Courthouses and BBQ. Plenty in Owensboro!

Daviess County Courthouse - Owensboro, Ky.

Daviess County was established in 1815 from portions of Ohio County and is named for the lawyer who unsuccessfully prosecuted Vice President Aaron Burr for treason. Strong southern ties made Daviess County a southern hotbed. According to the Kentucky Almanac, Lincoln only received seven votes in the election of 1860. A large confederate monument stands on the courthouse lawn.

Confederate Monument - Owensboro, Ky.

Owensboro, originally Owensborough, is an interesting town. Though its cut off from Interstate access, its still the fourth largest city in the Commonwealth. Its location along the Ohio River spurred its early growth, along with the booming tobacco industry in the Green River region and its bourbon production following the distillery boom of the 1880.

Blue Grass Trust Awards for Preservation Go To...

BGT deTour Committee Members Griffin Van Meter, Jason Sloan, Peter
Brackney, and Rachel Alexander along with BGT President Linda Carroll

On Sunday, the members of The Blue Grass Trust gathered at the Hunt-Morgan House in historic Gratz Park for the annual meeting and presentation of the Annual Preservation Awards. Recipients included:

Preservation Craftsman Awards to Laryn Karsnitz; Many Moons Designs (Tommy & Laura Whitaker). These were given to building industry craftsman exhibiting a strong commitment to quality craftsmanship for historic buildings.

Public Service to Preservation to Lindy Casebier, Deputy Secretary of Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet and Acting State Historic Preservation Officer; Fayette County Public Schools. Awards given to government agency or official for service to preservation movement or to a specific project.

Clay Lancaster Heritage Education Award to Douglas Boyd, Ph.D., for Crawfish Bottom: Recovering a Lost Kentucky Community. Award given to individual or group for service in researching and disseminating information about the central Kentucky region.

Barbara Hulete Award: Dave Shuffett for efforts in the preservation of central Kentucky's history, heritage, built environment, landscape, archaeological resources, sense of community or significant endeavors.

Lucy Shropshire Crump Award to the BGT deTours Steering Committee which is comprised of Molly Eblen, Jason Sloan, Rachel Alexander, Peter Brackney, Brandon Warren, and Griffin Van Meter. This award goes to those who have provided exemplary service to The Blue Grass Trust throughout the year. Of course, we're a little biased toward this award as the ranks of this site cross over with the Steering Committee.

Lucy Graves Advocacy Awards went to Jessamine County Judge Executive Wm. Neal Cassity and Magistrate George W. Dean for exhibiting advocacy leadership in supporting the historic preservation movement in central Kentucky.

Betty Hoopes Award to Chris Ertel. This award goes recognizes a volunteer from the Antiques and Garden Show.

Clyde Reynolds Carpenter Adaptive Re-Use Awards went to Parlay Social, TRUST Lounge and the Russell School Community Center. The individuals or groups exhibited outstanding efforts toward the rehabilitation or adaptive re-use of a building or buildings within central Kentucky.

John Wesley Hunt Award for an individual's lifetime service to the preservation movement in central Kentucky went to Barbara Hulette.

Congratulations to all the recipients!

Sports and Art Worlds Lost A Legend: LeRoy Neiman

Neiman's UK Basketball Game

Famed American sports artist LeRoy Neiman passed away yesterday at the age of 91. His famous works captured some of the greatest moments in sport with his exquisite, short brush strokes. Neiman captured the essence of boxing great and Kentuckian Muhammad Ali, he painted the final stretch of the Kentucky Derby, and he created the official imagery of the 2010 Kentucky-hosted World Equestrian Games.

For Kentucky basketball fans, Neiman painted the most famous painting in our beloved team's history. Commissioned by Ashland Oil in 1977, the original of Neiman's "UK Basketball Game Between UK and St. John's, December 17, 1977" hangs on display in the UK Art Museum. Below is my write up on this spectacular work of art:

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.

Rest in peace, LeRoy.

Hancock County Courthouse in Hawesville a Favorite

Hancock County Courthouse - Hawesville, Ky.
Photo: NRK

The tiny hamlet of Hawesville, Kentucky is located just upriver from Owensboro. It sits on a high bluff across the river from Cannelton, Indiana.

Of all of the courthouses I have visited in small towns, this was my favorite. Completed in 1867, it is the second courthouse on this site. It is on the National Historic Registry, and was restored in 1978. The two-and-one-half story five bay by three bay rectangular courthouse retains so much character. According to the National Register of Historic Places, the courtroom occupies the majority of the second floor.

