CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT 
 FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY 
 
 HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE 
 
Cornell University Library 
 F 459L6 R18 
 
 History of Lexington Kentuckv : its ear 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 028 845 993 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028845993 
 
HISTORY 
 
 LEXINGTON 
 
 
 KENTUCKY 
 
 |Tg ^ARLY ^NNALg AND f^ECENT f ROQREpg 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF 
 
 THE PIONEER SETTLERS, NOTICES OF PROMINENT 
 
 CITIZENS, ETC., ETC. 
 
 By GEORGE W. RANCK 
 
 CINCINNATI 
 Robert Clarke & Co 
 
 1872 
 
 I 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, 
 In the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, 
 
 By G. W. RANCK, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
TO MY 'WIFE 
 
 A DESCEKDANT OF EARLY SETTLERS OF LEXINGTON AND FAYETTE 
 
 COUNTY, AND THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED THIS WORK 
 
 AND WAS THE CAUSE OF ITS COMPLETION 
 
 THESE PAGES ARE 
 AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 1^0 American city of its age has clustering around it 
 more interesting associations than Lexington. Founded in 
 the midst of a great revolution ; built up by daring men 
 in the heart of an almost boundless wilderness, and nur- 
 tured and protected through years of hardship and Indian 
 warfare, she played the most prominent part in the early 
 and tragic days of the Dark and Bloody Ground. Lexing- 
 ton then was substantially Kentucky herself. She was more. / 
 She was the Jamestown of the "West; the advance-guard/ 
 of civilization ; the center from which went forth the con- j 
 querors of a savage empire. 
 
 During another long and eventful era, she was the polit- 
 ical, literary, and commercial metropolis of "the great 
 Northwest." She was crowded with men who made her 
 famous. 
 
 She has now entered upon the third epoch of her exist-' 
 ence, an epoch material, during which steam will give her 
 an industrial prosperity proportionate to her great natural 
 advantages. 
 
 Very much of the rich past of Lexington has died with 
 her founders. Even the traditions of her pioneer days are 
 dim, and the old landmarks are being rapidly obliterated. 
 Realizing these sad truths, and appreciating Lexington's 
 history, the author of this book resolved to save for those 
 who will come after us all that could be gathered from this 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 wreck of time. These pages are the result of his efforts. 
 If he has preserved something which ought not to have 
 heen lost, or if his work will encourage some abler hand 
 to gather and perpetuate other annals of our city which 
 he overlooked or slighted, he will have attained his object. 
 
 The author has used every means to make his work ac- 
 curate. If it is not entirely so, the fault is to be attributed 
 to the peculiar disadvantages which always surround the 
 local historian. In the preparation of these pages, he has 
 consulted many of the oldest and best-informed inhabitants 
 of Lexington and Fayette county, and also every other at- 
 tainable authority considered reliable. For reasons obvious 
 to every fair-minded persop, he has ignored the many ex- 
 citing events which occurre4 in Lexington duri^ig the late 
 war between the States. It i^ to be hoped that they will 
 receive attention of a chronicler in the unprejudiced future. 
 As propriety required as little extei^ded njention of the 
 living as possible, the writer confined himself, in that re- 
 spect, to sketches of a few aged citizens, and brief notices 
 of ministers of the gospel and persons in some official 
 connection. 
 
 As it is the work of the local historian to furnish the 
 first elements of general history, to record facts rather than 
 deductions from facts, the author has contented himself 
 with a plain statement of past events, to the neglect of or- 
 namental rhetoric and romantic conclusions. 
 
 Lexington, Ky., August, 1872. 
 
History of Lexington. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Ancient Lexington, 
 
 The city now known as Lexington, Kentucky, is built of 
 the dust of a dead metropolis of a lost race, of whose 
 name, and language, and history not a vestige is left. 
 Even the bare fact (\f the existence of such a city, and such 
 a people, on the site of the present Lexington, would never 
 have been known but for the rapidly decaying remnants 
 of ruins found by early pioneers and adventurers to the 
 " Elkhorn lauds." 
 
 But that these remains of a great city and a mighty 
 people did exist, there can be not the shadow of a doubt. 
 The somewhat notorious Ashe, who published a volume of 
 travels in 1806, says : "Lexington stands on the site of an 
 old Indian town, which must have been of great extent 
 and magnificence, as is amply evinced by the wide range of 
 its circumvallatory works and the quantit3'- of ground it 
 once occupied." These works he declares were, at the time 
 he saw them (1806), nearly leveled with the earth by the 
 ravages of time and the improvements that had been made 
 by the settlers. The testimony of the learned Prof. 0. 8. 
 Rafinesque,* of Transylvania University, fully corresponds 
 with this, and proves the former existence in and about the 
 present Lexington of a powerful and somewhat enlight- 
 ened ante-Indian nation. Other proofs are not wanting. 
 
 * Western Review, 1820. 
 
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 The first settlers of Lexington found here a well, regularly 
 and artificially built with stone,* a domestic convenience 
 unknown among the American Indians, and they plowed 
 up curious earthen vessels,! such as could only have been 
 manufactured by at least a semi-civilized people. In 1790, 
 an old lead mine, which had every appearance of having 
 been once worked and abandoned, was opened near this 
 city.t Kentucky's first historian^ tells us of stone sepul- 
 chres, at Lexington, built in pyramid shape, and still ten- 
 anted by human skeletons, as late as two years after the 
 siege of Bryant's Station. " They are built, " says he, " in 
 a way totally different from that of the Indians." Early 
 in this century, a large circular earthen mound, about six 
 feet in height, occupied a part of what is now called Spring 
 street, between Hill and Maxwell. It was located between 
 the property of Dr. Bell and the rear outbuildings of Mr. 
 P. Yeiser. In course of time it was leveled, and was 
 found to consist of layers of earth of three different colors. 
 In the center was discovered an earthen vessel of curious 
 form and a quantity of half-burnt wood.§ The mound is 
 supposed to have served the purpose of a sacrificial altar. 
 A stone mound, which stood not far from Rassell's cave, in 
 this county, was opened about 1815 and found to contain 
 human bones.* 
 
 These well-attested facts, together with the tradition re- 
 lated to this day of an extensive cave existing under the 
 city of Lexington, relieve of its improbable air the state- 
 ment that a subterranean cemetery of the original inhab- 
 itants of this place was discovered here nearly a century 
 ago.f In 1776, three years before the first permanent 
 white settlement was made at Lexington, some venturesome 
 hunters, most probably from Boonesborough, had their curi- 
 osity excited by the strange appearance of some stones they 
 saw in the woods where our city now stands. They removed 
 these stones, and came to others of peculiar workmanship, 
 
 * Morse. t Ira'ayi page 369. J Old Kentucky Gazette, 1790. 
 
 U John Filson. g Beuj. Keiser. * Prof. Eafinesque., 
 
 t Letter to Eobt. Todd, published in 1809. 
 
ANCIENT LEXINGTON. 3 
 
 which, upon examination, they found had been placed there 
 to conceal the entrance to an ancient catacomb, formed in 
 the solid rock, fifteen feet below the surface of the earth. 
 They discovered that a gradual descent from the opening » 
 brought them to a passage, four feet wide and seven feet 
 high, leading into a spacious apartment, in which were 
 numerous niches, which they were amazed to find occupied 
 by bodies which, from their perfect state of preservation, 
 had evidently been embalmed. For six years succeeding 
 this discovery, the region in which this catacomb was 
 located, was visited by bands of raging Indiatra and aveng- 
 ing whites ; and during this period of blood and passion, 
 the catacomb was dispelled, and its ancient mummies, prob- 
 ably the rarest remains of a forgotten era that man has 
 ever seen, were well nigh swept out of existence. But not 
 entirely. Some years after the red men and the settlers 
 had ceased hostilities, the old sepulchre was again visited 
 and inspected.* It was found to be three hundred feet 
 long, one hundred feet wide, and eighteen feet high. The 
 floor was covered with rubbish and fine dust, from which 
 was extracted several sound fragments of human limbs. 
 At this time the entrance to this underground cemetery 
 of Ancient Lexington is totally unknown. For nearly 
 three-quarters of a century, its silent chamber has not 
 echoed to a human footfall. It is hidden from sight, as 
 efiectually as was once buried Pompeii, and even the idea 
 that it ever existed is laughed at by those who walk over 
 it, as heedless of its near presence as were the generations 
 of incredulous peasants who unconsciously danced above 
 the long lost villa of Diomedes, 
 
 That Lexington is built upon the site of an ancient 
 walled city of vast extent and population, is not only evi- 
 dent from the facts here detailed, but the opinion becomes 
 almost a certainty when viewed in the light of the historic 
 proofs that can be produced to support the claim, that all 
 
 * Ashe. 
 
BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 the region round about her was at a distant period in the 
 past the permanent seat of a comparatively enlightened 
 people. As early as 1794,* it was well and widely known 
 that in the neighborhood of Lexington there existed two 
 distinctly defined fortifications furnished with ditches and 
 bastions. One of these ancient monuments was visited in 
 1820 by Rafinesque, the celebrated professor of natural 
 history in Transylvania University, a gentleman whose 
 opinions on the subject of the ancient remains in the Mis- 
 sissippi Valley are so often quoted by historians and so 
 much respected. His map and plate of the remains near 
 Lexington constitute one of the most valuable features of 
 the " Smithsonian Contributions."t He saysj of the forti- 
 fication already named: 
 
 "I have visited, with a friend, the ancient monument 
 or fortification situated about two and a half miles from 
 Lexington, in an easterly direction, and above the head of 
 Hickman creek; and we have ascertained that it is formed 
 by an irregular circumvallation of earth, surrounded by an 
 outside ditch. 
 
 "The shape of this monument is an irregular polygon 
 of seven equal sides. The whole circumference measures 
 about sixteen hundred of my steps, which I calculate at 
 nearly a yard, or three feet each ; or, altogether, four thou- 
 sand eight hundred feet — less than a mile. The difi:erent 
 sides measure as follows : west side, three hundred and sixty 
 feet; southwest side, seven hundred and fifty feet; south 
 side, seven hundred and fifty feet ; east-southeast side, six 
 hundred and sixty feet ; east-northeast side, one thousand 
 and eighty feet ; northeast side, six hundred feet ; north- 
 west side, six hundred feet. Total, 4,800 feet. 
 
 "The angles are rather blunt. Two of the angles have 
 deep ravines ; one lies at the angle between the west and 
 the southwest sides, and the other between the east-south- 
 east and the east-northeast sides. This last is the largest 
 and deepest — it reaches to the limestone, and had water in 
 
 » Imlay's Weatern Territory, page 368. t Vol. I, page 27. 
 
 X "Weatern Eeview, April, 
 
ANCIENT LEXINGTON. 
 
 it. It forms a brook running easterly, and is formed by 
 two rills meeting near tbe angle and nearly surrounding 
 the central. Another ravine comes out near the north cor- 
 ner. All these originate within the circumvallation, which 
 incloses one of the highest grounds near Lexington, and 
 particularly a large, level hill which is higher than any in 
 the immediate neighborhood, and stretches, in part, toward 
 the northwest. 
 
 "The sides are straight. The earthen walls are raised 
 upon a level or raised ground, and are nowhere lower than 
 the outside ground, except for a few rods toward the north- 
 east side. The situation is, therefore, very well calculated 
 for defense, and it is very probable that there were for- 
 merly springs within the walls. 
 
 " The whole surface is covered with trees of a large 
 growth, growing even on the walls and in the ditch ; ex- 
 cepting, however, a small corner toward the northwest, 
 which is now a corn-field. It may include from five to six 
 hundred acres. 
 
 "At present the heighth and breadth of the wall and 
 ditch are variable — from eight to sixteen feet in breadth, 
 and from two to four in depth, the average being twelve 
 in breadth and three in depth ; but these dimensions must 
 have been greater formerly. The wall was probably six- 
 teen feet broad throughout, and four feet high, while the 
 ditch was rather narrower, but deeper. The walls are 
 made of the loose earth taken from the ditch. There is 
 only one large distinct gateway, on the northeast side, 
 where there is no ditch and hardly any wall." 
 
 After this survey some little interest was excited in the 
 subject, and other remains were visited and inspected. 
 Several in the vicinity of the one described ; another, a 
 square indosure, west of Lexington, "near the northern 
 Frankfort road ; " many mounds and graves south of the 
 city, and two groups lying on the south side of l^orth Elk- 
 horn, about a mile from each other. Extraordinary as it 
 may appear, these monuments, though so near our city, 
 and as singular as any on this continent, were never sur- 
 veyed till as late as 1820. Somo months after he had ex- 
 
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 amined and described the fortification at the head of Hick- 
 man creek, Prof. Eafinesque surveyed the upper group on 
 E'orth Elkhorn, near Russell's cave, or what is now known 
 as the West place. We quote his description of it, which 
 will be read with more and more interest and wonder as 
 time passes, and slowly but surely levels with the earth and 
 blots out forever all that is left to remind us of a lost race, 
 whose stupendous structures covered the fertile tract which 
 afterward became the favorite hunting ground of savage 
 tribes. He says :* 
 
 "I visited this upper group of monuments, a fevr days 
 ago, in company with two gentlemen of Lexington. They 
 are situated about six miles from this town, in a north- 
 northeast direction, on the west and back part of Colonel 
 Russell's farm, which stands on the road leading from Lex- 
 ington to Cyiithiana. 
 
 "The ground on which they stand is a beautiful level 
 spot, covered with young trees and short grass, or line turf, 
 on the south side of a bend of North Elkhorn creek, nearly 
 opposite the mouth of 0[iossum run, and close by Hamil- 
 ton's farm and spring, which lie west of them. They ex- 
 tend as far as Russell's cave, on the east side of the Cyn- 
 thiana road. 
 
 "No. 1, which stands nearly in the center, is a circular 
 inclosure, six hundred feet in circumference, formed of four 
 parts : 1. A broad circular parapet, now about twenty feet 
 broad, and two feet high. 2. An inward ditch, now very 
 shallow and nearly on a level with the outward ground. 
 
 3. A gateway, lying due north, raised above the ditch, 
 about fifteen feet broad, and leading to the central area. 
 
 4. A square central area, raised nearly three feet above the 
 ditch, perfectly square and level, each side seventy feet 
 long and facing the four cardinal points. 
 
 " No. 2 lies northeast of No. 1, at about two hundred and 
 fifty feet distance; it is a regular, circular, convex mound, 
 one hundred and seventy-five feet in circumference, and 
 nearly four feet high, surrounded by a small outward ditch. 
 
 •Western Review, 1820, page 53. 
 
ANCIENT LEXINGTON. 
 
 " No. 3 lies nearly noifth of No. 1, and at about two hun- 
 dred and fifty feet distance from No. 2. It is a singular 
 and complicated monument, of an irregular square form, 
 nearly conical, or narrower at the upper end, facing the 
 creek. It consists: 1. Of a high and broad parapet, about 
 one hundred feet long and more than five feet high, as yet, 
 above the inward ditch on the south base, which is about 
 seventy-five feet long. 2. Of an inside ditch. 3. Of an 
 area of the same form with the outward parapet, but 
 rather uneven. 4. Of an obsolete broad gateway at the 
 upper west side. 5. Of an irregular raised platform, con- 
 nected with the outward parapet, and extending toward 
 the north to connect it with several mounds. 6. Of three 
 small mounds, about fifty feet in circumference, and two 
 feet high, standing irregularly around that platform, two 
 on the west side and one on the east. 
 
 " No. 4. These are two large sunken mounds, connected 
 with No. 3. One of them stands at the upper end of the 
 platform, and is sunk in an outward circular ditch, about 
 tvyo hundred and fifty feet in circumference, and two feet 
 deep. The mound, which is perfectly round and convex, is 
 only two feet high, and appears sunk in the ditch. An- 
 other similar mound stands in a corn-field, connected by a 
 long raised way to the upper east end of the parapet in 
 No. 3. 
 
 "No. 5 is a monument of an oblong square form, con- 
 sisting of the four usual parts of a parapet, an inward 
 ditch, a central area, and a gateway. This last stands 
 nearly opposite the gateway of No. 3, at about one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five feet distance, and leads over the ditch 
 to the central area. The whole outward circumference of 
 the parapet is about four hundred and forty feet. The 
 longest side fronts the southwest and northeast, and is 
 one hundred and twenty feet long, while the shortest is 
 one hundred feet long. The central area is level, and has 
 exactly half the dimensions of the parapet, being sixty 
 feet long and fifty wide. It is raised two or three feet as 
 well as the parapet. The end opposite the gateway is not 
 far from Hamilton's spring. 
 
8 EJSTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 "l^To. 6 is a mound without a ditch, one hundred and 
 ninety feet in circumference, and five feet high. It lies 
 nearly west from ISo. 1. 
 
 " 1^0. 7 is a stone mound, oii the east side of Russell's 
 spring, and on the brim of the guUey. It lies east Irom 
 the other monuments and more than half a mile distant. 
 It is ten feet high and one hundred and seventy-five feet in 
 circumference, being formed altogether by loose stones 
 heaped together, but now covered with a thin soil of stone 
 and grass. 
 
 "No. 8 is a similar stone mound, but rather smaller, lying 
 north of STo. 7, at the confluence of Russell's spring with 
 North Elkhorn. 
 
 "Among the principal peculiarities, which I have no- 
 ticed in this .group of monuments, the square area of No. 
 1, inclosed within a circular ditch and parapet, is very in- 
 teresting, since it exhibits' a new compound geometrical 
 form of building. The ditch must have been much deeper 
 once, and the parapet, with the area, much higher; since, 
 during the many centuries which have elapsed over these 
 monuments, the rains, dust, decayed plants, and trees must 
 have gradually filled the ditch, etc. I was told by Mr. 
 Martin that witiiin his recollection, or about twenty-five 
 years ago, the ditch in the monument at the head of Hick- 
 man's creek was at least one foot deeper. "Whenever we 
 find central and separated areas in the Alleghawian monu- 
 ments, we must suppose they were intended for the real 
 places of worship and sacrifices, where only the priests and 
 chiefs were admitted, while the crowd stood probably on 
 the parapet to look on; and, in fact, these parapets are 
 generally convex and sloping inward or toward the central 
 area. 
 
 " The ditched mound, No. 2, is remarkable, and must 
 have had a peculiar destination, like the sunken mounds. 
 No. 4, which difter from No. 2 merely by being much 
 lower, and appearing, therefore, almost sunk in the ditch. 
 
 " The stone mounds, Nos. 7 and 8, are also peculiar and 
 evidently sepulchral. But why were the dead bodies cov- 
 ered here with stone instead of earth? Perhaps these 
 
ANCIENT LEXINGTON. 9 
 
 mounds belonged to different tribes, or the conveniency of 
 finding stones, in the rocky neighborhood of Russell's 
 cave and spring, may have been an inducement for employ- 
 ing them." 
 
 Some of these mounds described by Rafinesque were 
 visited in 1846, and found to be nearly obliterated ; others, 
 however, near the dividing line between the old military 
 survey of Dandridge and Meredith, were still distinct, and 
 were described in 1847* as follows, viz : " The most east- 
 erly work is on the estate of C. C. Moore. It is on the top 
 oi a high bluff, on the west side of ]!!forth Elkhorn, in the 
 midst of a very thick growth, mostly of sugar trees, the 
 area within a deep and broad circular ditch is about a quar- 
 ter of an acre of land. The ditch is still deep enough in 
 some places to hide a man on horseback. The dirt taken 
 from, the ditch is thrown outward ; and there is a gateway 
 where the ditch was never dug, some ten feet wide on the 
 north side of the circle. Trees several hundred years old 
 are growing on the bank and in the bottom of the ditch 
 and over the area which it incloses, and the whole region 
 about it. There is another work a quarter of a mile west 
 of the above one. It commences on the Meredith estate 
 and runs over on the Cabells' Dale property, and contains 
 about ten acres of land. The shape of the area is not unlike 
 that of the moon when about two-thirds full. The dirt 
 from the ditch inclosing this area is thrown sometimes out, 
 sometimes in, and sometimes both ways. An ash tree was 
 cut down in the summer of 1845, which stood upon the 
 brink of this ditch, which, upon being examined, proved to 
 be four hundred years old. The ditch is still perfectly dis- 
 tinct throughout its whole extent, and in some places is so 
 deep and steep as to be dangerous to pass with a carriage. 
 
 A mound connected with this same chain of works was 
 opened in the summer of 1871. It is situated about half a mile 
 west of the earthwork already described as on top of the 
 bluff", and about a quarter of a mile north of the larger oval 
 one. It is on the farm of Mr. James Fisher, adjoining the 
 
 * Collins. 
 
10 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 plantation on which Dr. Eobert Peter at present resides, 
 and is part of the old Meredith property before mentioned.* 
 The mound has a diameter of about seventy feet, and rises 
 with a regular swell in the center to the height of three and 
 a half to four feet above the general level of the valley pas- 
 ture on which it is located, only about fifteen feet above 
 low water in the North Elkhorn creek, and about three 
 hundred and twenty-five feet south from its margin. Mr. 
 Fisher made an excavation into the center of this mound 
 about four to five feet in diameter and about three and a 
 half feet deep, in which, in a bed of wood-ashes containing 
 charred fragments of small wood, he found a number of in- 
 teresting copper, fiint, bone, and other relics of the ancient 
 Mound Builders, which were carefully packed by Dr. 
 Robert Peter (who resides on the adjoining Meredith farm), 
 and transmitted to the Smithsonian Institute, at "Washing- 
 ton, for preservation. 
 
 The copper articles were five in number; three of which 
 were irregularly oblong-square implements or ornaments, 
 about four inches in length and two and one-eighth to three 
 and three-quarter inches wide and one-quarter inch thick at 
 lower end (varying somewhat in size, shape, and thickness) ; 
 each with two curved horns attached to the corners of one 
 end, which is wider and thinner than the other end. 
 These were evidently made of native copper, by hammer- 
 ing, are irregular in thickness and rude in workmanship, 
 and have been greatly corroded in the Japseof time, so that 
 they not only have upon them a thick coating of green car- 
 bonate and red oxide of copper, but the carbonate had 
 cemented these articles, with adjoining flint arrow-heads, 
 pieces of charcoal, etc., into one cohering mass, in the 
 bed of ashes, etc., in which they were found lying irregu- 
 larly one upon the other. 
 
 The other two copper implements were axes or hatchets ; 
 one nearly six inches long, the other nearly four inches ; 
 each somewhat adze-shaped wider at one end, which end 
 had a sharp cutting edge. 
 
 * Description by Dr. Peter. 
 
ANCIENT LEXINGTON. H 
 
 With these were found nearly a peck of flint arrow-heads, 
 all splintered and broken, as by the action of fire ; also, three 
 hemispherieal polished pieces of red hematitic iron ore about 
 two inches in diameter; some door-button shaped pieces of 
 limestone, each perforated with two holes; several pieces of 
 sandstone, which seemed to have been used for grinding 
 and polishing purposes ; and many fragments of bones of 
 animals, mostly parts of ribs, which appeared to have been 
 ground or shaped ; among which was one, blackened by 
 fire, which seemed to have been part of a handle of a dag- 
 ger; also, some fragments of pottery, etc. The fragments 
 of charcoal, lying near the copper articles, were saturated 
 with carbonate of copper, resulting from the oxidation of 
 the copper articles, parts of which were oxidized to the cen- 
 ter, although a quarter of an inch in thickness ; and many 
 pieces of this coal and portions of flint arrow-heads remain 
 strongly cemented to the copper implements by this carbo- 
 nate. 
 
 To what uses these rude, oblong- square horned copper 
 articles were put, except for ornament, can not be conjec- 
 tured. No inscription or significant murk was found on any 
 of them. 
 
 1^0 human bones could be distinguished among the 
 fragments found, but only the immediate center of the 
 mound was opened. 
 
 The citizens of Lexington may, in truth, muse among the 
 ancient ruins and awe-inspiring relics of a once mighty 
 people. "Who and what were the beings who fought with 
 these weapons, ate from these vessels, built these tombs and 
 mounds and altars, and slept at last in this now concealed 
 catacomb? Where existed that strange nation, whose 
 grand chain of works seemed to have Lexington for its 
 nucleus and center? We can only speculate! One* inclines 
 to the opinion that they were contemporaries of the hardy 
 Picts. Anotherf declares them identical with the Allegha- 
 wians or progenitors of the Aztecs, and cites as proof, the 
 remains of their temples, which are declared to be wonder- 
 
 * Imlay, page 369. t Kafinesque. 
 
12 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 tully similar to those of the tincient Mexicans described by 
 Baron Humboldt. The earthen vessels here plowed up 
 from the virgin soil, he says, were like those used by the 
 Alleghawians for cooking purposes. Still another writer,* 
 dwelling upon the mummies here discovered, sees in the 
 original inhabitants of Lexington, a people descended from 
 the Egyptians. Other authors, eminent and learned, almost 
 without number, have discussed this subject, but their 
 views are as conflicting as those already mentioned, and 
 nothing is satisfactory, except the negative assurance that 
 the real first settlers of Lexington, the State of Kentucky, 
 and the entire Mississippi valley, were not the American 
 Indians, as no Indian nation has ever built walled cities, 
 defended by entrenchments, or buried their dead in sepul- 
 chres hewn in the solid rock. 
 
 "Who, then, were these mysterious beings? from 
 whence did they conie? what were the forms of their 
 religion and government? are questions that will probably 
 never be solved by mortal man; but that they lived and 
 flourished centuries before the Indian who can doubt? 
 Jlere they erected their Cyclopean temples and cities, with 
 no vision of the red men who would come after them, and 
 chase the deer and the bufi'alo over their leveled and grass 
 covered walls. Here they lived, and labored, and died, be- 
 fore Columbus had planted the standard of old Spain upon 
 the shores of a new world ; while Gaul, and Britain, and 
 Germany were occupied by roving tribes of barbarians, 
 and, it may be, long before imperial Rome had reached the 
 height of her glory and splendor. But they had no litera- 
 ture, and when they died they were utterly forgotten. 
 They may have been a great people, but it is all the same 
 to those who came if they were not, for their greatness 
 
 was never recorded. Their history was never written 
 
 not a letter of their language remains, and even their name 
 is forgotten. They trusted in the mighty works of their 
 hands, and now, indeed, are they a dead nation and a lost 
 race. The ancient city which stood where Lexington now 
 
 *Josiah Priest's " American Antiquities." 
 
ANCIENT LEJCINGTON. 13 
 
 stands, has vanished like a dream, and vanished forever. 
 Another has well said: "Hector and Achilles, though mere 
 barbarians, live because sung by Homer. Grermanicus lives 
 as the historian himself said, because narrated by Tacitus; 
 but these builders of mounds perish because no Homer 
 arid no Tacitus has told of them. It is the spirit only, 
 which, by the pen, can build immortal monuments." 
 
14 BISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Indian Ocetipation. 
 
 It is a favorite theory of many that the Indians of N"orth 
 America migrated from Asia; that the once noble race, which 
 has almost melted away, was descended from the ten tribes 
 of Israel* which were driven i'rom Palestine seven hun- 
 dred years before the birth of Christ. But this is a theory 
 only. The advent of the Indians and the stock from which 
 they sprung will never be determined ; but that they came 
 after the "Mound Builders" is evident. The appearance 
 of the Indians was the death-knell of that doomed race 
 whose rich and beautiful lands and spoil-gorged cities in- 
 flamed the desperate and destitute invaders. The numer- 
 ous tumuli which yet remain attest the fierceness of the 
 conflict which ensued. A great people were swept out 
 of existence, their cities disappeared, the_^ grass grew 
 above them, and in time the cauebrakes and the forests. 
 Out of all this vast extent of conquered territory, the In- 
 dians selected a portion as a hunting-ground and called it 
 " Kantuckee," because it had been in truth to them a 
 "dark and bloody ground." It was a shadow-land to the 
 Indians. In 1800, some Sacs who were in St. Louis said of 
 Kentucky that it was full of the souls of a strange race 
 which their people had long ago exterminated.! They 
 regarded this laud with superstitious awe. Here they 
 hunted and here they fought, but no tribe was ever known 
 to settle permanently in it.J And while they hunted and 
 roamed and paddled here their bark canoes, unknown cen- 
 turies rolled away, Jamestown, the gerrp and herald of a 
 
 * Eoger Williams, Dr. Boudinot. and others. tPriest's Antiquities 
 
 t Hall's Sketches. 
 
THE INDIAN OCCUPATION. 15 
 
 mighty empire was building, and royal colonies of their 
 future enemies waxed strong, while they sported and slept ; 
 and even when their brethren " across the mountains " 
 were falling like ripe grain before the reaper, while forests 
 were disappearing, and villages, and towns, and churches, 
 and mills, and colleges were raultipljnng, they built their 
 camp-fires undisturbed where Lexington now stands — for 
 even to Virginia, the vast area since called the Northwestern 
 Territory was then an unexplored and unknown country. 
 But the handwriting was upon the wall, and the same fate 
 to which the Ked Men had consigned the Mound Builders 
 was in waiting for them also. 
 
16 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Coming of the White Man. 
 
 The genius of civilization pointed out to her chosen 
 pioneer a savage land to be reclaimed; and on the ever 
 memorable 7th of June, 1769 * Daniel Boone, the " Colum- 
 bus of the land," stood upon a lofty cliff' which towered above 
 a branch of the Kentucky river, and gazed enraptured 
 upon the Italy of America, and feasted his eyes upon the 
 beauty and fatness of a country celebrated now the wide 
 world over in story and in song. The conqueror of the 
 wilderness had come, a vast army was following at his back, 
 and the future of the Dark and Bloody Ground was decided. 
 In 1770,t the Long Hunters crossed the rocky barrier which 
 shut out the old settlement from the wilderness, and pene- 
 trated the fabled region, and in 1773 they were followed by 
 a band of Virginia surveyors appointed by Lord Dunmore. J 
 Parties of colonial soldiers from the Old Dominion came 
 cut in search of homes. Cabins were erected and corn 
 raised at Old Town, now Harrodsburg, in 1774,§ and the 
 spring of the year following found Boone building on the 
 Kentucky river the log fort and capital of the famous 
 Transylvania Colony. " "With this year," (1775,) says 
 Marshall, " begins the first permanent and real settlement 
 of Kentucky," an event which'filled the Indians with rage. 
 To them the white men were invaders and robbers. From 
 their first appearance they had tracked them with torch 
 and tomahawk and scalping knife, never doubting but that 
 by bloodshed and cruelty they would be able to drive them 
 from their hunting-ground ; and now when they saw them 
 
 * Filson. t Annals of the West, 110. 
 
 t Marshall. § Butler. 
 
COMING OF THE WHITE MAN. 17 
 
 deliberately preparing permanent settlements, their indig- 
 nation and mortification knew no bounds. They resolved 
 to utterly exterminate their persistent foes, to repossess 
 every foot of soil so daringly appropriated — and from this 
 time for many a long year after were enacted scenes of 
 blood and horror, the recital of which is enough to sicken 
 the stoutest soul. 
 2 
 
18 EJSTORT OF LEXINGTON. [l''T6. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Discovery and Naming of Lexington. 
 
 Until the year 1775, no white man is positively known to 
 have visited the place now called Lexington, but in that year, 
 says General Robert McAfee, in his history of the war of 
 1812, "Robert Patterson, Simon Kenton, Michael Stoner, 
 John Hiiggin, John and Levi Todd, and many others took 
 possession of the north side of the Kentucky river, includ- 
 ing Lexington. " Fortunately the names of a few of those 
 included in the indefinite phrase, "many others" are pre- 
 served. They were John Maxwell, Hugh Shannon, James 
 Masterson, William McConnell, Isaac Greer, and James 
 Dunkin. * They were sent out from the fort at Harrods- 
 burg. Clothed in their quaint pioneer style of buckskin 
 pantaloons, deerskin leggins, linsey hunting-shirt, and 
 peltry cup, and armed each with a trusty liint-lock rifle, a 
 hatchet and scalping-knife, they toiled through the track- 
 less woods and almost impenetrable cane-brakes in the 
 direction of the future Lexington. On or about the 5th of 
 June, the approach of night ended one of their solitary 
 and dangerous marches; and glad to rest, the tired hunters 
 camped on a spot afterward known successively as McOon- 
 nell's Station, Royal's Spring, and the Headly distillery prop- 
 erty. It is only a few steps from the present " Old Frank- 
 fort road," and is nearly opposite the beautiful Lexington 
 Cemetery.f The spring from which the pioneers drank 
 and watered their horses still exists, with a stream as cool, 
 clear, and grateful as then. After posting one of their 
 number on the "look out" for the "redskin varmints," 
 who were ever on the alert to slay the "pale-face," the^ 
 rest seated themselves around a blazing brush-heap on logs 
 
 *Bradford'a Notes. 
 
 tBradford's Notes, and Observer and Beporter of July 29, 1809. 
 
1775.] DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF LEXINGTON. 19 
 
 and bufl'alo hides, and, with hunger for sauce, supped with 
 gusto upon the then inevitable "jerk" and parched corn. 
 
 While eating their simple meal, they talked with enthu- 
 siasm of the beautiful country they had just traveled over, 
 and surprised and delighted with the prospect about them, 
 they determined that their place of settlement should be ■ 
 around the very spot where they were then encamped. 
 And no wonder they were delighted with their new-found 
 home, for of all the broad rich acres they had seen in all 
 "Kan-tuck-ee, " these were the fattest and most fertile. 
 Never before had their eyes feasted on such an untold 
 wealth of blue grass pasture. The deer, the elk, the bear, 
 and buffalo crowded the woods with juicy food. They 
 forgot the skulking savage and the dangers on every hand, 
 and glowed with the excitement which only a hunter can 
 feel, as they surveyed the virgin glories of the red man's 
 most cherished hunting-grounds, and realized the full truth 
 of the wondrous tales they had heard of a distant El 
 Dorado. 
 
 The hunters assisted William McConnell to build a rude 
 little cabin on their camping-ground as the foundation for 
 a title, for Virginia as early as the year 1774, had offered 
 four hundred acres of land to each person who cleared a 
 piece of land, built a cabin, and raised a crop of Indian 
 corn.* The name of the settlement that was to be, was 
 discussed with animation. One suggested " York, " another 
 " Lancaster, " but both were dropped with a shout for " Lex- 
 ino-ton!"t as the conversation tm-ned to the strange news 
 that had slowly crept through the wilderness, and which, 
 after being weeks on the way, they had just heard, of how 
 "King George's troops, on the 19th of April, had called 
 American 'rebels,' and shot them down like dogs at Lex- 
 ington, in Massachusetts colony." The story of Lexing- 
 ton's christening — the historic fact of how she got her 
 name, is as romantic as the legend of the beautiful Princess 
 Pocahontas, and is an incident far more interesting, because 
 more true than the fabulous one told of the founding of 
 ancient Rome. 
 
 sjnilfv. tBradford's Notes. 
 
20 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1775. 
 
 So the hunters called the new settlement Lexington, in 
 memory of that bloody field hundreds of miles away, and 
 some of them soon after joined the Continental army, and 
 fought long and bravely to avenge the minute men who 
 fell that day. How strange the story of that pioneer camp ! 
 Here almost a hundred years ago, when Kentucky was a 
 wilderness territory of the royal province of Virginia; 
 here, far away from civilized life, in the heart of an un- 
 broken forest, at the dead of night, a little band of adven- 
 turers erected the first monument ever raised on this conti- 
 nent in honor of the first dead of the revolution ! It is true, 
 the ceremonies of its dedication were not attended with 
 glittering pomp or show, for the officials were only clad in 
 buckskin and honest home-spun, and the music of their 
 choir naught but the scream of the panther, the howl of 
 the wolf, or the far-off yell of the savage ! But it was con- 
 secrated by the strictest virtue and truest patriotism, and 
 nature smiled benignantly upon it from an Eden of luxu- 
 riant beauty. Those pioneers have long since passed away, 
 and some of their graves are still to be seen not far from 
 the spot where they encamped on that memorable occasion. 
 
1776.] LEXINGTON AN INDIAN CAMPING GROUND. 21 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Lexington an Indian Camping Ground. 
 
