Interviewed on ABC 36’s Good Day Kentucky

Last week, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on ABC 36’s morning program “Good Day Kentucky” to discuss Lost Lexington

If you missed the interview, you can watch the clip below:

 

The event at the library mentioned at the end of the clip offered a lively discussion on Lexington’s history and historic places.

For more about Lost Lexington, including ordering information and future author event information, click on here for the Lost Lexington page.

150 Years at the University of Kentucky

Maxwell Place – Home of the University of Kentucky President. Author’s collection.

This week, the University of Kentucky is celebrating Founders Week. The annual occasion is more significant in this year which is the University’s sesquicentennial.

In 1865, James K. Patterson assumed a professorship at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. At that time, and through 1878, the college was a part of the larger Kentucky University.

Kentucky University, like many institutions of higher learning of the day, was founded in affiliation with a religious organization. Its College of the Bible evolved into a significant seminary for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In 1878, theological differences caused the two schools to separate.

Kentucky University retained the campus in the Woodlands, but leased it to the State A&M College. The Woodlands campus was to the immediate west of Clay Avenue and would today be recognized as Woodland Park.
The cost of renting its campus, along with plummeting tuition numbers, sparked great concern in Frankfort for the face of the Commonwealth’s only public college. This was a big moment for the future of both Lexington and for what would become the University of Kentucky.


A bidding war began amongst a number of Kentucky communities vying to be the home of the only state college in Kentucky. Bowling Green made a strong bid and nearly stripped Lexington of its opportunity to be the home of two major institutions of learning—UK and Transylvania University.

Administration Building, ca. 1882. University Architect & Facilities Planning.

But the City of Lexington finally offered $30,000, plus its fifty-two-acre city park on the southern edge of town, to serve as the home of the state college. Fayette County added $20,000 to the effort to entice the legislature in Frankfort to keep the state college in Lexington. In 1880, the legislature made Lexington the permanent home of the state college.

For a number of years still, the school largely emphasized agricultural and mechanical studies. President Patterson continually added more and more liberal arts to the curricula. The shift from agricultural and mechanical studies to liberal arts was recognized by the state legislature in 1908, and the school was re-chartered as State University: Lexington, Kentucky. And in 1916, the University of Kentucky moniker was formally adopted.

Happy Birthday, UK! Festivities go on throughout the week, but the big shindig was on Monday with a convocation service featuring a keynote address by Brit Kirwan. Kirwan is the chancellor of the University System of Maryland and the son of former UK president A.D. Kirwan.

Author’s Lego interpretation of the Kirwan-Blanding residential complex at UK named, in part, for President Kirwan.
Author’s collection.

This post is based on an excerpt about the Lost Campus from LOST LEXINGTON, KY.

Lexington has dozens of well-restored landmarks, but so many more are lost forever. The famous Phoenix Hotel, long a stop for weary travelers and politicians alike, has risen from its own ashes numerous times over the past centuries. The works of renowned architect John McMurtry were once numerous around town, but some of the finest examples are gone. The Centrepointe block has been made and unmade so many times that its original tenants are unknown to natives now.

Where to purchase LOST LEXINGTON?

Lost Lexington Events Next Week

Mark Your Calendars!!

On February 26, 2015, there are two awesome and exciting Lost Lexington events on tap so mark your calendars!

Good Day Kentucky

Be sure to tune into ABC 36’s Good Day Kentucky on February 26 from 9am to 10 am. There will be a short 2-3 minute segment on Lost Lexington. Don’t miss it!

Lexington Public Library

In the evening, I’ll be discussing Lost Lexington in the Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library’s Central Branch. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and will be in the Farish Theater or upstairs in the 3rd floor Kentucky Room signing books until 8:00 p.m. Books will be available for sale, or you may bring your own copy. RSVP not required, but you can do so on the event’s Facebook page!

Already read Lost Lexington?

It would be a big help to me if you would be so kind as to write a review of Lost Lexington! Reviews can be submitted on as many review sites as you can find, but the easiest to use are amazon.com and barnes & noble. If you use GoodReads, you can also submit a review there! Many thanks!

Be sure to check out the Lost Lexington for other updates about the book!

Mayor Gray: Lexington’s rich past will inform and inspire our future

Discussing Lost Lexington with Mayor Gray in City Hall. Mayor’s Office

In the nearly two and a half centuries since Lexington was
founded in 1775, this oncefrontier
settlement has grown into a flourishing city of more than 300,000 residents. It
has produced some remarkable landmarks and people. These entrepreneurs,
intellectuals and civic leaders had the imagination and vision that helped make
Lexington what it is today: a city that embraces new ideas and innovation while
valuing its rural landscape and authentic past. … As Lexington continues to reinvent itself, it is the
city’s unique and rich past that will inform and inspire its future
.

I was honored that Lexington’s Mayor Jim Gray penned the words to the foreword of my book, Lost Lexington. In a few paragraphs, he synopsed the entire text with those inspirational words for the future. Best of all, Mayor Gray wasn’t just paying lip service to historic preservation and a dynamic future for Lexington that honors its “unique and rich past.” His commitment was a hallmark of his first time as mayor and was on display yesterday during his State of the Merged Government Address (link to full text).

