Discovering The Trails of Jessamine County

Kentucky River winding through the Bluegrass. Author’s Collection.

Of the Bluegrass region, J. Soule Smith wrote in his “Bluegrass Region of Kentucky in 1898”:

The best part of it winds the Kentucky River, which has cut its deep bed into the soft rocks there hundred feet below the surface, and presents its picturesque cliffs in many featured crags as sentinels over the wimpling waves below … It is near to Heaven and most blest of all the earth.

If you’ve spent time in the Palisades, either kayaking the waters of the Kentucky River or hiking above or below the cliffs, you have personally witnessed the blessed place we live in. Or perhaps you’ve seen the sun rise or set over the rolling Bluegrass hills on a Jessamine County farm with centuries-old trees dotting the landscapes.

Yes, we are fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. But, too often, many of us are confined to our daily urban and suburban patterns. Getting out into nature is a treat, one made easier with publicly accessible trails.

Trails come in a wide variety. Some require great energy and involve steep grades, while others are paved and easily accessible by those of all abilities.

Some of the region’s best-known public trails include those at Lexington’s 734-acre Raven Run. Across the Kentucky River from Jessamine County are a series of nature preserves along the Palisades and separating the counties is the Kentucky River Blueway Trail along Jessamine County’s 42-mile waterfront.

Trails for all abilities at Garrard County’s Dupree Nature Preserve. Author’s Collection.

There are also a number of trails within Jessamine County. The US-68 mixed-use trail provides jogging and bicycling opportunity, as does the much shorter Riney B. Park trail. The longest mountain bike trail in the county is currently accessible only via Lexington’s Veterans Park. Other trail opportunities exist at Wilmore’s Centennial Park and at Camp Nelson, and there are more trails in Jessamine County. But many of these are unknown to the general public.

Despite the health and economic benefits of trails, local officials have kept secret many of these treasures. Hikes were possible, by appointment only. But restrictions have softened on access to public lands in our county. Now a consortium of parks and recreation, the YMCA, the health department, St. Joseph Jessamine, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Jessamine County Trails Association is in the process of identifying all of the trails in Jessamine County.

The consortium’s goal is to produce a brochure and map highlighting these Jessamine County resources. If you’re interested in helping to evaluate, photograph and help discover Jessamine County’s trails, contact Lindsay Ames at the health department, 885-2310, or John Howard at parks and recreation, 885-9787. You can also learn more on the Facebook page for the Jessamine County Trails Association.

Lindsay Ames, the Jessamine County Health Department’s Health Environmentalist, regularly hikes the trails of the Bluegrass. “When you simply need a quick escape into nature, the [Jim Beam Trail off Payne Lane] is conveniently located just minutes from Nicholasville,” says Ames.

According to Ames, the shorter Jim Beam Trail has a variety of sights close to home: “you are in the woods above the river, the elevation changes for some hill climbs, and you get some pretty cool views of the Palisades. While popular destinations like Red River Gorge are known for hiking trails, the local hiker may be pleasantly surprised to discover that there are actually a few adventurous trails within just a short drive.”

With random warm weekends popping up during Kentucky winters, it is ideal to plan for a spontaneous hiking excursion. With the leaves off the trees, views and landscapes are particularly spectacular. Year round, you can get out and discover that you live in a place that is “most blest of all the earth.”

The post above was originally published in the Jessamine Journal on January 8, 2015.  

The end of the story of Nicholasville’s ‘Lady Sterling House’

The Lady Sterling House. Nicholasville, Ky. Author’s collection.

 In 1804, Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase was completed. And Christopher Greenup was elected the commonwealth’s third governor.

Only six years earlier, Nicholasville was founded and Jessamine County was formed. These were the earliest of days for our nation, our commonwealth and our community.

Original 1802 Plat Map of Nicholasville. Jessamine Historical Society.

Also in 1804, a log cabin was built on lot 104. Lot 104, as found on Nicholasville’s original plat map dated 1802, was at the northwest corner of West and North Cross streets. Those road names are today known as First and Walnut streets, respectively.

In 1839, the log cabin was owned by rented out to a young Englishman, Ross Hughes, and his wife. Mr. Hughes was a stagecoach driver and was on the road often and for considerable time.

Lady Sterling House. Jessamine PVA.