 The frail and hastily-built little hut of McOonnell gave 
 Lexington her name, and that was all, for no settlement 
 was eflected until four years after its erection. The sum- 
 mer of 1776 found no white man in all the length and 
 breadth of the present Fayette county. McConneli's^ 
 cabin was deserted and falling to pieces, and the would-be 
 settlers of Lexington had all retired to the much needed 
 protection of the lew log forts then in ^^istence-. The 
 American Revolution had now fairly ope|!ed.^Ticonderoga 
 had been captured, the battle of Bunke*.'s Hill had been 
 fought, and one of the saddest trageSres of that eventful 
 struggle had been enacted upon the Plains of Abraham. 
 The Indians, consistent with the policy they ever pursued 
 of leaguing with the strongest, had early enlisted on the 
 side of England, and the northwestern tribes in particular 
 were not slow to act. They came to Kentucky with the 
 buds of spring, and summer had not commenced before all 
 Fayette county and the adjoining region were filled with 
 roaming bands of angry Shawanese, Cherokees and their 
 associates.* All ideas of attempting to make new settle- 
 ments were abandoned by the whites, personal safety was 
 the one thing thought of, and fear and anxiety prevailed, 
 for the savages clearly indicated that they had not aban- 
 doned their cherished desire of driving their enemies from 
 the country. Settlers were killed every few days ; on the 
 14th of July two of Colonel Calloway's daughters and one of 
 Daniel Boone's were captured within rifle shot of Boones- 
 borough, and about the same time Hinkston's settlement on 
 
 » Western Annals, 154. 
 
22 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 1^^^'^^^ 
 
 Licking creek was brolsen up. Dark days had come and still 
 darker were ahead, and many even of the stoutest-hearted 
 settlers left the country entirely.* 
 
 The wilderness country heretofore a part of Fincastle 
 county, Virginia, was formed into " Kentucky county," on 
 December 7, 1776,t but the protection of the " Old Do- 
 minion," whose forces were needed to lead the van of the 
 continential army was barely felt in the newly-creaeted 
 department. The handful of brave pioneers struggled 
 with their savage foes alone and unaided, and to their suf- 
 ferings were adde'd the horrors of the winter of starvation, 
 which marked the opening of the year 1777. The succeed- 
 ing spring and summer gave them as little encouragement. 
 To attempt to raise corn was certain death, game was shot 
 at the peril of the hunter's life. Harrodsburg, Booues- 
 borough, and Logan's fort were constantly watched, and 
 each in succession attacked by the Indians ; and at this 
 time the whole military force of the newly-made Kentucky 
 county amounted to only one hundred and two men.J 
 Fortunately Colonel Bowman arrived from Virginia early in 
 he fall with a hundred men, and hope rose again in the 
 hearts of the almost despairing settlers. The prospect con- 
 tinued to brighten during the year 1778. The well-planned 
 and swiftly-executed movenients of that brilliant soldier 
 and remarkable man. Colonel George Rogers Clark, against 
 the British posts of Kaskaskia and Vincennes, met with 
 wonderful success ; the grand attack of an overwhelming 
 force of Indians and Canadians, under Du Quesne, upon the 
 heroic little garrison of Boonesborough, signally failed, 
 confidence was restored, immigration again commenced, 
 and the settlers once more ventured out to "possess the 
 land." 
 
 *Col. Floyd's Letter. tMorehead's Address. j:Butler and Marshall. 
 
17V9.] SETTLEMENT OF LEXINGTON. 23 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Settlement of Lexington — The Block-House — The Settlers — 
 Col. Robert Patterson — John Maxwell — James Masterson — 
 The McConnells and Lindsays — John Morrison — Lexing- 
 ton Fort — McConneU's Station — Bryant's Station — Its Set- 
 tlers — Grant's Station — Col. John Grant and Capt. Wil- 
 liam Ellis — Natural Features about Lexington Station — 
 Soil, Forests, Game, and Flowers. 
 
 In the latter part of March, 1779, Col. Robert Patterson, 
 since distinguished as the founder of two cities, was again 
 ordered from the fort at Harrodsbiirg, to establish a garri- 
 son north of the Kentucky river,* and this time he was 
 successful. At the head of twenty-five men he commenced 
 his march for the beautiful and fertile gardeu spot he had 
 visited four years before, and which he had never forgotten. 
 The party reuched its destination the last day of the month, 
 and encamped, for rest and refreshment, at a magnificent 
 spring, whose grateful waters, in an unusual volume, 
 emptied into a stream near by, whose green banks were 
 gemmed with the brightest fiowers. The discovery of 
 this spring determined the location of the little garrison, 
 and bright and early on the morning of the next day, the 
 1st of April,t the axes of the stout pioneers were at work; 
 trees were felled, a space cleared, and a block-house, sur- 
 rounded by a stockade, and commanding the spring, was 
 soon under headway. This rude but powerful defense was 
 quickly completed, as no unnecessary labor was spent upon 
 it. The logs for the walls were chopped out, provided with 
 ports, and " raised;" the long and wide clapboards, rough 
 
 * McAfee. t Butler and Marshall. 
 
24 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1770. 
 
 from the ax and firmly secured by wooden pins, formed the 
 roof; trees split in two, and cut to the proper length, made 
 the floor; a substantial slab door was provided, and these, 
 together with openings to admit the light and carry oft" the 
 smoke, constituted the block-house. 
 
 The ground upon which this block-house was erected, 
 and which is now so rich in historic associations, is at 
 present occupied by the "Carty Building," on the corner of 
 Main and Mill streets, and upon no other spot has the pro- 
 gress of Lexington been more distinctly indicated. The 
 infancy of our city was here shown, in 1779, by the rude 
 block-house; this was succeeded, in 1788, by a frame one; 
 in 1807, what was then called " a splendid two-story brick," 
 was erected, and in 1871, this gave place to the four-story 
 iron front which now marks the spot where the settlement 
 of Lexington commenced, and is, at the same time, an ap- 
 propriate monument to commemorate the beautiful char- 
 acter of one of her greatly beloved and respected citizens — 
 the lamented John Carty. The spring near the block- 
 house was the principal one of the series of springs now 
 concealed by a number of buildings on Main street, which 
 have been erected over them. When Lexington grew to 
 be a "station," the spring was embraced within the walls 
 of the stockade, and supplied the entire garrison with 
 water, and when the fort was removed, the spring was 
 deepened and walled up for the benefit of the whole town,* 
 a large tank for horses was made to receive its surplus 
 water, and for many years, under the familiar name, " the 
 public spring," it was known far and wide. 
 
 As soon as the block-house was completed, it was occu- 
 pied by Col. Eobert Patterson, John Maxwell, James Mas- 
 terson, William and Alexander McConnell, and James and 
 Joseph Lindsay, who proceeded to raise a crop of corn on 
 the ground now covered by Cheapside, the court-house, 
 and a part of Main street, and all other necessary prepara- 
 tions were made to insure a permanent settlement, f The 
 year 1779, thanks to the pioneer successes we have meu- 
 
 * City Kecords. t Butler, Marshall, and old documents. 
 
1779.] SETTLEMENT OF LEXINGTON. 25 
 
 tioned, was one of comparative peace. Immigrants came 
 to Kentucky in increasing numbers, eager to be in time to 
 get the benefit of the " settlement right," under which Vir- 
 ginia guaranteed them a magnificent estate, which "right" 
 was to cease in 1780.* A few of the bolder of these new 
 comers ventured, during the summer, to the solitary block- 
 house at Lexington, " the forlorn hope of advancing civil- 
 ization," and built cabins adjoining its protecting walls. 
 In the autumn, a little company, of which John Morrison 
 and his wife were a part, removed from Harrodsburg, and 
 still further additions were made to the defenses of the set- 
 tlement. The fort, which had by this time become a place 
 of some importance, had assumed the shape of a parallelo- 
 gram, two sides of which were formed by the exposed 
 walls of two rows of cabins, the extreme ends of the fort 
 being defended by stockades of sharpened posts fixed se- 
 curel_;: in the ground, and furnished with ports. The pickets 
 and walls were about ten feet high. 
 
 Another row of cabins stood in the center of the in- 
 closed place, which was large enough to shelter, not 
 only the settlers and new comers, but also all the live stock 
 which might, at any time, have to be driven in trom 
 the reach of their destroying foe. The fort had but one 
 gate, a large slab one, and it was on the side of the station 
 which extended from the block-house, on Carty's corner, 
 to about the center of West Main street, near or on the 
 site of the building now occupied by Celia Allen, between 
 Mill and Broadway, where James Masterson's house once 
 stood. t The station embraced and inclosed a part of Main 
 street between the two streets just named, and a good por- 
 tion of the ground now covered by business houses on East 
 Main, included between the same streets. While this little 
 outpost was being established on the extreme frontier of 
 Virginia, a large part of her territory, nearer home, was 
 being devastated by an enemy but little less savage than 
 those who were the terror of her distant county of Ken- 
 tucky, and great events, brilliant, disastrous, and moment- 
 
 * Filson 1784. t Butler and old inhabitants. 
 
26 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [I'?f9. 
 
 ous, were rapidly occurring and shaping the destiny of a 
 nation, of whose future greatness no mind was so daring 
 as to dream, 
 
 Lexington was founded in the midst of a mighty revo- 
 lution, and her founder was a man suited to the time and 
 born for the purpose. Col. Robert Patterson was of Irish 
 parentage, and was born March 15, 1753, near Cove Moun- 
 tain, Pennsylvania. He came to Kentucky in 1775, and 
 settled at Harrodsburg,and in that year, as we have already 
 related, he visited Fayette county. In 1776, he assisted in 
 building a fort at Georgetown. During the years which 
 intervened between this time and the settlement of Lexing- 
 ton, he figured conspicuously as a gallant Indian lighter. 
 As Captain Patterson, he served under Clark in his expe- 
 dition against the Shawanese, on the Little Miami. He 
 was promoted to a colonelcy for important services, and 
 was second in command in the terrible battle of Blue Licks. 
 He was badly wounded in 1786, while with General Logan, 
 in his expedition against the Shawanese towns. Subse- 
 quently, he became the owner of a third of the original 
 town plot of Cincinnati, and may be called the founder of 
 that city also. In 1783, Col. Patterson built him a log 
 house, on the southwest corner of Hill and Lower streets, 
 near or on the site of the present residence of S. T. Hayes. 
 The large tract of land owned by Col. Patterson in that 
 part of the city, included the present property of M. C. 
 Johnson. The log house was, in course of time, succeeded 
 by a substantial two-story stone one, which stood there for 
 many years. In 1804, Col. Patterson removed to Dayton, 
 Ohio, where he died, August 5, 1827. In person, Col. Pat- 
 terson was tall and handsome. He was gifted with a fine 
 mind, but like Boone, Kenton, and many others of ^is 
 simple-hearted pioneer companions, was indulgent and neg- 
 ligent in business matters, and, like them, lost most of his 
 extensive landed property by shrewd rascals. 
 
 Those who aided Col. Patterson in founding Lexington 
 are not to be forgotten ; and of these, none are more wor- 
 thy of mention than John Maxwell. He was born in Scot- 
 land, in 1747, and was brought to America by his parents 
 
HTg.] SETTLEMENT OF LEXINGTON. £7 
 
 while in the fourth year of his age. He was one of the 
 early adventurers in the wilds of Kentucky, arriving before 
 a solitary station or even a cabin existed within its limits. 
 In pioneer days, he owned a large part of the land now in- 
 cluded in the city limits of Lexington, but, true to the old 
 hunter nature, it rapidly slipped from his grasp. He and 
 Sarah, his wife, were the first persons married within " the 
 fort." John Maxwell was the first coroner of Fayette 
 county ; was one of the original members of Dr. Rankin's 
 Presbyterian church; was one of the founders of the old 
 St. Andrew's Society, and from him "Maxwell's spring" 
 gets its name. This useful and greatly respected citizen 
 died in 1819, and was buried in what was then "Maxwell's 
 Graveyard," but which now forms part of the neijlected 
 old City Cemetery, on Bolivar street, in which stands the 
 "Mission Church." 
 
 James Masterson, after whom "Masterson's station," five 
 miles west of this city was named, was a genuine specimen of 
 the pioneer type. He was straight as an Indian, and de- 
 voted to the woods and the excitements ot a woodman's 
 life. Long alter Lexington had become an important town, 
 he continued to dress in the primitive hunter style, and in- 
 variably wore his powder-horn and carried his rifle. He 
 loved to tell of the dangers which threatened " the fort" 
 when he was married in it, and the number of deer and 
 bufl'alo he had killed between it and the present " Ash- 
 land."* His walking ability and powers of endurance 
 may be inferred, from the fact that he undertook to go to 
 a point considerably below the falls of the Ohio and return, 
 in " a day or so," with a big bag of salt. He returned in 
 the time specified with the bag of salt on his back. It 
 was the first used in the fort,t and was welcomed with a 
 shout. He lived to a green oM age. 
 
 The McCounells and Lindsays were among the first ad- 
 venturers who followed Boone out into "the wilderness." 
 They assisted Col. Patterson in several dangerous enter- 
 prises, and shared in the perils of the Blue Licks disaster. 
 
 * McCullough, S. D. t McCabe. 
 
28 HISTORY OF LEXIN0TON. jlltQ 
 
 William McConnell established "McConnell's station," at 
 " Royal's spring," in 1783, but it was soon merged in Lex- 
 ington station. McConnell's station stood on the ground 
 lately occupied by Headiey's distillery,* on the old Frank- 
 fort road, and the fine spring there (" Koyal's ") was, at an 
 early day, the favorite resort of the people of Lexington 
 on public occasions. Alexander, the brother of William 
 McConnell, was the hero of the thrilling adventure nar- 
 rated in another chapter, in which he proved himself, un- 
 aided, a match for five Indians. The McConnells and 
 Lindsays were buried in the " Station Graveyard," opposite 
 the present Lexington Cemetery. ^he _wife of Major Mo r^ 
 rison, already^ mentioned wasjhe first white female 'tha t set- 
 «iied in,"Jhe. fort," aiid'her smi,^apt. Johu__Morri.soft,-«ljo 
 fell at D udiey's defeat^ in 1S13, was the first native of Lex-_^ 
 ine-ton.f 
 
 One of the results of the increased immigration to Ken- 
 tucky, in the fall of 1779, was a settlement, made at a point 
 about five miles northeast of the Lexington "fort," and 
 known as " Bryant's station."! The immigrants were 
 principally from ISorth Carolina, the most conspicuous of 
 whom were the family of Bryants, from whom the place 
 took its name. There were four brothers, viz.: Morgan, 
 James, William, and Joseph, all respectable men, in easy 
 circumstances, with large families of children, and mostly 
 grown. William, though not the eldest brother, was the 
 most active, and considered their leader. His wife was a 
 sister of Col. Daniel Boone, as was also the wife of Mr. 
 William Grant, who likewise settled in Bryant's station, in 
 1779. The death of William Bryant, who died of a wound 
 received near the mouth of Cane run, so discouraged his 
 friends that they returned to North Carolina, and the 
 greater part of the population from that State left the fort 
 about the same time, which would have so reduced the 
 strength, as to compel the remainder also to remove, if the 
 ' fort bad not acquired new strength, in a number of families 
 from Virginia. Hobert Johnson (the father of the Hon. 
 
 *'S. McCallie. tMcCabe, page 6. ^Bradford's Notes. 
 
1779.] SETTLEMENT OF LEXINGTON. 29 
 
 Richard M. Johnson), the Craigs, Stackers, Hendersons, and 
 Mitchells were among the number who removed to Bry- 
 ant's station, and kept up the strength of the place at 
 what it had been, if not greater than at any former period. 
 
 A bufialo " trace " fortunately ran from this station close 
 to Lexington, and the settlers of both places joined forces 
 in clearing it of logs, undergrowth, and other obstructions ; 
 a wise measure, as subsequent events proved, for, owing to 
 it, the troops from Lexington that went to the assistance 
 of the besieged station, in 1782, were enabled to reach it 
 much sooner than they could otherwise have done. 
 
 One day, late in September, 1779, a little caravan of 
 armed and watchful hunters, leading their loaded and tired 
 pack-horses, stopped for a night's rest at Lexington fort. 
 They were all up and moving bright and early the next 
 morning, and before the week closed had established Grant's 
 station, in what is now called the Hufiman, Ingels, and 
 Hardesty neighborhood, five miles from Bryant's, in the 
 direction of the present town of Pe^ris. The settlement 
 was made under the direction and leadership of Col. John 
 Grant, of North Carolina, and Capt. William Ellis, a native 
 of Spottsylvania county, Virginia, and grandfather of 
 Mrs. John Carty, of Lexington. The station was, subse- 
 quently, greatly harassed by the Indians; in 1780, they 
 made pioneer life such a burden to the settlers, that they 
 returned to Virginia. Capt. Ellis entered the Continental 
 army, and commanded a company until the close of the 
 Eevolutionary war, when he and Col. Grant came again 
 to Kentucky, and Col. Grant settled permanently at 
 the old station. Capt. Ellis, Timothy and James Parrish, 
 and a number of other Virginians, settled a fertile tract 
 of country on the head waters of Boone's creek, in Fay- 
 ette county, near their old neighbor from Spottsylvania, 
 the Rev, Lewis Craig, the most prominent of the early 
 Baptist preachers in Kentucky. In 1786, Capt. Ellis mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Shipp. Subsequently, he was with St. Clair 
 in the terrible " defeat," of November 4; 1791. After arriv- 
 ing at an advanced age, the old pioneer died, and was buried 
 in the county he had helped to settle. lie was a man of great 
 
30 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1779. 
 
 energy, liberality, and hospitality. The strength of his 
 mind and the integrity of his character gained for him 
 the respect and esteem of all who knew him. 
 
 With the building of "the fort," at Lexington, came 
 also the cutting of the caue, the girdling of the trees, and 
 the opening of the land for cultivation ; and civilization 
 had never before demanded the sacrifice of the primeval 
 glories and wild beauties of such a region as that of which 
 Lexington was the center. Eoone styled Kentucky " a 
 second paradise," and if its general characteristics merited 
 such a eulogy, what must have been the virgin charms of 
 the country around Lexington, which is conceded by all to 
 be the finest in the State. John Filson, the biographer of 
 Boone, and who was himself one of the early settlers and 
 residents of Lexington, refers to it as the most luxuriant 
 portion of " the most extraordinary country on which the 
 sun has ever shone." The black and deep vegetable mold, 
 which had been accumulating for untold centuries, made it 
 " a hot-bed of fertility," and an early traveler says of it,* 
 "in the spring no leaves are found under the trees, for the 
 ground is so rich and damp that they rot and disappear 
 during the winter," It was in such a soil as this that the 
 founders of our city raised their first crop of corn, the 
 only grain cultivated at that time. The surrounding for- 
 ests abounded in game, and it was an unusual thing for the 
 fort not to be well stocked with the meat of the deer, buf- 
 falo, bear, elk, and minor animals. The thick canebrakes, 
 though the chosen retreat of the panther and the wildcat, 
 were thronged with birds prized by the hunters. Provender 
 for the horses and cattle was not wanting. They waded, up 
 to their knees, in native clover; they reveled in waving 
 oceans of wild rye and bujffalo grass, and grew fat upon 
 the young shoots of the nourishing cane. The earth 
 glowed with the beauty of numberless natural flowers, 
 many of which are now rarely, if ever, seen here. Lilies, 
 daisies, pinks, wild tuhps, and columbines delighted the eye; 
 beds of sweet violets and fragrant wild hyacinths perfumed 
 
 'American Museum. 
 
1770.] SETTLEMENT OF LEXINGTON. 31 
 
 the air, and the brilliant cardinal flower and the admired 
 crown imperial grew spontaneously here, in greater beauty 
 than in any other part of the world.* A scene of wild 
 and picturesque loveliness, such as is rarely accorded to men, 
 must have greeted the eyes of the settlers of Lexington ; 
 and it had not lost all of its natural charms, even as late as 
 1794, when visited by Captain Imlay, an oiBcer of the 
 Revolutionary army, if his florid language is an indication. 
 He says, "Lexington is nearly central of the finest and 
 most luxuriant country, perhaps, on earth. Here, an eter- 
 nal verdure reigns, and the brilliant sun, piercing through 
 the azure heavens, produces in this prolific soil an early 
 maturity, which is truly astonishing. Flowers, full and 
 perfect as if they had been cultivated by the hand of a 
 florist, with all their captivating odors, and with all the 
 variegated charms which color and nature can produce, 
 here, in the lap of elegance and beauty, decorate the smil- 
 ing groves. Soft zephyrs gently breathe on sweets, and 
 the inhaled air gives a voluptuous glow of health and 
 vigor, that seems to ravish the intoxicated senses. The 
 sweet songsters of the forest appear to feel the influence of 
 the genial clime, and in more soft and modulated tones, 
 warble their tender notes, in unison with love and nature. 
 Everything here gives delight, and in that wild eff"ulgency 
 which beams around us, we feel a glow of gratitude for 
 the elevation which our all-bountiful Creator has bestowed 
 upon us." 
 
 Fortunately for the settlers at Lexington, the winter suc- 
 ceeding their arrival was a peaceful one,t and they took 
 advantage of it. They strengthened the fort and increased 
 its comforts, with the wise design of attracting settlers, 
 and their eflcorts were rewarded. 
 
 «Im]ay. tColHns, page 388. 
 
 -^e^^^^^0^^ 
 
32 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [I'^SO- 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Indians— John and Levi Todd— Life in the Fort— Inci- 
 dents and Tragedies— A Terrible Winter— Fayette County 
 Formed— Early Cemeteries-First Schools— Transylvania 
 University— Its Origin— Incidents— George Nicholas— Pres- 
 idents Moore, Blythe, Holley, Woods, Peers, Coit, Davidson, 
 Bascom, Green — Professors of the Academical, Medical, 
 and Law Colleges — Fires, Buildings, Donations, Sectarian 
 Contention — James Morrison, Peter, Hunt, and others — 
 Normal School — Decline of the University — Consolidation 
 — Kentucky Unioersity — Origin — Removal to Lexington — 
 Eegent Bowman — Organization of Various Colleges — Presi- 
 dents, Professors, and Officers, Milligan, Johnson, Harrison, 
 Gratz, Beck, and others. 
 
 The spring which succeeded the peaceful winter of 1780 
 as usual brought with it the Indians, small parties of whom 
 almost constantly watched the traces leading to Lexington 
 station, and the settlers were frequently fired upon. At 
 this time game, and particularly the buffalo, was the chief 
 dependence of the garrison for food, bread being a rare 
 luxury until corn was fit to make meal of; and in order to 
 get the much-needed game, and at the same time escape 
 the Indians, the hunters found it necessary to start early 
 enough to get out in the woods three or four miles before 
 day, and on their return, to travel a like distance after 
 night.* 
 
 Colonel John and Levi Todd came to Lexington this 
 year, where they had located large tracts of land some time 
 before. Colonel Todd was at this time- military governor 
 
 *Bradford's Notes. 
 
1T80.] LIFE IN THE FORT. 33 
 
 of Illinois, and although he settled his newly married wife 
 in the fort here, he was soon compelled to leave her, to at- 
 tended to the affairs of that new county of Virginia. He 
 managed, however, to pass a good part of his time at Lex- 
 ington, and in 1781, made it his permanent home, and was 
 one of its most prominent and highly esteemed citizens. 
 He commanded the Lexington militia in the battle of the 
 Blue Licks, 1782, and died gallantly fighting at their head, 
 leaving his wife and one child (a daughter), who afterward 
 became the wife of Robert "Wicklifl'e, Sen.* 
 
 Levi Todd came from Virginia to Harrodsburg, in 1775, 
 and some years after attempted to settle a station in Fay- 
 ette county, but being compelled by the Indians to aban- 
 don it, he came to Lexington. He was the first county 
 clerk of Fayette; represented her in conventions and in 
 the legislature, and was long one of her most useful and 
 respected citizens. f 
 
 Life in the fort in 1780 was more picturesque than easy 
 and delightful. The men "by turns" stood guard, and 
 kept up a sharp lookout for the enemy ; while those off 
 guard risked their lives in hunting to supply the garrison 
 with food, cleared the land, planted, plowed, brought in 
 the cows, and did mending, patching, and all manuer of 
 work. The women milked the cows, cooked the mess, pre- 
 pared the flax, spun, wove, and made the garment of linen 
 or linsey, and when corn could be had, ground it into meal 
 at the hand-mill, or pounded it into hominy in the mortar. 
 Wild game was the prinCtpal food, and that was eaten 
 most of the time without salt, which was seldom made at 
 the "licks" without loss of life. Sugar was made from 
 the maple trees, coffee was unknown, but fine milk sup- 
 plied its place as long as the Indians spared the cows. 
 
 Wooden vessels,! either turned or coopered, were in com- 
 mon use as table furniture. A tin cup was an article of 
 delicate luxury, almost as j-are as an iron fork. Every 
 hunter carried his knife; it was no less the implement of a 
 warrior. Not unfrequently the rest of the family was left 
 
 »Collins, 536. fCollins, page 274. JMarshall. 
 
34 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1T80. 
 
 with but one or two for the use of all. The cradle was a 
 small rolling trough, A like workmanship composed the 
 table and the stool— a slab hewn with the ax, and sticks 
 of a similar manufacture set in for legs supported both. 
 Buffalo aod bear-skins were frequently consigned to the 
 floor for beds and covering. When the bed was by chance 
 or refinement elevated above the floor and given a fixed 
 place, it was often laid on slabs placed across poles, sup- 
 ported on forks set in the earthen floor; or, where the floor 
 was puncheons, the bedstead was hewn pieces pinned on 
 upright posts, or let into them by auger holes. Other 
 utensils and furniture were of a corresponding description, 
 applicable to the time. The now famous Kentucky hunting- 
 shirt was universally worn by the settlers. It was made 
 either of linsey or dressed deerskin, and provided with a 
 pocket in the bosom for tow used in cleaning the rifle. 
 Every hunter carried a tomahawk and scalping-knife, wore 
 deer-skin breeches, moccasins of the same material, and 
 generally a bear-skin hat. The little money in circulation 
 was depreciated Continental paper. 
 
 The spring of 1780 marked the beginning of an era in 
 the history of Lexington, so rich in deeds of daring, and 
 so fraught with thrilling adventures, experiences of intense 
 suff'ering, and incidents of danger and of blood as to rival 
 in romantic interest the days of Wallace, or the times of 
 the hunted Huguenots. Could a record of all the forgotten 
 events of this eventful period be gathered and combined 
 with those that are preserved, Lexington, and the region 
 round about it, would in time become as favorite a theme 
 for the poet and the novelist as are now some of the story- 
 lands of the old world. 
 
 As the spring advanced, the number of the Indians in- 
 creased, and several parties of hunters pursued by them 
 were compelled to take refuge in the fort. One of the set- 
 tlers named Wymore, having ventured out alone, was killed 
 and scalped by the Indians near where the Masonic Hall, 
 on Walnut street, now stands, and another barely escaped 
 a like fate near the present residence of Mr. F. K. Hunt, 
 
1780.] INCIDENTS AND TRAGEDIES. 35 
 
 where he had been waylaid by an Indian, who was quietly 
 awaiting his chance to slay him. He discovered his foe 
 barely in time to save his life; shot him just as he was 
 preparing to throw his tomahawk, and carried his reeking 
 scalp in triumph to the station.* One of the saddest trag- 
 edies of the year took place about the first of May. A 
 very young man, brave as he was handsome, and greatly 
 beloved by the settlers, was mortally wounded by a band of 
 the savages, who fired upon him while he was driving up 
 the cows, and pursued him nearly to the fort. He staggered 
 up to the gate, which a pitying and courageous woman 
 who loved him unbarred with her own hands, and covered 
 with blood, he died a few minutes after, clasped in her last 
 fond embrace.f Closely following this was the attack on 
 Strode's station, near the present town of Winchester, by 
 a large body of Indians,! and the news of this event in- 
 creased the gloom at Lexington, caused by anxiety and an- 
 ticipations of evil. These forebodings were not without 
 foundation, and were only providentially kept from being 
 realized. Suddenly, in June, the settlers discovered the 
 woods about the station swarming with Indians, who de- 
 stroyed their corn, drove oft" all the horses that were not 
 hurriedly sheltered within the walls of the fort, and then 
 without doing further damage, (disappeared as quickly as 
 they had come. The astonishment of the alarmed garri- 
 son at this unaccountable proceeding was increased ten-fold 
 on hearing faint but unmistakable reports of distant artil- 
 lery, the first sounds of that kind which had ever awak- 
 ened the echoes of the dark and bloody ground. Anxious 
 but determined, the little force remained closely within the 
 stockades, with ready rifles, watching and wondering day 
 and night until all was explained, and the dark cloud lifted 
 by the arrival, foot sore and hungry, of the brave Captain 
 John Hinkston, who had just escaped from the retreating 
 Indians, who constituted a large part of the formidable 
 force under Colonel Byrd, during this, his celebrated inva- 
 sion of Kentucky. Captain Hinkston gave the settlers the 
 
 *01d Journal. tTradition. tOollins, 234. 
 
36 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. Ll'^O. 
 
 first news of the capture of Buddell's and Martin's sta- 
 tions * both of which were distant only a few hours march 
 from Lexington. The discouraged inmates of Grant's sta- 
 tion, which was between Bryant's and the present town of 
 Paris, dreading a like fate, abandoned it and sought refuge 
 in the more secure fort at Lexington, where some of them 
 remained during the winter. But the immediate danger 
 was now over. Colonel Byrd, either from disgust and in- 
 dignation at the barbarous conduct of his savage allies, or 
 through fear of the sudden falling of the waters of the 
 Licking, hastily retreated without an attempt at the capture 
 of Lexington and Bryant's stations, though strongly urged 
 by the elated Indians to move against them.f The effect 
 of this invasion was the rapid formation of another expe- 
 dition of retaliation -by the Indian's dreaded foe, Colonel 
 Gr. Rogers Clarke, who again swooped down upon them 
 like an eagle. Lexington was largely represented in this 
 campaign, which was made against the Indians of Ohio. 
 It was secret, short, and so decisive, that no large bodies of 
 the enemy invaded Kentucky during the whole of the next 
 year. 
 
 The hardships and sufferings of the Puritans, in the two 
 first years of the Plymouth settlement, were not greater than 
 those of the founders of Lexington for a like period in her 
 infancy. To the wearing anxieties, constant alarms, and 
 bloody afflictions, endured by the inmates of the fort, must 
 be added the privations of the terrible winter which fol- 
 lowed Byrd's invasion.J It was a season not only of intense 
 sufferings, but of protracted suffering. The pioneers had 
 never known a winter in Kentucky to set in so early, and 
 to continue so long. Snow and ice were on the ground 
 without a thaw from November to the succeeding March. 
 The small streams were solid ice. Snow fell repeatedly, 
 but as it did not melt it became almost impassible for man 
 or beast, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that the 
 hunters were able to find such of the wild animals as had 
 not been starved or frozen to death. § As the corn had been 
 
 »Collins, 343. fW. 342. {Boones Nar. ^Marshall, 
 
l'?80.] FAVETTE COVNTY FORMED. 37 
 
 destroyed in the summer, bread was rarely seen in the fort, 
 and when it was, a single johnnie-cake was divided into a 
 dozen parts, distributed and made to serve for two meals* 
 The use of bread ceased entirely, long before the winter was 
 over. On one occasion when Colonel Todd returned to the 
 fort almost famished, the provisions were so nearly exhausted 
 that his wife could offer him nothing but a gill of milk and 
 a little piece of hard bread two inches square, and this was 
 turned over in silence to his starving servant.f The cattle, 
 after starving to death for want of fodder, were devoured by 
 the inmates of the station, and from the time the cattle died 
 until spring the settlers subsisted upon venison carefully dis- 
 tributed, and water ; clothing was insufficient, the roughly- 
 built cabins let in the piercing cold, and the firewood was 
 chopped from trees incased in walls of snow and ice. Freez- 
 ing and starving — such was the condition of the heroic 
 settlers of Lexington, through this long and fearful winter 
 of suffering. 
 
 In the month of November of this year (1780), Virginia 
 formed Kentucky county into a district, composed of the 
 three counties of Payette, Lincoln, and Jefferson.J The 
 new county of Fayette was given the name of that dis- 
 tinguished friend of "Washington, General Gilbert Mortier 
 de La Fayette, and was defined as " all that part of the said 
 county of Keutucky which lies north of the line, beginning 
 at the mouth of the Kentucky river, and up the same and 
 its middle fork to the head, and thence south to the Wash- 
 ington line."|| Fayette then included more than a third of 
 the present State of Kentucky, and since that time she has 
 enjoyed the proud distinction of being the mother of great 
 counties and populous cities, and her sons have helped to 
 lay the foundations of many of the empire states of the 
 mighty "West. The organization of the county was not 
 completed until the next year (1781).§ 
 
 The settlers killed by the Indians, in the summer of 1780, 
 were sadly and reverently carried, by an armed band of 
 
 •Davidson^ 62. tCollins, 536. JCoUins, 24. ||Marshall. ^Sutler. 
 
38 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [l'^"' 
 
 their surviving companions, along the cow-path which ex 
 tended by the side of the fort, on to what the garrison called 
 the "first hill," now known as the Baptist charchyard, on 
 Main street * A small space on this hill was cleared of 
 cane, and here, after a silent prayer, the earliest settlers of 
 Lexington were hiiried. This ground was afterward set 
 aside by the trustees of the town for religions purposes.f 
 This was the first cemetery used, and was for a long time 
 the only one. During the fatal cholera season of 1833, when 
 the citizens of Lexington were swept oft' by the hundreds, 
 tier upon tier of bodies were buried iu this graveyard, and 
 it ceased to be used after that terrible time. The next 
 earliest graveyard established was that of the McConnells, 
 opposite the present Lexington cemetery, and between 
 Main street and the track of the Louisville, Lexington and 
 Cincinnati Kailroad, and there many of the pioneers of the 
 city and county rest in obliterated graves. The Maxwell 
 burying-ground, on Bolivar street, was used shortly after 
 that of the McConnells. In 1834, the city bought the 
 ground adjoining the Maxwell graveyard, and the two were 
 merged in what is now called the "Old City Graveyard." 
 Here the mother of John Maxwell was buried in 1804, his 
 wife in 1811, and the old pioneer himself in 1819. In this 
 neglected spot the ancient tablets are broken and crumbling, 
 and upon one of them can scarcely be made out the in- 
 scription : 
 
 John Maxwell, sr., 
 
 Died July 13th, 1819. 
 
 Aged 72 years. 
 
 Emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1751, and to 
 
 the wilds of Kentucky in 1774. 
 
 The Catholic cemetery, on Winchester street, was conse- 
 crated about forty years ago. Dr. Samuel Brown, Judge 
 Hickey, Annie Spalding, the first superioress of St. Catha- 
 rine's Academy, are among the sleepers in this last resting 
 place. The Episcopal cemetery had its origin in 1837. Many 
 prominent persons are buried there, and there are few Lex- 
 
 •Old Journals. TCity Eeoords. 
 
1780.] FIRST SCHOOLS. 39 
 
 ington families that have not a sad interest in its sacred 
 ground. The same can be said of the Presbyterian burying- 
 ground established shortly after the last mentioned. The 
 large trees which now throw so grateful a shade over it, owe 
 their presence to the mournful interest of Dr. Daniel Drake, 
 whose wife was buried there. He raised the means to pay 
 both for the trees and their planting. For history of Lex- 
 ington cemetery, see year 1849. 
 