In Lost Lexington, I focused on the landmarks that once stood in and around Lexington. Those landmarks, however, are gone. I hoped that the book would encourage us to realize the history that was lost and do something about the threatened historical places that are still around.

The dome of the Old Courthouse in Lexington.
Author’s collection.
During his Address, Mayor Gray discussed Lexington being the best city. He said that “being the best means honoring and preserving our history.” 
He went on to deliver a plan for the historic old courthouse in Lexington’s core that has been shuttered since 2012: “In 2014 the City shored up the critical needs of the foundation. This year we will be taking steps to save the building. The courthouse needs to be imaginative, innovative and functional … a gravitational pull that will attract citizens and visitors. The courthouse will have an assessment report in the next few weeks and then in February and March we will host a series of public meetings to get the Community’s input. And I will include funding for the first phase in my budget address in April.”
He touched on other important projects, too. Like funding for the Town Branch Commons – a new linear park that would link the urban core to rural Fayette County. And he noted the heavy costs of having city hall in the old Lafayette Hotel. Relocating city hall to a more efficient location would be good for government and could allow private reinvestment into the structure that dates to the 1920s. 
These ideas are all good for Lexington. Mayor Gray is right to do these things and I hope the efforts are all successful. Because “being the best means honoring and preserving our history.”

Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea … Lost Lexington!

Today is Festivus (for the rest of us)!

Of course, that also means that tomorrow is Christmas Eve! It’s too late to get anything delivered from amazon.com, so what is someone to do for a last minute Christmas gift?

May I suggest my book, Lost Lexington, Kentucky?

You can still pick it up locally at either Morris Book Shop or Joseph Beth Booksellers (and maybe other places, too).

Morris Book Shop
882 E. High Street; Lexington


Joseph Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Circle; Lexington

Tomorrow morning, I’ll also have books available for pick-up directly from me (cash, plastic, or check; sorry, no change) which I can sign for you or the lucky person to receive such an awesome gift from you. Email me – peter [at] kaintuckeean [dot] com – for the where.

Already read Lost Lexington

It would be a big help to me if you would be so kind as to write a review of Lost Lexington! Reviews can be submitted on as many review sites as you can find, but the easiest to use are amazon.com and barnes & noble. If you use GoodReads, you can also submit a review there! Many thanks!

Lexington’s First Airport was at Halley Field

The entrance to the Meadowthorpe neighborhood. Author’s collection.

Last month, a historic marker was dedicated at the Lexington intersection of Leestown Road at Boiling Springs Drive. The spot marks the entrance to Lexington’s first true subdivision: Meadowthorpe.

In a chapter on the Bluegrass region in Lost Lexington, I mentioned the Meadowthorpe neighborhood and the historic airport. From Lost Lexington

In the early 1950s, Lexington’s first true subdivision was developed off Leestown Road. The subdivision was named Meadowthorpe, after the large residence associated with the equine stock–farm that once operated there. The area was also once the site of Lexington’s first municipal airport, Halley’s Field. It was here that Charles Lindbergh secretly arrived to visit his friend in 1928. Despite an attempt at secrecy for Lindbergh’s visit, word spread of the famous aviator’s arrival and three thousand witnessed the challenging takeoff from the open field that was bounded by both tree and telephone wires. Subdivision of the farm and the erection of houses at Meadowthorpe began in late 1949, with the subdivision’s first homes being constructed from the limestone fences that once dotted the farm’s landscape. At the time, living in Meadowthorpe was still considered “rural living.”

Historic marker of “Lexington’s First Airport” at Meadowthorpe. Author’s collection.

The historic marker, #2440, offers this history:

Halley Field, Lexington’s first municipal airport, was located on Meadowthorpe Farm, owned by Dr. Samuel Halley. Although aircraft landed here as early as 1921, it officially opened May 28, 1927 and was dedicated June 10, 1927. World-famous aviator Charles Lindbergh landed here on March 28, 1928. Over.

(Reverse) Halley Field hosted air circuses, air shows, flight training, sight-seeing tours and small airlines. It reverted back to farmland in 1934 and became a subdivision in 1949. Meadowthorpe Farm included a two-story Greek Revival house, later purchased and enlarged by Col. James E. Pepper, distiller and owner/breeder of Thoroughbreds.

This post includes an excerpt from Lost Lexington, Kentucky.

Lexington has dozens of well-restored landmarks, but so many more are lost forever. The famous Phoenix Hotel, long a stop for weary travelers and politicians alike, has risen from its own ashes numerous times over the past centuries. The works of renowned architect John McMurtry were once numerous around town, but some of the finest examples are gone. The Centrepointe block has been made and unmade so many times that its original tenants are unknown to natives now.

Click here for details on author events and purchase info!

Lost Lexington Signing at Joseph Beth TONIGHT

What is currently scheduled as my last 2014 book signing of Lost Lexington will be this evening at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington Green, 161 Lexington Green Circle, Lexington.

