

Their little hearts are truest

 In Kentucky.

Life's burdens bear the lightest

 In Kentucky;

The home fires burn the brightest

 In Kentucky;

While players are the keenest,

Cards come out the meanest,

The pocket empties cleanest

 In Kentucky.

Orators are the grandest

 In Kentucky;

Officials are the blandest

 In Kentucky;

Boys are all the fliest,

Danger ever nighest,

Taxes are the highest,

 In Kentucky.

The bluegrass waves the bluest

 In Kentucky;

Yet bluebloods are the fewest

 In Kentucky;

Moonshine is the clearest,

By no means the dearest,

And yet, it acts the queerest,

 In Kentucky. 

The dove's notes are the saddest

 In Kentucky;

The streams dance on the gladdest

 In Kentucky;

Hip pockets are the thickest,

Pistol hands the slickest,

The cylinder turns quickest

 In Kentucky.

Song birds are the sweetest

 In Kentucky;

The thoroughbreds the quickest

 In Kentucky;

Mountains tower proudest,

Thunder peals the loudest,

The landscape is the grandest - and

Politics - the damnedest

 In Kentucky.