Every historic building has a story to tell
Something has happened to the wildly reseeding Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) bushes of my youth. This old garden favorite, also referred to as “privy bush”(at least in my family) for a common location for the woody, tough, and long-lived shrub, has experienced a comeback of sorts – and I am empty-handed. When I moved this (read more)
Category: Kentucky Gardens
Tags: Hibiscus syriacus, Rose of Sharon
I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last two weeks, from Harlan County to McCracken County – and my blog has suffered as a result. Most of my posts require some bit of research, and even if I am able to accomplish that online, the time required to write something that satisfies (read more)
Categories: Kentucky architecture, Kentucky history
Tags: #kentuckyarchitecture, #topomaps, #USGS, #USGStopographicmaps
I appreciate architecture – that much should be evident to any visitor to this site. However, I strive to constantly be aware of what the façade hides – what the ornamentation may disguise – or how the dilapidated appearance of a building may mislead the passerby as to its story. Stories, of course, are the (read more)
Categories: Garrard County, Greek Revival Style, Virginia history
Tags: #antebellumhouse, #enslaved, #garrardcounty, #monticello, #thomasjefferson
The earliest architectural style most commonly encountered in Kentucky is the Federal style. Classified as ranging from 1780 to 1820 nationally, it persisted in the Commonwealth until around 1840. Compared with the Greek Revival style, which succeeded the Federal in popularity, characteristics of the latter style can seem…severe. Restraint is one of the hallmarks of (read more)
Category: Kentucky architecture
In 1924, a group of local businessman in Vanceburg, Kentucky, pooled their resources and had a two-story factory building constructed as an inducement to a Cincinnati-based shoe manufacturer. Their ploy succeeded, and for almost 25 years, L.V. Marks and Sons Company operated a shoe factory in the Ohio River town. The building eventually fell prey (read more)
Category: Lewis County
Tags: #historicfactory, #kentuckyarchitecture, #LVMarksshoes, #vanceburgky
The construction of road and railroads tends to mark important milestones in the development of Kentucky communities. The Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad (later to become the Chesapeake and Ohio, or C&O) propelled the growth of many towns, including Olive Hill in Carter County. The northeastern Kentucky county boomed after the arrival of the (read more)
Categories: Carter County, Railroads
Tags: #c&orailroad, #depot, #kentuckyarchitecture, #olivehillky
I pulled over when I first saw the store. The gravel parking lot into which I veered belonged to a very interesting 20th century church, and after getting out of the car, camera in hand, I noticed the school. It was gray day, threatening rain, but my temper soared like it was the sunniest of conditions. (read more)
Categories: Country Store, Crossroad communities, Kentucky Places, Schools, Wayne County
Public education has a long and turbulent history in Kentucky. The reforms of the late 20th century followed efforts in the 19th century to provide access to education to children, with the most pressing need often being decent school buildings. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided sturdy, well-built school buildings to many counties across Kentucky (read more)
Categories: Breathitt County, Schools
Tags: #bigrockschool, #breathittcountyky, #EasternKentucky, #historicschools, #worksprogressadministration, WPA
I first thought this monumental building must be a post office or perhaps a Carnegie library. Although it is a landmark building in the downtown streetscape, the yellow sandstone (quarried locally) Neoclassical beauty was built in 1914 as the law offices of the Harkins family, headed by patriarch Walter S. Harkins. The elder Harkins, a (read more)
Categories: Floyd County, Kentucky architecture
Tags: Edwin Stamler, Harkins Law Office, Prestonsburg, Walter S. Harkins
Today’s date – June 21, 2018 – really only meant the summer solstice to me before I idly clicked on Twitter this morning. It is also apparently National Selfie Day – you know, taking a picture of yourself with a cell phone camera, usually (for me) with the result of my forehead dominating the resulting (read more)
Category: Uncategorized
Tag: National Selfie Day
Interested in a specific topic? Check out some popular categories below, or enter your search terms in the box.