What and where is Lexington's New Street?

Map of Downtown Lexington, Ky. (LexingtonKY.gov)

On my lunch walk yesterday, I found myself at one end of my favorite streets in downtown Lexington: New Street. Or what I thought was its end.

This little one block road reminds me of a narrow way in Boston which in itself conjures up imagery of our nation's colonial history. I've also been fond of this little road and I've mentioned it once before following a BGT deTour of Clyde Carpenter's carriage house:

Every time I pass down Lexington's New Street, a one block path between North Mill and North Broadway, I am taken away to the narrow, history-filled streets of Boston, Mass. The narrow street, nestled between a busy road and beautiful Gratz Park, has a variety of architectural styles -- all relatively traditional -- that are perfectly scaled to the street's width. Adaptive reuse and infill are the common themes on this one-block stretch.

So you can only imagine my surprise when my eyes gazed across North Broadway and I found this:

Keene Springs Hotel A Refuge During Lexington's 1849 Cholera Epidemic

Keene Springs Hotel - Keene, Ky.

During the cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1849, Lexingtonians feared the deadly disease. Five hundred souls perished out of a population of just 7,000. Many of the dead were buried by the now infamous King Solomon. While King Solomon can thank his alcohol-filled veins for keeping him alive during the epidemic, many of the survivors did so by leaving Lexington. But where did they go?

Wrote Bennett H. Young in his 1898 History of Jessamine County, Kentucky: "during the prevalence of cholera, in Lexington, about this time, a large number of people came to Keene and lived during the panic, occasioned by this disease in Lexington and surrounding towns." They stayed in "a very nice hotel."

"A re-distribution of happiness"

Postcard of the Fayette County Court House - Lexington, Ky.

On Tuesday, I arrived at the office to find a letter and postcard from Mr. Lowell Joerg of Tucson, Arizona. It was generically addressed to my office, but both found their way to my desk. The postcard, above, is of the Old Fayette County Courthouse. His letter follows:

June 14, 2012

Good Morning:

I sure hope this letter brightens your day.

I was at an antique store here and found this old circa 1939 picture of your beautiful courthouse. How the card got to Arizona we'll never know.

It's an old time classic, for sure. I thought to myself, by golly, I'd send it home where it can be appreciated. Our heritage is valuable to all of us. Lots of changes over the years, I'm sure. Enlarged it will make quite a display.

Cynthiana's Church of the Advent

The native limestone façade of the Church of the Advent features a tower with pyramidal roof, steep gable-fronted nave with verge boards inspired by tracery, buttresses, triple lancet windows enclosed by stone pointed arch hood mold. This romantic Gothic Revival church, one of my favorites inspired me to look into a whole group of mid-nineteenth century churches associated with Kentucky’s first Episcopalian Bishop Benjamin Bosworth Smith.

The Church of the Advent was the first Gothic Revival Episcopal church built of stone in Kentucky. It was built beginning in 1855 when the cornerstone was laid and the tower was completed in spring 1860. The plan was said to be taken from a model made by Bishop Smith of St. Giles Parish Church at Stoke-Poges in England. St. Giles was famous as the setting for the poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray. A comparison of the Church of the Advent with the actual St. Giles shows, however,t only faint similarities.

The Church of the Advent was one of a number of Gothic Revival Episcopal Churches built through the influence Kentucky’s first Episcopal Bishop, the Right Reverend Benjamin Bosworth Smith. The Gothic style was felt to be the only proper style for a church by Anglicans who were part of the Ecclesiological Movement or the Oxford Movement. This influenced Episcopalians in America to favor the Gothic Revival style for church-building. The style of churches built after Bishop Smith’s model was patterned after the Early English Gothic style of the 12th and 13th centuries which was simpler than the later phases of Gothic, the Perpendicular Gothic and Decorated Gothic styles. This made it adaptable to the small churches designed for Kentucky towns. These churches are reminiscent of English country parish churches, particularly those built of native limestone.

The tower features a Tudor arch doorway with a shouldered hood mold. A Tudor arch is a flattened pointed arch. The stonework for the lower part of the tower is uncoursed stone while the upper part of the tower completed later has the stone laid in courses. Buttresses support outer corners, tall slender single lancet windows are on each face of the upper tower and the cornice has stone corbels under a pyramidal roof.

The Episcopal congregation in Cynthiana was formed in 1835 by N. N. Cowgill, a layman who later was ordained by Bishop Smith in 1838. For several years the congregation did not have its own church meeting and held services in the Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian churches as well as in the courthouse. Two more priests would serve the congregation before Reverend Carter Page in 1850 who would be pastor during the construction of the church. The church cost $6,500 dollars to construct. The lot was purchased by Dr. George H. Perrin who paid for $5,500 of the cost with the remaining$1000 donated by William Thompson. Once the tower was completed the church was consecrated on May 19, 1860 by the Right Reverend (Bishop) Benjamin Bosworth Smith.

