Every historic building has a story to tell
I suppose someday that McMansions will be analyzed and discussed by architectural historians – in serious academic tones, not the side-splitting sarcasm of sites like McMansion Hell. Until that day (I will hopefully just be pottering around my gardens in my dotage when that time arrives), the late 19th century homes of the well-to-do and (read more)
Tuesdays are Tudor Revival days – because alliteration makes me happy. And there’s much to love about this early 20th century architectural style. The Tudor Revival style ranges from large houses to small cottages, and continues to be popular with homeowners today. The James Hart House, built around 1927 in Henderson, Kentucky, is an imposing (read more)
Category: Henderson County
Tags: #TudorTuesday, Tudor Revival
Of all of the hashtags that flit about social media, I think my favorite is “#MansardMonday.” The Second Empire architectural style, to which this hashtag most often refers, is not common in Kentucky, and it is typically a feast for the eyes of any historic architecture lover. Today is Monday, and one in which the (read more)
Category: Spencer County
Tags: mansard, MansardMonday, Second Empire
The best historic filling or service stations to find are the ones that are still standing. And I count each one that I spy in my travels with glee (and you can read about them on this blog – I’ll put links at the bottom of this post). But sometimes all that remains is a (read more)
Categories: Caldwell County, Historic Filling Stations
Tags: #fillingstation, #gulfoil, #oldgasstation
Fall swept in during the night with a vengeful air – I suppose that’s understandable given how Summer usually garners more attention and anticipation (excluding those folks who pine away for pumpkin flavored everything). The temperatures dropped and my garden wears a bedraggled, puzzled air. It’s probably feeling spiteful as well, given how I have (read more)
Category: 1901 Farmhouse
Six years ago, when I launched this blog as a platform for my musings about historic buildings and landscapes, I spent a hot June day walking the length of Main Street in Paris, Kentucky – from 19th Street to Second Street. I captured a great many images: churches, public buildings, cottages, festooned Queen Anne houses, (read more)
Categories: Bourbon County, Demolition
What’s the best thing for historic houses? To be a home, to be occupied, to be a place of life and energy. For that to happen, houses that may need a little love and affection must be purchased by someone who loves old houses. Here are some listings for historic houses for under $100,000 that (read more)
Vicco, Kentucky, nestled in the Carr Fork Valley in eastern Perry County, gained national fame in 2013 when it became the smallest town in the country to pass a ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. It was the first time I’d heard of the former coal mining town, which was renamed Vicco in 1923 (read more)
Category: Perry County
Tags: historic movies, movie theater
The twin engines of agriculture and transportation (seemingly disparate forces) have shaped and created much of Kentucky. Hanson, Kentucky, located on what used to be the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Western Kentucky, was platted by the railroad and rose to fame for a tobacco brand produced in the town. The “Hanson twist” chewing tobacco (read more)
Category: Hopkins County
Tags: #darktobacco, #HansonKY, #Hansontwist, #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces, #railroadtowns
Historic real estate advertising is one of those rabbit holes I tumble happily into while researching (usually researching other topics entirely). In 1923, a handsome brochure was published in Lexington, Kentucky, announcing the development of new subdivision known as Castlewood. The lots were part of what had been the Loudoun estate, a farm anchored by (read more)
Category: Fayette County
Tags: A.J. Davis, Annie Clay Goodloe Leonard, Castlewood, John McMurtry, Judge J. F. Bailey, Loudoun House
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