 The history of education, in Lexington, dates from the 
 comnieucement of the city itself ; and the germ of that 
 which afterward made her the literary and intellectual 
 center of the state was laid with her foundation. Because 
 the settlers of Lexington were out on " the frontier," because 
 their life was one of hardships, and because their rude huts 
 were destitute of costly adornments, did not prevent many 
 of them from being what they certainly were, men of cul- 
 ture, education, and refinement, and endowed with all the 
 ease and polished manners of the best society of Virginia, 
 North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The fort had its little 
 school as early as 1780, taught by John McKinney, who 
 had settled at Lexington the year before, at the solicitation 
 of Colonel Patterson ; and Transylvania Seminary, which 
 was subsequently located here, was chartered by the legisla- 
 ture of Virginia the same year. After the close of the 
 Kevolutionary war, when the British and Indians ceased to 
 annoy and distress the settlers, McKinney moved out of the 
 fort and taught in a log school-house, erected on the site of 
 the pump on the present Cheapside.* It was in this house 
 that his famous fight with the wildcat took place, an ac- 
 count of which will be found in the chapter on 1783. The 
 first trustees of the town took an early opportunity to lay off 
 and reserve ground for "Latin and English schools,"! and 
 this encouragement brought to Lexington, in 1787,t Mr. 
 Isaac Wilson, of Philadelphia College, who established the 
 "Lexington Grammar School." He informs the citizens, 
 in his advertisement, that " Latin, Greek, and the different 
 branches of science will be carefully taught. Price of 
 
 «-Mi.Cabe, 9. tOity Records. tOM Guzette. 
 
40 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [I'^O. 
 
 tuition four pounds, payable in cash or produce, and board- 
 ing on as reasonable terms as any in the district." The fol- 
 lowing spring "John Davenport" opened in what was then 
 known as Captain Young's house, which stood on part of 
 the ground now occupied by Jordan's Row,* the first dancing 
 school Lexington ever had, and from that day to this the 
 saltatory art has had a host of admirers in this city. In 
 1788, Transylvania Seminary was opened in Lexington, 
 and from this day forward schools accumulated, and the love 
 of literature grew, gaining for the city an enviable fame 
 throughout the country. 
 
 Transylvania University was the first regular institution 
 of learning founded in the mighty West. The influence it 
 has exerted, both morally and intellectually, has been im- 
 mense, and its name is not only venerated and respected in 
 all civilized America, but is well known in Europe. Its 
 history begins with the history of Lexington, and its estab- 
 lishment has been attributed to t|ie enlightened exertions 
 of Colonel John Todd, then a delegate from the county of 
 Kentucky in the Virginia General Assembly — the same 
 Colonel Todd who soon afterward fell at the disa,?trous 
 battle of Blue Licks. In 1780, nearly twelve years before 
 Kentucky became a member of the Union, the legislature 
 of Virginia passed a law to vest eight thousand acres of 
 escheated lands, formerly belonging to British subjects, in 
 the county of Kentucky, in trustees for a public school ; in 
 order, says the preamble of the bill, " to promote the dift'u- 
 sion of useful knowledge even among its remote citizens, 
 whose situation in a barbarous neighborhood and savage 
 intercourse might otherwise render unfriendly to science. "f 
 
 In 1783, the school was incorporated, and styled Tran- 
 sylvania Seminary; the name "Transylvania" — a classical 
 rendering of "the backwoods" — being the same that Co'- 
 onel Richard Henderson & Co. applied to the proprietary 
 government they attempted to establish in Kentucky, in 
 1775, regardless of the authority of Virginia. The teach- 
 ers and pupils were exempt from military service. At the 
 
 ♦McCate, 8. tActs Virginia Assembly. 
 
1T80.] TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY. 41 
 
 time of its incorporation, the seminary was endowed with 
 twelve thousand additional acres of land. 
 
 After Kentucky was erected into a state, laws were 
 passed exempting lands from e?cheat, the effect of which 
 M'as to deprive Transylvania Seminary of all the escheated 
 lands with which she had been endowed by the State of 
 Virginia, except eight thousand acres, from the sale of 
 which she received thirty thousand dollars. This sura of 
 money was afterward invested in the stock of the Bank 
 of Kentucky. The legislature repealed the charter of that 
 bank, by which a loss is alleged to have been subsequently 
 sustained by the "university" of twenty thousand dollars. 
 
 The trustees of the seminary met at Crow's station, in 
 Lincoln county, November 10, 1783, when the Rev. David 
 Rice was elected chairman, and the enterprise was en- 
 couraged by the donation of a library (the nucleus of the 
 present one), from the Rev. John Todd, the first Professor 
 of Sacred Literature in the seminary, and uncle of the 
 above-named Colonel Todd. 
 
 In February, 1785, the seminary was opened, in the 
 house of Mr. Rice, near Danville, and that gentleman be- 
 came its first teacher, the endowment being too unproduct- 
 ive to afford more than a scanty salary for one professor, 
 " Old Father Rice," who was one of the very first pioneer 
 Presbyterian ministers who emigrated to Kentucky, was 
 born in Hanover county, Virginia, December 20, 1733, and 
 was educated at " Nassau Hall," now Princeton College. 
 He was ordained in 1763, and came to Kentucky in 1783. 
 He was largely instrumental in raising up both Transyl- 
 vania Seminary and its subsequent rival, Kentucky Acad- 
 emy. After a long life of ministerial usefulness, he died, 
 June 18, 1816, iu Green county, Kentucky.* 
 
 In 1787, Virginia further endowed the seminary with 
 one-sixth of the surveyor's fees in the District of Kentucky, 
 formerly given to William and Mary College. This law 
 was repealed by the legislature of Kentucky in 1802. 
 
 In 1788, the school was located in Lexington. " Tuition, 
 
 *Davidson. 
 
42 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. l^^'^^"' 
 
 five pounds a year, one-half cash, the other in property. 
 Boarding, nine pounds a year, in property, pork, corn, to- 
 bacco, etc." John Filson, to whom Daniel Boone dictated 
 a memoir of his life, was a zealous friend and advocate of 
 the school. Being a northern man, he favored the em- 
 ployment of teachers from that section, which caused a 
 correspondent of the old Kentucky Gazette to ask him the 
 very sensible question: "What peculiar charm have 
 northern teachers to inspire virtue and suppress vice that 
 southern teachers do not possess?"* 
 
 The first building used by Transylvania Seminary, in 
 Lexington, was a plain two-story brick one. It stood on the 
 north end of the " college lawn," facing Second street, and 
 with the present Third street in its rear. The lot on which 
 it was erected, was donatedf by a number of citizens of 
 Lexington, who were anxious to have the school in their 
 midst. Isaac "Wilson, of Philadelphia, was a teacher in 
 the seminary at this time. 
 
 Another teacher was added t > the seminary upon its 
 removal to Lexington, its course was extended, and nothing 
 occurred to mar its prosperity until 1794, when the trustees, 
 with John Bradford as chairman, elected as principal 
 Harry Toul&^iiji, a talented Baptist minister, with strong 
 inclinations to the priestly school of theology, and who 
 subsequently became' secr'etary of state under Governor 
 Garrard. Sectarian jealousy was at once developed. The 
 Baptists claimed equal rights in the seminary, as a state 
 institution. The Presbyterians claimed control, on the 
 ground that its endowment was due to their exertions, and 
 they finally withdrew their patronage from the school, and, 
 in 1796, established and supported " Kentucky Academy," 
 at Pisgah, near Lexington. 
 
 Fortunately, the troubles between the rival institutions 
 were adjusted, and, in 1798, both schools were merged in 
 one, under the name of " Transylvania University," with 
 Lexington as its seat. But one department of the univer- 
 sity, the academical, was' in existence in 1798. The first 
 
 *01d Gazette. tPresident's Report. 
 
1^80.] TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY. 
 
 43 
 
 president of the united institutions was the Rev. James 
 Moore * noticed at length in the chapter, in this volume, 
 on ('hrist Church. His colleagues were the Rev. Robert 
 Stuart and the Rev. James Blythe. 
 
 In 1799, the institution was given the appearance of a 
 regular university, by the addition of law and medical de- 
 partments. 
 
 Colonel George Nicholas,t who became the first profes- 
 sor in the law department, was an eminent lawyer of Vir- 
 ginia, who had served as colonel in the Revolutionary war, 
 and came to Kentucky at an early day. He was an influ- 
 ential member of the Virginia Convention which adopted 
 the Federal constitution, and was one of the most promi- 
 nent spirits in the convention which framed the first con- 
 stitution of Kentucky. This able man, whose statesman- 
 ship was long prominent in this commonwealth, was for 
 many years a citizen of Lexington. His residence was on 
 the site of the present Sayre Institute. He died at about 
 the age of fifty-five, shortly after he accepted the law pro- 
 fessorship in Transylvania University. 
 
 Colonel Nicholas was succeeded in the chair of law by 
 Henry Clay, James Brown, John Pope, and "William T. 
 Barry (of whom see biographical sketches in this volume). 
 In 1819, when Ur. Holley became president of the univer- 
 sity, the law college was regularly organized with three 
 professors, and it soon attained a reputation co-extensive 
 with the country, and no similar college in the United 
 States was considered its superior in reputation, the ability 
 of its teachers, and the number of its students. Its law 
 society was noted. Its library, donated by the city of Lex- 
 ington, was, at that time, the best one of the kind in the 
 West. The following professors have adorned the law 
 department since the incumbency of those already named, 
 viz: Jesse Bledsoe, John Boyle, Daniel Mayer, Charles 
 Humphreys, George Robertson, Thomas A, Marshall, and 
 A. K. Woolley. (See biograpical sketches in this book.) 
 The earliest professor of medicine in Transylvania and 
 
 •Davidson. tCollins. 
 
44 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1180. 
 
 in the West was the distinguished Dr. Samuel Brown,* 
 who was born, January 30, 1769, and was a son of the Rev. 
 John Brown, and Margaret, his wife, residents of Rock- 
 bridge county, Virghiia. After graduating at Carlisle Col- 
 lege (Pa.), he spent two years studying medicine in Edin- 
 burg, after which he removed to Lexington. He was pro- 
 fessor of medicine in the university until 1806, when he 
 resigned, but was again appointed in 1819. He died in 
 Huntsville, Alabama, January 12, 1830. Dr. Brown was a 
 man of unusual learning and scientific attainments. 
 
 His name appears among those of the contributors to 
 the American Philosophical Transactions, and to the med- 
 ical and scientific periodicals of the day, in this country 
 and in Europe. He is specially noted as the first introducer 
 of vaccination into the United States.f 
 
 The first place where medical instruction is believed to 
 have been given to students, in Lexington, was in the orig- 
 inal old University building. 
 
 Dr. Frederick Ridgely, who was appointed a medical 
 professor very shortly after Dr. Brown, was the first who 
 taught medicine by lectures in the West. He was appointed 
 surgeon to a Virginia rifle corps in the Revolutionary army, 
 when nineteen years old, removed to Kentucky in 1780, 
 was one of the founders of the medical college, and was 
 one of the early preceptors of the distinguished surgeon, 
 Dr. Ben. W. Dudley. Dr. Ridgely lectured his class at 
 one time in a room in " Trotter's warehouse," which stood 
 on the site of the present china store, on the corner of 
 Mill and Main. 
 
 The first president of Transylvania University, Rev. 
 James Moore, was succeeded, in 1804, by Dr. James Blythe. 
 Rev. James Blythe, M. D., was born in l^orth Carolina, in 
 1765, and was educated for the Presbyterian pulpit at 
 Hampden- Sidney College. He came to Kentucky in 1791, 
 and two years after was ordained pastor of Pisgab and 
 Clear Creek churches. He continued to preach up to the 
 time of his death. Por six years before his accession to the 
 
 *Annal3 of Transylvania University. fMichaux 1802, 
 
[1780. TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITT. 45 
 
 presidency of the university, he was professor of mathe- 
 matics and natural philosophy, and often supplied the 
 pulpit of the First Presbyterian church. He was president 
 for nearly fifteen years, and after his resignation, filled 
 the chair of chemistry in the medical college until 1831, 
 when he accepted the presidency of Hanover College (Indi- 
 ana), which prospered greatly under his charge. He was a 
 faithful and animated preacher and fine debater. He died 
 in 1842. 
 
 The first academical degree was conferred in 1802. 
 
 In the spring of 1804, a party of Shawunese Indians 
 placed their children at Transylvania University to be in- 
 structed. 
 
 In 1805, Rev. James Fishback, M. D., was appointed to 
 the chair of the Theory and Practice of Medicine. It was 
 in the oflice of Dr. F., that Dr. Ben. Dudley studied the 
 rudiments of physic. At this early period, the medical 
 department met with but small success, and in 1806,* the 
 professors resigned. 
 
 An effort was made to organize a full faculty and estab- 
 lish a medical school in our university, in the year 1809. 
 Dr. B. W. Dudley was appointed to the chair of Anatomy 
 and Surgery; Dr. Elisha Warfield, to that of Surgery and 
 Obstetrics; the noted Joseph Buchanan, referred to in an- 
 other chapter, to that of the Institutes of Medicine, and 
 Dr. James Overton, to that of the Theory and Practice of 
 Medicine. 
 
 It does not appear, however, that any lectures were de- 
 livered at this time. In 1815, Dr. "William H. Richardson 
 was added to the medical faculty, and his connection with 
 the school continued until his death in 1835. Dr. Daniel 
 Drake was appointed to the chair of Materia Medica in 
 1817. Dr. Drake resigned in a short time, and afterward 
 became a professor in the Cincinnati Medical College. He 
 died in 1852. The class of 1817 numbered twenty pupils. 
 
 The degree of M. D. was conferred, at the end of this 
 course, in 1818, for the first time in the West, perhaps, on a 
 
 *Dr. Peters' Lecture. 
 
46 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1^80. 
 
 citizen of Lexington, one of this class, John Lawson 
 McCullough, brother of our worthy fellow-citizen, Samuel 
 D. McCullough.* 
 
 In 1817, a large and handsome college building was 
 erected in the college lawn and in front of the old edifice. 
 The house and lot known as the Blythe property was bought 
 and donated to the university by a number of liberal gen- 
 tlemen, Mr. Clay being among the number. The grounds 
 of the institution were beautified with trees, flowers, and 
 shrubbery, and a determined eftbrt was made to greatly in- 
 crease the usefulness of the university. The trustees of 
 the institution and the citizens of Lexington labored to- 
 gether in the work of its up-building, and Dr. Horace Hol- 
 ley, then of Boston, was invited to the presidency, which 
 he accepted, and was inducted into oflice, December 19, 
 1818, and voted a salary of three thousand dollars. 
 
 Dr. Holley, the third president of Transylvania Univer- 
 sity, was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, February 13, 1781.f 
 He assisted in the store of his father (who was a self- 
 taught and self-made man) until he was sixteen, when he 
 was sent to Yale College, where he graduated, in 1803, with 
 a high reputation for talents and learning. Soon after, he 
 studied theology with Dr. Dwight, and, in 1809, accepted 
 the pastorate of the Hollis-street church, in Boston, and 
 such was his popularity that a larger and more elegant 
 edifice was soon rendered necessary. In this charge he re- 
 mained nine years, greatly admired and beloved. To a re- 
 markably fine person was added fascinating manners and 
 brilliant oratory. His eloquence may be inferred from the 
 fact that, during one of his sermons delivered before the 
 ancient artillery company of Boston, he extorted a noisy 
 demonstration of applause, the only instance known of a 
 staid New England audience being betrayed into forgetful- 
 ness of their wonted propriety.J 
 
 Dr. Holley was welcomed to Lexington with the most 
 flattering attentions, and immediately set to work to make 
 the university a success. The institution was at once thor- 
 
 •Peters' Lecture. tCaldwell's Memoir. jPierpont. 
 
ITSO.] TRANSTLVANIA VNIVERSITT. 47 
 
 oughly reorganized, and the medical school in particular 
 dates its astonishing progress from this time, when the 
 eminent surgeon, Dr. B. W. Dudley, the apostle of phre- 
 nology in the "West, Dr. Charles Caldwell, and the learned 
 antiquarian. Dr. C. S. Rafinesque, were called to its chairs. 
 These gentlemen are specially mentioned in other chapters 
 of this hook. At this time, lectures were delivered to the 
 medical class in a large room in the upper story of a then 
 tavern building, on Short street, between Upper and Market, 
 now occupied by banks. 
 
 The events which took place during Dr. Holley's presi- 
 dency are full of interest. 
 
 In the year 1819, the legislature of Kentucky appropri- 
 ated the bonus of the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank at 
 Lexington, for two years, to the use and beneiit of Tran- 
 sylvania Dniversity, which amounted to the sum of $3,000. 
 In 1820 the sum of $5,000 was appropriated to the medical 
 department. 
 
 In the year 1821, an act was passed appropriating one- 
 half of the clear profits of the Branch Bank of the Com- 
 monwealth of Kentucky at Lexington to the university, 
 from which it is stated the sum of $20,000, in the paper 
 of the said bank, was received — equal to $10,000 in specie 
 — and there was a grant of twenty thousand dollars from 
 the state treasury in 1824. All ot which sums of money 
 were expended in the purchase of books, philosophical ap- 
 paratus, and in the payment of the debts of the institution. 
 
 There was probably no college library in the United 
 States superior to that of Transylvania University in 1825. 
 In addition to the books purchased through the liberality 
 of Lexington and the State, the library had been enriched 
 by a handsome donation from the British government, and 
 by contributions from many private individuals, among 
 whom may be named Edward Everett, who presented a 
 collection of fine classical works which he had personally 
 selected in Europe. The medical library selected by Pro- 
 fessor Caldwell, in Prance and England, was the best in the 
 country at that time. The university was visited by Pres- 
 
48 
 
 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. ["^*- 
 
 ident Monroe, General Jackson, Governor Shelby, and 
 others, in 1819. In 1825 it was visited by Marquis de La^ 
 fayette, at which time it was the center of attraction in the 
 entire West to all scholars and eminent characters, both 
 native and foreign. About this time, also. Lord Stanley, 
 afterward Earl of Derby, made a personal examination of 
 the institution. At the time of his visit. Judge Barry, one 
 of the law professors, was absent. Dr. HoUey, in addition 
 to his regular duties, temporarily filled the judge's chair, 
 and lectured the class before the distinguished visitor, on 
 the subject of the similarity of the governments of the 
 United States and England as regards the responsibility of 
 public agents to the people.* 
 
 The rise and prosperity of the medical college of the 
 university was remarkable. In 1818, the class numbered 
 twenty, with one graduate, and in 1826, it numbered two 
 hundred and eiglity-one, with fifty-three graduates.f In 
 1827, the medical college had attained such a position and 
 celebrity as to be regarded as second only to the University 
 of Pennsylvania. It was complete in its corps of eminent 
 professors, and in its magnificent library and chemical and 
 anatomical apparatus. In addition to the distinguished 
 men already mentioned, the following professors had been 
 connected with the medical college up to 1827, and some 
 of them remained in it for years after, viz: Dr. John Estin 
 Cooke, of Virginia, author of the celebrated congestive 
 theory of fevers; Dr. Lunsford P. Yandell, editor of the 
 Transylvania Journal of Medicine, founded in 1827; Dr. 
 H. H. Eaton, of New York, who greatly improved the 
 chemical department, and Dr. Charles W. Short, who re- 
 signed in 1838. 
 
 In 1823, the " Morrison Professorship," in the academical 
 department, was endowed and established by a bequest of 
 twenty thousand dollars from Colonel James Morrison, 
 of whom mention will again be made in this chapter. 
 
 The grand design of Dr. HoUey was to make Transyl- 
 vania a genuine university, complete in every college, and 
 
 *0b3erver and Reporter. ftJollege Eeoords. 
 
1780.] TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY. 49 
 
 liberally sustained by a great endowment. Under great 
 disadvantages he accomplished much of his work, but his 
 own imprudent conduct and Jlnitarian sentiments, together 
 with prejudice and sectarian animosity, prevented its com- 
 pletion. His religious opinions and his love of amuse- 
 ments were unceasingly discussed and denounced by secta- 
 rians, who were disappointed in obtaining control of the 
 institution. Finally, a storm of opposition was raised, 
 which was continued with great bitterness by ministers of 
 all denominations,* until Dr. Holley was forced to resign 
 the presidency, which he did in 1827, to the great regret 
 of a majority of the citizens of Lexington, and the sorrow 
 of his pupils, a large number of whom immediately left 
 the university. Two facts speak volumes for Dr. Ilolley's 
 administration. When he came to the university, it was 
 comparatively little known — when he left it, it was cele- 
 brated all over this country and Europe. During the six- 
 teen years before he came, twenty-two students had grad- 
 uated in it — in the nine years of his presidency, the insti- 
 tution turned out six hundred and sixty-six graduates.f 
 
 Immediately after his resignation, Dr. Holley was en- 
 gaged as president of the College of K"ew Orleans, and 
 was meeting with the most flattering success when he was 
 prostrated by fever. Upon his recovery he embarked for 
 the North, in hopes that the sea air would benefit him. 
 On the voyage he was seized with yellow fever, and, after 
 sufi'ering intensely for five days, he died, and on the 31st of 
 July, 1827, the body of this distinguished man was com- 
 mitted to the deep. The scholar's cloak was his winding 
 sheet, the ocean is his grave, and the towering rocks of the 
 Tortugas are his monument. 
 
 The academical department, or college of arts, of Tran- 
 sylvania University was crowded with students during Dr. 
 Holiey's administration. Its corps of instructors, near the 
 close of his term, were: President Holley, Professor of 
 Philology, Belles-lettres, and Mental Philosophy; John 
 Eoche, Professor of Greek and Latin Languages; Eev. 
 
 *I'lint's Mississippi Talley, 1826;. fCaldwell's Memoir. 
 
50 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [I'^SO. 
 
 George T. Chapman, Professor of History and Antiquity; 
 Thomas J. Matthews, Morrison Professor of Mathematics; 
 Rev. Benjamin 0. Peers, Professor of Moral Philosophy. 
 
 The resignation of Dr. Holley was a heavy blow to the 
 university; but the trustees were not idle. On the 16th of 
 April, 1827, the corner-stone of a new medical hall was 
 laid by the Masonic fraternity, on the site of the present 
 City Library, on the corner of Market and Church streets. 
 The eloquent William T. Barry delivered 'an appropriate 
 oration before the immense crowd assembled. The trustees 
 of the university, at that time, were John Bradford, Thomas 
 Bodley, Charles Humphreys, Benjamin Gratz, Elisha War- 
 field, James Pishbaek, John W. Hunt, James Trotter, 
 Elisha I. Winter, George T. Chapman, William Leavy, 
 Charles Wilkins, and George C. Light. 
 
 In June, 1828, the trustees called to the presidency of 
 the university the Eev. Alva Woods, D. D.,* who was then 
 at the head of Brown Univiversity. Dr. Woods was a 
 Baptist clergyman, and the oldest child of Rev. Abel 
 Woods, of Massachusetts, and had a high reputation for 
 learning and liberality. He was president of Transylvania 
 for but two years, when he resigned, and accepted the 
 presidency of the University of Alabama. A few years ago 
 he was still alive and residing at Providence, Rhode Island. 
 
 On the night of May 9, 1829, during Dr. Woods' admin- 
 istration, the principal building of the university, together 
 with the law and societies' libraries, was destroyed by fire. 
 The exercises of the institution were not interrupted a 
 single day, nor did a solitary student leave in consequence 
 of the disaster. 
 
 The Transylvania Literary Journal, Professor T. J. Mat- 
 thews, Editor, was established in 1829. 
 
 In 1832, Dr. Robert Peter, the present able and noted 
 Professor of Chemistry, became connected with the univer- 
 sity, and has continued to reflect honor upon it for forty 
 years. Dr. Peter was born in England, in 1805. He is a 
 graduate of the Transylvania Medical College. 
 
 *Observer and Keporter. 
 
1780.] TRANSYLVANIA VNIVERSIT7. 51 
 
 The fifth president of Transylvania was the Rev. Benja- 
 min O. Peers, an Episcopal minister, who was born in 
 Loudon county, Virginia, in 1800, and brought to Kentucky 
 in 1803. After graduating at Transylvania, he studied 
 theology at Princeton, after which he joined the Episcopal 
 Church, and located in Lexington, where he established the 
 Eclectic Institute, which soon became one of the most val- 
 uable educational establishmenta in the "West. He did 
 much to bring about the present common school system of 
 Kentucky, for which, together with his sound learning and 
 ardent piety, he will long be remembered. Mr. Peers was 
 president of Transylvania about two years. He died in 
 Louisville, in 1842. The assistants of President Peers, in 
 the academical department of the university, were Profes- 
 sor S. Hebard, of Amherst College, and Professor John 
 Lutz, of the University of Gottingen. 
 
 During the Peers term, the present Morrison College 
 building was completed, and on the 14th of November, 
 1833, it was thrown open, with appropriate inauguration 
 ceremonies, at which time the oath of office was adminis- 
 tered to Mr. Peers by the chairman of the university board 
 of trustees. While Mr. Peers was president, a theological 
 department, under the auspices of the Episcopal Church, 
 was opened in the university. 
 
 Morrison College was founded through the liberality of 
 Colonel James Morrison, who was born in Cumberland 
 county, Pennsylvania, in 1775, and was the son of an 
 humble Irish immigrant. After serving in the war of the 
 Eevolution, he came to Kentucky, and settled in Lexington, 
 in 1792. Possessed of strong sense, energy, and decision 
 of character, he rapidly elevated himself. He became, in 
 succession, state representative from Fayette, quartermas- 
 ter-general, president of the branch of the United States 
 Bank, and chairman of the board of trustees of Transyl- 
 vania University. He acquired immense wealth, much of 
 which he used in the promotion of letters. He died, in 
 Washington, D. C, April 23, 1823. Whether he was a 
 Unitarian or a Presbyterian is undecided. He bequeathed 
 twenty thousand dollars to establish a professorship in 
 
52 
 
 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. l^''^"- 
 
 Transylvania University, and a residuary legacy of forty 
 thousand dollars, with which the present Morrison College 
 edifice was established.* 
 
 The societies flourishing in the University, in ISdd, were 
 the Union Philosophical, the Whig, and the Adelphi 
 
 Alpha. , . . 
 
 The public exercises of the institution, at this time, were 
 always conducted with much dignity and state. Probably 
 no state governor in this country has ever been inducted 
 into office with more imposing and impressive ceremonies 
 than those formerly attending the inauguration of a Tran- 
 sylvania president. The long procession, composed of stu- 
 dents, alumni, college societies, city associations and orders, 
 members of the bar, members of Congress, governor and 
 stafl; banners and music, the immense crowd of eager citi- 
 zens, strangers, and beautiful women, the solemn oath of 
 office, delivery of university keys, address to the president 
 and his reply, all made up a scene of surpassing interest 
 and brilliancy. 
 
 Amon o- the number of those who have acted as tutors in 
 the university, we find the names of Jesse Bledsoe, Daniel 
 Bradford, Mann Butler, C. S. Morehead, and James Mc- 
 Chord. 
 
 Rev. Thomas W. Coit, D. D., another Episcopalian di- 
 vine, became the sixth president of the university, in 1835. 
 Dr. Coit came from New England, in 1834, to fill a profes- 
 sorship in the Episcopal Theological Seminary, in Lexing- 
 ton. He acquired some celebrity for his writings in favor 
 of Trinitarianism, and for his pungent essays on the history 
 of the American Puritans. He presided over Transylvania 
 for nearly three years. At present, he is rector of St. 
 Paul's church, Troy, New York. 
 
 In 1837, an eiiort was made by a majority of the faculty 
 of the medical college, to remove it bodily to Louisville. 
 They were unsuccessful, and such was the public indigna- 
 tion, that the enemies of the Lexington College found it 
 convenient to resign. 
 
 '■Davidson's History. 
 
1T80.] TRANSYLVANIA VNIVERSITY. 
 
 63 
 
 The Medical College suffered by the treachery of pre- 
 tended friends and open enemies, but it speedily recovered. 
 The faculty was at once reorganized, and the following 
 gentlemen were elected : 
 
 To the chair of Anatomy ai?d Surgery, B. "W. Dudley, 
 M, D., Professor, and J. M. Bush, M. D., Adjunct Professor; 
 Institutes of Medicine and Medical Jurisprudence, James 
 C. Cross, M. D. ; Theory and Practice of Medicine, John 
 Eberle, M. D.; Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and 
 Children, William H. Richardson, M. D.; Materia Medica 
 and Therapeutics, Thomas D. Mitchell, M. D.; Chemistry 
 and Pharmacy, Robert Peter, M. D. 
 
 The interest of the entire community was strongly 
 awakened, and a united effort made to increase the en- 
 dowment of the tmiversitj'. In 1838-39, the city of Lex- 
 ington donated $70,000; seventy gentlemen, incorporated 
 February 20, 1839, by the name of the Transylvania Insti- 
 tute, contributed $35,000, out of part of which fund the 
 present dormitory building was erected; aend the profes- 
 sors of the medical department, by private contributions, 
 purchased the lot of ground on which a new medical hall 
 was soon built. These gentlemen also paid, out of their 
 own funds, residuary debt on that building to the amount 
 of more than $15,000. 
 
 The libraries, museums, chemical and philosophical appa- 
 ratus, and the means of instruction generally, were greatly 
 increased, and the university was put on a more favorable 
 footing than it had ever been. The new medical hall re- 
 ferred to was built on the corner of Second and Broadway, 
 and occupied the site of the present residence of Dr. Bush. 
 The corner-stone was laid July 4, 1839, and the oration was 
 delivered by Robert Wickliffe, Jr. 
 
 In 1838, after the resignation of Dr. Coit, the Academical 
 Faculty consisted of Dr. Louis Marshall, President pro tem., 
 and Professor of Ancient Languages; Rev. Robert David- 
 son, Professor of Moral and Mental Philosophy; Dr. Arthur 
 J. Dumont (who succeeded Mr. Priczminski), Professor of 
 Mathematics ; Robert Peter, M. D., Professor of Natural 
 
54 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1780. 
 
 History and Experimental Philosophy; Rev. Charles Crow, 
 Principal of Preparatory Department. 
 
 Rev. Robert Davidson, D. D., a Presbyterian minister, 
 referred to more especially in the chapter in this volume on 
 the Second Presbyterian Church, was the seventh regular 
 president of Transylvania University, and was inaugurated 
 in l^ovember, 1840. 
 
 In the fall of 1842, the Methodist Church was given the 
 control of the university, which by this time had become 
 considerably prostrated, particularly in the literary and 
 academical department. The eloquent and untiring bishop, 
 Henry B. Bascom, D. D. (see chapter on First Methodist 
 Church), was made president of the institution, and it soon 
 prospered as it had not done for years. There were four 
 times as many students in it two years after the Methodists 
 obtained control than there was the year before they took 
 possession. Bishop Bascom resigned in 1849, and the uni- 
 versity again reverted to the state. 
 
 Professor J. B. Dodd, well known as the author of a 
 number of mathematical works, succeeded Dr. Bascom, 
 and acted as president pro tern, up to the reorganization of 
 the university in 1856. Professor Dodd died in G-reeusburg, 
 Kentucky, March 27, 1872, aged sixty-live. 
 
 In 1855, the chairs of the Law College were filled by 
 Professors G-eorge Robertson (see chapter on year 1835); 
 George B. Kinkead, a native of "Woodford county, Ken- 
 tucky, Secretary of State under Governor Owsley, and dis- 
 tinguished both for his high-toned character and legal 
 ability ; and Francis K. Hunt, born in Lexington, a gradu- 
 ate of Transylvania Law School, a gentleman of rare graces 
 and culture, and one of the first lawyers in Kentucky. 
 
 The university was I'eorganized in 1856,* and in connec- 
 tion with it, a normal school, for the education of teachers, 
 was established, under the patronage of the state, as an 
 indispensable aid to the common school system of Kentucky. 
 The scheme was a noble one; the legislature appropriated 
 $12,000 per annum to its support, and the cause of popular 
 
 *Acts Legislature. 
 
nso.] TRANSrLVANIA VmVERSITY. 55 
 
 education in Kentucky never looked more promising. Rev. 
 Lewis W. G-reen, D. D., was called to the presidency, and 
 the university opened March 4, 1856, with eighty pupils. 
 
 Dr. Green, the ninth and last regular president of Tran- 
 sylvania University, was the son of Willis and Sarah Reed 
 Green, and was born near Danville, Kentucky, January 28, 
 1806.* He was a student at Transylvania for some time, 
 but graduated at Centre College, in 1824, after which he 
 entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, studied for 
 the Presbyterian ministry, and was finally ordained. He 
 spent two years in Europe, at the Universities of Bonn and 
 Halle, and while studying biblical literature and the oriental 
 languages, enjoyed the instructions of Neander, Hengsten- 
 berg, and other distinguished scholars. When called to 
 Transylvania, he was president of Hampden Sidney College, 
 Virginia. He labored, with satisfaction and success, at 
 Lexington, for two years, at the end of which time, for 
 some reason, the legislature withdrew the yearly appropria- 
 tion for the normal school, and abandoned the project. Dr. 
 Green accepted the presidency of Centre College, entered 
 upon his duties there in January, 1858, and filled the posi- 
 tion up to the time of his death, which occarred May 26, 
 1863. He was buried in the Danville cemetery. Dr. Green 
 was an eloquent divine, and, in point of learning, had few 
 equals in the Presbyterian Church in the West. His fine 
 character and amiable disposition always gained for him 
 the sincere love of his pupils. 
 
 The Medical School continued to exist with varying suc- 
 cess up to the commencement of the late war between the 
 States. In 1859, its faculty was composed of Drs. Ethel- 
 bert L. Dudley (see year 1862), S. L. Adams (see First 
 Methodist Church), W. S. Chipley (see Lunatic Asylum), 
 B. P. Drake, S. M. Letcher, H. M. Skillman, and J. M. Bush. 
 
 Dr. Drake is a graduate of this school, and now hves in 
 Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. 
 
 Dr. Letcher, a native of Lancaster, Kentucky, was also a 
 graduate of the Transylvania Medical College. He is well 
 
 *J3iogi'aphy. 
 
56 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T80. 
 
 remembered, not only as a fine physician, but as a fine in- 
 structor in his department. He died in Lexington, in 1862. 
 
 Dr. Bush, born in Frankfort, Kentucky, and Dr. Skill- 
 man, a native of Lexington, are both graduates of the 
 school in which they were teachers, and both now stand in 
 the front rank of their profession in Kentucky. 
 
 From its founding up to its dissolution, at the beginning 
 of the late war, the Medical College had conferred the de- 
 gree of M. D. upon nearly two thousand graduates.* 
 
 The university, which had been declining for years, sunk 
 hopelessly after the failure of the normal school. The 
 academical department struggled on for a few years, owing 
 its existence mainly to that superior instructor, Mr. Abram 
 Drake. It settled into a grammar school, during the, late 
 war, under whose depressing influences all educational in- 
 stitutions languished, and through that period its principal 
 was Professor J. K. Patterson, the present accomplished 
 presiding oiEcer of the Agricultural and Mechanical College 
 of Kentucky University. 
 
 In January, 1865, the trustees of Transylvania, desiring 
 to perpetuate for Lexington her character and usefulness 
 as an educational center, conveyed the entire property of 
 the institution to, and consolidated it with Kentucky Uni- 
 versity, on the condition of its removal to Lexington. 
 From 1865, the history of Transylvania University blends 
 with that of Kentucky University, of which it now forms 
 a part. 
 
 The record of Transylvania, both at home and abroad 
 is a proud one. Among the names of her thousands of 
 graduates, appear those of Jefferson Davis, Thomas F. 
 Marshall, Dr. B. "W". Dudley, Richard H. Menifee, John 
 Boyle, James MeChord, Dr. Joseph Buchanan, Richard M. 
 Johnson, John Rowan, W. T. Barry, Jesse Bledsoe, 0. 
 B. Morehead, Elijah Hise, "Duke" Gwin, C. A. Wickliffe, 
 and a host of others — with cabinet officers, foreign minis- 
 ters, governors, generals, physicians, divines, and men of 
 every grade and business of life. There is scarcely a town 
 
 *Biography. 
 
1780.] KENTUCKY VNIVERSITY. 57 
 
 of any size in all the West and South that does not con- 
 tain one or more of her graduates. 
 
 The power that Transylvania has exerted will be felt for 
 generations to come. 
 