Henderson County's Fourth of Five Courthouses

Henderson County Courthouse - Henderson, Ky. Photo: NRK

For me, the Henderson County Courthouse was a breath of fresh air. So often, when a county decides to build something new to replace the old courthouse, they build something that looks like a Soviet-era bunker.

Former Henderson County Courthouse Source: KDL

Regardless of my opinion of the new courthouse, the demolition of the previous courthouse (pictured at right) was hotly disputed. The decision in the 1960s to destroy the former, circa 1843, courthouse occurred only after a major dispute with preservationists.

In the end, preservationists succeeding only in delaying the demolition of the ca. 1843 courthouse by four years through the use of a restraining order.

That previous courthouse was a two-story brick Greek Revivial with cupola which served as a prison, cookhouse, fort, and Civil War headquarters and hospital during its 120 years as the heart of Henderson County.

Along the Elkhorn Vale ... Wendell H. Ford

Bust of Wendell H. Ford - Owensboro, Ky.

Although it would have been fitting to place this bust of Wendell H. Ford anywhere in the Commonwealth, it appropriately sits on the courthouse lawn in Owensboro. Wendell H. Ford served as Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1967-71 alongside Gov. Louie Nunn, then as Governor from 1971-1974. From the Governor's Mansion, Ford ran for and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974. Ford, a Democrat, served Kentucky in Washington from 1974 until 1999. His service was marked with stints as both minority and majority whip.

Ford was born in Daviess County in 1924. After serving in the Army, he went to school and entered the insurance business with his father. Ford then entered politics by serving as an executive assistant for Governor Bert T. Combs. Elected to the state senate in 1965, Ford was elected Lieutenant Governor two years later. Interestingly enough, Ford (a Democrat) served as second-in-command for Republican Louie Nunn at a time when the two office holders did not run as a slate. During his time as lieutenant governor, Ford essentially rebuilt the organization of the Democratic party in the Commonwealth.

Scott County Pioneer Station Established in 1790 by Jesse James' Ancestor

Lindsay's Station Historic Marker - Stamping Ground, Ky.

About a mile north of Stamping Ground, at the junction of KY 227 and 368 stands a Kentucky historic roadside marker bearing information about an early Kentucky settlement established along a buffalo trace near Lecompte Run in 1790. It was there, in three log cabins and a stockade to hold livestock, that Anthony Lindsay created a small settlement and from where he would grow to be a successful farmer in his day. Prior to his settlement, he was a veteran of the French & Indian War and a Revolutionary War Patriot.

Historic marker #218 reads:

Anthony Lindsay chose this site for his station, built about 1790. lt was located near Lecompte's Run, a branch of the Elkhorn named for Charles Lecompte, who was here with William McConnell and others in 1775. The station was on old buffalo trace, leading north to Ohio River, and was a regular stop for travelers and traders. Lindsay's grave is 100 yds. north.

The graves, while not visible form the road, are within a fenced thicket. [*] Lindsay's Station was not among the first or the most significant of Kentucky's early settlements, but at each early pioneers and settlers struggled with the elements and the reality of clearing land, planting crops, and risking the threat of Indian attack. Their contributions to Kentucky cannot be discounted.

Jalapeño Beer at Country Boy Brewing

Country Boy Brewing - Lexington, Ky.

At first, I was a little skeptical at the concept. Gimmicky? Perhaps. Worthy of trying? Absolutely.

It took me a while to make it down to Lexington's Chair Avenue to explore and taste the brews of Country Boy Brewing Company, one of the several microbrews to open and be embraced by Lexington within the past year. Since I first learned of Country Boy, I wanted to taste their Jalapeño brew. On the day I visited, they had two of their twenty-four taps featuring the mighty jalapeño.

Researching My Family History; A Return to Genealogy

My old genealogy website logo, ca. 1997

brackney.tripod.com

Although this blog is committed to Kentucky's history, I've recently returned to another historical addiction: genealogy. When I was in my early teens, I was interested in genealogy. A research trip to Salt Lake City strengthened a passion that has gone dormant since 1997.

About a month ago -- likely in response to watching a few episodes of NBC's now-cancelled Who Do You Think You Are? -- my genealogical interests were rekindled. I've found two banker boxes of old research notes which I've thumbed through again for the first time in fifteen years. I've also found a few interesting leads which relate to Kentucky's history. The following text describes events that occurred when Daniel Boone led a company of settlers toward Kentucky in the fall of 1773. During this trip, Indians attacked the company while it was still in Virginia killing, among others, Boone's eldest son James:

A Kentucky Joke Worth Repeating

I just received this and thought it quite funny. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

The year is 2016 and the United States has just elected the first woman president who happens to be from Kentucky. A few days after the election the president-elect, whose name is Debra, calls her father and says, "So, Dad, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?" 

