Every historic building has a story to tell
Things have been a bit dusty at our house lately. And loud, and slightly distorted due to sheets of plastic blocking off 2/3 of the kitchen and butler’s pantry. But despite the general chaos of work on an old house, there’s been some exciting discoveries – mainly that the built-in cabinet in the butler’s pantry (read more)
Category: 1901 Farmhouse
Almost one month ago, my main external hard drive stopped working. The day passed in a frenzy of activity that proved useless at resuscitating the vital piece of equipment, and every day I discover a new folder that is missing research and photographs. I am a strong advocate in backing up electronic files, and I (read more)
Category: 1901 Farmhouse
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the movie theater, and even longer since I ventured to a drive-in (one the handful of drive-in movie theaters still operation in Kentucky happens to be in my hometown). But the allure of the drive-in is strong, and if I close my eyes I can mentally (read more)
Category: Owsley County
Tags: Drive-in theater, movies
There’s a small painting that hangs at the top of the stairs in my childhood home, safely tucked away from natural light. It’s been a while since I studied it in detail, but as a little girl I was mesmerized by the scene. I don’t recall knowing, however, that my great-grandmother, Patsy (most commonly called (read more)
Category: Montgomery County
In the spring of 1909, a US Post Office opened in the community of Drift, on the Left Fork of Beaver Creek in Floyd County, Kentucky. The creation of a post office was one step toward cementing a community in rural America. Although free home delivery in cities had been in place since 1863, rural (read more)
Categories: Floyd County, Theaters
Tags: #coalcamp, #driftky, #historicmovietheater, #kentuckycoalmining
For as long as I can remember, a dry sink in the corner of the den of my childhood home has held stacks and stacks of photograph albums. As a little girl, I delighted in rifling through them, asking questions, peering into the faces of long-gone relatives, and excitedly pointing out sights I could identify. (read more)
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)
Category: Historic Houses for Sale
A historic building is so much more than its form, materials, or decorative accents that catch the eye. Buildings hold and tell the stories of people, a community, and even an industry. I shared an image of a sign from the 1930s advertising Oertel’s Beer the other day, and a reader’s question: “what was Oertel’s?” (read more)
Categories: Jefferson County, Louisville
Tags: beer, breweries, Louisville KY, Oertel's beer
USGS topographic maps are like a portal to the past. If you’ve never poured over one, examining the names of long-vanished communities, meandering creeks, and local landmarks like churches, schools, and cemeteries, then you’re missing out on a free and fun form of entertainment (in my opinion at least). I was scouting out such a (read more)
Categories: Lawrence County, Schools
Tags: historic schools, Kentucky one-room schools, Louisa KY, one-room school
During my senior year at Centre College, I had an internship in Perryville, Kentucky. Despite being an English major, I was becoming more and more obsessed with history, and when I wasn’t conducting deed research (the real point of my internship), I was haunting the buildings of Merchant’s Row (one of the only surviving 19th-century (read more)
Category: Boyle County
Tags: Battle of Perryville, Dr. Polk, Heritage Tourism, Perryville
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