 Kentucky CTniversity, the successor and perpetuator of 
 Transylvania, was incorporated in February, 1858, and 
 located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Tts endowment then 
 consisted of $150,000, obtained by Mr. John B. Bowman, 
 from members of the Christian Church and other liberal 
 friends of education. At the same time, it received the 
 funds and property of Bacon College, an institution founded 
 by the Christian Church in 1836, in Georgetown, but which 
 was removed to Harrodsburg in 1840, and finally failed for 
 want of a sufficient endowment.* 
 
 John B. Bowman, the founder of Kentucky University, 
 its present regent, and the one to whom its efficiency and 
 prosperity is so largely due, was born at Bowman's station, 
 near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, October 18, 1824. His grand- 
 parents were among the first settlers of Mercer county. 
 His father, born near Lexington, is probably the oldest liv- 
 ing native of Fayette county. Regent Bowman gradu- 
 ated at Bacon College under President Shannon, and in 
 February, 1846, married Mary D., daughter of Dr. Charles 
 Williams, of Montgomery county, Kentucky. The accom- 
 plishments and self-sacrifice of Mrs. Bowman have had no 
 little to do with the success of Kentucky University. From 
 the time he left college, up to the year 1855, Mr. Bowman 
 was occupied in farming, but ever since that year, his life 
 has been devoted to the up-building of the great institution 
 of which he is the head. He is a man of extraordinary 
 energy, executive ability, and financial sagacity. 
 
 " Taylor Academy," a preparatory school ot the univer- 
 sity, was opened in the old Bacon College building, at Har- 
 rodsburg, in September, 1858, with nearly one hundred 
 students in attendance. 
 
 The College of Arts, the first regular department of the 
 university to go into operation, was opened in September, 
 
 *Uiiiversity Kecords. 
 
58 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T80. 
 
 1859, under the presidency of Robert Milligan. Pesident 
 Milligan is a native of Ireland, and is now in the fifty-ninth 
 year of his age. He is a graduate of Washington College, 
 Pennsylvania, and was at one time Professor of Mathe- 
 matics in Bethany College. His colleagues at Harrodsburg 
 were Professors E.. Richardson, Robert Graham, L. L. 
 Pinkerton, Henry White, and J. H. l^eville. All of the 
 professors with one exception (Professor Richardson) sub- 
 sequently taught in the university after its removal to Lex- 
 ington. There were about two hundred students in the 
 university during its first session.* 
 
 In February, 1864, the old edifice of Bacon College, used 
 by the university at Harrodsburg, was destroyed by fire, 
 together with its apparatus and library. At this juncture, 
 it was found that the trustees of Transylvania University 
 were willing to convey the gounds and buildings of that 
 institution to the curators of Kentucky University, on the 
 condition of its removal to Lexington. The board left the 
 whole question of removal and location to a committee, of 
 whom Mr. Bowman was chairman.f 
 
 Accordingly, Mr. Bowman called the committee to meet 
 at Frankfort, in January, 1865 ; but an expected denouement 
 followed. While there, the proposition of Congress to do- 
 nate to Kentucky 330,000 acres of land, for the purpose of 
 agricultural and mechanical education, came up for consid- 
 eration. The state was not prepared to accept the grant 
 with the conditions imposed, and the munificent provision 
 of Congress seemed likely to be lost to the state. Mr. 
 Bowman proposed to make the State Agricultural College 
 a department of Kentucky University, and to consolidate 
 into the great institution the University of Harrodsburg, 
 Transylvania, and the Agricultural College, and the whole 
 to be located at Lexington. He further proposed, if this 
 should be done, to provide an experimental farm, and all the 
 requisite buildings, and to give gratuitous instruction to 
 three hundred students, to be selected by the state ; and 
 he furthermore pledged, that the board of curators would 
 
 ♦University ^Records. tlil. 
 
1780.] KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY. 59 
 
 cany out, in the agricultural department, the spirit and 
 intent of the act of Congress encouraging the education of 
 the industrial classes. 
 
 A bill to this efl'ect was accordingly drawn up, and, after 
 long and animated discussion in the General Assembly, it 
 was passed by a large majority, and Kentucky University 
 was removed from Harrodsburg, the grounds and buildings 
 and endowment of Transylvania were transferred, and the 
 State Agricultural College was made a part of the univer- 
 sity, with an aggregate capital of more than one-half 
 million of dollars. As a condition of this removal, the cura- 
 tors of Kentucky University bound themselves to refund 
 to citizens of Mercer county $30,000 which they had con- 
 tributed to the institution, and also furnish |100,000 more, 
 to be invested in an experimental farm and buildings. 
 Mr. Bowman set to work at once to secure the amounts 
 needed, and the following gentlemen, in a printed address,* 
 strongly urged the people of Lexington to assist him, viz : 
 M. C. Johnson, John Carty, Benj. Gratz, J. G. Chinn, 
 John B. Tilford, J. G. Allen, H. T. Duncan, Jr., John B. 
 Payne, Jr. In three months the money was obtained by 
 subscription, principally from the citizens of Lexington 
 and vicinity, of all creeds and denominations. 
 
 The first session of Kentucky University, at Lexington, 
 commenced on Monday, October 2, 1865,* with formal and 
 appropriate exercises, in the chapel of Morrison College. 
 Four other departments, in addition to the College of Arts, 
 had, in the meanwhile been createJ, and went at once into 
 active operation. At its opening in Lexington, therefore, 
 the university consisted of the College of Arts, the Law 
 College, the Agricultural and Mechanical College, the 
 Bible College, and the Academy. 
 
 The college of arts, up to the present time, has had 
 four presidents, viz : E. Milligan, 1859; R. Graham, 1865; 
 J. Aug. Williams, 1868; Henry H. White, 1870. The old 
 Morrison College building is used by the college of arts. 
 Henry H. White, Professor of Mathematics, and John H. 
 
 *0b3erver and Reporter. tid. 
 
60 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1780. 
 
 J^eville, Professor of Greek Language and Literature, 
 have long reflected credit upon this ably conducted col- 
 lege of the university. Dr. Peter, so long associated 
 with Transylvania, is the distinguished Professor of Chem- 
 istry in this college. 
 
 The organization of the Agricultural and Mechanical 
 College VFas the work, to a very great extent, of its thor- 
 oughly accomplished first president, John Augustus Will- 
 iams, now the head of Daughter's College, at Harrodsburg, 
 and noted as having few equals in the "West as an educator. 
 His successors were J. D. Pickett, 1867; Henry H. White, 
 1868, and J. K. Patterson, 1870. This department enjoyed 
 for some time the services of Professor A. Winchell, now 
 the well-known geologist of Michigan University. The seat 
 of the Agricultural and Mechanical College was purchased 
 in 1866, and cost one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. 
 It consists of " Ashland," the homestead of Henry Clay, 
 and the adjoining estate of " Woodlands," which extends 
 within the limits of the city of Lexington. The entire 
 tract contains four hundred and thirty-three acres of land, 
 unsurpassed for beauty and fertility. Four brick build- 
 ings, for the use of officers and students, were erected at 
 " Woodlands," during the, year 1867. The large and hand- 
 some edifice, used by the mechanical department, at "Ash- 
 land," was built in 1868. 
 
 The Law College is the full equal of its famous Transyl- 
 vania predecessor. Madison C. Johnson was elected its 
 president in 1868, and still occupies that position. Major 
 Johnson is a graduate of the Transylvania Law College, and 
 was one of its professors in 1850. His strong mind and 
 laborious application have placed him in the front rank at 
 the Kentucky bar. 
 
 Of Judge W. C. Goodloe, professor in 1865, see chapter 
 on year 1863. 
 
 Judge R. A. Buckner, also a professor in 1865, is a na- 
 tive of Green county, Kentucky. He was circuit judge 
 by appointment of Governor Letcher; speaker of the Ken- 
 tucky House of Representatives in 1859, and is at present 
 
1780.] KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY. 61 
 
 engaged as one of the commissioners appointed by Governor 
 Leslie and the Supreme Court to revise the Kentucky Code 
 of Practice. Judge Buckner's legal attainments are of the 
 first order. 
 
 General John B. Huston, who succeeded Judge Buekner 
 as professor, in 1865, and who still retains the position, is 
 a native of Nelson county, Kentucky, and a graduate of 
 Center College. He represented Clark county in the legis- 
 lature, and was speaker of the house. He removed to 
 Lexington in 1863. General Huston is greatly gifted, both 
 as a lawyer and a speaker. 
 
 James 0. Harrison, elected professor in 1870, was born 
 in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, in 1804, and, after graduating 
 at the Transylvania Law College, settled in Lexington, in 
 1824. Though he has, at difl'erent times, been tendered 
 high official appointments by the general government, Mr. 
 Harrison has confined himself strictly to his professional 
 duties. He is distinguished for his integrity, literary cul- 
 ture, and superior legal attainments. 
 
 The Bible College has had but one president, viz : Robert 
 Milligan, from its organization, in 1865, to the present 
 time. 
 
 The academy had three principals during its existence, 
 viz: A. E. Milligan, 1866; G. W. Ranck, 1867; D. 
 G. Herron, 1869. This department was discontinued in 
 1870. 
 
 The principals of the commercial department, since its 
 organization in 1867, are named in the order of their suc- 
 cession, viz : J. P. Marquam, W. H. Marquam, A. HoUings- 
 worth, H. P. Perrin. 
 
 The societies of the university, viz : the Periclean, Cecro- 
 pian, Union Literary, Christomathean, and Pliilothean, have 
 reflected no little honor upon the institution, and are rapidly 
 attaining literary efficiency and celebrity. 
 
 In 1870, Congress appropriated twenty-five thousand dol- 
 lars to the university, to compensate for the destruction, 
 by fire, of the Transylvania Medical College building, 
 while in the possession of Federal troops, during the late 
 war. 
 
62 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1780. 
 
 The present executive committee of the university is 
 composed of J. B. Bowman, Benjamin Gratz, Joseph 
 Wasson, Joseph Smith, and Joseph S. Woolfolk. The 
 oldest member of the committee, Mr. Gratz, was born in 
 Philadelphia, September 4, 1792, and settled in Lexington 
 in 1819. He became a trustee of Transylvania in the dis- 
 tinguished Dr. Holley's time, and has been connected with 
 that institution and its successor, Kentucky University, for 
 nearly half a century, and has always been known as one 
 of the firmest and most influential friends of education 
 and public improvement in Lexington. 
 
 James B. Beck, the present distinguished congressional 
 representative from the "Ashland district," is a member 
 of the board of curators of the university. Mr. Beck is a 
 native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, but came to the United 
 States at the age of sixteen, and settled in Lexington, 
 where he graduated at the Transylvania Law College. He 
 was elected to Congress in 1867, and has been returned 
 at every succeeding election. Mr. Beck overcame many 
 very discouraging obstacles in early life, and is a self- 
 made man of the best type. His mind is of extraordinary 
 strength and clearness, and is only matched by his energy 
 and industry. 
 
 The various libraries of Kentucky University comprise 
 about ten thousand volumes, and the anatomical museum, 
 the museum of natural philosophy, and the collections of 
 chemical, astronomical, and philosophical apparatus are 
 large and valuable. In June, of the present year, ap- 
 peared the first number of "The Collegian," a monthly, 
 established and ably supported by the literary societies 
 of the university. The endowment and real estate of 
 the institution now amount to eight hundred thousand 
 dollars; and as many as seven hundred and seventy-two 
 matriculates have attended its various colleges in one 
 session. 
 
 The States of Virginia and Kentucky, the city of Lex- 
 ington, individual members of all parties and sects, and 
 the United States Government, have all contributed, at 
 various times, to this consolidated fund and this great 
 
irso.] KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY. 63 
 
 success; and if the institution is governed and directed as 
 it should be, in accordance with these facts; if its econ- 
 omy is liberal and generous, and free from sectarian 
 bigotry and shortsightedness, it will continue to grow, and 
 will become the full equal of any institution of learning in 
 this country. 
 
64 HISTORY OF LEXINOTON. ["81 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 First Trustees of Lexington— Adventures of MoConnell, Bry- 
 ant, and Began — County Government— List of Clerks and 
 Sheriffs— Charles Car r— Court-. Ho uses— Toivn of Lexing- 
 ton Laid off— First Lot Owners. 
 
 The blow given by Clarke to tbe Miami Indians pre- 
 vented any formidable invasion during this year (1781), but 
 it could not keep out small bands of the enemy, who con- 
 stantly hung upon the outskirts of the settlements, and 
 captured or killed many of the pioneers. But, despite 
 their savage enemies and all other drawbacks, the inhab- 
 itants of Lexington station persisted in the up-building of 
 their village. The terrible winter gave place to a delight- 
 ful spring ; game for the settlers and food for the live stock 
 were abundant, and energy came with renewed hope. Early 
 in the spring more land was cleared ; planting was com- 
 menced as soon as possible ; a road (Main street) was cut, 
 cleared, and extended some distance from the gate of the 
 fort, and the settlers assembled and elected their first board 
 of trustees, composed of Robert Patterson, Levi Todd, 
 Henry McDonald, David Mitchell, and Michael "Warnock.* 
 The trustees held their first meeting, March 26, in one of 
 the log cabins of the fort, and, with an eye to the growth 
 and prosperity of Lexington, acted with a most commend- 
 able spirit of enterprise and liberality. By this time, the 
 first court of Fayette county had been formed, and one of 
 the first resolutions of the trustees was, "To inform the 
 court of Fayette county that, if they should deem Lexing- 
 ton a proper place for holding courts in the future, the sum 
 of £30 in gold or silver, or the value thereof in continental 
 
 *City Eecords. 
 
1T81.] ADVENTURE OF MeCONNELL. 65 
 
 currency, will be granted by the trustees for public build- 
 ings."* At this meeting it was also, " Ordered that the town 
 land be laid off in lots, the in-lots to contain one-third part 
 of an acre each ; and that they be granted to each free 
 male person above the age of twenty-one years, and each 
 widow ; every young man who can make it appear he acts 
 in his own behalf, and not under the immediate control 
 and jurisdiction of some other person, who, at the time of 
 layingthem ofl and distributing them, appears to be an actual 
 resident within the place, subject to such conditions and 
 penalties as shall be hereafter required ; that a number of 
 lots, not less than thirty, be reserved for public uses, and 
 such other purposes as may hereafter berequisite."t Proper 
 persons were selected for the work of laying off the town, 
 but the plan was not adopted for nine months after this 
 meeting. Whether the Indians were the cause of the 
 delay or not, we can not speak positively ; but that they 
 continually harassed the settlers ot all the stations in Fay- 
 ette county during the entire spring and summer, we 
 know. 
 
 One charming day in April, Alexander McConnell took 
 his rifle and went out from the fort to hunt deer, in the 
 woods near where Mr. Frank McCallie now lives, on the 
 Versailles turnpike. He soon killed a large buck, and re- 
 turned to the station for a horse, in order to bring it in. 
 During his absence, a party of five Indians, on one of their 
 usual skulking expeditions, accidently stumbled on the 
 body of the deer, and perceiving it had been recently 
 killed, they naturally supposed that the hunter would speed- 
 ily return to secure it. Three of them, therefore, took 
 their station within close rifle shot of the deer, while the 
 other two followed the trail of the hunter, and waylaid the 
 path by which he was expected to return. McConnell, sus- 
 pecting no danger, rode carelessly along the path which 
 the two scouts were watching, until he had come within 
 view of the deer, when he was fired upon by the whole 
 party, and his horse killed. While laboring to extricate 
 
 *City Kecords. fib. 
 
66 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1781. 
 
 liimself from the dying animal, he was seized by his ene- 
 mies, instantly overpowered, and borne ofl" a prisoner. His 
 captors, however, seemed to be a merry, good-natured set 
 of fellows, and permitted him to accompany them unbound; 
 and, what was rather extraordinary, allowed him to retain 
 his gun and hunting accoutrements. He accompanied 
 them with great apparent cheerfulness through the day, 
 and displayed his dexterity in shooting deer for the use of 
 the company, until they began to regard "him with great 
 partiality. Having traveled with them in this manner for 
 several days, they at length reached the banks of the Ohio 
 river. Heretofore, the Indians had taken the precaution 
 to bind him at night, although not very securely ; but on 
 that evening he renioustrated with them on the subject, 
 and complained so strongly of the pain which the cords 
 gave him, that they merely wrapped the buflalo tug loosely 
 around his wrists, and having tied it in an easy knot, and 
 attached the extremities of the rope to their own bodies, in 
 order to prevent his moving without awakening them, they 
 very composedly went to sleep, leaving the prisoner to follow 
 their example or not, as he pleased. 
 
 McConnell determined to efl'ect his escape that night, if 
 possible, as on the following night they would cross the 
 river, which would render it much more difficult. He 
 therefore lay quietly until near midnight, anxiously rumi- 
 nating upon the best means of effecting his object. Acci- 
 dentally casting his eyes in the direction of his feet, they 
 fell upon the glittering blade of a knife, which had escaped 
 its sheath, and was now lying near the feet of one of the 
 Indians. To reach it with his hands, without disturbing 
 the two Indians to whom he was fastened, was impossible, 
 and it was very hazardous to attempt to draw it up with 
 his feet. This, however, he attempted. With much diffi- 
 culty he grasped the blade between his toes, and, after re- 
 peated and long-continued efforts, succeeded at length in 
 bringing it within reach of his hands. 
 
 To cut his cords was then but the work of a moment, 
 and gradually and silently extricating his person from the 
 arms of the Indians, he walked to the fire and sat down. 
 
1T81.] ADVENTURE OF McCONNELL. 67 
 
 He saw that his work was but half done. That if he should 
 attempt to return home, without destroj'ing his enemies, 
 he would be pursued and probably overtaken, when his fate 
 would be certain. On the other hand, it seemed almost im- 
 possible for a single man to succeed in a conflict with five 
 Indians, even although unarmed and asleep. He could not 
 hope to deal a blow with his knife so silently and fatally, 
 as to destroy each one of his enemies in turn, without 
 awakening the rest. Their slumbers were proverbially 
 light and restless; and if he failed with a single one, he 
 must instantly be overpowered by the survivers. The knife, 
 therefore, was out of the question. 
 
 After anxious reflection for a few minutes, he formed his 
 plan. The guns of the Indians were stacked near the fire; 
 their knives and tomahawks were in sheaths by their sides. 
 The latter he dared not touch for fear of awakening their 
 owners ; but the former he carefully removed, with the ex- 
 ception of two, and hid them iii the woods, where he knew 
 the Indians would not readly find them. He then returned 
 to the spot where the Indians were still sleeping, perfectly 
 ignorant of the fate preparing for them, and taking a gun 
 in each hand, he rested the muzzles upon a log within six 
 feet of his victims, and having taken deliberate aim at the 
 head of one and the heart of another, he pulled both trig- 
 gers at the same moment. 
 
 Both shots were fatal. At the report of their guns, the 
 others sprung to their feet, and stared wildly around them. 
 McConnell, who had run instantly to the spot where the 
 other rifles were hid, hastily seized one of them and fired 
 at two of his enemies, who happened to stand in a line 
 with each other. The nearest fell dead, being shot through 
 the center of the body; the second fell also, bellowing 
 loudly, but quickly recovering, limped off into the woods 
 as fast as possible. The fifth, and only one who remained 
 unhurt, darted off like a deer, with a yell which announced 
 equal terror and astonishment. McConnell, not wishing to 
 fight any more such battles, selected his own rifle from the 
 stack, and made the best of his way to Lexington, where 
 he arrived safely within two days. 
 
68 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1781- 
 
 Shortly afterward, Mrs. Eve Dunlap, who had been 
 several months a prisoner among the Indians on Mad 
 river, made her escape, and returned to her home at Lex- 
 ington station. She reported that the survivor returned to 
 his tribe with a lamentable tale. He relates that they had 
 taken a fine young hunter near Lexington, and had brought 
 him safely as far as the Ohio ; that while encamped upon 
 the bank of the river, a large party of white men had fallen 
 upon them in the night and killed all his companions, to- 
 gether with the poor defenseless prisoner, who lay bound 
 hand and foot, unable to either escape or resist.* 
 
 A large pignut tree, under which McConnell was cap- 
 tured by the Indians, was carefully preserved for a long 
 time by the father of Mr. Frank McCallie, who subsequently 
 owned the land upon which it grew.f 
 
 After the capture of McConnell, the Indians annoyed the 
 stations in Fayette county greatly. They lurked in the 
 canebrakes, waylaid the traces, stole horses, butchered 
 cattle, and not unfrequently killed and scalped indiscreet 
 settlers. Finally, the Indians became so Ijold and haras- 
 sing, that it became necessary for hunters to go out in bands 
 so as to be able to repel attacks. 
 
 One afternoon, about the 20th of May, "William Bryant, 
 at the head of twenty men, left Bryant's station on a hunt- 
 ing expedition. T^hej moved with caution, until they had 
 passed all the points where ambuscades had generally been 
 formed, when, seeing no enemy, they became more bold, 
 and determined, in order to sweep a large extent of country, 
 to divide their company into two parties. One of them, 
 conducted by Bryant in person, was to descend the Elk- 
 horn on its southern bank, flanking out largely, and occupy 
 as much ground as possible. The other, under the orders 
 of James Hogan, a young farmer in good circumstances, 
 was to move down in a parallel line upon the north bank. 
 The two parties were to meet at night, and encamp together 
 at the mouth of Cane run. 
 
 Each punctually performed the first part of their plans. 
 
 *McClung'b Slceti-'lies, t^'cUallie, F. 
 
1V81.] ADVENTURE OF BRYANT AND HOQAN. 69 
 
 Hogan, however, had traveled but a few hundred yards, 
 when he heard a loud voice behind him exclaim in very 
 good English, "stop, boys!" Hastily looking back, they 
 saw several Indians on foot, pursuing them as rapidly as 
 possible. Without halting to count numbers, the party put 
 spurs to their horses, and dashed through the woods at full 
 speed, the Indians keeping close behind them, and at times 
 gaining upon them. There was a led horse in company, 
 which had been brought with them for the purpose of 
 packing game. This was instantly abandoned, and fell 
 into the hands of the Indians. Several of them lost their 
 hats in the eagerness of flight ; but quickl}' getting into 
 the open woods, they left their pursuers so far behind that 
 they had leisure to breathe and inquire of each other, 
 whether it was worth while to kill their horses before 
 they had ascertained the number of the enemy. 
 
 They quickly determined to cross the creek, and await 
 the approach of the Indians. If they found them superior 
 to their own and Bryant's party united, they would imme- 
 diately return to the fort ; as, by continuing their march to 
 the mouth of Cane run, they would bring a superior enemy 
 upon their friends, and endanger the lives of the whole 
 party. They accordingly crossed the creek, dismounted, 
 and awaited the approach of the enemy. By this time it 
 had become dark. The Indians were distinctly heard ap- 
 proaching the creek upon the opposite side, and after a 
 short halt, a solitary warrior descended the bank and began 
 to wade through the stream. 
 
 Hogan waited until they had emerged from the gloom 
 of the trees which grew upon the bank, and as soon as he 
 had reached the middle of the stream, where the light was 
 more distinct, he took deliberate aim and fired. A great 
 splashing in the water was heard, but presently all became 
 quiet. The pursuit was discontinued, and the party, re- 
 mounting their horses, returned home. Anxious, however, 
 to apprise Bryant's party of their danger, they left the fort 
 before daylight on the ensuing morning, and rode rapidly 
 down the creek, in the direction of the mouth of Cane run. 
 When within a few hundred yards of the spot where they 
 
70 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1781. 
 
 supposed the encampment to be, they heard the report of 
 many guns in quick succession. Supposing that Bryant 
 had fallen in with a herd of buffalo, they quickened their 
 march in order to take part in the sport. 
 
 The morning was foggy, and the smoke of the guns lay 
 so heavily upon the ground that they could see nothing 
 until they had approached within twenty yards of the 
 creek, when they suddenly found themselves within pistol 
 shot of a party of Indians, very composedly seated upon 
 their packs, and preparing their pipes. Both parties were 
 much startled, but quickly recovering, they sheltered them- 
 selves as usual, and the action opened with great vivacity. 
 The Indians maintained their ground for half an hour with 
 some firmness, but being hard pressed in front, and turned 
 in flank, they at length gave way, and being closely pur- 
 sued, were ultimately routed with considerable loss, which, 
 however could not be distinctly ascertained. Of Hogan's 
 party, one man was killed on the spot, and three others 
 wounded, but none mortally. 
 
 It happened that Bryant's company had encamped at the 
 mouth of Cane, as had been agreed upon, and were unable 
 to account for Hogan's absence. That, about daylight they 
 had heard a bell at a distance, which they immediately rec- 
 ognized as the one belonging to the led horse which had 
 accompanied Hogan's party, and which, as we have. seen, 
 had been abandoned to the enemy the evening before. Sup- 
 posing their friends to be bewildered in the fog, and unable 
 to iind their camp, Bryant accompanied by Grant, ohe of 
 his men, mounted a horse and rode to the spot where the 
 bell was still ringing. They quickly fell into an ambus- 
 cade and were fired upon. Bryant was mortally, and Grant 
 severely wounded ; the first being shot through the hip and 
 both knees, the latter through the back. Both being able 
 to keep the saddle however, they set spurs to their horses 
 and arrived at the station shortly after breakfast. The In- 
 dians, in the meantime, had falleti upon the encampment 
 and instantly dispersed it, and, while preparing to regale 
 themselves after their victory, were suddenly attacked, as 
 we have seen, by Hogan. The timidity of Hogan's party 
 
1T81.] CLERKS AND SHERIFFS. 71 
 
 at the first appearance of the Indians, was the cause of 
 Bryant's death. The same men who fled so hastily in the 
 evening were able the next morning, by a little firmness, 
 to vanquish the same party of Indians. . Had they stood 
 at first, an equal success would probably have attended them, 
 and the life of their leader would have been preserved.* 
 
 During the summer, and in the midst of trials and blood- 
 shed the organization of the government of Fayette county 
 was completed. Governor Jefferson, of Virginia, appointed 
 John Todd colonel, Daniel Boone lieutenant-colonel, and 
 Thomas Marshall surveyor of the county.f John Max- 
 well was made coroner.^ Levi Todd was chosen as clerk of 
 the county court, and held the office for twenty-five years 
 after.|| The successors of Todd were John D. Young, 1807; 
 James C. Rhodes, 1817 ; James A. Qrinstead, 1845 ; Sanders 
 D. Bruce, 1849 ; Joseph R. Gross, 1862 ; Ernest Brenuan, 
 1863; Allie G. Hunt, 1866. 
 
 The justices of the county court were successively sher- 
 iffs of the county until the law was changed in 1792. § The 
 first sheriff under the succession rule was Charles Carr. 
 Mr. Carr was a native of Virginia, and emigrated to this 
 state when he was but ten years of age. He was a private 
 soldier in the American army, under General Anthony 
 Wayne, in 1794, and took an active part in his celebrated 
 campaign against the Indians. 
 
 In the war of 1812 he served as captain, and was at one 
 time a prisoner. Subsequently he was a member of the 
 state legislature. He died in Fayette county, at an ad- 
 vanced age. His successors as sheriffs were Thomas Clarke, 
 J. C. Richardson, Leonard Young, A. Young, James Wood, 
 W. R. Morton, Edward Payne, John Bradford, G. W. 
 Morton, Waller Bullock, A. Thomson, Oliver Keene, T. S. 
 Redd, R. S. Todd, T. A. Russell, M. Flournoy, J. R. Sloan, 
 Moses Ellis, J. B. O'Bannon, Waller Rhodes, Abraham 
 Dudley, Joseph Gross, C. S. Bodley, Thomas Nichols, W. 
 W. Dowden, R. S. Bullock. 
 
 *McClung's Sketches. tMarshall, 140. JKy. Gazette. 
 
 llCounty records. ^Marshall. 
 
72 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [I'^Sl. 
 
 The proposition of the trustees of Lexington to the 
 county court was accepted, and in December, 1781, "the 
 trustees agreed to pay the commissioners appointed by the 
 court a sum sufficient to build a court-house, prison, and 
 office to answer the present necessity, and grant one square 
 for that purpose."* 
 
 But the "present necessity" was such that the court 
 could not wait until buildings were erected, and its sessions 
 for some time were held in one of the cabins within the 
 station. The next house used was a log one, erected about 
 two years after this, on the corner of Main and Broadway, 
 now known as " Yeiser's corner." It was still standing in 
 1796, and was used at that time by William McBean, as a 
 dry goods store.f A small stone court-house was erected 
 about the year 1788, on the square granted by the trustees, 
 and where the present one stands. Levi Todd, the first 
 county clerk, had his office separate from this building, and 
 used a little 12 by 15 one which stood on what is now called 
 the WicklifFe farm, on the Richmond turnpike. This was 
 destroyed by fire on the night of January 31, 1803, and 
 with it most of the records of the county.J The following 
 commissioners were appointed by the governor, " with full 
 powers and authority, to meet at some convenient place, 
 and adjourn from time to time, as they shall think fit, and 
 to summons, hear, and examine witnesses, at the instance 
 of any person who has been or may be injured by the de- 
 struction of the records of county courts," viz: Thomas 
 Lewis, Robert Todd, Henry Payne, Thomas Bodley, James 
 Trotter, John A. Seitz, Walker Baylor, John Bradford, 
 John Richardson. This calamity, and the rapid growth of 
 the city, now necessitated the erection of a larger building, 
 and in 1806 the present brick court-house was built. About 
 the year 1814 it was remodeled and the town clock was 
 put up, and now altogether constitutes the venerable disfig- 
 urement at present so unpleasantly prominent upon the 
 public square and so disgraceful to the county. The court- 
 house can boast of nothing but its associations. Its walls 
 
 *Oity records. tOld Gazette. ^Gazette. 
 
1781.] FIRST LOT OWNERS. Y3 
 
 have echoed to the voices of Clay, Barry, Bledsoe, Crit- 
 tenden, the Wickliffes, Menifee, R. J. and John C. Breckin- 
 ridge, Thomas F. Marshall, and a host of other distinguished 
 men hoth living and dead. 
 
 On the 26th of December, 1781,* the trustees of Lexing- 
 ton station adopted a plan for the town, and the lots defined 
 in it were disposed of by them to the inhabitants, who " were 
 required to pay a proportionable part of the money neces- 
 sary to build the public houses and expenses arising toward 
 good order and regularity in the town." 
 
 The names of those who secured lots at that time are 
 recorded as follows in "the Trustees' Book:" James Master- 
 son, William McDonald, Henry McDonald, Samuel McMul- 
 lins, David Mitchell, Thornton Farrow, Nicholas Brobston, 
 James McBride, William Henderson, Samuel Martin, John 
 Torrence, William Martin, Sen., John Clark, William Nib- 
 lick, Francis McDonald, Francis MeConnell, Daniel Mc- 
 Clain, Robert Stanhope, John Wymore, Hugh Martin, Da- 
 vid Vance, William Mitchell, Timothy Payton, Elisha 
 Collins, John Morrison, Stephen Collins, Levi Todd, Eph- 
 raim January, Alexander McClain, Caleb Masterson, Sam- 
 uel Kelly, Joseph Turner, Samuel Kelly, John Wymore, 
 William MeConnell, John McDonald, Joseph Lindsey, Jane 
 Thompson, John Todd, James Lindsay, Alexander Me- 
 Connell, Hugh Thompson, James Morrow, Robert Thomp- 
 son, Hugh McDonald, James McGinty, John Martin, Sam- 
 uel Johnson, James January, James Wason, William 
 Haydon, Josiah Collins, Matthew Walker, James Me- 
 Connell, John M. McDonald, Michael Warnock, William 
 Martin, James McDonald, Alexander MeConnell, William 
 MeConnell, a clergyman, John Williams, Peter January, 
 Joseph Waller, John Niblick, Charles Seaman, Francis 
 McDermid. 
 
 *City Records. 
 
74 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1782. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Trouble with the Indians— Incidents— The War Closed — Lex- 
 ington Incorporated — The Great Invasion — Siege of Bryant's 
 Station — Aaron Reynolds — Battle of the Blue Licks — Ben- 
 jamin Netherland — 2''he Terrible Defeat — Burial of the Lead 
 — Sorrow and Gloom — The Women of Lexington — James 
 Morgan — Clark's Expedition — John Filson — Thomas Mar- 
 shall. 
 
 The year 1782 was one of excitements, stirring events, 
 and mournful disasters to Lexington and Fayette county. 
 The outlook, so bright with hope to others, was gloomy 
 indeed to them. Far across the Atlantic, even from the 
 commencement of the year, the British House of Commons 
 had been ringing with eloquent demands for a termination 
 of the war against the American colonies; but here, on this 
 side of the great ocean, even while those cries for peace were 
 going up, the tribes of the great Ilforth west were gathering 
 their incensed and desperate warriors, to strike what they 
 hoped would be a final and crushing blow at the frontier 
 settlements. Ifumerous small scouting parties of Indians 
 were ordered to Kentucky, and soon the woods teemed 
 with savages, and no one was safe beyond the walls of a 
 station. Late in March, a hunter from the fort at Lexmar- 
 ton was killed by some Indians in ambuscade near the 
 present Lexington Cemetery,* and a few weeks after, an- 
 other settler was shot and dangerously wounded in a field 
 where the jail now stands, and his savage foe was running, 
 knife in hand, to scalp him, when he was himself shot by 
 a skillful marksman then on watch in the block-house, and 
 
 *Traditiou. 
 
1782.] LEXINGTON INCORPORATED. 75 
 
 fell dead upon the body of his wounded enemy.* It is 
 strongly intimated by one historianf that the marksman 
 who made this famous shot was the celebrated Daniel 
 Boone himself. Certainly, the "picking off" of an Indian 
 at such a distance, while he was kneeling above the fallen 
 settler, and a shot so directed as to kill the one without 
 injury to the other, was a feat not unworthy the grand old 
 pioneer. In May, a courier brought the news to Lexington 
 of Estell's defeat, a calamity which made a profound sen- 
 sation in every settlement, and the more because the bold 
 and masterly movement of the Indians which decided the 
 fate of the day, indicated an advance in military science, 
 which presaged no good to the settlers. Lexington and 
 Bryant's stations were now the most exposed points in 
 Kentucky, and as Estell's defeat confirmed the general im- 
 pression that another Indian invasion was imminent, the 
 settlers were weighed down with anticipations of evil. 
 
 At this gloomy juncture, the second board of trustees of 
 Lexington received a copy of the law passed by the Vir- 
 ginia Assembly, at Richmond, on the 6th of May, incorpo- 
 rating Lexington. J The law was entitled, "An act to 
 establish a town at the court-house, in the county of Fay- 
 ette," and was worded as follows, viz: 
 
 " Whereas, It is represented to this assembly that six 
 hundred and forty acres of unappropriated laud in the 
 county of Fayette, whereon the court-house of said county 
 stands, has been by the settlers thereon laid out into lots 
 and streets for a town; and that the said settlers have pur- 
 chased seventy acres of land lying contagious to the said 
 six hundred and forty acres, being part of a survey made 
 for John Floyd ; and whereas, it would tend greatly to the 
 improvement and settling of the same if the titles of settlers 
 on the lots were confirmed, and a town established thereon: 
 
 Be it therefore enacted. That the said sevea hundred and 
 acres of land be and the same is hereby vested in fee simple 
 in John Todd, Robert Patterson, William Mitchell, Audrew 
 Steele, William Henderson, William MeConnell, and Will- 
 
 •Boone's Narrative. tBogart, 226. ^Trustees' Book. 
 
76 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [l'i'82. 
 
 iam Steele, gentlemen trustees, and established by the name 
 of Lexington. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the said trustees, or any 
 four of them, shall, and they are hereby empowered and 
 required to make conveyance to those persons who have 
 already settled on the said lots, as also to the purchasers of 
 lots heretofore sold, agreeable to the condition of the con- 
 tracts, and may also proceed to lay off" such other parts of 
 the said land as is not yet laid off and settled into lots and 
 streets ; and such lots shall be by the trustees sold or other- 
 wise disposed of for the benefit of the inhabitants of the 
 said town, and convey the same in fee simple agreeable to 
 the condition of the contract : Provided, always, that the 
 lots in the said town which have been laid off' and set apart 
 for erecting thereon the public buildings of the said county 
 shall be and remain to and for that use and purpose, and 
 no other whatever. 
 