Even so, a little girl was born in the log cabin to Hughes’ wife in 1841. Mother and daughter tracked the absent father to St. Louis where it was discovered that he was, in fact, quite wealthy. The young girl “became a lady in fashionable society in St. Louis, and later the wife of an English lord, and the mistress of a superb mansion in London society.” As wife of the English lord, she received the honorary title of “lady” and so the moniker for the now defunct log cabin could appropriately be the Lady Sterling House.

The story was told in Bennett Young’s 1898 “History of Jessamine County” and retold by Robin Fain in a 1993 history of the county. The 1898 history of the county said of the log cabin’s condition that “it has been altered and weatherboarded anew, and is still one of the most comfortable residences in the town.”

That weatherboarding disguised history for generations. When Dr. Rice Teater moved from his large home at West Third and Maple streets, many were surprised that the popular physician chose to downsize to the old weathered structure at First and Walnut streets.

But the history-loving Dr. Teater must have known the building’s storied past. Dr. Teater died from injuries sustained during a fire in the structure in the early 1950s.

A second fire, about 25-years ago, resulted in the discovery of the old hewn logs and the revelation that the house had stood since the early days of lot 104. When the Kentucky Historic Resources Survey looked at historic places in Nicholasville in the mid-1980s, it overlooked this covered property which today lies just outside the district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yet, it was still a piece of our community’s history that had witnessed nearly all of it. That is, until the events which followed the third fire.

On Thursday evening, another fire consumed the log cabin.

A number of individuals took to social media to express their hope that the 210-year-old building would see another day. Wrote Kim Shea, “if the old cabin could be saved and restored, that would be great.” Ann Royalty hoped that, at a minimum, someone could “have a few of the logs to put on display for history or museum purposes.”

It would have taken preservationists only a few days to determine if some form of salvage was possible.

But those few days weren’t to happen. Despite attempting to save at least the old log cabin to be assessed, the entire property was razed early Saturday morning.

How much more of our past must be destroyed before we at least pause to consider it? Remember, demolition is forever.

The post above was originally published in the Jessamine Journal on December 11, 2014.  

A Little Thanksgiving History

The First Thanksgiving 1621 by Jean Leon Jerome Ferris.

Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November, 1863 to be a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” It established Thanksgiving as an annual holiday in the United States.

From the days of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress or Congress or a president would declare “national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving” at various times through the years.

Governors of the various states, too, thought it appropriate to give thanks. Governor Robert P. Letcher proclaimed the First Thanksgiving Day in Kentucky back on September 26, 1844.

Of course, Thanksgiving is traditionally recognized as having been a harmonious celebration between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians in the Massachusetts Colony. In reality, the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest. That “thanksgiving” lasted three days.

The only contemporary account of the 1621 Thanksgiving was in a letter written back to England by Edward Winslow in which he noted that “although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you were partakers of our plenty.”

The plentiful harvest would have been especially important given that the prior winter bore witness to the death of half of the Pilgrims’ number. Those colonists would not repeat Thanksgiving as an annual tradition, contrary to modern lore.

Read more about Thanksgiving’s history, about Franksgiving, and remember to #ShopSmall by supporting local businesses on #SmallBusinessSaturday — all at

You can read the rest of my Thanksgiving column from this week’s Jessamine Journal (November 27, 2014) by clicking here. There you’ll learn more about Thanksgiving’s history and about Franksgiving. Plus, a reminder to #ShopSmall by supporting local businesses on #SmallBusinessSaturday!

Good Giving Challenge Is On!

Thumbing through the Good Giving Guide on Sunday evening, I was reminded of how many incredible nonprofit organizations serve our community and our region. The guide is designed to do exactly that. It describes what a nonprofit does and why the organization is great.

During the holiday season, we will be inundated by requests for support by worthy causes. Often, it is difficult to sift through all of those organizations. Although the guide omits many critical central Kentucky charitable organizations (there’s no way to list them all!), it does describe over 150 charitable groups.

The Good Giving Guide is produced in partnership between the Blue Grass Community Foundation (BGCF) and Smiley Pete Publishing. The 45-year old BGCF partners with individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits to raise funds for groups that enhance the quality of life in eastern and central Kentucky.