During the Civil War, the church would be used for a hospital for the wounded soldiers from the Battle of Cynthiana fought on June 11th and 12th, 1864.

The side porch of the Church of the Advent with trefoil motifs in the brackets and verge boards. Note how acute the angle of the gable is. In medieval Gothic churches the porch was usually enclosed or partly enclosed.

Another Contributor Joins the Fray! ¡Hola, Chris Ertel!

Portrait of Chris Ertel by
Madelaine Enochs-Epley

I'm pleased to announce that Christopher Ertel will be adding his voice to The Kaintuckeean beginning tomorrow. I've known Chris from his tireless efforts on behalf of The Blue Grass Trust and his avid following of our deTours. He is a tremendous resource on the history of the Bluegrass and I'm so excited that he is willing to share with us!

Chris attended Georgetown College before graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Historic Preservation. He has restored two homes for himself and consulted on others. He is retired from the Kentucky Court of Justice and volunteers for The Blue Grass Trust's Hunt-Morgan House and its Antiques and Garden Show. For his work at this year's AGS, Chris received the Betty Hoopes Award.


Although his broad and diverse knowledge covers much of the region's history and architecture, his current passion includes the beautiful stone Episcopal churches constructed during the service of the first Episcopalian bishop of Kentucky, Bishop Bosworth Smith. Welcome, Chris Ertel!

In a place called Munfordville...

Hart County Courthouse - Munfordville, Ky.

Hart County has long been a place that I heard much about, but had never visited. A truly good friend from college was a Munfordvillian, and he used to regale me with stories of its importance in the Civil War. We used to laugh as my friend would amp up his southern drawl, and begin to speak of the battles that took place in this tiny little community - including tales of the local boy who went on to be a general in the Confederate Army, General Simon Bolivar Buckner.

Turns out he was right. Hart County was first settled in the late 18th century around the Horse Cave area, with Munfordville being settled in 1816. Munfordville was named for Richard T. Munford, the man who originally owned the land upon which the town sits. Its strategic position along the railroad that ran between Louisville and Nashville made it an important location during the Civil War. Throughout the war, bridges were burned both figuratively and literally in Hart County.

Lexington's Old Courthouse Indefinitely Closed

Old Fayette County Courthouse - Lexington, Ky.

Last Friday, the doors of the Lexington Museum Center were indefinitely closed due to "dangerous levels of damaged and deteriorating lead-based paint in the building." Also cited by the city were asbestos, mold, and structural problems. The Lexington Public Safety Museum, the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum, and the Lexington History Museum all call the Museum Center, Lexington's old courthouse, home. And while these museums each tell a great history, the greatest history at the Museum Center is that of the old courthouse itself. Anyone who has explored the upper floors of the old courthouse knows that the building requires a tremendous amount of work in order to be fully restored and it is disappointing that impediments so great stand in the way of that vision.

The 1898 Richardson Romanesque courthouse is at the heart of downtown Lexington; it is decidedly Lexington's most recognizable structure. It served as the county courthouse for over a century until the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza opened in 2002. And although the façade is incredible, the building's interior is more spectacular.

Covington's Treasured Licking Riverside Historic District

J.J. Audubon Statue near the Point - Covington, Ky.

The first Europeans to set foot in Covington likely did so at what came to be known to pioneers as "The Point." There, the Ohio and Licking Rivers — as well as Covington, Newport, and Cincinnati — all meet. Nearly two hundred years since Covington was founded, a great deal of this part of the city would still be familiar to many of its first residents. In fact, Covington's founders built their homes in what is now known as the Licking Riverside Historic District, where the streets are lined with sprawling antebellum estates and townhomes in the Greek Revival, Federal, Queen Anne, High Victorian, Gothic, Italianate, and French Second Empire styles. While much of Covington's early history can be traced to the streets of this neighborhood, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati with its appealing walkability, architectural intrigue, and the most perfect views of the rivers and the Cincinnati skyline. Licking Riverside stretches eight blocks from north to south and boasts important points of history every step of the way. The streets from east to west are named for Kentucky's first five governors, Shelby, Garrard, Greenup, Scott, and Madison (though Shelby served a second term between Scott and Madison, he did not score himself a second spot in Covington's street grid). Daniel Carter Beard, founder of the Sons of Boone which he later integrated into the Boy Scouts, first discovered his love for the outdoors in this neighborhood in the mid-nineteenth century. The parents of President Ulysses S. Grant lived in Covington where Jesse Grant served as Postmaster; their house still stands. United States Senator Richard P. Ernst resided in a corner mansion near the Licking River where a bridge connects Kenton and Campbell Counties. From the time George Rogers Clark organized his troops here during fights with the Indians, to the time Covington founding father Thomas Carneal built his stunning mansion (which is believed to be the oldest home in Covington today, and is currently for sale), to the Civil War where north truly met south right at this spot, to now where the residences are filled with some of the region's most prominent professionals, Licking Riverside is a living historic treasure and a must-see during any visit to Covington.