 And be it further enacted. That the said trustees, or the 
 major part of them, shall have power from time to time to 
 settle and determine all disputes concerning the bounds 
 of the said lots, and to settle such rules and orders for the 
 regular building of houses thereon as to them shall seem 
 best and most convenient. And in case of the death, re- 
 moval out of the county, or other legal disability of any of 
 the said trustees, it shall and may be lawful for the remain- 
 ing trustees to elect and choose so many other persons in 
 place of those deceased, removed, or disabled, as shall make 
 up the number; which trustees so chosen shall be, to all 
 intents and purposes, individually vested with the same 
 power and authority as any one in this act particularly 
 mentioned. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the settlers, as well as pur- 
 chasers of lots, in the said town, so soon as they shall have 
 saved the same according to the conditions of their respect- 
 ive deeds of conveyance, shall be entitled to have and enjoy 
 all the rights, privileges, and immunities which the free- 
 holders and inhabitants of other towns in this state not 
 incorporated by charter or act of assembly have and enjoy. 
 
1T82.] THE GREAT INVASION. 77 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the said trustees shall cause 
 the survey and plat of the said town to be recorded in the 
 court of the said county of Fayette, leaving to all persons 
 all such right, title, and interest which they, or any of them, 
 could or might have to the lands, or any part thereof, hereby 
 vested in the said trustees as if this act had never been 
 made." 
 
 The Indian invasion, so dreaded by the infant settlements, 
 was now near at hand. Most of the summer following 
 Estell's defeat had been spent by the savages in perfecting 
 a plan by which they hoped to regain for themselves the 
 possession of their lost hunting grounds in the West. 
 
 Early in August, detachments of Indian warriors from 
 the Cherokee, Wyandot, Tawa, and Pottowatomie nations, 
 as well as from several other tribes bordering on the lakes, 
 assembled in grand council at Chillicothe, where they were 
 met by Simon Girty, James Girty, and M'Kee, three rene- 
 gade white men, who urged them to proceed at once to 
 the step tbey so much desired to take. 
 
 The advice of the white savages was quickly acceded to, 
 the council ended with a war whoop, and the Indians, with 
 a few Canadian allies, took up the line of march for Ken- 
 tucky, with the understanding that Bryant's station should 
 be taken first, and then Lexington station, after which 
 they were to act as circumstances should direct. The force 
 in this noted expedition has been variously estimated from 
 six hundred to one thousand. 
 
 Of the two stations marked out for destruction, Lexington 
 was the strongest. Its garrison consisted of about sixty 
 effective men,* and it enjoyed the very superior advantage 
 of an abundant and never-failing supply of water inside its 
 walls. Bryant's station stood on a gentle rise on the south- 
 ern bank of the Elkhorn, a few paces to the right of the 
 road from Maysyilie to Lexington, and consisted at this 
 time of about forty cabins, was built in the usual parallelo- 
 gram shape, was about two hundred yards long by fifty wide, 
 strengthened with block -houses at the angles, and where the 
 
 "Bradford's Notes. 
 
78 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1782 
 
 cabins did not join, the vacancies were filled with strong 
 pickets. The garrison consisted of forty-four men. Unfor- 
 tunately, there was no supply of water within the fort, and 
 the only dependence was a spring on its northwestern side. 
 The station was situated on a tract of land admired by all 
 the settlers for its natural beauty, and it doubtless merited 
 the glowing praise of the poet*, who speaks of 
 
 " A picketed station on fair Blkhorn, 
 Surrounded by groves of the milk-white thorn, 
 And paw-paw, with long and silvery stem, 
 And dogwood of beautiful diadem ; 
 Green meadows with antlered deer yet dotted, 
 And lawns with flowers the loveliest spotted." 
 
 The savage array entered Kentucky, and penetrated with 
 celerity and great secrecy into the very heart of the district. 
 A party was at once sent out to demonstrate against Mc- 
 Gee's and Strodes' stations, with the object of drawing 
 away from their posts the garrisons of Bryant and Lexing- 
 ton stations. On the morning of the 14th of August, this 
 party defeated Captain Holder, and the stratagem of the 
 wily red men barely escaped being crowned with complete 
 success, as subsequent events will show. The main body 
 of the Indians moved carefully forward, and on the night 
 of the 14th gathered as silent as the shadows around Bry- 
 ant's stationf. The great body of Indians placed them- 
 selves in ambush in some high weeds, within pistol shot of 
 the spring, while one hundred select men were placed near 
 the spot where the road now runs after passing the creek. 
 Providentially for the garrison, a messenger had arrived just 
 before night with the intelligence of Holder's defeat, and 
 they set to work immediately to prepare for an early march 
 in the morning to the general rendezvous at Hoy's station. 
 The Indians seeing the lights glancing from block-houses 
 and cabins, and hearing the bustle of preparation, believed 
 that their approach had been discovered, though the settlers 
 were utterly unconscious of their presence. Under the im- 
 pression that their stratagem to decoy the garrison from the 
 
 *W. D. Gallagher. fMcOlung's Sketches. 
 
1782.] SIEGE OF BRTANT'S STATION. 79 
 
 fort bad failed, the band of a hundred men was ordered to 
 open a brisk fire early in the morning, and show themselves 
 to the garrison on that side of the station, for the purpose 
 of drawing them out, while the main body held themselves 
 in readiness to rush upon the opposite gate of the fort, hew 
 it down with their tomahawks, and force their way into the 
 midst of the cabins. Day stole through the forest, the set- 
 tlers rose from their brief slumbers, took their arms, and 
 were on the point of opening the gates to march, under the 
 command of Captain Elijah Craig, to the assistance of their 
 friends, when the crack of rifles, mingled with yells and 
 howls, told them in an instant how narrowly they had es- 
 caped captivity or death. The former practice of this fort 
 was known, and the Indians expected every man to run to 
 the spot where the firing commenced, which would leave it 
 undefended on the side where the main body lay ; but the 
 number of guns discharged, and the near approach of the 
 party, convinced the people of the fort that it was a plan to 
 draw the men out ; and, instead of falling into this trap, the 
 opposite side of the fort was instantly manned, and several 
 breaches in the picketing at once repaired.* Their greatest 
 distress rose from the prospect of sufi:ering for water. 
 
 The more experienced of the garrison felt satisfied that 
 a powerful party was in ambuscade near the spring, but at 
 the same time they supposed that the Indians would not 
 unmask themselves until the firing upon the opposite side 
 of the fort was returned with such warmth as to induce the 
 belief that the feint had succeeded. 
 
 Acting upon this impression, and yielding to the urgent 
 necessity of the case, they summoned all the women, with- 
 out exception, and explaining to them the circumstances 
 in which they were placed, and the improbabihty that any 
 injury would be oflered them until the firing had been re- 
 turned from the opposite side of the fort, they urged them 
 to go in a body to the spring, and each to bring up a bucket- 
 ful of water. Some of the ladies, as was natural, had no 
 relish for the undertaking, and asked why the men could 
 
 •Bradford's Notes. 
 
80 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1782 
 
 not bring water as well as themselves, observing that they 
 were not bullet-proof, and that the Indians made no dis- 
 tinction between male and female scalps! 
 
 To this it was answered that women were in the ha.bit of 
 bringing water every morning to the fort, and that if the 
 Indians saw them engaged as usual, it would induce them 
 to believe that their ambuscade was undiscovered, and that 
 they would not unmask themselves for the sake of firing 
 at a few women, when they hoped, by remaining concealed 
 a few moments longer, to obtain complete possession of the 
 fort ; that if men should go down to the spring, the Indians 
 would immediately suspect that; something was wrong, would 
 despair of succeeding by ambuscade, and would instantly 
 rush upon them, follow them into the fort, or shoot them 
 down at the spring. The decision was soon made. 
 
 A few of the boldest declared their readiness to brave 
 the danger, and the younger and more timid rallying in the 
 rear of these veterans, they all marched down in a body to 
 the spring, within point-blank shot of more than five hun- 
 dred Indian warriors ! Some of the girls could not help 
 betraying symptoms of terror, but the married women, in 
 general, moved with a steadiness and composure which 
 completely deceived the Indians. I^ot a shot was fired. The 
 party were permitted to fill their buckets, one after another, 
 without interruption, and although their steps became 
 quicker and quicker on their return, and when near the gate 
 of the fort degenerated into a rather unmilitary celerity, at- 
 tended with some little crowding in passing the gate, yet 
 not more than one-fifth of the water was spilled, and the 
 eyes of the youngest had not dilated to more than double 
 their ordinary size.* 
 
 Being now amply supplied with water, they sent out thir- 
 teen young men to attack the decoy party, with orders to 
 fire with great rapidity, and make as much noise as possible, 
 but not to pursue the enemy too far, while the rest of the 
 garrison took post on the opposite side of the fort, cocked 
 their guns, and stood in readiness to receive the ambuscade 
 
 *McClung and Bradford. 
 
1782.] SIEOE OF BRVANT'S STATION. 81 
 
 as soon as it was unmasked. The firing of the light par- 
 ties on the Lexington road was soon heard, and quickly 
 became sharp and serious, gradually becoming more distant 
 from the fort. Instantly, Girty sprung up at the head of 
 his five hundred warriors, and rushed rapidly upon the west- 
 ern gate, ready to force his way over the undefended pali- 
 sades. A small body of the most daring reached the fort, 
 and set fire to a few houses and stables, which were con- 
 sumed; but the rest of the fort and the lives of the people 
 were saved by an easterly wind, which drove the flames from 
 the houses. Into the immense mass of dusky bodies the 
 garrison poured several rapid volleys of rifle balls with de- 
 structive effect. Their consternation may be imagined. 
 "With wild cries they dispersed on the right and left, and in 
 two minutes not an Indian was to be seen. At the same 
 time, the party who had sallied out on the Lexington road, 
 came running into the fort at the opposite gate, in high 
 spirits, and laughing heartily at the success of their ma- 
 neuver. 
 
 A regular attack, in the usual manner, then commenced, 
 without much eflfect on either side, until two o'clock in the 
 afternoon, when a new scene presented itself. Upon the 
 first appearance of the Indians in the morning, two of the 
 garrison, Tomlinson and Bell, had been mounted upon fleet 
 horses, and sent at full speed to Lexington, announcing the 
 arrival of the Indians, and demanding reinforcements. 
 
 Upon their arrival, a little after sunrise, they found the 
 station occupied only by some women and children and a 
 few old men, the rest having marched to the assistance of 
 Holder. The two couriers instantly followed at a gallop, 
 and, overtaking them on the road, informed them of the 
 danger to which Bryant's station and Lexington were ex- 
 posed during their absence. The whole party, with some 
 volunteers from Boone's station, instantly countermarched, 
 and repaired, with all possible dispatch, to Bryant's station. 
 They were entirely ignorant of the overwhelming numbers 
 opposed to them, or they would have proceeded with more 
 caution. The couriers had only informed them that the sta- 
 tion was surrounded, being themselves ignorant of the numr 
 
82 BISTORY OF LEXINGTON. ["82. 
 
 bers of the enemy. At about two p. m. the men from Lexing- 
 ton and Boone's station arrived in sight of the fort, at the mO' 
 mentthe firing had ceased, and no indications of danger ap- 
 peared. The reinforcement believed it had been the victim of 
 a false alarm, and the sixteen mounted men approached the 
 fort the usual route along a narrow lane, which was lined for 
 more than one hundred yards by the enemy on both sides, who 
 commenced a fire unperceived at a few feet distance. It is 
 believed the great dust which was raised by the horses' feet 
 in a considerable degree protected the party; they got safely 
 into the fort without the slightest wound on man or horse.* 
 The men on foot were less fortunate. They were advancing 
 through a corn-field, to the left of what is now the Mays- 
 ville and Lexington road, and might have reached the fort 
 in safety but for their eagerness to succor their friends. 
 "Without reflecting that, from the weight and extent of the 
 fire, the enemy must have been ten times their number, 
 they ran up, with inconsiderate courage, to the spot where 
 the firing was heard, and there found themselves cut off 
 from the fort, and within pistol shot of more than three 
 hundred savages. 
 
 Fortunately the Indian guns had just been discharged, 
 and they had not yet had leisure to reload. At the sight 
 of this brave body of footmen, however, they raised a 
 hideous yell, and rushed upon the Lexington infantry, 
 tomahawk in hand. Nothing but the high corn and 
 their loaded rifles could have saved them from destruction. 
 The Indians were cautious in rushing upon a loaded rifle, 
 with only a tomahawk, and when they halted to load their 
 pieces, the Kentuckians ran with great rapidity, turning 
 and dodging through the corn in every direction. Some 
 entered the wood and escaped through the thickets of cane, 
 some were shot down in the corn-field, others maintained a 
 running fight, halting occasionally behind trees and keep- 
 ing the enemy at bay with their rifles; for, of all men, the 
 Indians are generally the most cautious in exposing them- 
 selves to danger.f A stout, active young fellow was so hard 
 
 •Bradford's Notes. fid. 
 
1782.] SIEGE OF BRFANTS STATION. 83 
 
 pressed by Girty and several savages, that he was compelled 
 to discharge his rifle (however unwilling, having no time 
 to reload it), and Girty fell. 
 
 It happened, however, that a piece of thick aole-leather 
 was in his shot-pouch at the time, which received the ball, 
 and preserved his life, although the force of the blow felled 
 him to the ground. The savages halted upon his fall, and 
 the young man escaped. Although the skirmish and the 
 race lasted for more than an hour, during which the corn- 
 field presented a scene of turmoil and bustle which can 
 scarcely be conceived, yet very few lives were lost. Only 
 six of the white men from Lexington were killed and 
 wounded, and probably still fewer of the enemy, as the 
 whites never fired until absolutely necessary, but reserved 
 their loads as a check upon the enemy. Had the Indians 
 pursued them to Lexington, they might have possessed 
 themselves of it without resistance, as there was no force 
 there to oppose them ; but after following the fugitives for 
 a few hundred yards, they returned to the hopeless siege of 
 the fort. 
 
 It was now near sunset, and the cattle and stock, while 
 attempting to return, as usual, to the fort, were mostly 
 killed; the few sheep were totally destroyed. 
 
 By this time the fire on both sides had slackened. The 
 Indians had become discouraged. Their loss in the morn- 
 ing had been heavy, and the country was evidently arming, 
 and would soon be upon them. They had made no ini- 
 pression upon the fort, and without artillery could hope to 
 make none. The chiefs spoke of raising the siege, but 
 Girty determined, since his arms had been unavailing, to 
 try the efficacy of negotiation. He approached, under cover 
 of a thick growth of hemp, to a large stump of a tree, 
 which stood not far from the spot where the dwelling-house 
 of Mr. Rogers was afterward erected, and hailed the fort, 
 demanding a surrender, stating that the forces were com- 
 manded by him, and inquired if he was known to the peo- 
 ple of the fort. He declared that the prisoners should be 
 protected if they would surrender, which was out of his 
 power if the place was taken by storm, as it would be that 
 
84 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 night, on the arrival of his cannon and strong, reinforce- 
 ments, which were hourly expected.* This language from 
 airty, and the recollections by the people in the fort, that 
 cannon were employed in the reduction of Euddle's and 
 Martin's stations, was calculated to create considerable 
 alarm. But one of the garrison, a young man by the name 
 of Aaron Eeynolds, remarkable both for wit and courage, 
 and afterward distinguished for a noble act at the battle of 
 the Blue Licks, perceiving the effect of Girty's speech, took 
 upon himself to reply to it. To Girty's inquiry, " whether, 
 the garrison knew him," Eeynolds replied "that he was 
 very well known ; that he himself had a worthless dog to 
 which he had given the name of ' Simon Girty,' in conse- 
 quence of his striking resemblance to the man of that 
 name ; that if he had either artillery or reinforcements, he 
 might bring them up and be d — d; that if either himself 
 or any of the naked rascals with him found their way into 
 the fort, they would disdain to use their guns against them, 
 but would drive them out again with switches, of which 
 they had collected a great number for that purpose alone ; 
 and, finally, he declared that they also expected reinforce- 
 ments ; that the whole country was marching to their as- 
 sistance; and that if Girty and his gang of murderers 
 remained twenty-four hours longer before the fort, their 
 scalps would be found drying in the sun upon the roofs of 
 their cabins." 
 
 Girty took great offense at the tone and language of the 
 young Kentuckian, and retired with an expression of sor- 
 row for the inevitable destruction which awaited them on 
 the following morning. He quickly rejoined the chiefs; 
 and instant preparations were made for raising the siege. 
 The night passed away in uninterrupted tranquillity, and 
 at daylight in the morning tlie Indian camp was found de- 
 serted. Fires were still burning brightly, and several pieces 
 of meat were left upon their roasting-sticks, from which it 
 was inferred that they had retreated a short time before 
 daylight, f 
 
 *Bradford'8 Notes. tMcClung. 
 
1V82.] SIEGE OF BRYANT'S STATION. 85 
 
 And thus ended one of the most remarkable and cele- 
 brated sieges known in the history of Indian warfare, and 
 one crowded, brief as it was, with strange and thrilling 
 events. The firing in the morning was in time to prevent 
 the march of nearly all the men to a distant point, and the 
 enemy so far overrated their plan, that instead of drawing 
 the men out, every one prepared for a siege. Then there 
 was the providential circumstance of the wind springing up 
 from the east, and saving the place from the flames. Add 
 to this, the almost miraculous escape of the two couriers to 
 Lexington, the daring charge of the sixteen death-defying 
 heroes from Lexington through a cross-fire of hundreds of 
 Indians, and their entrance into the fort unhurt, and the 
 escape of their gallant comrades on foot, with a loss of only 
 six killed and wounded, when all of them seemed doomed 
 to utter destruction, and we have a chapter of truths stranger 
 far than many a page of highly-wrought fiction. Only two 
 persons, Mitchell and Atkinson, were killed in the fort. 
 One of the most heroic of the brave little garrison, Nicho- 
 las Tomlinson, was slightly wounded in the arm. He was 
 one of the most active defenders of his country, and was 
 employed in Harmer's expedition, in 1790, as a spy. At 
 the defeat of a detachment of the army under Colonel John 
 Hardin, on the Oglaze, the daring Tomlinson, being in ad- 
 vance, was literally shot to pieces by an ambuscade of more 
 than one thousand Indians.* 
 
 The loss of the Indians in the seige of Bryant's station 
 has never been accurately ascertained, but it is known to 
 have been very considerabl'i. The residence and improve- 
 ments of Mr. Charlton liogers now (1872) cover part of the 
 ground upon which the fort stood. The famous spring, from 
 which the heroic women of the garrison drew water, still 
 pours forth a grateful stream. 
 
 Swift couriers carried the news of the presence of the 
 Indian army to the various stations, and while the savages 
 were retreating, the hunters were rapidly gathering at Bry- 
 ant's station, to pursue them. Colonel Daniel Boone ac- 
 
 «13radford's Notes. 
 
86 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1782. 
 
 companied by his youngest sun, Isaac, and Samuel, the 
 brave brother of the old pioneer, headed a strong party from 
 Boonesborough, Colonel Stephen Trigg brought up the 
 force from Harrodsburg, and Colonel John Todd com- 
 manded the Lexington garrison. Todd and Trigg, as senior 
 colonels, took command.* 
 
 Dispatches had been sent to Colonel Benj. Logan, in Lin- 
 coln county, during the seige, and he had hastily collected 
 about three hundred men, and started upon his march, but 
 before he was able to reach Bryant's station, the Indians 
 had raised the seige and gone. Colonel Logan followed as 
 fast as possible, in the hope of coming np with those who 
 marched from the neighborhood of Lexington before they 
 overtook the Indians, but met them not far from Bryant's 
 on their return. In the midst of trying scenes of tears 
 and sadness, the misgivings of the wife, and the forebod- 
 ings of the mother, the brave men made every preparation 
 for the march. On the morning of the 18th of August, 
 their force amounted to one hundred and eighty-two men,t 
 and though it was well-known that the numbers of the 
 enemy were overwhelmingly superior to this, the pursuit 
 was urged with that precipitate courage which has so often 
 been fatal to Kentuekians, and on the afternoon of the 
 same day, the march was commenced.J 
 
 The Indians had followed the buffalo trace, and the Ken- 
 tuckians had not proceeded more than nine or ten miles, 
 before the lynx-eyed Boone discovered certain signs on the 
 route indicating a willingness on the part of the Indians 
 to be pursued, which was plainly evinced by their leaving 
 a plain trail. Notwithstanding, they evidently used all 
 the means in their power, to conceal their number, for 
 which purpose they marched in single file, treading in each 
 other's footsteps. 
 
 The pursuing force, after a hard march, camped that 
 night in the woods only a few miles distant from the now 
 sadly famous battle-gound, the appearance of which, at 
 that time, is thus quaintly described by one§ who fought 
 
 •&. Rogers Clark. tBradford'a Notes. JMcClung. Bradford. 
 
1782.] BATTLE OF THE BLUE LICKS. 87 
 
 upou its sanguinary soil: "The Blue Licks are situated 
 about forty miles from Lexington, and about thirty -five 
 from Bryant's station. The Licking river at this place is 
 about three hundred feet wide at common water, and forms 
 a semi-elipsis, which embraces on its northeast side, toward 
 Limestone, a great ridge of rocks which had been made 
 bare by the stamping of buffalo and other game, drawn 
 together from time immemorial to drink the water and 
 lick the clay. Two deep ravines, heading in this ridge 
 near each other, and extending in opposite directions, 
 formed the longest diameter of this elipsis. This ridge had 
 very little timber on it, and what it had was very indiffer- 
 ent, and exhibited a very dreary appearance; but the ravines 
 were furnished not only plentifully with timber, but with 
 a thick brushwood also." 
 
 On the following day, by an easy march, the Kentuck- 
 ians reached the lower Blue Licks, where for the first time 
 since the pursuit commenced, they came within view of an 
 enemy. As the miscellaneous crowd of horse and foot 
 reached the southern bank of Licking, they saw a number 
 of Indians ascending the rocky ridge on the other side. 
 
 They halted upon the appearance of the Kentuckians, 
 gazed at them for a few moments in silence, and then calmly 
 and leisurely disappeared over the top of the hill. A halt 
 immediately ensued. A dozen or twenty officers met in 
 front of the ranks, and entered into consultation. The 
 wild and lonely aspect of the countfy around them, their 
 distance from any point of support, with the certainty of 
 their being in the presence of a superior enemy, seems to 
 have inspired a portion of seriousness, bordering upon awe* 
 All eyes were now turned upon Boone, and Colonel Todd 
 asked his opinion as to what should be done. The veteran 
 woodsman, with his usual unmoved gravity, replied : 
 
 " That their situation was critical and delicate ; that the 
 force opposed to them was undoubtedly numerous and 
 ready for battle, as might readily be seen from the leisurely 
 retreat of the few Indians who had appeared upon the 
 crest of the hill; that he was well acquainted with the 
 ground in the neighborhood of the lick, and was appre- 
 
EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1^82. 
 
 hensive that an ambuscade was formed at the distance of 
 a mile in advance, where two ravines, one upon each side 
 of the ridge, ran in such a manner, that a concealed enemy- 
 might assail them at once, both in front and flank, before 
 they were apprised of the danger. 
 
 " It would be proper, therefore, to do one of two things. 
 Either to await the arrival of Logan, who was now un- 
 doubtedly on his march to join them, or if it was deter- 
 mined to attack without delay, that one-half of their num- 
 ber should march up the river, which there bends in an 
 elliptical form, cross at the rapids, and fall upon the rear of 
 the enemy, while the other division attacked in front. At 
 any rate, he strongly urged the necessity of reconnoitering 
 the ground carefully before the main body crossed the 
 
 river. 
 
 ">|c 
 
 Such was the counsel of Boone. And although no meas- 
 ure could have been much more disastrous than that which 
 was adopted, yet it may be doubted if anything short of 
 an immediate retreat upon Logan, could have saved this 
 gallant body of men from the fate which they encountered. 
 If they divided their force, the enemy, as in Estill's case^ 
 might have overwhelmed them in detail ; if they remained 
 where they were, without advancing, the enemy would cer- 
 tainly have attacked them, probably in the night, and with 
 a certainty of success. They had committed a great error 
 at first, in not waiting for Logan, and nothing short of a 
 retreat, which would have been considered disgraceful, 
 could now repair it. 
 
 Boone was heard in silence and with deep attention. 
 Some wished to adopt the first plan; others preferred the 
 second ; and the discussion threatened to be drawn out to 
 some length, when the boiling ardor of McGary, who could 
 never endure the presence of an enemy without instant 
 battle, stimulated him to an act, which had nearly proved 
 distructive to all. He suddenly interrupted the consulta- 
 tion with an Indian war whoop, spurred his horse into the 
 
 •Bradford and McClung. 
 
1782.] BATTLE OF THE BLUE*LICKS. gg 
 
 stream, and shouted aloud, " Let all who are not cowards, 
 follow me." 
 
 The rashness of McGary was contagious. He was fol- 
 lowed in quick succession by the whole party, who crossed 
 the river in great disorder and confusion, whilst the officers 
 were reluctantly borne along in the tumult. After cross- 
 ing the river, no authority was exercised, nor any order 
 observed in the line of march, but every one rushed for- 
 ward, tumultuously pursuing the road over the rocks to 
 the end of the ridge of hills, where a forest of oaks and deep 
 ravines, with underwood, concealed the enemy from view, 
 who awaited in their ambuscade to receive them. 
 
 McGary lead the van of the army, closely followed by 
 Major Harlan and Captain William McBride, supported by 
 the men on horseback. They reached the spot mentioned 
 by Boone, where the two ravines head on each side of the 
 ridge, when Girty, with a chosen part of his tawny host, 
 rushed forward from their covert, and with horrid shrieks 
 and yells, attacked them with great impetuosity., The con- 
 flict instantlj' became hot and sanguinary. The advan- 
 tageous position occupied by the Indians enabled them to 
 assail the whole of the whites at the same moment. The 
 officers suffered dreadfully, and many were already killed. 
 
 The Indians gradually extended their line to turn the 
 right of the Kentuckians and cut oft' their retreat. This 
 was quickly perceived by the weight of the fire from that 
 quarter, and the rear instantly fell back in disorder, and 
 attempted to rush through their only opening to the river. 
 The motion quickly communicated itself to the van, and a 
 hurried retreat became general. The Indians instantly 
 sprung forward in pursuit, and falling upon them with their 
 tomahawks, made a cruel slaughter. Prom the battle- 
 ground to the river, the spectacle was terrible. The horse- 
 men generally escaped, but the foot, particularly the van, 
 which had advanced farthest withiu the wings of the net, 
 were almost totally destroyed. Colonel Boone, after wit- 
 nessing the death of his son and many of his dearest friends, 
 found himself almost entirely surrounded at the very com- 
 mencemeat of the retreat. 
 
90 HiSrour of Lexington. [I'sa 
 
 Several hundred Indians were between him and the ford, 
 to which the great mass of fugitives were bending their 
 flight, and to which the attention of the savages was prin- 
 cipally directed. Being intimately acquainted with the 
 ground, he, together with a few friends, dashed into the 
 ravine which the Indians had occupied, but which most of 
 them had now left to join in the pursuit. After sustain- 
 ing one or two heavy fires, and baffling one or two small 
 parties, who pursued him for a short distance, he crossed 
 the river below the ford, by swimming, and entering the 
 wood at a point where there was no pursuit, returned by a 
 circuitous route to Bryant's station. In the mean time, the 
 great mass of the victors and vanquished crowded the bank 
 of the ford. 
 
 The slaughter was great in the river. The ford was 
 crowded with horsemen and foot and Indians, all mingled 
 together. Some were compelled to seek a passage above 
 by swimming; some, who could not swim, were overtaken 
 and killed at the edge of the water. One of the Lexington 
 militia, by the name of Benjamin K"etherland, who had 
 formerly been strongly suspected of cowardice, here dis- 
 played a coolness and presence of mind equally noble and 
 unexpected. Being finely mounted, he had outstripped the 
 great mass of fugitives, and crossed the river in safety. A 
 dozen or twenty horsemen accompanied him, and having 
 placed the river between them and the enemy, showed a 
 disposition to continue their flight without regard to the 
 safety of their friends who were on foot and still strug- 
 gling with the current. E"etherland instantly checked his 
 horse, and in a loud voice, called his companions to halt, 
 fire upon the Indians, and save those still in the stream. 
 The party instantly obeyed, and, facing about, poured a 
 close and fatal discharge of rifies upon the foremost of the 
 pursuers. The enemy instantly fell back from the opposite 
 bank, and gave time to the harassed and miserable footmen to 
 cross in safety.* The check was, however, but momentary, 
 The Indians were seen crossing in great numbers above and 
 
 •Bradford's Notes. 
 
1''82.] AARON REYNOLDS. 91 
 
 below, and the flight again became general. Most of the 
 footmen left the great buffalo track, and plunging into the 
 thickets, escaped by a circuitous route to Bryant's station. 
 
 But little loss was sustained after crossing the river, 
 although the pursuit was urged keenly for twenty miles. 
 From the battleground to the ford the loss was very heavy, 
 and at that stage of the retreat, there occurred a rare and 
 striking instance of magnanimity, which it would be crimi- 
 nal to omit.* Aaron Reynolds, already famous for his 
 reply to Girty at Bryant's station, after bearing his share 
 in the action with distinguished gallantry, was galloping 
 with several other horsemen in order to reach the ford. 
 The great body of fugitives had preceded them, and their 
 situation was in the highest degree critical and dangerous. 
 About half way between the battle-ground and the river, 
 the party overtook Colonel Patterson, of Lexington, on foot, 
 exhausted by the rapidity of the flight, and in consequence 
 of former wounds received from the Indians, so infirm as 
 to be unable to keep up with the main body of the men on 
 foot. The Indians were close behind him, and his fate 
 seemed inevitable. Reynolds, upon coming up with this 
 brave officer, instantly sprung from his horse, aided Patter- 
 son to mount into the saddle, and continued his own flight 
 on foot. Being remarkably active and vigorous, he con- 
 trived to elude his pursuers, and turning oft' from the main 
 road, plunged into the river near the spot where Boone 
 had crossed, and swam in safety to the opposite side. Un- 
 fortunately, he wore a pair of buckskin breeches, which 
 had become so heavy and full of water as to prevent his 
 exerting himself with his usual activity, and while sitting 
 down for the purpose of pulling them oft', he was overtaken 
 by a party of Indians, and made prisoner. 
 
 A prisoner is rarely put to death by the Indians, unless 
 wounded or infirm, until they return to their own country; 
 and then his fate is decided in solemn council. Young 
 Reynolds, therefore, was treated kindly, and compelled to 
 accompany his captors in the pursuit. A small party of 
 
 »Bradford. 
 
92 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1782. 
 
 Kentuckians soon attracted their attention, and he was 
 left in charge of three Indians, who, eager in pursuit, in 
 turn committed him to the charge of one of their number, 
 while they followed their companions. Reynolds and his 
 guard jogged along very leisurely; the former totally un- 
 armed; the latter, with a tomahawk and rifle in his hands. 
 At length the Indian stopped to tie his moccasin, when 
 Reynolds instantly sprung upon him, knocked him down 
 with his fist, and quickly disappeared in the thicket which 
 surrounded them. For this act of generosity, Captain Pat- 
 terson afterward made him a present of two hundred acres 
 of first rate land. 
 
 Late in the evening of the same day, most of the survivors 
 arrived at Bryant's station ; but many familiar forms were 
 missing. Colonel John Todd, of Lexington, had fallen fight- 
 ing to the last, with the blood flowing from many a wound. 
 Colonel Stephen Trigg, Majors Silas Harlan, Edward Bulger, 
 Captains John Gordon and William McBride, together with 
 Isaac Boone, son of Colonel Daniel Boone, had all fallen.* 
 Sixty men had been killed in the battle and flight, and 
 seven bad been taken prisoners,f part of whom were after- 
 wards put to death by the Indians, as was said, to make 
 their loss even. This account, however, appears very im- 
 probable. It is almost incredible that the Indians should 
 have suft'ered an equal loss. Their superiority of numbers, 
 their advantage of position (being in a great measure shel- 
 tered, while the Kentuckians, particularly the horsemen, 
 were much exposed), the extreme brevity of the battle, and 
 the acknowledged bloodiness of the pursuit, all tend to con- 
 tradict the report that the Indian loss exceeded that of the 
 Kentuckians. 
 
 At Lexington, Boone tells us, " many widows were made," 
 and the whole station was given up to the most frantic 
 grief. It was the same at Bryant's station, and soon the 
 melancholy news spread throughout the country and the 
 whole district of Kentucky was covered with mourning for 
 many a long and dreary day. Colonel Logan, after being 
 
 •Bradford. tBradford. 
 
1782.] TBE BATTLE OF BLUE LICKS. 93 
 
 joined by many of the friends of the killed and missing 
 from Lexington and Bryant's station, continued his march 
 to the battle-ground, with the hope that success would em- 
 bolden the enemy, and induce them to remain until his 
 arrival. 
 
 On the second day after the battle, in solemn silence the 
 whole party reached the field. The enemy were gone, but 
 the bodies of the Kentuckians still lay unbnried on the spot 
 where they had fallen. Immense flocks of buzzards were 
 soaring over the battle ground, and the bodies of the dead 
 had become so much swollen and disfigured, that it was im- 
 possible to recognize the features of the most particular 
 friends. Many corpses were fioating near the shore of the 
 northern bank, already putrid from the action of the sun, 
 and partially eaten by fishes.* The whole were carefully 
 collected by order of Colonel Logan, and interred as de- 
 cently as the nature of the soil would permit. Being sat- 
 isfied that the Indians were by this time, far beyond his 
 reach, he then retraced his steps to Bryant's station, and 
 dismissed his men. 
 
 >The fatal battle of the Blue Licks like the massacre 
 of Wyoming and Braddock's defeat, which it so much 
 resembled, brought misery and slaughter when least ex- 
 pected, and like them, will be read of with increasing in- 
 terest as time advances. The last great blow struck by the 
 Indian for the recovery of his favorite hunting grounds, 
 will become adorned by age, with a golden halo of roman- 
 tic attractions not less bright than that which now encir- 
 cles the last struggle of the chivalric old Moors for the 
 possession of Spain. 
 
 The women of Lexington — women like the one who 
 came to the rescue of the dying hunter at the gate of the 
 fort — were not idle during this time of siege, and battle, 
 and retreat. "With tearful hearts, but brave words, they 
 hastened on their husbands and brothers to the aid of Bry- 
 ant's station, and with but feeble help, guarded the fort 
 until relieved by the footmen who escaped from the savages 
 
 •Bradford's Notes. 
 
94 HJSTORr OF LEXINGTON. [1782. 
 
 who surrounded that apparently doomed place.* They 
 tenderly dressed the wounds of the brave fugitives with 
 many a thought of liuddell's and Martin's station, shud- 
 dering at the sound of the distant war whoop, and praying 
 for the defeat of the savage army. The seige was raised. 
 Elated with success, the settlers, young and old, abandoned 
 Lexington to join the force now wild to pursue the In- 
 dians ; and again the fort was left to be garrisoned this 
 time, almost entirely, by the brave women who were fit 
 companions of the men who charged through twenty times 
 their number, to aid the little band in Bryant's station. Who 
 can picture the hours of watchfulness and solicitude, the 
 alarms, the terror, and the heroic conduct of these true, de- 
 voted, and undaunted mothers of Lexington, while dis- 
 charging their sublime duty. The pioneer women of Lex- 
 ington, may we not class them with the patriotic women 
 of the Eevolution ? Were the women of old colonial Lex- 
 ington stouter-hearted than those of the Lexington of the 
 savage wilderness? 
 
 " The mothers of our forest land, 
 
 Their bosoms pillowed men ; 
 And proud were they by such to stand 
 
 In hammock, fort or glen, 
 To load the sure old rifle, 
 
 To run the leaden ball. 
 To watch a battling husband's place, 
 
 And fill it, should he fall." t 
 
 One of the most thrilling and remarkable incidents in 
 the entire history of border life and warfare, occurred at 
 this time.J A settler named James Morgan, with more 
 daring than prudence, lived with his wife and one infant 
 child in a cabin outside the fort at Bryant's station. When 
 he discovered the presence of the Indians by their firing on 
 the fort, he raised one of the slabs of the cabin fioor, con- 
 cealed his wife under it, strung his baby to his back, and 
 unbarred the door to escape. As he bounded out he was 
 attacked by several Indians. He killed two of them and 
 
 *Bradford. tW. D. Gallagher. JWestern Monthly, 1833. 
 