Last year’s Good Giving Challenge raised over $1.6 million for 107 different local nonprofit organizations. Too often, we think that just a few dollars of giving will accomplish little, but through matching partnerships even small gifts are magnified.

The Good Giving Guide details what a $50 contribution to different organizations will buy. For God’s Pantry, that will provide 431 pounds of fresh produce for Kentucky families. At the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, $50 of giving will provide 25 warm blankets for babies suffering from drug withdrawal in the NICU. The Growing Together Preschool organization can outfit a pre-K classroom with its science materials, and Lexington Philharmonic can introduce 25 low-income elementary school students to the arts. Any of these things is possible with such a small gift.

The guide is broken down into the principal kind of outreach done by the nonprofit: animal welfare, arts and culture, community outreach, education, environment, health, human services, and youth.

Among the pages are a host of humane societies throughout the region. So, too, are art and historic house museums, libraries, schools, food banks, and homeless coalitions. The list goes on and on. Many of the nonprofits are located in Lexington, but several of these have a reach beyond that city’s limits. There were also several nonprofits each from Clark and Boyle counties, as well as other counties in the region.

But only one charity from Jessamine County was in the pages of the Good Giving Guide: the Camp Nelson Honor Guard. This all-volunteer resident guard provides full, enhanced military funeral rites at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, supports the rifle details there, and works events annually. The honor guard is great because it brings honor, dignity and tradition to one of the last pristine Civil War sites in the nation.

There are a number of other worthy Jessamine County charitable groups, and I’d hope that they could join the Challenge in 2015. Doing so provides a big boost to the region’s awareness of a nonprofit and its mission.
During the Good Giving Challenge, each of the 150-plus organizations have matching gifts from a number of businesses and individuals, mostly local.

This holiday season, I’d encourage everyone to make a contribution to a worthy charity this holiday season. The 2014 Good Giving Challenge began this week and runs through December 12. If you are looking for a good charity to plug in with, pick up a copy of the Good Giving Guide or visit www.bggives.org.

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on November 6, 2014It should not be republished without permission.

Politics (and its yard signs) is the damnedest

Political signage from 2010. Author’s collection.

A couple weeks ago, I drove through a few different central Kentucky counties. As is the case throughout the Commonwealth, each is in the midst of election season. Political signage dotted the rolling hillsides.

But the hillsides and intersections weren’t overrun like they are here in fair Jessamine County.

Without a doubt, political signs could be found in the counties I visited. I saw numerous signs for both local offices and state representative.

Yet, I wasn’t inundated. I could drive more than thirty second without encountering a political sign of any sort.

It seems as if I cannot travel thirty feet in Jessamine County without spotting a yard sign for some candidate or another.

So why are yard signs such a part of Jessamine County’s political culture?

I’ve only lived in Jessamine County for about a decade, so admittedly I’m not sure how long our streetscapes have been inundated by political signage. But since the 1980s, the number of political yard signs nationally has quadrupled. And during the same time, Jessamine County’s population has exploded.

With more and more new voters in the county, yard signs become an effective way of raising name identification for the candidates running for elected office. Studies have shown that this is true, particularly in competitive races that are described as “low-information.”

(Yard signs have been shown to have little or no effect in larger races, like those for President or Congress.)

A low-information race is one in which candidates don’t express, or aren’t forced to express, opinions on the issues. Or perhaps the issues aren’t well-defined. (Yet sometimes it feels that describes races for Congress or even President.)

As I’ve written in recent weeks, our local government races are the most likely to be low-information.

In the race for Nicholasville city commission, some of the political newcomers bring new ideas and tremendous experience which would bring value to the deliberations made at city hall. There are important issues like improving the resources of our fire department, strengthening our police department in the face of increased drug activity, and developing the ever-growing Nicholasville in a smart manner that is consistent with the master plan.

And those are just a few examples for one office. There are a myriad of issues that each elected official will face. More so than far-off Washington, DC or even Frankfort, those elected to serve locally have the greatest power to affect our daily lives.

So why do we allow these campaigns – which will ultimately control our police and fire protection levels, our neighborhood roads, and the utilities upon which we depend – to be low information?

How our city and county grow should not be determined by which candidate can put out the most 4’x8’ signs or the most yard signs in an attempt to increase their name recognition with voters.