"I don't think so. It's a 10 hour drive." 

"Don't worry about it Dad, I'll send Air Force One. And a limousine will pick you up at your door." 

"I don't know ... everybody will be so fancy. What would your mother wear?" 

"Oh Dad," replies Debra, "I'll make sure she has a wonderful gown custom-made by the best designer in Washington." 

"Honey," Dad complains, "you know I can't eat those rich foods you eat." 

The President-elect responds, " Don't worry Dad. The entire affair will be handled by the best caterer in Washington; I'll ensure your meals are salt free. You and mom just have to be there." 

So Dad reluctantly agrees, and on January 20, 2017, Debra is being sworn in as President of the United States. In the front row sits the new President's dad and mom. 

Dad, noticing the senator sitting next to him, leans over and whispers, "You see that woman over there with her hand on the Bible, becoming President of the United States." 

The Senator whispers back, "You bet I do."  

Botherum, Lexington's Taj Mahal

The Botherum - Lexington, Ky.

At the heart of downtown Lexington's historic Woodward Heights neighborhood is the Botherum, a circa 1850 mansion. Today, the property is owned by Dale Fisher and Jon Carloftis, but the land itself was once the northeast corner of Col. Robert Patterson's original 400-acre tract, granted him in 1776.

It was here, in the middle of the nineteenth century, that lawyer and banker Madison C. Johnson, that "the fascinating residence known as Botherum ... [was] erected by local builder-architect John McMurtry." Like many Lexingtonians of his day, Johnson was a "cultivated man" whose interests varied greatly. An amateur astronomer, Johnson incorporated into the design the wrought iron octagonal parapet from which he could view the heavens.

Drawing Room at Botherum

It is believed that Johnson worked closely with McMurtry on the home's design, incorporating personal details into the originally U-shaped mansion that combines Grecian, Roman, and Gothic elements. Within the U was an enclosed garden, no doubt to satisfy other of Johnson's varied tastes. The walls of the Botherum vary too in material: while many are of rough limestone others are of brick construction with a plaster surface to give only the appearance of stone.

What is the National Register of Historic Places?

NRHP Plaque. Photo: Public Domain.

The National Register of Historic Places was begun in 1966 because "the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people." 16 U.S.C. 470(b)(2). Through the National Preservation Act of 1966, the Department of the Interior was charged with compiling and maintaing a registry of significant American sites and places.

Each week, a new round of applications is approved. In order to be approved, an application must first be recommended by the state historic preservation office (SHPO). In Kentucky, the Kentucky Heritage Council (KHC) acts as our SHPO.

Since its inception, the KHC has conducted an ongoing Historic Resources Survey of historic places within the Commonwealth. To date, over 90,000 Kentucky locations have been surveyed. This comes as no surprise given Kentucky's rich history.

Finding Kentucky in the North Carolina's Outer Banks

Wild Horses of Corolla - Outer Banks, North Carolina

I returned a couple of weeks ago from a vacation to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Completely unlike Kentucky, the fresh seafood and oceanic views both did not disappoint. But I'm always curious as to how and where I will find a "Kentucky connection." Wherever you go, you can find one (or more).

Bottles of Daniel Boone Ale

While driving to my destination, I found myself headed south from Charleston, W. Va. and into North Carolina's Yadkin River Valley. From his home here, Daniel Boone made his multiple excursions through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. On our return trip, we stopped for supper in Hickory, N. Car. at the Olde Hickory Brewery. While tasting a flight of several brews, I narrowed in on an immediate favorite. After reading the description, I knew why! The limited release "Daniel Boone" is a vanilla-hinted brown ale aged in bourbon barrels.

Happy Birthday, Kentucky!

"My Old Kentucky Home" - Bardstown, Ky.

Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home ... 

On June 1, 1792, two-hundred twenty years ago, Kentucky was admitted as the fifteenth state of these United States. The road to statehood was not easy.

Kentucky originated as part of Virginia's massive Fincastle County and was made its own county of the Commonwealth of Virginia effective December 31, 1776. Its bounds were:

to the south and westward of a line beginning on the Ohio at the mouth of Great Sandy creek and running up the same and the main, or northeasterly, branch thereof to the Great Laurel Ridge of Cumberland Mountain, then south westerly along the said mountain to the line of North Carolina.

The Virginia legislature divided the single Kentucky County into three (Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln) in 1780. Over the next six years, the number of counties in Virginia's "Kentucky District" grew. With them, so grew the rumblings of statehood.