1782.] ADVF.XTURE OF JAMES MORGAN. 95 
 
 outstripped the rest, but an Indian dog pursued him with 
 all the ferocity of a wild cat; he finally succeeded in kill- 
 ing him : and then looking back for the first time, saw his 
 cabin and part of the station in flames. In agony at the 
 impending fate of his tenderly beloved wife, but utterly 
 unable to assist her, he watched his burning dwelling until 
 he was on the point of being captured, when he again re- 
 treated, and finally arrived at Lexington. 
 
 When the Indians raised the seige he left his baby in the 
 care of one of the sympathizing women in Lexington 
 station, and hastened with a throbbing heart to the spot 
 where his cabin had so lately stood. He found a heap of 
 ashes, some smoldering embers, and a few poor charred 
 bones which he reverently' gathered and buried, almost in- 
 sane with grief and the desire for revenge. He went to 
 the Blue Licks, and while rushing into the midst of the 
 conflict, he saw an Indian wearing a handkerchief which 
 he recognized as his wife's. He raised his rifle and killed 
 him with savage joy. During the retreat he was wounded, 
 and after dragging himself some distance from the scene 
 of conflict, he had laid himself down to die, when he was 
 discovered and rescued by the wife he had mourned as 
 dead. It turned out that the Indians who rushed into his 
 cabin after his escape, quarreled over the little spoil in it, 
 got to fighting, and one of them was killed. In her fright, 
 Mrs. Morgan screamed, was discovered, and was carried a 
 captive along with the retreating savages, but managed to 
 escape, and at once set out to find her husband and child. 
 The bones found and buried by Morgan, were those of the 
 Indian who was killed by his comrades. 
 
 Clark and retribution followed the Indians after the 
 battle of the Blue Licks, as Sullivan and extermination fol- 
 lowed them after the massacre of Wyoming. The call of 
 the Lion of Kentucky for troops was promptly answered 
 by a thousand mounted riflemen, a number of whom were 
 from Lexington, and in September, after a rapid march 
 under their brilliant leader, they penetrated the heart of 
 
96 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1782. 
 
 the Indian country* Five of the Chillicothe towns, where 
 the savages liad gathered before starting to Bryant's station, 
 were reduced to ashes, their crops were destroyed, the 
 country for miles around made desolate, and such of the 
 swiftly-fleeing Indians as were overtaken met with no 
 quarter at the hands of the enraged avengers of the pioneers 
 who were slaughtered at the Blue Licks. The Indians 
 were disheartened. They had dealt their heaviest blow, 
 and it had rebounded against themselves. They now dis- 
 paired of ever recovering Kentucky, and no great body of 
 them ever after invaded the state. But though they came 
 not with an army, the rifle, tomahawk, and scalping knife 
 of the plundering and murdering Indian was not yet en- 
 tirely banished from the now truly Dark and Bloody 
 Ground. 
 
 Lexington station gained another school-teacher this 
 year, in the person of John Filson, the author, in 1784, of 
 the first history ever written of Kentucky. He afterward 
 gave to Cincinnati her first name, " Losantiville." Filson 
 was an early adventurer with Daniel Boone, and after the 
 discoverer of Kentucky returned to Lexington, in October, 
 from the Chillicothe towns, Filson wrote, at his dictation, the 
 only narrative of his life extant from the old pioneer's own 
 lips. This narrative was indorsed at the time by James 
 Harrod, Levi Todd, and Boone himself. Filson taught in 
 Lexington /or several years, and did no little to secure the 
 early organization of Transylvania Seminary.f He was 
 killed by the Indians near Cincinnati, in 1789. 
 
 In the ITovember after the Blue Lick's massacre. Colonel 
 Thomas Marshall, 'surveyor of Fayette county, opened an 
 office in Lexington, and a calamitous scramble for land re- 
 commenced.J Colonel Marshall was a Virginian, had dis- 
 tinguished himself in the war of the Revolution, and soon 
 became one of the leading citizens of Kentucky. 
 
 *Butler and Marshall. tOld Gazette. tButler. 
 
1T83.] HOSTILITIES CEASED. 97 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Peace — McKinney and the Wild Cat — The Old Fort — Lot 
 Owners and Early Settlers — Christopher Greenup, Humph- 
 rey Marshall, John Sharp, Robert Todd, John Cariy, Sen., 
 Benjamin Howard, William Dudley, William Eussell. 
 
 On the 20th of January, 1783, Hostilities ceased between 
 the ai^mies of the United States and England, and the news 
 was received with great joy by the settlers in Fayette 
 county. This much desired event did not necessarily bring 
 with it security from the Indians, but the pioneers hoped 
 it would. At any rate Clark had demoralized the savages, 
 so that this year was on e of comparative peace. The Lexing- 
 ton settlers were now, for the first time, encouraged to build 
 cabins outside the walls of the fort, and the land which they 
 had bought with the heavy price of blood and suffering 
 they commenced to occupy and improve. Some attention 
 could now be paid to gardening; vegetables and other 
 comforts of civilized life began to appear. The live stock, 
 unmolested by the Indians, fattened and multiplied, and 
 the settlers, free from the prison-like restraints of the fort, 
 felt a new pleasure in life. 
 
 A log school-house, located on Cheapside, was one of the 
 first buildings erected outside of the fort walls, and here, 
 early one morning in June,* Mr. John McKinney, the 
 teacher, became the hero of a now celebrated combat. He 
 was sitting at his rude desk waiting for the appearance of 
 his little band of pupils, when a wild cat of uncommon size 
 made its appearance at the door, and, without seeming to 
 notice him, suddenly leaped into the room, snapping its 
 jaws and foaming at the mouth. On observing it, his first 
 
 * Western Review. 
 
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1^83. 
 
 thought was, what fine sport it might aflbrd him, if he had 
 a good dog and the door was closed. 
 
 But, to his great surprise, on casting its eyes around and 
 seeing him, instead of precipitately retreating as he had 
 expected, it advanced toward him in a menacing manner. 
 He instantly reached forward to a table near him, and at- 
 tempted to grasp a ruler, but before he had obtained it, 
 the animal was upon him, and seized him by the teeth 
 on the collar bone near his throat. "With some difficulty, 
 by striking at it upward under his jacket, he relieved 
 himself from this grasp, but the enraged animal instantly 
 caught him by the right side, and, with its long crooked 
 tusks, pierced through his clothes, and penetrated between 
 his ribs, where it held him so fast that he found it impossi- 
 ble to extricate himself. At the same time its sharp claws 
 were employed with astonishing rapidity in cutting ofi" his 
 clothes, and tearing the flesh from his side. From its sit- 
 uation he was unable to strike it with any considerable 
 force, but, in the eflwrt, only wounded his own hand against 
 the table. Finding he could do nothing in that way, he 
 seized the animal with both arms, brought its hinder part 
 between his thighs, and pressed it with all his force against 
 the table. It struggled violently, and fearing it might es- 
 cape from his grasp and again attack him with its claws, 
 he now for the first time made an exclamation, in the hope 
 that some one might come to his relief. The ladies, who 
 were engaged near the place milking their cows, were most 
 of them alarmed at the cry, and ran precipitately into the 
 fort, exclaiming that something was killing Mr. McKinney 
 in the school-house. Three of them, however, Mrs. Mas- 
 terson, Mrs. Collins, and Miss Thompson, being less timid 
 than the rest, ran toward the house, and after some delib- 
 eration among themselves as to who should venture to look 
 in first, entered the door. Mr. McKinney, perceiving that 
 they were females, and knowing Mrs. Masterson to be in a 
 delicate state of health, was fearful of alarming them, and, ■ 
 notwithstanding his own dreadful situation, assumed an air 
 of composure, and, with a smile, observed : " Do n't be 
 alarmed, it is only a cat I have caught, and I want some 
 
1783.] McKINNET AND THE WILD CAT. 99 
 
 person to assist me in killing it," He was thus careful not 
 to inform them, as he might have done with far greater 
 correctness, that the cat had caught him. The ladies then 
 boldly advanced toward him, and one of them, stooping 
 down and observing the size of the animal, exclaimed, 
 " what a monster !" ran to the door and called a gentleman 
 who happened to be passing by. He came in, and proposed 
 cutting off" the claws of the cat, but Mr. McKinney, per- 
 ceiving it to lie perfectly still, concluded he had killed it, 
 which, on rising, he found to be the fact. They then en- 
 deavored to draw out the animal's teeth from Mr. McKin- 
 ney's side, but finding them so hooked in between the ribs 
 that they could not extricate them, the whole party left the 
 school-house, and advanced toward the fort, to which, by 
 this time, the alarmed and excited people were rushing in 
 crowds, under the impression that the Indians were about 
 to attack the place. After reaching the fort, new feff'orts 
 were made to relieve Mr. McKinney from the tusks of the 
 cat, which were at length rendered successful by placing its 
 head in the same position as when it made the attack. 
 
 I^otwithstanding his wounds, Mr. McKinney attended 
 his school that morning, but at noon found himself so ex- 
 hausted, and his pain so extreme, that he was compelled to 
 dismiss his scholars and resort to his bed. By proper ap- 
 plications, however, he was soon relieved; his -wounds 
 healed rapidly and his usual health was speedily restored. 
 McKinney afterward settled in Bourbon county, and lived 
 to a green old age, and the account here given is an almost 
 verbatim, statement made by him in 1820. 
 
 The alarm occasioned by the wild cat's attack upon Mc- 
 Kinney was the last one that ever brought the garrison 
 tosrether in arms within the fort. The block-house re- 
 mained standing for several years after this, however, as 
 the settlers never knew at what time they might need the 
 protection of its friendly walls. At last, the only vestige 
 of the " Old Lexington Fort " went down before the power 
 of advancing civilization, but the memory of the trials and 
 sufferings endured within it, recollections of Boone, Ken- 
 ton, Harrod, G. Rogers Clark, Patterson, Todd, and many 
 
100 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1783. 
 
 Others it had sheltered, and remembrances of the days of 
 grief and anguish that hung like a pall over all its inmates 
 after the bloody ambuscade at the Blue Licks, consecrated 
 it till death in the hearts of the pioneers of Lexington. 
 
 In this year (1783), the trustees reserved three lots 
 " where the garrison stands," for public use, and other lots 
 were disposed of to the following persons,* viz : Humphrey 
 Marshall, Benjamin I^etherland, Caleb Williams, Robert 
 Todd, John Carty, Martin Dickinson, Samuel January, 
 Christopher Greenup, Wm. Anderson, John Sharp, Thomas 
 Marshall, Patrick Owens, Robert Parker, Valentine Dick- 
 inson, Widow McDonald, Christopher Kirtner, George 
 Shepherd, John Mikins, Archibald Dickinson, Andrew 
 Steele, John McDowell, William Steele, Stoffre Zunwalt, 
 James Mitchell, Benjamin Haydon, Jane Todd, David 
 Blanch ard. Widow Kirtner, Amor Batterton, John Brooke, 
 Matthew Patterson, William Galloway, Adam Zunwalt, 
 Jacob Zunwalt. 
 
 The names of many of these lot owners are linked with 
 the history of the state. Christopher Greenup, who had 
 been a soldier in the war of the Revolution, settled in Ken- 
 tucky, together with many of his comrades in arms, at the 
 close of that struggle. When he located in Lexington, he 
 had just been sworn in as an attorney at lawin the old dis- 
 trict court. He was elected governor of Kentucky in 1804, 
 and died in ISlS.f 
 
 Humphrey Marshall, eminent in his day as a land lawyer, 
 represented Fayette in the Danville convention of 1787, and 
 in the Virginia convention which ratified the constitution 
 of the United States. His duel with Mr. Clay is well known. 
 He subsequently removed to Franklin county, and was long 
 one of its most distinguished citizens. After having served 
 as Uuited States Senator, he published a well-known and 
 greatly esteemed, though rather partisan history of Ken- 
 tucky. He died at the residence of his son, Thomas A. 
 Marshall, in Lexington.J 
 
 Major Ben. ISTetherland, named in the above list of lot- 
 
 *Trustee3' Book. tCollins, 332. tCollins, 317. 
 
1783.] LOT OWNERS AND EARLY SETTLERS. IQl 
 
 owners, who had made himself noted by his gallant con- 
 duct at the Blue Licks battle, was born in Powhatan county, 
 Virginia, on the 27th day of February, 1755. During the 
 war of the Revolution he volunteered his services as a 
 private soldier in the army of the South, under General 
 Lincoln, and was taken a prisoner of war at the siege of 
 Savannah, where he was kept in close confinement for ten 
 months. At the end of this time he made Kis escape, but 
 was retaken again as a prisoner of war, and confined at San 
 Augustine, a British post in Florida. Whilst the American 
 army was in full retreat from Savannah, he again attempted 
 to make his escape, and was successful. He joined the 
 army at Beaufort, in South Carolina. After he had served 
 twelve months as a private soldier, he was promoted to a 
 lieutenancy. He came to Kentucky in 1781, settled at Lex- 
 ington station, and became a prominent actor in all the In- 
 dian wars that for so long a time deluged Kentucky in 
 blood. He finally removed to Jessamine county, where he 
 died, in October, 1838, and was buried with the honors of 
 war.* 
 
 John Sharp, whose son was afterward jailer of Fayette 
 county, was one of the Lexington militia ambuscaded at 
 Bryant's station. He was pursued by several Indians, but 
 managed to keep them at bay with his rifle, until he es- 
 caped in a cane thicket. 
 
 Robert Todd was senator from Fayette in the first ses- 
 sion of the legislature; was for a long time circuit judge, 
 and held other important positions. 
 
 John Carty, Sen., was born in 1764,t in Burlington, New 
 Jersey, of which place his parents were old citizens. His 
 young school-days were interrupted by the bloody struggle 
 of the colonists for independence, and while yet a boy, at 
 the age of seventeen, he assisted at the repulse of the Brit- 
 ish at Springfield, in his native state, and shortly after 
 shared in the campaign which ended in the defeat and sur- 
 render of Cornwallis. At the close of the war he joined 
 the host of westward bound emigrants, and settled perma- 
 
 *01d Kentucky Statesman. fFamily Eecord. 
 
102 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1783. 
 
 nently at " Lexington station," together with a number of 
 his comrades in arms. His wife, Mary Ayers, was born 
 near Annapolis, Maryland. 
 
 The freaks of fortune are marvelous. Shortly after his 
 arrival, the young settler was offered a large tract of land 
 comprising several " out-lots," then thickly covered with 
 cane and forest trees, in exchange for his well-worn old 
 fashioned "bull's eye" watch; but, as the ancient time- 
 piece had been his father's, and as he had already one lot 
 to improve, he refused to exchange it for " cheap cane- 
 brakes."* Much of the best part of Hill street now occu- 
 pies the refused " canebrakes," and is valued at several 
 hundred thousand dollars. 
 
 John Carty, Sen., was one of the organizers of the 
 "Society of the Cincinnati," established at a very early 
 day in Lexington, by citizens who had participated in the 
 Revolutionary war;t and he and the elegant and amiable 
 Waldemarde Mentelle, Sen., introduced into Kentucky the 
 manufacture of earthenware.J which, in that day of slab 
 tables, wooden spoons, and horn cups, was welcomed with 
 gratitude by the pioneers, and soon became an important 
 branch of trade. John Carty, Sen., was with General 
 Anthony Wayne in his celebrated Indian campaign oi 
 1794, and participated in the decisive victory of August 20, 
 near the river Miami of the lakes. During that war, he 
 was sergeant of a company of which the afterward " Gen- 
 eral" Harrison was then lieutenant. Mr. Carty lived to 
 see an elegant and flourishing city take the place of the 
 canebrakes and the old fort. He died at his residence in 
 Lexington, November 25, 1845, at the green old age of 
 eighty-one, and was buried in the family lot in the Episco- 
 pal Cemetery. He was mourned by a multitude of friends, 
 by whom he had long been greatly beloved and respected. 
 One of his sons, Henry Carty, died a glorious death on the . 
 bloody field of Buena "Vista, and now sleeps under the 
 shadow of the state military monument at Frankfort. 
 
 John Carty, the successful merchant and true man, who 
 
 *01d Inhabitants. fOM. Gazette. JS.'D. McCullough. 
 
1783.] HOWARD, DUDLEY, AND HVSS ELL. 103 
 
 died April 8, 1867, was another son, whose rare sagacity and 
 noble qualities will long be remembered by Lexington. 
 
 Benjamin Howard, a native of Goochland county, Vir- 
 ginia, was another soldier of the Revolution, who settled in 
 Fayette about the year 1783. He received five wounds at 
 the battle of Guilford Court-house. One of his daughters 
 was the first wife of Robert Wickliff'e, Sen., and his only 
 son, Benjamin, was governor of Missouri. This venerable 
 pioneer died at the extraordinary age of one hundred and 
 three years, in Lexington, at the residence of Major Wool- 
 ley (who married a grand-daughter), after having been a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church for upward of eighty 
 years.* 
 
 Colonel William Dudley, of Spottsylvania county, Vir- • 
 ginia, emigrated to Kentucky when quite young, and 
 settled at an early date in Fayette. His tragic fate is well 
 known. He served under General Harrison in the cam- 
 paign of 1813, as colonel of Kentucky militia. On the 5th 
 of May in that year, he was sent with some raw troops to 
 silence a British battery opposite Fort Meigs. He suc- 
 ceeded in spiking the guns, and then, in a moment of rash 
 gallantry, attacked some troops in the vicinity, was sur- 
 rounded by the Indians, and terribly defeated. Weak and 
 disabled by wounds. Colonel Dudley defended himself des- 
 perately against a swarm of savages who closed in upon 
 him. He fell at last, and his body was mutilated in a most 
 barbarous manner.f The disastrous fate of this brave man 
 and his command will cause "Dudley's defeat" to be long 
 remembered by Kentuckians. 
 
 Colonel William Russell, one of the most distinguished 
 of the settlers of Fayette county, arrived in 1783. ' He was 
 a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and was born in 
 1758. He served his country well in the revolutionary 
 struggle, and bore a valiant part in the glorious and deci- 
 sive victory of King's Mountain. After removing to Ken- 
 tucky, he successively held posts of danger and honor un- 
 der Scott, Wilkinson, and Wayne, in their expeditions 
 against the Indians; was made colonel in the regular 
 
 ♦Collins. tCombs and Collins. 
 
104 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1T83. 
 
 army ; was a prominent actor on the bloody field of Tippe- 
 canoe; was assigned the command of the frontier of In- 
 diana, Illinois, and Missouri, and led several successful ex- 
 peditions against the Indians. He represented Fayette 
 repeatedly in the legislature, and was always one of her 
 most useful and honored citizens. Russell county, in this 
 state, was, with great propriety, named in his honor.* 
 Colonel Kussell died, July 3, 1825, at his old home in the 
 county he had served so well. 
 
 •Collins. 
 
1784.] FIRST IMPROVEMENTS OF LEXINGTON. 105 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Village of Lexington — First Dry Goods Store — A Dis- 
 ciple of Tom Paine — The First General Election — James 
 Wilkinson — John Coburn — First Presbyterian Church — The 
 Rankin Schism — Pastors — Church Edifices — Incidents. 
 
 By this time (1784), Lexington had assumed the appear- 
 ance of a frontier village. The few cabins which existed, 
 were all log ones, and very much scattered ; Main street 
 was extended a short distance through and beyond the fort, 
 in the direction of the present Lexington Cemetery, but it 
 was sadly obstructed by roots and stumps, and in bad 
 weather was almost impassable ; the favorite paths of the 
 settlers were "traces" made as hard as modern roads, by 
 the wild animals which had traveled over them for centu- 
 ries. There was a one-story log school-house, but no church 
 building, and most of the present city was then occupied 
 by groves, corn-fields, cow pastures, and patches of cane. 
 But the coming and going of emigrants made the village 
 look lively in spite of disadvantages, and as the emigrants 
 frequently brought with them articles much needed by the 
 settlers, and as game was abundant, and the soil was being 
 successfully cultivated, the inhabitants began to live better, 
 and they even found time for amusements. Trials of skill 
 with the rifle, horse and foot races, and dancing were the 
 pastimes, as most of them are yet, in modern Lexington; 
 "bouse raisings" are not to be forgotten, nor "fives," nor 
 " long bullets," a game iu which the sturdy settlers vied 
 with each other, in eftbrts to jerk a cannon ball to the 
 greatest distance. Much to the delight of the inhabitants, 
 particularly the female portion, that extraordinary and 
 welcome novelty, a dry goods store, was opened in the vil- 
 
106 BISTORT GF LEXINGTON. [1784. 
 
 lage by General James Wilkinson, in the spring of 1784* 
 It was the second one of the kind opened in Kentucky, 
 and the gaudy calico and other " store finery," gave im- 
 mense satisfaction. The goods came from Philadelphia to 
 Pittsburg by wagon, from thence by flat-boat to " Lime- 
 stone," now Maysville, and from thence to Lexington on 
 pack horses, which traveled slowly in single file over the 
 narrow " trace " which connected the two settlements. 
 
 A novel trial took place in the village of Lexington, in 
 the latter part of May, 1784, caused by the appearance of 
 a disciple of Tom Paine, named Galloway, who propagated 
 the doctrine of his master, that Virginia had no right to 
 the lands of Kentucky, which ought to be taken possession 
 of by Congress. Encouraged by Galloway, several persons 
 actually took preliminary steps toward appropriating their 
 neighbors lands, under an act of Congress which he assured 
 them would soon be passed. A great hubbub was the re- 
 sult, and Galloway was arrested; but upon what ground 
 could he be punished, was the perplexing question. For- 
 tunately, after much searching, an old law of Virginia was 
 found, which inflicted a penalty in tobacco at the discre- 
 tion of the court, upon the " propagation of false news, to 
 the disturbance of the good people of the colony." Gal- 
 loway was quickly fined a thousand pounds of tobacco, but 
 as it was impossible to get so much tobacco at that time in 
 Kentucky, he had a fine chance to spend some time in the 
 stocks. At last he was let off on condition that he would 
 leave the district, which he joyfully did without loss of 
 time.f 
 
 During the summer, at the suggestion of prominent cit- 
 izens of Kentucky, the militia companies of Fayette and 
 of the other counties of the district each elected a delegate 
 to meet in convention, at Danville, to consider the subject 
 of self-defense,J as it was believed at that time that the 
 Indians were preparing to again invade Kentucky. The 
 election was accordingly held, and the convention met, 
 
 ♦Marshall. tid. Jld. 
 
1784.] GENERAL JAMES WILKINSON. 107 
 
 December 27, 1784. This convention proved to be the 
 entering wedge to separation from Virginia. 
 
 General James "Wilkinson, whom we have already men- 
 tioned as having settled in Lexington this year, was prob- 
 ably the most eminent of the many distinguished officers 
 and soldiers of the Revolution, who had so much to do with 
 the rapid advancement which Lexington made in refine- 
 ment and intelligence. General "Wilkinson was born in 
 Maryland, in 1757. He went into the American army at 
 the very commencement of the Revolution, and was ap- 
 pointed captain when but eighteen. He served with Arnold 
 in Canada, was on Gates' staff as lieutenant-colonel, was 
 brevetted brigadier-general in 1777, was at the surrender of 
 Burgoyne, and subsequently served in the legislature of 
 Pennsylvania. "When he came to Lexington, at the clos5 
 of the war, he represented a large trading company formed 
 in Philadelphia. From this time forward, he was one of 
 the most energetic and influential of the leaders in the 
 early civil and military conflicts of Kentucky. In 1784, 
 he made a speech in Lexington, urging the immediate sep- 
 aration of Kentucky from Virginia, headed the "country" 
 party which favored it, strongly opposed the "court" 
 party led by Colonel Thomas Marshall, and was twice a 
 delegate from Fayette to Danville conventions. His ap- 
 pearance at this time is thus described by one with whom 
 he was by no means a favorite :* 
 
 " A person not quite tall enough to be perfectly elegant, 
 was compensated by its symmetry and appearance of health 
 and strength. A countenance open, mild, capacious, and 
 beaming with intelligence; a gait firm, manly, and facile; 
 manners bland, accommodating, and popular; an address 
 easy, polite, and gracious, invited approach, gave access, 
 assured attention, cordiality, and ease. By these fair forms 
 he conciliated ; by these he captivated. The combined effect 
 was greatly advantageous to the general on a first acquaint- 
 ance which a further intercourse contributed to modify." 
 
 During the summer of 1787, General 'Wilkinson origi- 
 
 «H. Mnrahall. 
 
108 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1784. 
 
 nated and opened up trade between Lexington and New 
 Orleans. He subsequently commanded successful expedi- 
 tions against the Indians, was made brigadier of regular 
 infantry, and commanded the right wing of Wayne's army 
 in the battle of the Maumee. In 1796, he was appointed 
 general in chief of the northwestern army, and in 1806, 
 governor of Louisiana Territory. It was while he occu- 
 pied this last position, that he was charged with favoring 
 Burr's designs to form a new empire, of which J^ew Orleans 
 was to be the capital, but an investigation demanded by 
 himself cleared him of these allegations.* In 1816, he 
 wrote his voluminous "Memoirs," another example of his 
 great physical and mental energies. This enterprising man 
 and distinguished soldier, who did so much for the material 
 welfare of Lexington, and reflected so much honor upon 
 his adopted home, died near the city of Mexico, Decem- 
 ber 28, 1825. General Wilkinson's residence in Lexington 
 was on the site of the house now standing on the corner 
 of Main and the alley next the negro Baptist church, 
 between Broadway and Jefferson. 
 
 The prospects of Lexington as a future mercantile point 
 gave her another accession in 1784, in the person of Judge 
 John Coburn, who afterward became an influential demo- 
 cratic politician, judge of the territory of Michigan, and 
 one of the most efficient political writers of his time in 
 this state. He was a citizen of Lexington for ten years, 
 during which he married Miss Mary Moss, of Fayette. He 
 finally settled in Mason county, and died there in 1823.f 
 
 The first Christian church established in Lexington was 
 organized in 1784, by the Presbyterians,| who were more 
 numerous in the village at that time than any other relig- 
 ious people. They secured a lot and erected a log house 
 of worship, on the southeastern corner of Walnut and 
 Short streets, where city school No. 1 now stands, and 
 called to the pastorate of the church, the Rev. Adam 
 Rankin, of Augusta county, Virginia, who arrived early in 
 October of the same year (1784). The church was first 
 
 *Am. Ency. tBisliop and Davidson. JId. 
 
1784.] THE RANKIN SCHISM. XQQ 
 
 known as " Mount Zion," but is now more generally recog- 
 nized as " Mr. Rankin's Church." 
 
 Mr. Rankin's call was the signal for strife. The Pres- 
 byterian churches at that time were convulsed with dis- 
 putes upon Psalmody, one party strongly claiming that the 
 literal version of the old Psalms of David should be used, 
 and the others as stoutly demanding the version of Dr. 
 Watts. Mr. Rankin was a declared enemy of the "Watts' 
 version, and finding it in use in Mount Zion church on his 
 arrival, labored earnestly for its expulsion. In course of 
 time, two parties were formed, and the congregation was 
 soon in the same distracted condition as many bodies of 
 their brethren. Finally, in 1789, charges were preferred 
 against Mr. Rankin, before the presbytery of Transylvania, 
 one of them being, that he had " debarred from the table 
 of the Lord, such persons as approved Watts' psalmody." 
 Mr. Rankin made a trip to London about this time, and 
 his case was not tried until April, 1792, when he protested 
 against the proceedings of the presbytery, and withdrew 
 from it, carrying with him a majority of his congregation 
 which sustained and indorsed his action, and claimed and 
 held the meeting-house, on the corner of Walnut and Short. 
 In May, 1793, Mr. Rankin and adherants joined the Asso- 
 ciate Reformed Church, and remained connected with it 
 for twenty-five years, but at the end of that titae, broke 
 off from it and became independent. After Mr. Rankin 
 resigned the pastorate of Mount Zion, in 1825, the church 
 rapidly declined, and after struggling on for some years, 
 finally became extinct. 
 
 Mr. Rankin *w'as a nMive of Pennsylvania, and was born 
 in 1755. He graduated at Liberty Hall (now Washington 
 and Lee University), in 1780, and two years after married 
 Margaret McPheeters, of Augusta county, Virginia. He 
 was a talented, intolerant, eccentric, and pious man, and 
 was greatly beloved by his congregation, which clung to 
 him with a devoted attachment through all his fortunes. 
 After leavino- Lexington, he set out on a tour to Jerusalem, 
 but died on the way, in Philadelphia, liTovember 25, 1827. 
 
 The party in Mr. Rankin's church favoring Watts' 
 
110 EISTORF OF LEXINGTON. [1784. 
 
 psalms, and adhering to the presbytery, gave up Mount 
 Zion church to the seceders, and took " the new meeting- 
 house," a half-finished frame building commenced some 
 time before the church trouble had culminated. This edi- 
 fice stood ou the corner of Short and Mill streets, fronted 
 on Mill, and the lot on which it stood, which had been 
 "granted to the Frisbyterians"* by the trustees of Lex- 
 ington, extended back to the present Cheapside. The sub- 
 scriptions for building this house were mostly paid in ba- 
 con, hemp, and corn.f By 1795, through the exertions of 
 Robert Patterson, John Maxwell, James Trotter, Robert 
 Megowan, Robert Steel, and other members of the church, 
 the building was put in a comfortable condition, and the Rev. 
 James Welsh, of Virginia, was called to fill its pulpit, and 
 was ordained the succeeding year first pastorj of what is 
 now called the First Presbyterian Church. Ministers of 
 all churches were so poorly paid at that day, that most of 
 them had to resort to other means than preaching to obtain 
 a living. Mr. Welsh was no exception to the rule, and was 
 obliged to practice medicine to support his family, and did 
 so up to 1799, when he was appointed professor of languages 
 in Transylvania University. In that year, also, the church 
 edifice was farther improved, a gallery was made, a cupola 
 raised, and a bell hung. Mr. Welsh continued in the pas- 
 torate of the church up to 1804^ after which the pulpit was 
 temporarily filled by Dr. James Ely the, then president of 
 Transylvania University ; Rev. Robert Stuart, nearly forty 
 years pastor at Walnut Hill, and the faithful and earnest 
 John Lyle, all of whom served at different times until the 
 installation of the second regular pastor, the Rev. Robert M. 
 Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, in 1807. 
 
 Just before Mr. Cunningham came, the church leased or 
 sold its property on Mill and Short, and commenced the 
 erection of a brick house of worship on the southwest 
 corner of Broadway and Second streets. This house was 
 opened and the pews rented in the summer of 1808.|| 
 
 Mr. Cunningham remained in charge of the church until 
 
 ^Trustees' Book. tKentucky Gazette. {Davidsons. 
 
 llOld Journal. 
 
1784.] PASTORS. m 
 
 1822. He died in Alabama, in 1839. Mr. Cunningham's 
 pulpit was frequently filled by Rev. William L. McCalla, then 
 a young minister, and also by Dr. John Poage Campbell. 
 Mr. McCalla was the son of that good man, Andrew McCalla, 
 of Lexington, Kentucky. He was at one time chaplain to 
 the navy of the Republic of Texas, and was noted for his 
 powers as a debater. Dr. Campbell (whose father was one 
 of the early settlers of Lexington) was born in Virginia in 
 1767, and lived to be one of the most brilliant and scholarly 
 ministers of his church in Kentucky. Grifted as he was, he 
 was compelled to eke out a living on a miserable salary, and 
 at one time his family existed for six weeks on pumpkins 
 only; but so proud and sensitive was he, that the fact did 
 not become known until accidentally discovered by his 
 neighbors.* He died in 1814, from disease contracted by 
 exposure while preaching. In 1815, the Second Presby- 
 terian Church was founded, and its history will be found 
 under that date. In July, 1817, during the pastorate of 
 Mr. Cunningham, while the congregation was at worship, 
 the church was struck by lightning, and two ladies were 
 killed. 
 
 The Rev. IN'athan Hall, of Garrard county, Kentucky, 
 succeeded Mr. Cunningham in 1823. He was the initiator 
 of the protracted meetings which resulted in the great re- 
 vival of 1828, which gave the finishing blow to infidelity, 
 which before that had been only too prevalent in Lexington. 
 Mr. Hall was a powerful exhorter, and on one occasion, after 
 several vigorous efforts, admitted over a hundred persons to 
 the church. Mr. Hall was pastor of the church for twenty- 
 three years, during which time it greatly prospered ; but, 
 unfortunately, just a little while before he resigned his 
 charge, a number of his congregation became dissatisfied, 
 seceded, and united with the McChord or Second Church. 
 Mr. Hall died in Columbus, Missouri, June 22, 1858. 
 
 Dr. Robert J. Breckinridge, long the most prominent 
 minister of the Presbyterian Church of Kentucky, followed 
 Mr. Hall in 1847, and continued in the pastorate until 1853, 
 
 *Davidsou's History- 
 
112 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1784. 
 
 when he removed to Danville, having been appointed pro- 
 fessor in the Theological Seminary at that place. Dr. 
 Breckinridge was a son of Hon. John Breckinridge, and 
 was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, March 8, 1800, 
 graduated at Union College in 1819, commenced the prac- 
 tice of law in Lexington in 1823, after which he repeatedly 
 represented Fayette county la the Kentucky legislature. 
 In 1828 he connected himself with the Second Presbyterian 
 Church of Lexington, retired from political life, devoted 
 himself to the study of theology, and in October, 1832, 
 was ordained pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of 
 Baltimore, where he became distinguished as a minister, 
 and noted for his anti-slavery views and for his bold and 
 uncompromising opposition to Roman Catholicism. During 
 his pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexing- 
 ton, he wrote his work on the "Internal Evidences of 
 Christianity," and a few years after, published his "Theol- 
 ogy, Objectively and Subjectively Considered," which are 
 considered his most able productions. At the beginning 
 of the late war. Dr. Brecken ridge and others established 
 the Danville Review, which strongly supported both the 
 Federal Government and the General Assembly. Dr. 
 B. died December 27, 1871, and was buried in the Lex- 
 ington Cemetery. 
 
 The successor of Dr. Breckinridge was Rev. J. D. Mat- 
 thews, whose ministry was so acceptable to the congregation 
 that he was for many years retained as pastor, and much 
 beloved and esteemed. In 1853 he succeeded Dr. Breckin- 
 ridge as Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1857, 
 while Dr. Matthews had charge of the church, the old 
 house of worship, which had been used for fifty years, was 
 torn down, and the building now owned and used by the 
 Broadway Christian Church was built, and all went on 
 harmoniously and prosperously until the beginning of the 
 late war. All during the war, trouble was brewing from 
 causes too recent to require mention, and resulted, at the 
 close of that terrible struggle in an open rupture in both 
 the First and Second Churches, and the formation of two 
 congregations in each church. In the First Church, Dr. 
 
1784.] CHURCH EDIFICES. 113 
 
 Matthews was the pastor of the Southern Assembly party, 
 and Eev. R. Valentine pastor of that of the General As- 
 sembly. In May, 1869, the difficulty was adjusted, and the 
 church property distributed. The pastors of the several 
 churches resigned. The two congregations adhering to 
 the Southern Assembly united, and the other two adhering 
 to the General Assembly did the same, forming two churches 
 out of four. The property of the churches was valued and 
 divided in proportion to membership. The Broadway 
 property fell to the Southern Assembly party, now known 
 as the First Church, and the Market street house to the 
 General Assembly adherents, or the present Second Church. 
 In March, 1870, Eev. William Dinwiddle, of Virginia, the 
 present efficient and beloved pastor of the First Church, 
 commenced his ministerial labors in Lexington. In May 
 of the same year, the church on the corner of Second and 
 Broadway was sold to the Christian congregation, and a 
 new, large, and handsome edifice was commenced on Mill 
 street, between Church and Second, and completed in the 
 spring of 1872. 
 
114 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1785. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Town Forlc — Taverns — Streets — Elections — Bourbon County 
 Created — Mrs. Vaughn, the First White Woman born in 
 Kentucky. 
 