Voters need to study the candidates, their qualifications and experience, and understand how those qualities best fit the office being sought. In a low information campaign, this information can be difficult to obtain. Online research is one way to start. Just “Google” the candidate’s name with the office sought and see what you can learn. Ask the candidates questions and, if they aren’t clear, ask a follow up question. Get to know each of the candidates.

But don’t just count yard signs and don’t let their presence be your guide when you enter the voting box.

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on September 24, 2014It should not be republished without permission.

Columbus Day, Disney’s Maelstrom, & My Norwegian Heritage

A Disneyfied version of my Norwegian heritage with the kids. Author’s collection.

Congratulations to everyone who is taking the day off today in celebration of Columbus Day. But why are we doing this? Though government employees enjoy the holiday away from work, only 14% of private employers recognize this second-tier holiday. But why celebrate at all?

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue … 


Yes, yes. We know. But what did this accomplish? Discovered America?

Nope. As the record clearly shows, America’s indigenous peoples were here long before. In cities like Seattle and Minneapolis, Columbus Day isn’t recognized. In lieu, the day is celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day.

First European in America? Nope. Not correct. Erik the Red made it to Greenland and established a colony there; he lived ca. 950-1003. All about 500 years before Columbus. And if you don’t accept Greenland as part of the Americas (many don’t), Erik’s son – Leif Erikson – extended his Viking voyage as far west as modern-day Newfoundland, Canada.

Thus, it was the Norse Vikings who were the first Europeans to set foot on North American soil. As someone who is 25% Norse, I suggest we abandon the false holiday of Columbus Day.

I’d like to see a nationally celebrated Vikings Day or Erikson Day, but that isn’t going to happen. So how about that Indigenous Peoples Day? Absolutely. I’d go with that.

In the meanwhile, I’ll share my column from last week about the closing of another Norwegian landmark. The Maelstrom ride at Disney World’s Epcot shuttered in favor of a new ride to open next year featuring the cast and song of Frozen.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

If you have children or have been around children in the past year, those words conjure up the sounds of a young Anna singing to her sister Elsa in Disney’s hit animated movie, “Frozen.”

My daughter has been enthralled.

In some ways, I really like the movie. Its main premise is that two sisters are able to achieve a happy ending together. That Disney was finally able to produce an animated classic princess movie without the need for a hero/rescuer male prince is refreshing and sets a good example for our daughters: their success depends on their own actions.

But I’m also disappointed in Frozen. Moreso, I guess I’m disappointed in the movie’s economic power to change things.

I’ll cut to the chase. In Orlando, at Walt Disney World’s Epcot World Showcase, Norway’s Maelstrom ride closed on Sunday. For the last time, trolls cast a spell against intruders to the Northcountry sending them “back … back, over the falls.”

The Viking ship carried visitors through the fjords of Norway where one encountered trolls, Odin, polar bears, and living trees. It was one of my favorite rides at Disney World.

And that’s probably because I’m a little biased.

I’m one-fourth Norse and I loved even the Disneyfied-version of my ancestry. The Maelstrom provided a little education about the people, the land, and the enchantment of Norway. One would expect nothing less from a ride which was, in part, paid for by the Norwegian government.

Epcot’s World Showcase features eleven nations and, conceptually, one can learn something about each of the depicted countries’ cultures when exploring the Showcase. Entertaining and educational, I’ve always been fond of the layout. But I’ve always been partial to Norway and her Maelstrom.

The ride opened in 1988 as Norway was the last country to join Epcot’s World Showcase. Other changes have been made through the years, but this one hurts a little bit. I’ll miss those trolls.

Although most of Epcot is quasi-educational (when compared to other amusement parks), I can’t disparage the for-profit Disney Corpration for abandoning an admittedly-aging ride in favor of one of the company’s biggest blockbusters.

I’ve made it to Disney World four times in my life. Twice as a child, once in college and again just this past summer. (Were this column produced by Disney, Olaf, from Frozen, would sing a song here about summer.) On the last trip, my children experienced the Maelstrom and its 28-foot drop into the North Sea. In fact, I think we experienced the Maelstrom 4 or 5 times.

But those seeking to find the spirit of Norway will have to go elsewhere (perhaps Norway itself?). For the Maelstrom is closed.