Michael Monks is the publisher of The River City News, an online newspaper based in Covington, Kentucky. Check out more of Michael's Licking Riverside photos after the jump:

The County Fair and Deep Fried Snickers

My Deep Fried Snickers at the County Fair - Nicholasville, Ky.

On Monday evening, I went to the Jessamine County Fair. After setting up the Democratic party's booth and registering a few voters, I strolled around the grounds a bit to see what was going on.

Jessamine County Fair

Haley Goen was crowned Miss Jessamine County. Tonight, Wednesday, we'll find out who wins Jr. Miss and Little Miss Jessamine County. Apart from the glamour, livestock competitions, carnival rides, corn hole, truck and tractor pulls, and a greased pig competition will highlight some of the events taking place at the City County Park in Nicholasville.

But it isn't only in Nicholasville. All summer long, across the state and the country, county fairs will occur with much the same offering. For many communities, these are the biggest social events of the year and are an exciting event. I'd highly recommend you check out your local county fair this year, or even venture to the grandaddy of them all: the state fair. 

Kentucky Courthouses and America's Most Endangered Places

Fayette County Courthouses - Lexington, Ky.

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation publishes a list of America's Most Endangered Places. This year, Texas Courthouses made the list for the second time. Some background from the National Trust:

Texas courthouses helped establish a unique identity for each of the state’s counties, and 234 of the state’s 244 county-owned historic courthouses are still in active government use. Unfortunately, many – including some of the oldest and most architecturally distinguished – have fallen into disrepair due to inadequate funding and maintenance. In 1998, the National Trust named Texas courthouses to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The following year, the Texas legislature and Governor George W. Bush created the Texas Historic Courthouse Program. Administered by the Texas Historical Commission, this program has provided $247 million in matching grants to fully restore 62 historic courthouses and partially assist 21 more. While these results are impressive, more than 72 courthouses remain to be restored, including the Karnes County Courthouse. Continued state funding for the Texas Historic Courthouse Program is needed to assist preservation efforts across the state.

In Kentucky, we've taken a different approach citing judicial demands for increased space. As a result, preservation has not been at the forefront in all locales. Kentucky's system has resulted in the construction of over 70 "judicial centers" since 1998.

Bullitt County Courthouse in Shepherdsville, Ky.

Bullitt County, Kentucky, has an astoundingly large amount of judicial space. I even got a little confused when attending a hearing there as I wasn't sure of which building to enter!

Shepherdsville was founded in 1793 where the old Wilderness Trail crossed Salt River. Bullitt County was formed four years later, on January 1, 1797, from lands taken from Nelson and Jefferson counties. This Beaux-Arts style courthouse is only the second to occupy Shepherdsville. It was constructed in 1900-01.

Salt licks in the area were important to attracting early settlers. The first commercial saltworks in Kentucky were established in Bullitt County, and the area experienced rapid growth in the 1800s due to the presence of the railroad that ran from Louisville to Nashville.

This Glorious Birthday of Our Freedom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

"When in the course of human events..." began that unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States, in Congress on July 4, 1776. We have, ever since, celebrated that date as being the birth date of our country (ignoring that the declaration was made on July 2, but recognizing instead its adoption on July 4).

Today's celebrations are marked with parades, street fairs, and fireworks. Since 1777, Americans have recognized the importance of the holiday. The first such celebration in the West was in Jessamine County at the farm of Colonel William Price. Price, who had attained the rank of Major, preferred to be known as a Colonel likely due to his rank in the Kentucky militia.

Col. Price was present in October 1781 for the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and also saw action at the Battles of Brandywine, Monmouth, and Germantown.

deTour of Constitution Street Slideshow!

For those who cannot wait until an upcoming write up of last night's Blue Grass Trust deTour, here are some photos. See you next month!

Tubes O'er Lexington

The Lex Art Sculpture from Main and Limestone - Lexington, Ky.

This past weekend, the installation of Lex was completed over the Lexington Laundry Company Building at 141 East Main Street. Designed by NewYork sculptor Dewitt Godfrey, the design is a fixture of various shapes and sizes of steel tubes nestled between its taller neighbors.

The work, which adds another dimension to a block that is already a mixture of historic and modern architecture was commissioned work by LexArts and Leadership Lexington's 2010 Class.

A New Partnership with River City News

The Kaintuckeean is excited to announce a new blogging partnership with The River City News. RCNews has for over a year been providing "thoughtful, creative and breaking news from Northern Kentucky's largest city." (that's Covington). A number of RC News' articles have focused on the developments, redevelopments, and preservation efforts in Covington and its neighboring communities.

There is a lot occurring in Northern Kentucky. Covington, like so much of Kentucky, is historically and architecturally rich. Michael Monks, the creator of RCNews, will keep Kaintuckeeans up to date on preservation developments in that region and will share some history along the way!