 The state of aflFairs in Lexington, in the year 1785, may 
 be inferred from a number of things. " Main Cross street," 
 now Broadway, was opened. The trustees ordered " all 
 cabins, cow-pens, and hog-pens to be removed from the 
 streets."* Notice was given that all vacant lots would be 
 reclaimed, " if not improved in one year by the erection 
 of a good hewed log-house on the same."t Robert Parker 
 was appointed the first surveyor of the town, and clerk of 
 the trustees, and allowed four shillings and sixpence for 
 every deed by him drawn."! Boys were prohibited from 
 obstructing the "gangway" over Town Fork, when fishing 
 in that stream, which was then of quite a respectable size, 
 in fact, frequently when there was a " rise," it would cover 
 the entire width of the present Vine and Water streets. 
 
 The first tavern of which Lexington could boast, was 
 opened about this time. It stood on West Main street, " be- 
 tween Main Cross (Broadway), and the graveyard" (Baptist 
 churchyard). A little swinging sign in front of the com- 
 fortable size log-house bore the coat of arms of Virginia, 
 and the ambitious announcement, " Entertainment for man 
 and beast, by James Bray." 
 
 The early taverns of Lexington were veritable old En- 
 glish " Inns," with quaint signs, smiling bonifaces, and every- 
 thing to match. Robert Megowan's tavern, sign of the 
 " Sheaf of Wheat," was the second one built. It was a two- 
 
 •Tru'^tees' Book. tid. Jld. 
 
1785.] EARLY TAVERNS OF LEXINGTON. 115 
 
 story log-house, stood on Main street, between Upper and 
 Limestone, occupying the site of the hnilding now used by 
 Thomas Bradley. In 1792, the first State Treasurer's office 
 was temporarily in this tavern. These taverns were suc- 
 ceeded by " The Buffalo," kept by John MclSTair, on Main 
 street, opposite the present court-house, and Kiser's " Indian 
 Queen," which stood on the corner of Hill and Broadway, 
 on part of the lot now owned by Mr. John T. Miller. This 
 "house of entertainment" was kept by the grandfather of 
 our highly respected fellow-citizen, Mr. Ben. Kiser, now 
 probably the oldest native resident of Lexington. Ayers' 
 tavern, sign of the " Cross Keys," was on the corner of 
 Spring and Main. Satterwhite's "Eagle" tavern was on 
 Short, back of the court-house. Usher's "Don't Give up 
 the Ship," stood on Short, near the Lusby house, and the 
 noted old Brent tavern was on Jordan's Row, near the corner 
 of Upper and Main. The PhcEuix Hotel is the oldest house 
 of entertainment now in existence in Lexington. It was 
 first known about the year 1800, as " Postlethwaite's tavern," 
 and then as "Wilson's." The famous Aaron Burr was its 
 guest at one time during Wilson's proprietorship. His pres- 
 ence was first detected by a young boy,* who saw him as 
 he entered town on horseback, followed by his white man- 
 servant, and recognized him by a wonderfully faithful rep- 
 resentation he had seen of him in a collection of wax 
 works exhibited in Lexington, a short time before. The 
 tavern was next known as " Keene's," and then as "Postle- 
 thwaite's and Brennan's," since which time it has been 
 kept by Messrs. John Brennan, Chiles, Worley, Robinson, 
 and others, and under the name of " Phoenix Hotel," has 
 for many years been known far and wide. 
 
 We might mention here, that Mill street, which was not 
 opened for some time after "Main Cross," received its 
 name from a cow-path which led out to a wind-mill, which 
 stood near the present work-house. Limestone street was 
 opened still later, and was so called from the fact that it 
 was part of the road leading to " Limestone," now Mays- 
 
 *Beii. Kiser. 
 
116 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1785. 
 
 ville. This street is now inappropriately and unfortunately 
 called " Mulberry." 
 
 A new county was created by Virginia, in 1785, out of 
 the immense territory of Fayette, and given the name of 
 Bourbon. Two elections were also held in Fayette this 
 year, to choose delegates to the second and third Danville 
 conventions, which assembled in May and August respect- 
 ively. The delegates elected to the second convention 
 were : Eobert Todd, James Trotter, Levi Todd, and Caleb 
 Wallace. Those elected to the third one were: James 
 Wilkinson, Levi Todd, Caleb Wallace, and Eobert Pat- 
 terson. 
 
 The first white woman born in the savage wilds of Ken- 
 tucky lived for many years in Lexington. Here she died, 
 and here she sleeps. Many now living still remember the 
 venerable Mrs. Rhoda Vaughn, the first born of the wil- 
 derness. She was the daughter of that Captain John 
 Holder, spoken of by Boone in his narrative, as the man 
 who pursued the Indians who had attacked Hoy's station 
 in August, 1782. Captain Holder was one of the old pio- 
 neer's earliest companions. He assisted in building and 
 defending Boonesborough fort ; and within the palisades 
 of that noted stronghold, and about the year 1776, his 
 daughter, afterward Mrs. Vaughn, was born. Her earliest 
 recollections were of savages, suft'erings, alarms, and blood- 
 shed ; and she passed her infant years in the midst of mem- 
 orable sieges and desperate conflicts. When she grew to 
 womanhood, and was married, her father started her in 
 life with a home and servants, but she lost both in a few 
 years, by her husband's mismanagement, and after his 
 death, times with her grew worse and worse. 
 
 At a very early day, she settled in Fayette county, and 
 subsequently made Lexington her home, and here she re- 
 mained and raised her children. One of her sons was the 
 gallant adjutant, Edward M. Vaughn, a Lexington volun- 
 teer, who fell upon the bravely contested field of Buena 
 Vista, in 1847. His blood-soaked gauntlets were carried 
 reverently to his mother, and they told at once, to her 
 stricken heart, the same tragic and eloquent story that the 
 
1T85.] MRS. VAV6HN. 117 
 
 armless and battered shield expressed to the Spartan mother 
 in the classic days of old. Other afflictions and misfortunes 
 followed; and destitute and desolate, the brave old lady 
 struggled on through a life, not unfrequently made brighter 
 by kind and sympathetic friends. Mrs. Yaughn lived for 
 some time in the residence lately occupied by Kev. J. D. 
 Matthews, on Winchester street, between Limestone and 
 Walnut. She died, however, at the residence of Mrs. Susan 
 Craig, on the south side of Short street, between G-eorge- 
 town and Jefferson street, in the month of June, 1863, aged 
 about eighty-seven years, and was buried in the Whaley lot, 
 in the Episcopal Cemetery, where her remains still repose. 
 
 The only relic of the venerable heroine known to be in 
 existence is a patch-work quilt which she made with her 
 own hands, and gave to a sympathetic lady of Lexington, 
 who was a friend to her in her days of sorrow and af- 
 fliction. 
 
 That Mrs. Vaughn was the first white woman born in 
 Kentucky, there can not be the slightest doubt ; the fact is 
 placed beyond dispute by the frequent declarations of many 
 of the earliest settlers of this state to persons still living. 
 Mrs. Vaughn, herself, always declared that she had never 
 heard a statement to the contrary. 
 
 Mrs. Vaughn was a woman of excellent mind, warm 
 heart, and sincere piety; and neither her true pride, nor 
 the beautiful characteristics of her christian life, were 
 abated by her poverty and misfortunes. How strange were 
 her experiences. The fate-star of sorrow, which beamed 
 upon her birth, seemed ever to follow her with its saddening 
 influence. She was born when the tomahawk and the torch 
 were busiest; the hope of her declining years died upon a 
 field of battle, and she breathed out her own life in the 
 midst of a terrible civil war. Her parents helped to reclaim 
 and settle an empire; their daughter died without a foot 
 of land that she could call her own. Will justice, even 
 now, be done to her memory? Will the state appropriately 
 mark the spot where rest the mortal remains of the first 
 white womau born in the now great Commonwealth of 
 Kentucky. 
 
118 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1'86. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Baptist Church— Pastors— Incidents— The Creath, Fishback, 
 and Pratt Troubles — Fires. 
 
 The Baptists were the pioneers of religion in Kentucky, 
 and were the most numerous body of Christians in the early 
 settlement of the state ; but, as we have seen, they were not 
 the first to found a church in Lexington. But they were 
 not far behind, for a little baud of them were meeting, 
 from house to house, as early as 1786,* and were frequently 
 preached to by Elder Lewis Craig, who, in 1783, had organ- 
 ized, in Fayette eounty, on South Elkhorn, the first wor- 
 shiping assembly in the state.f This valiant soldier of the 
 cross was born in Spottsylvania county, Virginia, and was 
 several times imprisoned, in the Old Dominion, for preach- 
 ing contrary to law. He was greatly gifted as an exhorter, 
 and his constant theme was, " practical godliness and every- 
 day Christianity." He died in 1827, aged eighty-seven 
 years, sixty of which he spent in the ministry. In 1787, 
 Elder John Gano, of E'ew York city, settled in Central Keu- 
 
 tucky,J and, in conjunction with Elder Payne, aided 
 
 greatly to build up the church in Lexington. In 1789, the 
 congregation erected a log meeting-house on the>same lob 
 where the present church stands, in the "old Baptist grave- 
 yard," and Rev. John Gano became its first pastor. Mr. 
 Gano, who was born at Hopewell, N". J., July 22, 1727, had 
 been a chaplain in the American army during the Revolu- 
 tionary war, was one of the most eminent, eccentric, and 
 successful ministers of his day, and was personally known 
 almost throughout the United States. Elder Gano, after 
 being connected with the Lexington church for many years, 
 
 *01d Journal. tTaylor's History. t^^enediut. 
 
1786.] BAPTIST CHVRCB. Jig 
 
 moved to Frankfort, and died there in 1804. He was buried 
 at Harmony Church, Woodford county, Kentucky. 
 
 The Baptist Church in Lexington had its troubles, too, 
 and early in its history. In 1799, Arianism crept into the 
 flock, and created some dissention, but finally died out 
 under the vigorous blows of Elder Gano, who, upon one 
 occasion (while a cripple from a fall), was held up in the 
 arms of his friends to. preach against it. But the Arian 
 trouble had hardly died out before another one came up. 
 In 1804, the " Emancipators," who claimed that no fellow- 
 ship should be extended to slaveholders, commenced to dis- 
 tract the church with their zealous efforts, and the mischief 
 grew into a mountain in 1807, when the notorious difficulty 
 about a negro trade took place between Jacob Creath, Sen., 
 and Thomas Lewis ; and great party strife and injury to 
 the church ensued. At last peace came with the secession 
 of the " Emancipators," who formed a separate association, 
 long ago extinct, but the church was greatly weakened. 
 It languished on with decreasing numbers until 1817, when 
 prosperous times dawned upon it. In that year, on the 4th 
 of January, a number of its best scattered members assem- 
 bled and reorganized the church, with the assistance of 
 Elders Toler, Jacob Creath, Sen., ^nd Jeremiah Vardeman ; 
 Berry Stout being moderator, and Samuel Ayers, clerk. On 
 the church list of members about that time, we find, among 
 others, the names of James Trotter, R. Higgins, William 
 C. Warfield, Walter Warfield, W. H. Richardson, William 
 Stone, Matthew Elder, William Payne, Edward Payne, J. 
 H. Morton, J. C. Richardson, Gabriel Tandy, Thomas Lewis, 
 and William Poindexter. 
 
 The congregation met at this time in the chapel of Tran- 
 sylvania University, but immediate steps were taken to 
 build a new house of worship. It was completed and occu- 
 pied in October, 1819,* and was located on North Mill street, 
 opposite the college lawn. It was a substantial two-story 
 brick, provided with galleries, and is noted as being the 
 building in which the first general Baptist Convention of 
 
 •Church Eecords. 
 
120 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T86. 
 
 Kentucky was organized. Immediately after the reorgani- 
 zation of the church, Dr. James Fishback, who had just 
 been ordained to the Baptist ministry, was called to the pas- 
 torate, at a salary of four hundred dollars per year, a sum 
 considered at that time quite extraordinary for a preacher's 
 services. A quaint feature of the day was the custom, kept 
 up for a long time in the Mill Street church, of giving out 
 hymns line after line. 
 
 In 1826 the influence of the religious movement headed 
 by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell caused the intro- 
 duction of a resolution into the Pirst Baptist Church, to 
 change its name to "the Church of Christ,"* which was ad- 
 vocated and opposed by the two parties which had then 
 formed in the church. After a prolonged discussion, the 
 party favoring the resolution " swarmed out," under the 
 the leadership of Dr. Fishback, and organized " the Church 
 of Christ," and worshiped in the building now known as 
 the Statesman office, on Short street, between Upper and 
 Limestone. This church was eventually dissolved. Many 
 of the congregation went back to the First Baptist Church, 
 and the remainder connected themselves with the body now 
 called the " Christian Church." 
 
 When Dr. Fishback left the First Baptist Church, Eev. 
 Jeremiah Vardeman was called to the pastorate. Mr. Var- 
 deman was born in Wythe county, Virginia, July 8, 1775, 
 and came to Kentucky in 1794. He was a faithful and 
 laborious minister of the gospel, and in the pulpit was clear, 
 earnest, fervid, and convincing.-}- He was often assisted by 
 Elders W. C. Breck and J. B. Smith. Mr. Vardeman was 
 pastor up to 1831. 
 
 Eev. R. T. Dillard was the next incumbent. Mr. Dillard 
 was born in Caroline county, Virginia, November 17, 1797, 
 served in the war of 1812, came to Kentucky, and settled 
 at Winchester in 1818, and began the practice of law, which 
 he abandoned in 1825, when he was licensed to preach. 
 He came to Fayette in 1828, and was for very many years 
 pastor of David's Fork and East Hickman Baptist Churches. 
 
 ♦Church Kecord. tSprague's Annals. 
 
I'^se.] BAPTIST CBVRCH— PASTORS. 121 
 
 111 1838 he traveled in Europe for his health. Ho was sub- 
 sequently Superintendent of Public Instruction, lias mar- 
 ried six hundred and seventy couples, and is at present a 
 resident of Lexington. 
 
 Rev. Silas M. N'oel* succeeded Mr. Dillard, in October, 
 1835. Dr. Noel was born August 12, 1783, in Essex county, 
 Virginia, and was educated for the bar. He came to Ken- 
 tucky in 1806, and practiced law until 1811, when, after 
 much study of the subject of religion, he united with the 
 Baptist Church, and was ordained to the ministry in 1813. 
 Being poorly paid, like all the Western preachers of that 
 day, he accepted, in 1818, the position of circuit judge in 
 the Fourth Indiana district, without relinquishing his supe- 
 rior office. Mr. Noel was the originator of the Baptist 
 Educational Society of Kentucky. He was a man of much 
 more than ordinary powers, and as a speaker was noted 
 for his fluency, chasteness, and elegance. He died May 5, 
 1839, and was buried near Frankfort, Kentucky. 
 
 Mr. Noel's successor was Eev. "W. F. Broadus, who was 
 born in Culpepper county, Virginia, about the year 1802. 
 He was descended from a preaching family, and was himself 
 a laborious pastor and excellent preacher. He filled the pul- 
 pit in this city until 1845, after which he became president 
 of a female college, in Shelbyville. He is now one of the 
 prominent Baptist ministers of Virginia. 
 
 The church called Rev. "William M. Pratt, of New York, 
 in 1845. During his administration the congregation 
 worked together with harmony, its eflbrts were attended 
 with great success, and in 1854, the old church opposite the 
 college lawn was sold, and a handsome new one erected 
 on Mill, between the present new First Presbyterian house 
 of worship and Church street. It was dedicated the 19th 
 of November, 1855, the regular pastor, Mr. Pratt, being 
 assisted by Rev. R. T. Dillard and Dr. S. W. Lynd, then 
 president of the Theological Seminary at Georgetown. This 
 house was unfortunately destroyed by fire, January 1,-1859, 
 but in the May following the erection of another one was 
 
 *Spragae's Annals. 
 
122 niSTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1786. 
 
 commenced in the old churchyard, on Main, the site of the 
 pioneer Baptist Church of Lexington. "While digging the 
 foundation many relics of the old settlers and citizens were 
 exhumed, and all not identified were buried in a vault 
 under the church. This house was dedicated January 1, 
 1860. President Campbell, of Georgetown, Eev. G. 0. 
 Lorrimer, and the pastor officiating. 
 
 In 1863, after having been pastor for seventeen years, 
 Mr. Pratt resigned, and the Rev. "W. H. Felix, a native of 
 Woodford county and graduate of Georgetown College, was 
 called. Some months after Mr. Felix came the church was 
 again burned, but mainly through his efibrts another one 
 was built on the same spot, and dedicated August 20, 1865, 
 only to be visited by fire again in February, 1867. The 
 untiring congregation set to work once more, and the pres- 
 ent building was completed in a short time after the disas- 
 ter. Even at this late date the war feeling had not entirely 
 died out. A little while after the last fire, Mr. Pratt, "W". 
 E. Bosworth, and others asked and were given letters of 
 dismission, and they proceeded to organize a "Second 
 Baptist Church." The little congregation met for some 
 time in the City Library building, but is now disbanded, 
 most of the members having returned to the First Church. 
 Mr. Felix resigned his charge in April, 1869, and was suc- 
 ceeded the June following by Rev. George Hunt, the 
 present faithful pastor, a native of Fayette county. The 
 Baptist Church has exhibited great energy under many 
 misfortunes, and is now enjoying the abundant prosperity 
 it so well deserves. 
 
iTsr.] CONVENTIONS, ETC. 123 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Paint Lick Expedition — Delegates to Conventions — Society for 
 Promoting Useful Knowledge — Old Kentucky Gazette — The 
 First Western Newsjpaper — Lexington Racing Clubs — Ken- 
 tucky Association — Fo under s — Incidents — Officers — Great 
 Horses — Lnprovements — Turfmen — Breeders — The Great 
 " Lexington," 
 
 The events of the year 1787, if not of great importance, 
 were of more than ordinary interest. The Indians con- 
 tinued to show great restlessness and dissatisfaction. On 
 information given by some friendly Shawanese that a party 
 of Cherokees, at Paint Lick, were meditating a prefatory 
 raid, Colonel Robert Todd made an expedition against them 
 and dispersed them, killing three, and taking seven pris- 
 oners, who escaped the next day after capture.* 
 
 Fayette sent two delegates to the Virginia convention, 
 which in this year ratified the constitution of the United 
 States. The delegates were Humphrey Marshall and John 
 Fowler.f 
 
 Another convention, the fifth, met at Danville, in Septem- 
 tember, 1787, and Fayette was represented by Levi Todd, 
 Caleb "Wallace, Humphrey Marshall, John Fowler, and 
 William Ward.J 
 
 A number of gentlemen, alive to the interests and ad- 
 vancement of the district, assembled in the month of De- 
 cember, 1787,11 and arranged for the establishment of the 
 " Kentucky Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge." At 
 least half of the members of the society were citizens of 
 Lexington, and many of them were afterward counted 
 
 «Marshall. tButler- JOld Gazette. ||Gazette. 
 
124 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [l'?87. 
 
 among the most eminent men of the state. We give the 
 names of all the members. They were: Christopher 
 Greenup, Humphrey Marshall, J. Brown, Isaac Shelby, 
 James Garrard, Charles Scott, George Muter, Samuel 
 McDowell, Harry Jones, James Speed, "Wm. McDowell, 
 Willis Green, Thos. Todd, Thos. Speed, G. J. Johnson, 
 Joshua Barbee, Stephen Armsby, J. Overton, Jr., John 
 Jewett, Thos. Allen, Robert Todd, Joseph Crockett, 
 Ebenezer Brooks, T. Hall, Caleb Wallace, Wm. Irvine, 
 James Parker, Alex. Parker, John Fowler, John Coburn, 
 George Gordon, A. D. Orr, Robert Barr,. Horace Turpin, 
 Robert Johnson, John Craig, David Leitch. 
 
 The first newspaper ever published west of the Alle- 
 ghany mountains was established in Lexington, in 1787, 
 by John Bradford. It was then called the Kentucke Ga- 
 zette, but the final e of Kentucky was afterward changed 
 to y, in consequence of the Virginia legislature requiring 
 certain advertisements to be inserted in the Kentuckt/ Ga- 
 zette. This paper was born of the necessities of the times. 
 The want of a government independent of Virginia was 
 then universally felt, and the second convention that met 
 in Danville, in 1785, to discuss that subject, resolved, "That 
 to insure unanimity in the opinion of the people respecting 
 the propriety of separating the district of Kentucky from 
 Virginia and forming a separate state government, and to 
 give publicity to the proceedings of the convention, it is 
 deemed essential to the interests of the country to have a 
 printing press." A committee was then appointed to 
 carry out the design of the convention ; but all their 
 eftbrts had failed, when John Bradford called on General 
 Wilkinson, one of the committee, and informed' him that 
 he would establish a paper if the convention would guar- 
 antee to him the public patronage. To this the convention 
 acceded, and in 1786 Bradford sent to Philadelphia for the 
 necessary materials. He had already received every en- 
 couragement from the citizens of Lexington, and at a 
 mectiijg of the trustees in July, it was ordered "that the 
 use of a public lot- be granted to John Bradford free, on 
 
1787.] FIRST NEWSPAPER. 125 
 
 condition that he establish a printing press in Lexington ; 
 the lot to be free to him as long as the press is in town." 
 Mr. Bradford's first office was in a log cabin, on the corner 
 of Main and Broadway, now known as " Cleary's," but 
 then known as " opposite the court-house." He subse- 
 quently used a building on Main, between Mill and Broad- 
 way, about where Scott's iron front building stands. 
 
 At last, after being months on the route, the precious 
 printing material arrived, and on August 18, 1787, ap- 
 peared the first number of the first newspaper ever pub- 
 lished in the then western wilderness. It was a quaint 
 httle brown thing, about the size of a half sheet of com- 
 mon letter paper, " subscription price 3 8 shillings per 
 annum, advertisements of moderate length 3 shillings." 
 It was printed in the old style—/ being used for s. The 
 first number is without a heading, and contains one adver- 
 tisement, two short original articles, and the following 
 apology from the editor : 
 
 "My customers will excuse this, my first publication, as 
 I am much hurried to get an impression by the time ap- 
 pointed. A great part of the types fell into pi in the car- 
 riage of them from Limestone (Maysville) to this office, 
 and miy partner, which is the only assistant I have, through 
 an indisposition of the body, has been incapable of render- 
 ing the smallest assistance for ten days past. 
 
 " John Bradford." 
 
 ITo wonder " the types fell into pi," for they had to be 
 carried from "Limestone" to Lexington on pack-horses, 
 that had swollen streams to cross, fallen trees to jump, and 
 many a terrible " scare " from the sudden crack of Indian 
 rifles, for there was not a half mile between the two places 
 unstained with blood. The Gazette of 1787 is the only 
 indicator extant of the size and importance of Lexington, 
 at that time. We are able to surmise some things, at least, 
 after looking over the first volumes of the Gazette. They 
 are adorned with rude cuts and ornaments gotten up by 
 Bradford himself. It is well known that he cut out the 
 larger letters from dog-wood. In these volumes we find 
 
126 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1787. 
 
 advertised, among other things, knee-bnckles, hair-powder, 
 spinning wheels, flints, buckskin for breeches, and saddle- 
 bag locks. "Persons who subscribe to the frame meeting- 
 house can pay in cattle or whisky." In another place the 
 editor condemns the common practice of " taming bears," 
 and also that of "lighting fires with rifles." Proceedings 
 of the district convention are published, l^o. 5, of volume 
 1, contains the constitution of the United States just framed 
 by the " grand convention " then in session. Notice is given 
 to the public not to tamper with corn or potatoes at a cer- 
 tain place, as they had been poisoned to trap some veg- 
 etable stealing Indians. In another number, "notice is 
 given that a company will meet at Crab Orchard next Mon- 
 day, for an early start through the wilderness; most of the 
 delegates to the State Convention at Kichmond (to adopt 
 constitution of United States), v^ill go with them." Chas. 
 Bland advertises, "I will not pay a note given to Wm. 
 Turner for three second-rate cows till he returns a rifle, 
 blanket, and tomahawk I loaned him." Later, the names 
 of Simon Kenton and 'Squire Boone appear. The columns 
 of the Gazette are enriched with able and well-written ar- 
 ticles, full of that mental vigor and natural talent for 
 which our pioneer fathers were so justly celebrated; bat 
 "locals" are vexatiously scarce. Still the editor got up 
 some. He often speaks of stealing, murdering, and kid- 
 napping by Indians. At one time he speaks of a wonder- 
 ful elephant on exhibition in a certain stable, an'd at another, 
 "the people of the settlement are flocking in to see the 
 dromedary" — quite a menagerie at that day. "We must re- 
 member, if we think his " items " scarce, that at that time 
 steamboats didn't explode, nor cars run off the track, for 
 none of these, or a thousand other modern item-making 
 machines, were in existence. 
 
 Still the Gazette must have been read with the most in- 
 tense interest ; in fact, a writer in one of its earliest num- 
 bers says : "Mr. Bradford, as I have signed the subscription 
 for your press, and take your paper, my curiosity eggs me 
 on to read everything in it." And no wonder, for all docu- 
 ments of public interest had up to this time been written, 
 
1787.] FIRST NEWSPAPER. 127 
 
 ■were often illegible, and one copy only was to be seen at 
 each of the principal settlements. And then it was the 
 only paper printed within five hundred miles of Lexington, 
 and there was no post-ofiice in the whole district. It was 
 published, too, at a time of unusual interest in politics, and 
 while party spirit ran high. The old national government 
 was crumbling to give place to the new ; the settlements 
 were distracted by French and Spanish intrigues; the peo- 
 ple were indignant and hot-blooded over the obstructed 
 navigation of the Mississippi, and convention after conven- 
 tion was being held to urge on the work of separation 
 from Virginia. What a treat the Gazette was to the pioneers ! 
 Often when the post-rider arrived with it at a settlement, 
 the whole population would crowd around the school- 
 master or " 'squire," who, mounted in state upon a stump, 
 would read it, advertisements and all, to the deeply inter- 
 ested and impatient throng. 
 
 Bradford's editorial situation, contrasted with the mag- 
 nificent surroundings and princely style of a New York 
 journalist of the present day, was quite interesting. His 
 steamboat, railroad, telegraph, and mail carrier was a pack 
 mule. His office was a log cabin. His rude and unwieldy 
 hand-press was of the old-fashioned style, that for centuries 
 had not been improved, and, in addition, it was a second- 
 hand one. He daubed on the ink by hand with two an- 
 cient dog-skin inking balls, and probably managed to get 
 sixty or seventy copies printed on one side in an hour. If 
 he wrote at night, it was by the light of a rousing fire, a 
 bear-grease lamp, or a buflalo tallow candle; an editorial 
 desk made of a smooth slab, supported by two pairs of 
 cross legs ; a three-legged stool, ink horn, and a rifle com- 
 posed the rest of the furniture of his office. The Gazette 
 was, for some time, in its early history, printed on paper 
 made near Lexington, at the mill of Craig, Parker & Co. 
 This pioneer journal of the West existed for nearly three- 
 quarters of a century. There is no greater treasure in the 
 Lexington library than the old files of the Kentucke 
 Gazette. 
 
128 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1^87. 
 
 John Bradford became a citizen of Lexington in 1786. 
 This useful man, whose name is so closely linked with the 
 early history of our city, was born in Fauquier county, 
 Virginia, in 1749, and married Eliza, daughter of Captain 
 Benj. James of the same county, in 1761. He took part 
 in the Eevolutionary war, and was also in the battle with 
 the Indians at Chillicothe. In 1785, he brought his family 
 out from Virginia, and settled in Fayette county. He founded 
 the Kentucke Gazette in 1787, and published the next year 
 the Kentucke Almanac, the first pamphlet printed west of 
 the mountains. Mr. Bradford was chairman of the Lex- 
 ington Board of Trustees, which welcomed Governor 
 Shelby, in 1792, to our city, which was then the capital of 
 the state. He was the first state printer, and received from 
 the legislature one hundred pounds sterling. He printed 
 books as early as 1794, and some of them of that date are 
 still to be seen in the Lexington library. He was at one 
 time, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Transylvania 
 University, and filled many places of trust and honor in 
 Lexington. He was greatly respected, and after leading a 
 life of much usefulness, went to his rest, sincerely mourned 
 by all who knew him. His residence was on the corner 
 of Mill and Second streets. It was built by Colonel Hart, 
 and is the same one now occupied by Mrs. Ryland. 
 
 The center of "the garden spot of Kentucky," justly 
 famous the world over for its magnificent blood stock, was 
 devoted to the turf while Lexington was scarcely a village. 
 As early as 1787, " the commons," as our present "Water 
 street was then called, was a favorite resort of horsemen 
 when their charming pastime of racing through Main 
 street was interfered with by the troublesome trustees of 
 the rising town.* The settlers pursued pleasures under difii- 
 culties in those days, as the "red-skin varmints" had all 
 by no means disappeared from the state. In August, 1789, 
 the only newspaper published in Kentuckyf contained the 
 following notice, which we give verbatim, viz : " A purse- 
 race will take place at Lexington, on 2d Thursday in Octo- 
 
 *Trustees' Book. tOld Kentucke Gazette. 
 
1787.] LEXINGTON RACING ASSOCIATION. 129 
 
 ber next, free for any horse, mare, or gelding ; weight for 
 age agreeable to the rules of New Market (three-mile 
 heats), best two in three. Each subscriber to pay one 
 guinea, and every person that enters a horse for the purse 
 to pay two guineas, including his subscription. The horses 
 to be entered the^ day before running with Mr. John Fowler, 
 who will attend at Mr. Collins' tavern on that day. Sub- 
 scriptions taken by Nicholas Lafon, Lexington." Races 
 were pretty regularly kept up after this time. Simeon 
 Buford and Colonel Abraham Buford owned the winning 
 horses in 1795. In 1802, races were in full blast in Lex- 
 ington, and in 1809, the Lexington Jockey Club was organ- 
 ized. It existed until 1823, and held its meetings near 
 Ashland. The report made by the secretary, W". Q. Wilson, 
 of its final October meeting, is as follows :* 
 
 " The first day's purse, for the four-mile heats, was taken 
 by Mr. Burbridge's gelding. Tiger by Tiger, 5 years old, at 
 two heats, beating Captain Harris' b. h. Paragon, by Whip, 
 4 years old, and Colonel W. Buford's s. m. Carolina, by Sir 
 Archie, 4 years old. Paragon was drawn the second heat. 
 Time of the first heat, 8:15; of the second heat, 8:25. 
 
 " The second day's purse, three-mile heats, was won by 
 Mr. Watson's s. h. Sea Serpent, by Shylock, beating Mr. 
 Blackburn's Sophy Winn, by Whip, at two heats. Time 
 of the first heat, 6:7 ; of the second heat, 6:10. 
 
 " The third day's purse, two-mile heats, was won by Mr. 
 Barnett's s. h. Diamond, by Brilliant, 3 years old, at three 
 heats, beating Mr. W. Sanders' Stifler, by Ex-Emperor, and 
 Mr. Harlan 8 gelding. Black Snake, by Sky Lark. The 
 Black Snake won the first heat and was drawn the third 
 heat. Time of the first heat, 4:2 ; of the second heat, 4:8 ; 
 the third heat was won by Diamond with ease. 
 
 "The Handy Cap purse on Saturday, one mile heats, best 
 three in five, was won by Captain Harris' Paragon, beat- 
 ing the Irishman and Virginia. Time of the first heat, 
 1:52 ; of the second heat, 1:51 ; of the third heat, 1:53 ; each 
 heat was closely contested by the Irishman and Virginia." 
 
 •Lexington Paper. 
 
130 BISTORT OF LEXINOTOHT. [1787. 
 
 The present noted Kentucky association was organized 
 at Mrs. Keene's inn^ Lexington, July 29, 1826, by about 
 fifty of the prominent turfmen of Central Kentucky, 
 among whom were E. "Warfield, T. H. Pindell, Jas. K. 
 Duke, Leslie Combs, J. Boswell, R. Downing, J. L. Down- 
 ing, Geo. H. Bowman, John Bruce, John Tilford, B. W, 
 Dudley, W. R. Morton, E. J. Breckinridge, Wm. Buford, 
 John Brand, and Eobt. Wicklitfe.* The object of the 
 association, to use the words of the original agreement, 
 was " to improve the breed of horses by encouraging the 
 sports of the turf." The first racing meeting held under 
 the arrangement commenced October 19, 1826, on the old 
 "Williams' track, which was on what is now known as the 
 Lee property, near the Lexington Cemetery. The first 
 race was for a purse of $300; four started; was won 
 by Andrew Barnett's Diomed gelding, Sheriffe, in two 
 straight heats. For the second day's purse of $200, three 
 started. "Won by Ralph P. Tarlton's horse, Old Count. 
 The third and last day's racing, for the purse of |100, was 
 won by Ludwell Berkley's gelding. Sir Sidney. For this 
 purse, five horses started. The time is not given. f 
 
 For the year 1827, the race for the first day was for a 
 purse of $150, for two miles and repeat; the second day, a 
 race of four miles and repeat, for a purse of $400, and the 
 third day a race of three miles and repeat, for a purse of 
 $250. The first was won by Willa "Vilfey's b. m. Mariah, 
 in 4:15. The time of second heat not given. The four 
 mile race was won by E. B. Tarlton's s. s. Old Count, in 
 8:17, 8:48. The three-mile race was won by Sidney Bur- 
 bridge's b. m.. Limber. The heats were broken. The 
 time as follows : 6:09, 6:07, 6:46, 6:18. A sweepstakes was 
 opened for the following day, one mile, best three in five, 
 which was won by Willa Viley's Mariah. Time, l:53i, 
 l:52i, 1:511 i:5i, IjSI.j 
 
 The old "Williams' track was used by the association 
 until 1828, when the present track, at the east end of 
 Fifth street, was bought by John Postlethwaite. In 1834, 
 
 *Associatiou Kecords. f Observer and Reporter. Jld. 
 
1787.] LEXINGTON RACING ASSOCIATION. 131 
 
 a tract of land adjoining the course, was purchased from 
 Jeremiah Murphy, and added to the original purchase. 
 The association now own about sixty-five acres of land, all 
 of which is inclosed with a high plank fence. In this 
 year (1834), it was ordered that the wieghts heretofore 
 adopted, be changed to conform to those established by 
 the Central Course of Maryland. It was also ordered that 
 Wm. Buford, W. Viley, J. K. Duke, A. K. WooUey, and 
 Leslie Combs, be appointed a committee to apply to the 
 legislature for a charter.* 
 
 A motion was adopted instructing the secretary to have 
 a bulletin of the races published every morning, giving a 
 description of horses and rider's dress, which is carried out 
 to this day. 
 
 An early frequenterf of the course says of this period 
 (1834) : " We can recollect when nothing but an old post 
 and rail fence inclosed the track ; the judges' stand stood 
 at the cow-pens, and the grand stand was an old*, rickety 
 building, with high steps, which stood on top of the hill 
 in the center of the course. Admittance to the course 
 was free, to the stand twenty-five cents. John "Wirt was 
 secretary. We recollect seeing Woodpecker, the sire of 
 Gray Eagle, ran. We remember vividly the race between 
 Dick Singleton and Collier, when the latter sulked, and 
 John Alcock rode Collier and broke a beautiful ivory whip 
 over the head of the obstinate beast. 
 
 "We can recollect when the judges' stand was placed 
 where the timing stand is now, when Rodolph ran at Lex- 
 ington, aim subsequently defeated the great Tennessee 
 crack Angora, at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1836. The year 
 the course was fenced in, about 1835, we witnessed the 
 great sixteen-mile race between Sarah Miller, Jim Allen, 
 and Gray foot; the great apd exciting struggle between 
 May Dacre (afterward Belle Anderson, the dam of Zenith) 
 and Susette, three-mile heats; the brilliant promise of Gray 
 Eagle, as a three-year old, in 1838, and his subsequent de- 
 feat by the renowned ^ Wagner, at Louisville, in 1839. 
 
 «A6Sooiation Kecorda. fSee Turf, Field, and Farm, April, 1872. 
 
132 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [178T. 
 
 These two great races between Wagner and Gray Eagle 
 excited the highest interest throughout the country." 
 