I suppose now I need to … let it go?

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on October 9, 2014It should not be republished without permission.

The ‘Handsomest Public Monument in Jessamine County’

Confederate Monument in downtown Nicholasville.
Author’s Collection.

One hundred fifty years ago, the Union was engaged in a great Civil War. As a border state, Kentucky was as divided as the nation.

While the Commonwealth gave up 50,000 of her sons to the Confederacy, she offered fifty percent more to the cause of preserving the Union.

A star representing Kentucky could be found on the banner of both USA and CSA alike.

Although our state motto is “United we stand, Divided we fall,” the Commonwealth surely was divided during the War Between the States.

Yet after the War, Kentuckians found themselves enamored with “the Lost Cause.” Kentuckians largely rallied and united under this banner.

In so doing, Kentucky truly became a southern state.

Confederate Monument at the Jessamine
Courthouse. Author’s Collection.

Throughout Kentucky, there are tangible reminders of this transition. Though more Kentuckians fought and died wearing Union blue, there are more monuments in the Commonwealth recognizing the sacrifices of those who wore grey.

On Jessamine’s courthouse lawn stands one such monument. Atop an eleven-foot tall pedestal of unpolished granite stands a Confederate soldier cast in bronze.

Larger than life, the seven-foot tall Rebel is not at full attention. Instead, he appears to be resting with much of his weight being borne by his musket. Yet the soldier looks onward, ever watchful, with his gaze down Main Street.

Toward Lexington.

Toward the north.

(Though the soldier is mindful of an attack by Yankees from the north, the Union held Camp Nelson which is located south of the Courthouse. Had a Rebel scout been stationed on Nicholasville’s courthouse lawn, he would have surely seen Union troops on their way to reinforce Camp Nelson. Perhaps the Confederate soldier was resigned to the presence of his enemy?)

In his book “A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky,” Colonel Bennett H. Young (a Confederate veteran himself) described the monument as the “handsomest public monument in Jessamine County.” And truly, it is.

Text on the base of the Monument. Author’s Collection.

The monument was erected by the Jessamine Confederate Memorial Association and was dedicated to Confederate soldiers who were buried at the nearby Maple Grove cemetery. Carved into stone are these words of honor to the fallen Confederates:

Nor braver bled
for brighter land
nor brighter land
had a cause so grand.

In 1997, the monument and its base were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Memorial Association began raising funds for their monument in 1880 some 15 years after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. It would take another 16 years before the Association would be able to dedicate their monument.

Fundraising was still insufficient, but a slight change to the monument’s design helped finish the project. Of course, that “slight change” turned out to be quite significant: the bronze soldier was originally a Union soldier.

The monument company which sculpted the soldier had an unclaimed soldier which it was willing to part with at a discount. Alterations were made to render the unclaimed soldier into a Rebel.

Before a crowd of some 3,500, the Confederate Soldier Monument was dedicated on the courthouse lawn in Nicholasville on June 15, 1896. “The city of Nicholasville royally entertained all those who came to unit in the ceremonies,” wrote Col. Young.

Col. Young, then living in Louisville, attended and spoke at the dedication: “We come in tenderness and devotion and affection to mark, beautify and bless the soil that garners their dust, and to declare by this monument, which we trust will remain forever, that … our departed comrades shall be as deathless.”

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on August 20, 2014. It should not be republished without permission.

Movin’ On Up … Changing Times at the Jessamine County Library

Jessamine Co. Public Library, Nicholasville, Ky. Jessamine Journal.

When was the last time you moved?

Packing up all of your belongings and making sure that they are secure for even a short haul is an exhausting process.

When I moved into my current home several years ago, a friend helped me to relocate a few dozen boxes of books. Afterward, he volunteered to never help me move my books again.

That awkward sofa is really a piece of cake? The insanely heavy armoire is somehow manageable, even down a flight of stairs.

But an unending stream of books is just too daunting.

So when I heard that the Jessamine County Public Library was packing up its entire collection of books (and more), I thought of my friend and of all the books I’ve moved.

But then, all of my books probably fit in less than 100 square feet floor to ceiling. The library’s Main Street location has 22,000 square feet.

This is a big and daunting job. Fortunately, the heavy lifting isn’t being done by library volunteers or staff. A moving company that specializes in commercial relocation has been hired to move all of of those books.