I’ll be discussing, reading from, and signing Lost Lexington beginning at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there!!

Read a little more about Lost Lexington, plus links to media coverage by clicking here.

A Lost Lexington Interview

On Sunday, November 9, 2014, the iHeartRadio networks in Kentucky aired this radio interview about Lost Lexington. Interviewing Peter Brackney was Suzanne Duval. I wanted to share the audio with you all, so I created a video to make it a little more interested. This is my first stab at any sort of video editing, but it was fun so it may be worth utilizing more on the Kaintuckeean. 

As for the book, the next event is on Saturday at Costco. Check out more details over on Lost Lexington’s Facebook page. You can read about other coverage of Lost Lexington by clicking here.

In Memorium: Holmes Hall

Holmes Hall – University of Kentucky, ca. 1914. Author’s collection.

IMHO, the loss of Holmes Hall may be the most devastating of all the demolitions which occurred on campus this summer. Yes, others may have more historic or even architectural significance, but the realtor’s mantra of “location, location, location” weighs heavily (for me) with this demolition.

Holmes Hall stood at such a prominent location: the northeast corner of South Limestone and the Avenue of Champions. From its seat, Holmes Hall welcomed to the downtown area those traveling into Lexington along Nicholasville Road.

It was smartly set back from the curb with a good amount of green space. Behind, the structure consisted largely of three parts: a four-story brick dormitory not dissimilar to many other dormitories on campus, an interesting one-story brown stone appendage that wrapped the building’s frontage along Avenue of Champions as well as part of its eastern façade (the same stone was smartly used around each of the entrances), and the final part of the of Holmes Hall was what truly set it apart.

Holmes Hall – University of Kentucky. Author’s collection.

The stepped canopy that rose from the Avenue of Champions on the eastern side of Holmes Hall was always one of my favorite architectural features on campus. Stone columns held up each step of the multi-level canopy, with each level constructed of seamless concrete.

From beneath the canopy, the covered walkway appeared as a portal to another world. And from above, the canopy gave the impression of a multi-step waterfall. Its beauty was such that it could have easily been part of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water.

Demolition of Holmes Hall. Author’s collection.

It was a visible portal into the heart of Lexington. But the building and its canopy are gone.  It would have been nice if at least the canopied walk could have been incorporated into the new design, but this was not to be.

But it wasn’t the only structure on the campus of the University of Kentucky to be demolished in 2014. Gone, too, are Wenner-Gren, Hamilton House, and others. As the campus has grown or changed needs, a number of historic structures have fallen through the years like the old Carnegie Library and White Hall.

What was your favorite campus building at UK that has been removed? Mention it, or share your memories about Holmes Hall, in the comments.

This post is based on an excerpt about the Lost Campus from LOST LEXINGTON, KY.

Lexington has dozens of well-restored landmarks, but so many more are lost forever. The famous Phoenix Hotel, long a stop for weary travelers and politicians alike, has risen from its own ashes numerous times over the past centuries. The works of renowned architect John McMurtry were once numerous around town, but some of the finest examples are gone. The Centrepointe block has been made and unmade so many times that its original tenants are unknown to natives now.

Where to purchase LOST LEXINGTON?

Lost Lexington Events This Weekend

Panel Discussion During Lost Lexington Launch Event at the Blue Grass Trust
(L-R) Yvonne Giles, Mark Naylor, Tom Eblen, Peter Brackney, Bill Johnston, and Jason Sloan.
Not pictures: Holly Wiedemann, moderator.

If you missed the book signing and discussion at the Thomas Hunt Morgan House hosted by the Blue Grass Trust, you can check out one of the two book signings scheduled for this weekend:

Signing copies of Lost Lexington.

At Morris Book Shop, 882 E. High St. in Lexington, there will be a Lost Lexington reading and signing from 2-4 on Sunday, November 9. Mark your attendance at the Facebook event by clicking here.

There will also be a reading and signing on Sunday evening from 6-8 at the Barnes & Noble, 1932 Pavilion Way, in Hamburg (Lexington) during the store’s Awesome Author weekend. Information about all author’s featured during the weekend is available by clicking here.

There are other events scheduled in the coming weeks as well. Details about these can be found by clicking here.

Now a few more details and pictures from the BGT event …

The BGT event on Monday was great fun. After a book signing and mingling, a gathering assembled in the auditorium at the Thomas Hunt Morgan House for a reading from Lost Lexington. Though the picture didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped, I snapped a picture (above) of the audience before reading excerpts from Lost Lexington. It was a great crowd!

After my reading, a panel discussion considered Lexington’s past and its future with lots of great questions from the audience. A big thanks to all who participated on or moderated the panel, to the BGT for hosting the event, and to all who came!

Be sure to listen this weekend to your favorite Clear Channel station. There should be a short clip of my interview for the Kentucky News Network. Stay tuned!

And one more note: If you have read Lost Lexington, please take a moment and submit a review online either on amazon, barnes & noble, or goodreads. Thanks!