Every historic building has a story to tell
Reading historic newspapers is a tiny peek into the intimate details of lives long past. Local newspapers reported the travel plans of residents, new babies, weddings, livestock stolen/wandering/struck by lightning, and new construction – among other matters worth recording. It is, of course, building notices that I find so enticing and valuable. These snippets provide (read more)
Category: Shelby County
Tags: Kentucky architects, Watts & Hume
The African Methodist Episcopal Church (also known as the Colored Methodist Church, or CME) has deep roots in Winchester, Kentucky. Prior to the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, worship was celebrated in the basement of the local Methodist Church, but by 1866, the congregation purchased their first parcel for building. Allen Chapel CME Church was (read more)
Categories: Churches, Clark County, Kentucky churches
Institutions, in my experience, are not the best stewards of historic buildings. So it comes as no surprise to learn that Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky, is preparing to demolish a house once lauded as one of “Richmond’s best examples of Italianate-style architecture.”* And the late 19th century brick house, with its (read more)
Categories: Demolition, Madison County
Tags: demolition by neglect, Eastern Kentucky University, J. Stone Walker House
Gardening might be the closest I will ever come to magic in this world. The delight and wonder of growing plants transcends the sometimes ugly or thorny blemishes of reality – and I felt this way even before the Pandemic. If gardening is magic, then the tobacco hornworm is a troll, gnome, or orc (read more)
Categories: Gardens, Kentucky Gardens
Tags: caterpillars, garden pests, Gardening, hummingbird moth, Tobacco hornworms
I suppose the first time I ever heard of a gazing ball was when I was around eight or nine years old. One of my favorite activities at that age was to rifle through my older sisters’ possessions, especially their books (everyone needs a hobby, right?). Jane-Emily, by Patricia Clapp, boasted a lurid cover perfect (read more)
Category: Gardens
Tags: Gardens, gazing ball, Gothic novel, Jane-Emily, Kentucky gardens, Patricia Clapp, yard art
South of Princeton, Kentucky, almost to Trigg County, sits the small rural crossroads town of Hopson. It’s situated in a tiny triangular configuration of roads, and I executed a quick U-turn (a necessity in my line of work) to investigate the collection of buildings I glimpsed from my window. It was early in the morning, (read more)
Categories: Caldwell County, Kentucky Places
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