The books will remain on their shelves during the process, shrinkwrapped into place. The shelves will then be loaded onto a truck and moved to the library’s temporary digs on Computrex Drive. All of this will be welcome news to those at the library who won’t have to re-catalog each and every volume. Still, it will be an arduous process requiring the library to close its doors for about a month.

All of this is necessary because the existing South Main Street library has simply grown too small for the library with the eighth largest circulation in the state. The facility, built in 1996, has previously been expanded.

Of course, the library itself is a century older.

Sarah Rice Whithers
McLean Co. (Illinois)
Museum of History

Begun in 1896, the Acme Book Club was formed as a literary society with a collection of 600 books for members to borrow. Three years later, Sarah Rice Whithers left the Nicholasville Presbyterian Church money for the establishment of a public library.

The two merged into the library which operated from the church at Maple and First Streets until 1906 when a two story library was constructed at Main and Oak Streets where Central Bank is now located.

In the 1960s, the library relocated to Second and Chestnut Streets and then-named Whithers Memorial Public Library again moved into its home at Second and Maple Streets in the mid-1970s.

Finally, the library found its present home in the 1990s. It was renamed to the Jessamine County Public Library in 2001.

For over a century, a free book library has served the people of Jessamine County. During that time, the library has expanded to meet the growing community and the ever-changing demands.

The shelves aren’t just stacked with books. The temporary move to Computrex Drive will also include the music, the video games, the movies, and the other collections available from our library.

And in a little over a year, all those collections will be packed up again and returned to an expanded facility at South Main Street.

Rendering of the Expanded Jessamine County Public Library. JCPL via Jessamine Journal.

Significantly expanded. Square footage of the library will nearly double to 42,000 square feet. This will over increased space for a larger collection as well as space for all of the programming which occurs each week at the library.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished product when the library returns from its temporary location on Computrex Drive.

But I’m also really happy that I don’t have to move all of those books!

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on October 2, 2014It should not be republished without permission.

It’s time to take steps toward protecting our history

This was Friends of Nicholasville NOW’s Facebook status in early August:

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“3 steps forward, 2 steps back.” The three steps forward are easy to find in downtown Nicholasville.

New restaurants, bars and coffee shops are opening while old favorites continue to succeed. And last Friday evening, eight venues along Main Street featured the work of local artists at our town’s second Gallery Walk.

In short, it is a good time for downtown Nicholasville.

But those two steps back were too easy to find in that Facebook update…

During a Gallery Walk, my kids examined
the destruction along Main Street.
Author’s collection.

Rumors have swirled for several months that the building at 118-120 South Main Street, once the home of Ann’s Beauty Salon, would face the wrecking ball. Demolition began on a Friday morning last monthjust hours before many descended on Main Street for the gallery walk.

By the time the galleries opened, only the façade of the old structure remained. Demolition continued over the weekend. By Sunday, only a pile of rubble remained.

The demolition creates the second hole on a block that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Nicholasville Historic District (Caution: PDF)

In the Historic District’s nomination form, it is written that “the historic core of (Nicholasville) consists of a concentrated group of 19th and early 20th century commercial, governmental, residential and religious structures.” The District is a “well-preserved historic core of one of Kentucky’s oldest county seats.”

Importantly, the District “maintains a strong link to the past through its essentially unaltered town plan (a simple grid of streets with the courthouse on one of the quadrants of the principal intersection).”

And what was once Ann’s Beauty Shop was described in the nomination form as “one of the earliest remaining buildings in Nicholasville Historic District.”

The building at 118-120 South Main Street during its demolition. The structure
was the oldest commercial building in Nicholasville. Author’s collection.

The now-demolished structure at 118-120 South Main was originally constructed between 1825-1850. The 45-foot long three-bay, two-story log and frame building served as a commercial space on our Main Street for nearly 200 years.

Nicholasville was founded in 1798; its earliest map dates to 1802. That historic map identified the early in-lots on the “simple grid of streets” highlighted in the National Register nomination.

The lot of 118-120 South Main Street appeared on Nicholasville’s earliest map as Lot #38.

Map from the platting of Nicholasville, Ky., 1802. Jessamine Hist. Soc.

Decades later, the Sanborn Insurance Company drew its maps of communities across America. The earliest Sanborn map of Nicholasville dates to 1886 revealing that 120 South Main Street was occupied by a druggist and that a grocer operated out of 118 South Main Street.

Sanborn’s last map of Nicholasville was drawn in 1909. The 1909 map identifies a confectionary, bookstore and stationery shop in the old structure.

For all those years, the people of Nicholasville shopped and visited here. In its final chapter as a beauty salon, the structure was a gathering place where the community’s latest news and gossip was shared.

Admittedly, the structure wasn’t hugely significant in the long arc of history. Nor was it architecturally significant. But it contributed to both the character of the block and downtown Nicholasville at large. It was part of our community’s history.

It has been suggested that the cost to repair and repurpose the building would have been too great. This may be true, but we’ll never know.

Last year, the city rejected a historic overlay that would have required those proposing demolition in the heart of Nicholasville to show that rehabilitation wasn’t feasible. Creating such an overlay would have been a huge step toward protecting our community’s historic fabric.

Now, with another hole on our Main Street, is the time to renew the effort to preserve our history. Before it is too late.

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on August 13, 2014. It should not be republished without permission.

Enjoy a Simple Summer of Memory Making

The Lil’ Kaintuckeean Enjoying a Popcicle on a
Hot Summer Day. Author’s collection.

Oh the simple joys of summer as seen through a child’s eyes. It is always such joy to see the faces of my children as they’ve taken advantage of being outside and enjoying the warmth of summer.

Whether it be running in the sprinkler, eating a popsicle, or just interacting with their siblings or friends, watching the children play brings great joy. And the neat thing about honest summer play is that it is largely unchanged from generations past.

Kids still ride their bikes, still drink from hoses, and still get into trouble as always. Whereas it used to be a challenge to corral one’s children for mealtime or for the night, the struggle persists to keep the child active and outside and not dormant in front of a screen.

As a parent, it is much more fun to see my kids doing those summer things. Just watching them have fun is fun. My great grandfather used to say that “watching children is the best way to waste time.”

And it is.

Sometimes, of course, I struggle with allowing myself to waste that time. But it is so important to do so. To stop and to enjoy the moment. After all, isn’t that what I’m trying to get the kids to do by shooing them out the door and away from the television and their various iDevices?

Of course, there are so many risks outside, too. Bug bites once fairly innocent now might carry unpronounceable diseases. (Is it just me, or does anyone else want to say chupacabra whenever the Chikungunya virus is mentioned?) And then there is drinking out of the water hose.

I recently saw an adorable picture of a friend’s twin daughters drinking from the water hose. While wondering if the hose was BPA free, I laughed at the things we now think of. (And I already checked, Amazon.com does carry a BPA-free garden hose for this very reason so sadly someone else already thought of this and is profiting on it!)

Of course one summer adventure that we don’t get to enjoy quite like the old days is the amusement park. Sure, lastweek the great sights and sounds of the Jessamine County Fair are available locally. But next week, they’ll be gone. (You can still take advantage of the Bluegrass Fair in Lexington!)

Without hopping from fair to fair, the nearest amusement park is the old Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville or Kings Island north of Cincinnati. But it once was that all Nicholasvillians had to do was hop on the interurban rail line or the Greyhound bus to Lexington’s Joyland Park.

The Pretzel, ” That Funny Mysterious Dark Ride” at Joyland Park in
Lexington, Ky. University of Kentucky Archives.

Open from 1923 to 1964, Joyland Park was a regular destination for those who grew up in Nicholasville and Jessamine County. The park offered the region’s first public pool. Generations of Kentuckians learned to swim there at the free swimming lessons sponsored by Lexington’s newspaper.

In addition to swimming, the park offered a great wooden roller coast (The Wildcat), a carousel, a midway with 26 booths of games and other temptations, and several acres of picnic grounds. A venue on-site also brought to town some of the great musicians of the twentieth century early to mid-20th century.

I’ve discovered so many shared memories from those who visited Joyland Park as children on the many “I Grew Up In …” Facebook groups like the one for North Lexington.

What are your favorite summer memories? And what memories will you make this summer for yourself and for your family?

A version of this column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal on July 9, 2014. It should not be republished without permission.