 The year 1840 was memorable at Lexington for the great 
 three-mile heat race, in which nine stallions started, 
 Blacknose, by Medoc, out of Lucy, by Orphan, won the 
 first heat in 5:40, the fastest and first time 5:40 had been 
 made in America. Ked Bill, another son, of Medoc, won 
 the second and third heats in 5:48, 5:49. The following 
 year, 1841, was no less memorable, when Jim Bell, by 
 Frank, ran a second heat in 1:46, the fastest mile up to 
 that time ever run in America. This time stood for many 
 years before it was beaten. In 1842 the great match be- 
 tween Zenith and Miss Foote was made. Zenith broke 
 down in training, and Miss Foote walked over. The last 
 of the same meeting Miss Foote beat Argentile and Alice 
 Carneal, the honored dam of the unapproachable Lex- 
 ington, four mile heats, in 7:42, 7:40, the best time ever 
 made in Kentucky before.* 
 
 In 1843, the Great Produce Stakes for three-year olds, 
 seventy-two subscribers, at $500 each, $100 forfeit, with a 
 gold cup valued at $500 added, was won by Ruffin, by imp. 
 Hedgford, dam Duchess of Marlborough, by Sir Archy. 
 This was one of the most valuable stakes ever run for in 
 Kentucky. 
 
 In 1836, the date previously fixed to be taken in deciding 
 the age of horses, was changed to the Ist of January. The 
 months of May and September were decided upon in 1844, 
 as the times for the spring and fall meetings, and have been 
 adhered to ever since. 
 
 The fastest time for three-quarters of a mile ever run on 
 the association course is 1:18J. 
 
 The fastest time for one and one-quarter miles is 2:14J. 
 
 The fastest time for one and half miles is 2:38, which was 
 made by Exchange in the spring of 1870. This time has 
 never been beaten on any course except by Glenelg, who 
 ran in 2:37f . 
 
 The fastest time for two and one-half miles is 5:22J, 
 
 •Turf, Field, and Parm. 
 
1787.] LEXINGTON RACINO ASSOCIATION. 133 
 
 The following is the number of races run on the course 
 since its organization up to 1871, for the different distances : 
 Three-quarters of a mile, 4 races ; one mile, 213 races ; one 
 and a fourth miles, 2 races ; one and a half miles, 3 races ; 
 two miles, 141 races; two miles and a half, 2 races; three 
 miles, 49 races ; four miles, 23 races ; hurdle races, 2.* 
 
 The following is a list of the presidents and secretaries 
 of the association from the date of its organization, in 1826, 
 to the present time, viz : 
 
 Presidents.— 1S26, Wm. Pritchart; 1830, E. J. "Winter; 
 1833, Thos. H. Pindell ; 1845, Thos. H. Hunt ; 1848, Charles 
 Buford ; 1853, Leslie Combs ; 1855, John E,. Viley ; 1864, B. 
 G. Bruce; 1866, John R. Viley; 1871, John R. Viley; 
 1872, John C. Breckinridge. 
 
 Secretaries.— 1S26, John Wirt ; 1837, Thos. P. Hart ; same 
 year, Richard Pindell ; 1845, J. R. McGowan ; 1850, E. E. 
 Eagle; 1857, Charles Wheatly; 1865, E. E.Eagle; 1869, H. 
 Rees ; 1871, T. J. Bush. 
 
 The efficiency and accomplishments of Captain Bush in 
 his department are too well known to require comment. 
 
 The Kentucky Association is the oldest living club in 
 America, and General Combs is believed to be the only 
 living representative of the original fifty subscribers who 
 formed it. 
 
 That it is the fastest course in America can easily be 
 demonstrated.! Fadladeen and Salina each ran a mile on 
 this course in 1:43, in 1871. Frogtown ran one and one- 
 quarter miles in 2:09 J, in 1872. Exchange ran one mile and 
 a half in 2:38, in 1871. Frogtown ran one mile and three- 
 quarters in 3:07, in 1872. Lyttleton ran two miles in 3:34J, 
 
 in 1871. 
 
 The time here given is the fastest and best on record. 
 It is true that Glenelg ran two miles in 2:37| with 100 lbs,; 
 but Exchange, carrying 110 lbs., ran the same distance on 
 this course in 2:38, which makes his tjie best time. Hegira 
 ran two miles on the Metairie course, carrying 71i lbs., in 
 
 •Observer and Reporter, 1871. tHome Journal. 
 
134 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1787. 
 
 3:34J, butLyttleton, with 104 lbs., made it on the Kentucky 
 Association course in 3: 34 J. 
 
 This old course has been the scene of the debut and sub- 
 sequent renown of the most noted horses that have figured 
 on the American turf for the last thirty years. Here Jim 
 and Josh. Bell, Sarah Morton, Rocket, Motto, Grey Medoc, 
 Euffin, Ludu, Alaric, Darkness, Doubloon, Florin, Louis 
 D'Or, Rube, Zampa, Star Davis, Sally Waters, Frankfort, 
 Blonde, the renowned Lexington, Wild Irishman, Charley 
 Ball, Dick Doty, Vandal, Balloon, Princeton, Daniel Boone, 
 Ruric, Bonnie Lassie, JSTantura, Lavender, Satellite, Mollie 
 Jackson, Lightning, Thunder, Asteroid, Lancaster,, Sherrod, 
 Colton, Magenta, Solferino, Mammona, Bettie Ward, Good- 
 wood, Li]Ia,Herzog, Versailles, Fadladeen, Littleton, Long- 
 fellow, Enquirer, and a host of others, first gave promise of 
 their after fame and renown. 
 
 Extensive improvements were made by the association 
 in the spring of 1872.* The track was regraded and 
 widened to about double its former width. It is now just 
 one mile and six inches long. The old stands have been 
 torn down and new ones erected. The grand stand, which 
 is built twenty-seven feet back from the track, is a model 
 building of its kind, being one hundred and fifty by thirty 
 feet, and about thirty-two feet high. The lower story is 
 built of brick. Immediately in front of the grand stand, 
 and just at the edge of the track, is the judges' stand, an 
 octagon building, with a small room below, where the scales 
 are placed to weigh the riders. Just across the track is the 
 timers' stand. The old distance stand has also been re- 
 moved, and a new one erected. Where the old stand M'as, 
 there has been built a substantial frame building, which is 
 intended to accommodate all those who formerly went to 
 the field. The cooling ground has been changed from the 
 rear to the front. There are eleven stables on the ground, 
 in which more than seventy -five horses can be accommo- 
 dated. 
 
 The association course is now one of the handsomest in 
 
 •Daily Press. 
 
1787.] LEXINGTON RACING ASSOCIATION. I35 
 
 the United States. , Captain O. P. Beard, who directed and 
 personally superintended these improvements, was presented 
 with a fine timing watch, ordered from England, by his 
 friends, as a token of their appreciation of his taste and 
 untiring energy. 
 
 Nearly a hundred horses owned near Lexington were 
 present at the last spring meeting of the association. The 
 stables in attendance belonged to J. A. Grinstead, B. G. 
 Thomas, H. P. McGrath,'^ohn Clay, Zeb. Ward," J. F. Rob- 
 inson, A. Bufordj'^George Cadwallader, John Harperj'Daniel 
 Swigert, J. W. Hunt Reynolds, "Warren Viley, A. K. Rich- 
 ards, Caleb Wallace, and others. 
 
 We may mention with propriety, in this connection, that 
 in addition to the twenty-five or thirty regular breeding 
 establishments in Fayette county, nearly every farmer in it 
 is to some extent a breeder, and the whole county is one 
 vast stock farm. Here was bred, by Dr. Elisha "WarfieM, 
 the world-renowned " Lexington," and this county is the 
 native place of the famous thorough-breds, " Grey Eagle," 
 bred by H. T. Duncan, Sen. ; « Daniel Boone," " Kentucky," 
 and " Gilroy," bred by John M. Clay ; " Herzog," bred by 
 B. G. Thomas ; " Fadladeen," bred by Mr. McFadden ; and 
 " Frogtown," bred by William Stanhope and H. A. Head- 
 ley. At the head of the list of noted fast trotters that were 
 bred in Fayette are Dunlap's "Lady Thorn," William Brad- 
 ley's "John Morgan," Enoch Lewis' " Ericson," Andrew 
 Steele's " Blackwood," and Dr. L. Herr's " Mambrino Ber- 
 tie." The following is a list of the principal breeders and 
 the names of the stallions at the head of each stud, viz : 
 
 Thoroughbreds John M. Clay, " Star Davis ;" J. A. Grin- 
 stead, " Lightning" and " Gilroy ;" H. P. McGrath, " Blar- 
 ney Stone;" B. G. Thomas, ; J. R. Viley, ; Zeb. 
 
 "Wsird, ; George Cadwallader, . 
 
 Trotters. Dr. L. Herr, "Mambrino Patchin;" Enoch 
 
 Lewis, "Ericson;" Drs. S. and D. Price, "Sentinel;" R. 
 Lowell, "Abdallah Pilot;" Hunt Brothers, "Darlboy;" 
 Thomas Coons, "American Clay;" John Mardis, "Clark 
 Chief, Jr.;" Charles Headley, "Banquo;" A. Coons, ; 
 
336 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1T87. 
 
 "W. J. Bradley, ; Alexander Brand, ; K. & J. Tod- 
 hunter, Jos. Bryant, Jr., . 
 
 The names of the professional trainers in Fayette are: 
 Thomas Britton, C. B. Jeffreys, B. J. Tracy, R. Lowell, 
 James Chrystal, W. E.. Brasiield, A. L. Bice, H. Lusby, and 
 W. J. Bradley. 
 
 The history of the Kentucky Association, and also of 
 Fayette county, " the breeder's paradise," would never be 
 considered complete without a sketch of the pride of both, 
 viz : the famous race-horse, " Lexington," the blind old 
 Milton of the turf, and the king of coursers. "Lexington " 
 was bred by Dr. Elisha Warfield, of Lexington, Kentucky, 
 and was foaled in 1850, at his home, " The Meadows," 
 which is about half a mile frorn the association grounds. 
 "Lexington"* was by Boston, out of Alice Carneal, by 
 Sarpedon, dam Rowena, by Sampler ; great granddam Lady 
 Gray, by Robin Gray. Boston was by Timoleon out of 
 Robin Brown's dam, own sister to Tuckahoe and Revenge, 
 by Florizel. Alice Carneal, Lexington's dam, was foaled 
 in Kentucky, in 1836, and although she ran second in the 
 first heat of a four-mile race to Miss Foote in 7:42, being 
 distanced in the second heat, she never won a race. Lex- 
 ington was first known on the turf as Darley, and under 
 that name won his first race, a three-year old stake, at the 
 Lexington, Kentucky, May meeting, 1853, mile heats, beat' 
 ing thirteen opponents. He was purchased on the evening 
 after this race by Mr. Ten Broeck, and his name changed 
 to Lexington. At the same meeting he won a two-mile 
 heat race for three-year olds, and his owner soon after 
 matched him to run a three-mile race against the four-year 
 old filly, Sally Waters, by Glencoe, out of Maria Black, 
 for $8,500 ; the backers of the filly staking $5,000 to $3,500 
 on Lexington. The race occurred on the Metairie course, 
 'Eew Orleans, December 2, 1853, and Lexington won, dis- 
 tancing Sally Waters in the second heat. The time was 
 6:23i and 6:24J, and the track very heavy. His next en- 
 gagement was in the three-year old stake, at New Orleans, 
 
 '''^Ciiiciiiiiati Commercial. 
 
1787.] THE GREAT "LEXINGTON." 137 
 
 January 7, 1854, two-mile heats, but being amiss, he paid 
 forfeit to Conrad the Corsair, Argent, and Hornpipe. The 
 following April, on the same course, he won for Kentucky 
 the Great State Post Stake, for all ages, four-mile heats, 
 beating Lecomte, the representative of Mississippi, second 
 in both heats, Highlander, of Alabama, and Arrow, of 
 Louisiana. Highlander was distanced in the second, and 
 Arrow in the first heat ; time 8:081, 8:0-4, and track heavy. 
 The next meeting of Lexington and Lecomte was on April 
 8, over the same track, for the Jockey Club purse of $2,000, 
 four-mile heats, and here Lexington sustained his only, de- 
 feat, Lecomte winning two straight heats in the fastest time 
 ever made up to that date, viz: 7:26, 7:38f. Lexington 
 was second in both heats, and Eeube, third on the first, 
 was distanced in the last heat, l^otwithstanding his horse's 
 defeat, Ten Broeck oft'ered to run him against Lecomte's 
 best time or against Lecomte himself for $20,000, four-mile 
 heats. Eventually, a match was made for $20,000, Lexing- 
 ton to run against the fastest time, at four miles, that is^ 
 Lecomte's 7:26, over the Metairie course, New Orleans. 
 This memorable race occurred April 2, 1855, and Lexington, 
 carrying 103 pounds — three pounds over- weight — and' rid- 
 den by Gilpatrick, won in 7:19f, which, for seventeen years, 
 has never been equaled. The time was l:47i, 1:52J, l:51i, 
 and l:48f ; total, 7:19|. Not satisfied with this. General 
 "Wells started Lecomte against Lexington for the Jockey 
 Club purse of $1,000, with an inside stake of $2,500 a side, 
 four-mile heats, April 24, 1855, on the Metairie course, and 
 this time Lexington obtained a decisive victory over his 
 old conqueror, winning the first heat in 7:23|, and gallop- 
 ing over in the second heat, as Lecomte had been with- 
 drawn. 
 
 Lexington soon after broke down, and, being withdrawn 
 from the turf, was purchased by the late R. A. Alexander, 
 of "Woodburn, Woodford county, Kentucky. He is now 
 blind, and has been so for some years. Mr. Alexander 
 paid Mr. Ten Broeck $15,000 for "Lexington," and was 
 ridiculed for giving so large an amount; but subsequent 
 events justified his foresight. A few years later, Lexing- 
 
138 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1787. 
 
 ton's son, "IsTorfolk," won the two stakes for three-jear olds 
 at St. Louis, and was then sold for $15,000. Since then, 
 another son, "Kentucky," sold for $40,000, and double that 
 sum would not purchase " Harry Bassett," the greatest of 
 bis progeny. 
 
 My- 
 
1788.] FIRST CELEBRATION OF TBE FOURTH OF JULY. I39 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Mist Celebration of the Fourth of July — Convention Election — 
 Woodford County Formed — Cincinnati Settled — Free Ma- 
 sonry in Lexington — Native and Resident Painters: West, 
 Joueti, Frazer, Bush, Price, and others. 
 
 The first regular and formal celebratioa of Independence 
 Day in Lexington took place in 1788. The 8cene then ex- 
 hibited stands in striking contrast with modern usage, and 
 the toasts and sentiments of the occasion not only show at 
 once the native strength and clearness of the pioneer mind, 
 but the condition and feelings of the people on the state of 
 affairs in the then District of Kentucky. 
 
 At one p. M. on the day mentioned, a large company of 
 ladies and gentlemen assembled at what was then known as 
 Captain Thomas Young's tavern, where an elegant enter- 
 tainment and feast of fat things had been prepared, and an 
 hour was passed in festive enjoyment. After dinner an ode 
 composed by a Lexington gentleman was sung to the tune 
 of "Rule Britannia," the entire company joining in the 
 chorus — 
 
 "Hail Kentucke, Kentucke, thou shall be 
 Forever great, most blest and free." 
 
 This unique production was a poetic embodiment of the; 
 universal desire of the people for a separate state govern- 
 ment, and was sung with the greatest spirit and enthusiasm. 
 
 The following toasts and sentiments were then drank, 
 with a discharge of fourteen rifles at each interval : 
 
 The United States of America. 
 
 The illustrious George Washington, Esq.; may his serv- 
 ices be remembered. 
 
140 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1788. 
 
 The Western World : perpetual union on principles of 
 equality or amicable separation. 
 
 The navigation of the Mississippi at any price but that 
 of liberty. 
 
 Harmony with Spain and a reciprocity of good offices. 
 
 May the savage enemies of America be chastised by arms, 
 and the jobbing system of treason be exploded. 
 
 " The Convention of Virginia." May wisdom, firmness, 
 and a sacred regard for the fundamental principles of the 
 revolution, guide her councils. 
 
 Trial by jury, liberty of the press, and no standing army. 
 
 May the Atlantic States be just, the Western States be 
 free, and both happy. 
 
 ITo paper money, no tender laws, and no legislative inter- 
 ference with private contracts. 
 
 The above presents a perfect picture of affairs in Ken- 
 tucky at that date, and at no subsequent period in her 
 history up to the eve of the late war has our state been so 
 strangely situated. While Kentucky was struggling for 
 separate state sovereignty the ruins of the old confederation 
 were lying all around her. The Virginia Convention to 
 deliberate on the constitution of a new union was then in 
 session, listening to the eloquent wisdom of Henry, Mason, 
 Pendleton, Grayson, and its other great and sagacious states- 
 men, and Kentucky was watching with the most eager in- 
 terest for its decision. Here, in the very infancy, or rather 
 at the very birth of the republic, we see the Yankee at 
 work. Louisiana was then a Spanish province, and Don 
 Gardozni, Minister from Spain, was making every exertion 
 to effect a political union between the West and Louisiana, 
 and Kentucky was being tempted with the free navigation 
 of the Mississippi; and to all this may be added the rav- 
 ages of the Indians and the dissensions among her own 
 citizens. Kentucky has never celebrated a much more mo- 
 mentous " Fourth." 
 
 A regular old " five days election " for delegates to tlie 
 Seventh Danville Convention was held in Lexington and 
 Fayette county this year, and was an unusually spirited one. 
 Colonel Thomas Marshall, at the head of the "Court" 
 
1788.] CINCINNATI SETTLED. 141 
 
 party, and General Wilkinson, the leader of the " Country" 
 party, labored with unusual zeal. The " Court" won, and 
 sent Thomas Marshall, Caleb "Wallace, William Ward, and 
 John Allen to the convention. General Wilkinson was the 
 only one on the " Country" ticket elected. 
 
 Virginia contracted the wide borders of Fayette consid- 
 erably this year, by organizing Woodford county out of 
 part of her territory. 
 
 The city of Cincinnati was settled by a company from 
 Lexington ; two citizens of Lexington owned most of the 
 ground on which it stands, and one of them gave it its 
 original name, " Losantiville."* The following notice, which 
 we give verbatim, was published in the old Kentucky 
 Gazette, September 6, 1788 : 
 
 " !Cf OTiCE. — The subscribers, being proprietors of a tract 
 of land opposite the mouth of the Licking river, on the 
 northwest side of the Ohio, have determined to lay off a 
 town upon that excellent situation. The local and natural 
 advantages speak its future prosperity, being equal, if not 
 superior to any on the bank of the Ohio between the 
 Miamis. The in-lots to be each half an acre, the out-lots 
 four acres ; thirty of each to be given to settlers, upon pay- 
 ing one dollar and fifty cents for the survey and deed of 
 each lot. The 15th day of September is appointed for 
 a large company to meet in Lexington, and mark a road 
 from there to the mouth of the Licking, provided Judge 
 Symmes arrives, being daily expected. When the town is 
 laid off, lots will be given to such as may become residents 
 before the first day of April next. 
 
 " Matthias Denman, 
 KoBEET Patterson, 
 John Filson." 
 
 The road was marked, the present site of Cincinnati 
 was duly visited, and a settlement was made there by Col- 
 onel Patterson's party, in December, 1788. In the follow- 
 ing June the little village was strengthened and protected 
 by the building of Fort Washington, by which name Cin- 
 
 «Ci3t Papers, 12. 
 
142 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T88. 
 
 cinnati was long known to the pioneers of the West. After 
 efl'ecting the settlement, Colonel Patterson returned to 
 Lexington, where he continued to reside until 1804. 
 
 Freemasonry in Kentucky, and in all the region west 
 of the Alleghany mountains, had its commencement in 
 "Lodge ISTo. 25," established in Lexington, District of Ken- 
 tucky, JSTovember 17, 1788, by the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
 ginia. "Masons' Hall," in Lexington, was at that time a 
 small house of primitive style, located on the same lot 
 where the present hall stands, on the corner of Walnut and 
 Short streets. The ground on which it stood was donated 
 to the lodge by William Murray, the first Grand Master of 
 the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 1796, the ball was im- 
 proved from funds realized from a lottery gotten up for the 
 purpose, and the membership of the lodge had so increased 
 by 1799, that St. John's day was celebrated with consid- 
 erable display.* On the 8th of September, 1800,f a con- 
 vention of delegates from all the lodges in Kentucky met 
 at " Masons' Hall," to consider the propriety of separating 
 from the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and 
 forming a Grand Lodge in Kentucky. James Morrison, 
 of "No. 25," was chairman. The delegates at this conven- 
 tion from "Lexington Lodge, No. 25," were Thomas Bod- 
 ley, Alexander McGregor, and James Russell. Separation 
 was determined upon, and was agreed to by the Virginia 
 Grand Lodge ; and on Thursday, October 16, 1800, in Ma- 
 sons' Hall, in Lexington, the representatives of the lodges of 
 Kentucky opened a Grand Lodge for the State of Ken- 
 tucky, " the first on the great American roll of the nine- 
 teenth century." Nearly half the officers of the Grand 
 Lodge were selected from "No. 25," viz: Alexander Mc- 
 Gregor, Deputy Grand Master; James Russell, G. Sec- 
 retary; John Bobbs, G. Tyler. At this first session, the 
 seal of Lexington Lodge, No. 25, was adopted by the 
 Grand Lodge, and used for some time. " No. 25 " was also 
 placed first in the order of subordinate lodges, in deference 
 to its priority of age, and then became " Lexington Lodge, 
 
 *Kentucky Gazette. tProcecdings of G. L. 
 
1T88.] FREEMASONRY. ' I43 
 
 No. 1," by which title it has been known ever since that 
 time.* Among the distinguished men who were members 
 of Lodge No. 1 may be named Henry Clay, W. T. Barry, 
 Joseph H. Daviess, Jesse Bledsoe, George M. Bibb, Felix 
 Grundy, and B. W. Dudley. In 1806, Lodge No, 1 sent 
 Daniel Bradford and John Bobb as delegates to the con- 
 vention, which met in Lexington that year to frame a 
 Grand Lodge constitution. At the meeting of the Grand 
 Lodge, August 27, 1812, in Lexington, an imposing funeral 
 ceremonial was performed in honor of the heroic Grand 
 Master, Joseph H. Daviess, who fell at the battle of Tippe- 
 canoe, November 7, 1811. The pall bearers were eight 
 Master Masons of Lodge No. l.f 
 
 Daviess Lodge was erected this year (1812) by a num- 
 ber of the members of Lodge No. 1, and was duly char- 
 tered by the Grand Lodge. It was named in honor of the 
 lamented hero, to whom funeral honors had just been paid, 
 and formed the first instance, in Kentucky, of a lodge being 
 named after an individual. David Castleman was first 
 master, and John Pope, one of the first members, repre- 
 sented it at the next session of the Grand Lodge.J The 
 sword of Colonel Daviess, incased in a casket made of the 
 wood of the oak under which he was standing when he re- 
 ceived his death wound, was presented to the Grand Lodge in 
 October, 1858, by Levi L. Todd. Daviess Lodge ranks third 
 in age among the lodges now in existence in Kentucky. 
 
 In 1813, the propriety of erecting a grand hall in Lex- 
 ington was first discussed in the Grand Lodge; and in 
 1817, Lexington Lodge, No. 1, presented to the Grand Lodge 
 its lot on Walnut street as a site on which to build the new 
 temple, "No. 1" reserving to itself the privilege of meeting 
 in said temple.§ The donation was accepted, but it was 
 finally concluded to erect the hall on East Main street, west 
 of Broadway, below what is now known as " Cleary's 
 corner." The building was commenced in 1824, and was 
 dedicated, with appropriate ceremonies, October 26, 1826. 
 The hall was a handsome one, three stories high, and cost 
 between |25,000 and $30,000. It was in this hall that 
 
 *Pro. G. L. tOld Journals. tKobert .Morris' Hist. JPro. of U. L. 
 
144 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1''88. 
 
 General Lafayette was received by the Masons of Lexington 
 in 1825. Two Indians— one of them the celebrated Colonel 
 Ross— were duly examined, introduced and welcomed to 
 the Masons in this hall. They were the only full-blooded In- 
 dian Masons ever thus received in Lexington. The hall was 
 used as a hospital during the terrible cholera season of 1833. 
 
 The question of removing the Grand Lodge from Lex- 
 ington to Louisville was first agitated in 1830, and in 1833 , 
 it was located in Louisville, after having existed in Lexing- 
 ton thirty-three years. 
 
 The Grand Hall on Main street was destroyed by fire in 
 1837. This event caused the question of the location of 
 the Grand Lodge to be again agitated. The lot of No. 1 
 was again tendered to the Grand Lodge on the original 
 terms, again accepted, and with the understanding that the 
 sessions of the Grand Lodge would be permanently held in 
 Lexington, another hall, the present one, costing $25,000, 
 was erected upon the site of the first building devoted to 
 masonic purposes in Kentucky. This hall was solemnly 
 dedicated to masonry, according to the ancient form and 
 usage, September 1, 1841, and the next day the Grand 
 Lodge " ordered that its annual communication should be 
 held in the city of Lexington." 
 
 Devotion Lodge was chartered in September, 1847, Oliver 
 Anderson being first master. 
 
 In August, 1848, Good Samaritan Lodge was chartered, 
 Samuel D. McOullough, first master. 
 
 The Grand Lodge was again removed from Lexington 
 to Louisville in October, 1858, and its sessions are still held 
 in that city. Lexington was the meeting-place of the 
 Grand Lodge, including both times of its occupation, for 
 sixty years. 
 
 The high character of the masonic lodges of Lexington 
 is known everywhere, and is abundantly attested by the 
 great number of officers they have furnished to the Grand 
 Lodge. The lodges, at present, are fully up to the old 
 standard of merit and prosperity. 
 
 The art annals of Lexington are not to be despised. 
 
1788."] NATIVE AND RESIDENT ARTISTS. 145 
 
 "William West, who came to this city in 1788, was the first 
 painter that ever settled in the vast region " this side the 
 mountains." He was the son of the then rector of St. 
 Paul's Church, Baltimore, and had studied under the cele- 
 brated Benjamin West, in London. His family was a 
 talented one. His brother, Edward West, who had pre- 
 ceded him to Lexington three years before, was the won- 
 derful mechanical genius who invented the steamboat in 
 this city in 1793 (see chapter of that date), and his son, 
 William E. West, is now remembered for the portrait he 
 painted of Lord Byron, at Leghorn. William West painted 
 but few pictures, and they were of only moderate merit. 
 He is best known as " the first painter who came to the 
 West." He died in New York. 
 
 Asa Park, a Virginian, was the second painter who set- 
 tled in Lexington. He was an intimate friend of William 
 West, in whose family he lived, greatly beloved, for years. 
 He died in the year 1827, and was buried by the West 
 family on their lot, near the corner of Hill and Mill streets, 
 opposite the present Letcher property. Though Mr. Park 
 attempted portraits, his best productions were fruit and 
 flower pieces. His pictures, like West's, owe their value 
 mainly to the fact of his having been one of the pioneer 
 painters of Lexington. One of the very few of Park's 
 productions is still in existence, and in the possession of 
 Mrs. Kanck. It is an oil portrait of her grandfather, 
 Lewis Ellis. 
 
 Mr. Beck, erroneously mentioned in Dunlap's Arts of 
 Design as "the first painter who penetrated beyond the 
 AUeghanies," settled in Lexington about the year 1800. 
 He belonged, at one time, to a company of scouts under 
 General Anthony Wayne. He and his wife conducted a 
 female seminary in this city for many years, in which paint- 
 ing was a prominent feature. Mr. and Mrs. Beck were 
 both artists of some ability, and painted many pictures, 
 principally landscapes. W. Mentelle, S. D. McCuUough, 
 John Tilford, Mrs. Thomas Clay, and many others own 
 pictures by Beck. Mr. Beck died in 1814. His wife sur- 
 vived until 1833. 
 
146 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1788. 
 
 In 1818, John ISTeagle, afterward known as the painter 
 of "Pat Lyon, the Blacksmith," visited Lexington with 
 the intention of settling, but he found Jouett so far his 
 superior that he left and settled in Philadelphia. He came 
 to this city again in 1844, at the instance of the Whigs of 
 Philadelphia, to paint for them a full length portrait of 
 Henry Clay, which he did, Mr. Clay sitting for him at the 
 Phoenix Hotel. In November of that year, he presented 
 to Daviess Lodge, of this city, a portrait of Colonel Joseph 
 H. Daviess, from the original by Jouett. The picture is 
 now owned by Major S. D. McCullough. 
 
 Chester Harding, a native of Montgomery county, Ken- 
 tucky, and who afterward acquired a national reputation, 
 painted some excellent portraits here in 1819. Mrs. H. J. 
 Bodley, Mrs. Wm. Preston, Mrs. "Woodward, Mrs. A. H. 
 Woolley, and others have pictures by him. Harding's 
 studio was in " Higgins' Block." 
 
 Louis Morgan, a native of Pittsburg, settled in Lexing- 
 ton in 1880, and remained here for many years. He painted 
 pictures which evinced a very high order of talent, and 
 it was only the lack of energy that prevented him from bfe- 
 coming noted. His best eftbrt is his well-known portrait 
 of Simon Kenton from life. He was gifted with exquisite 
 taste and remarkable feeling for color. He died about the 
 year 1860. Dr. Robert Peter owns some of his pictures. 
 
 The greatest painter that Kentucky has yet produced, 
 and one whose name has shed no little lustre upon the art 
 annals of America, was Matthew H. Jouett. He was born 
 near Lexington, in 1783, and educated for the bar. After 
 participating in the war of 1812, he returned to Lexington, 
 where he attempted to practice law, but being devoted to 
 art, and rendered dissatisfied by the aspirations of his 
 genius, he abandoned his profession, and in 1817 went to 
 Boston and studied under the noted Gilbert Stuart. In 
 less than five years from that time, lie was celebrated as 
 the best portrait painter west of the Alleghany mountains. 
 His studio in Lexington, was first in a two-story brick build- 
 ing, which formerly stood on Short street, between the 
 Northern Bank and the residence of the late D. A. Sayre. 
 
1T88.] NATIVE AND RESIDENT ARTISTJ I47 
 
 Subsequently he used a room above the first National Bank 
 on the same street. Among his best pictures are those of 
 Henry Clay, Joseph H. Daviess, Dr. Holley, Major Morri- 
 son, Governor Letcher, John J. Crittenden, Isaac Shelby, 
 and the full length portrait of the Marquis Lafayette, 
 now owned by the State of Kentucky. Mr. Jouett died in 
 Lexington, August 10, 1827, having just returned from a 
 professional trip to the South. Mr. Jouett was tall and 
 thin of form, gifted with great taste, rare humor, and 
 splendid conversational powers, and his literary and social 
 culture was only second to his great artistic genius. 
 Nearly half a century has elapsed since Jouett's death, but 
 his superior as a portrait painter has never yet arisen in 
 the West. 
 
 Oliver Frazer, another artist-son of Lexington, was born 
 February 4, 1808, and studied for sevei'al years under 
 Jouett. After the death of his distinguished instructor, 
 Mr. Frazer, in company with George P. Healy, went to 
 Europe, where he remained for four years, studying the 
 great works of the old masters. On his retun, he married 
 Miss Martha, daughter of Dr. Alexander Mitchell, of 
 Frankfort, and achieved flattering success as a portrait 
 painter. He died, April 9, 1854, and was buried in the 
 Lexington Cemetery. Unfortunately, his eyesight became 
 injured some years before his death, which prevented him 
 from being a prolific painter, but the few productions of 
 his pencil are of rare merit. His portrait of Clay, and a 
 family group in the possession of Mrs. Frazer, are consid- 
 ered among his best efforts. Mr. Clay spoke in the strongest 
 terms of satisfaction of his portrait by Frazer, who received 
 a number of orders for copies of it. Others of Mr. Frazer's 
 pictures are owned by Major Lewinski, F. K. Hunt, Mrs. 
 M. T. Scott, Wm. War&eld, Judge Robertson, Mrs. W. 
 A. Dudley, J. S. Wilson, Mrs. A. K. Woolley, J. J. Hunter, 
 and others, and are characterized by their delicate coloring 
 and accurate delineation. Another has well said that Mr. 
 Frazer was a true artist, aud loved his profession for its 
 own sake. He was honest, kind, and true, and was de- 
 voted to the retirement of his happy home. He was greatly 
 
148 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T88. 
 
 gifted in conversation, well read in the best art and other 
 literature, and his taste was exceedingly delicate and correct. 
 
 Another artist, Joseph H. Bush, made Lexington his 
 home for many years. Mr. Bush was born in Frankfort, 
 Kentucky, in 1794, and was the son of Philip and Eliza- 
 beth Bush. At the age of eighteen, he went to Philadel- 
 phia, under the care of Mr. Clay, and remained there three 
 years, studying under the celebrated artist, Sully, after 
 which he pursued his profession in New Orleans, Yicks- 
 burg, Louisville, and Lexington, and attained an enviable 
 distinction. How skillfully he handled his pencil is evi- 
 denced in the reputation of his full-length picture of General 
 Zachary Taylor, and the coloring and the beautiful effect 
 of light and shade in his portraits of Dr. Ben. Dudley, 
 Mrs. Fanny Bullitt, and the rest of his numerous produc- 
 tions. Mr. Bush died in Lexington, January 11, 1865, 
 only a few mouths after the decease of his fellow-artist, 
 Oliver Frazer. 
 
 Mr. Bush was a man of deep religious feelings, ana ex- 
 tensive reading and culture, and was most genial and com- 
 panionable with those he knew well. His studio was in 
 an upper room over Sayre's banking house, corner of Mill 
 and Short, 
 
 In 1867, Mr. Alexander painted some fine pictures in 
 Lexington, one of General John C. Breckinridge, and 
 another of Judge W. B. Kiukead, being among the 
 number. 
 
 Since Jouett's time, a number of artists have either 
 sojourned in Lexington temporarily, or made it their home. 
 John Grimes, who excelled in delicate forms and colors, 
 painted here, for several years anterior to 1832, at which 
 time he died in Lexington, and was buried in the Episcopal 
 Cemetery. His studio was in the building on Main street, 
 now occupied by Mr. Thomas Bradley. Several of his pro- 
 ductions are in the possession of his aunt, Mrs. Thos. Grant, 
 and Mrs. Fannie Dewees and J. J. Hunter each have one. 
 
 The well-known miniature engravings of Clay and Jack- 
 son are from original portraits by Dodge, who resided for 
 some time in Lexington. 
 
1788.] NATIVE AND RESIDENT ARTISTS. I49 
 
 J. H. Beard, the American Laadseer, during a visit to 
 Lexington, painted portraits of the late Eobert Alexander, 
 Colonel W. S. Price, and one or two others. 
 
 William Ver Bryck, who has since attained much celeb- 
 rity, executed some very fine portraits in this city, in 1868, 
 one of Mrs. Dr. Whitney, one each of Mr. and Mrs. John 
 Carty, and portraits of several members of Dr. H. M. Skill- 
 man, and Mr. Isaac Scott's families. No visiting artist 
 ever met with as much success in Lexington as Mr. Ver 
 Bryck. His studio was in the Phoenix Hotel. He come 
 to Lexington from the city of New York. 
 
 Mr. B. F. Ehineheart, in 1869, had a temporary studio 
 in the present Library building, and painted in very supe 
 rior style, portraits of General John C. Breckinridge, Gen- 
 eral Jolin H. Morgan, Mrs. Basil Duke, Dr. and Mrs, 
 Warren Frazer, Mr. Thos. Mitchell, and others. His chief 
 excellences are fine modeling and coloring. Mr. Ehineheart 
 is a native of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. E. Troye, who was born in England, but has long 
 been a resident of New York, has painted a number of fine 
 animal pictures. Some of his best eflbrts — pictures of 
 blood horses — are in the possession of Messrs. J. A. Grin- 
 stead, A. K. Eichards, A. Buford, M. Alexander, of Wood- 
 ford, and others. As an animal painter, Mr. Troye has no 
 superior in this country. He has, as yet, attempted but 
 few composition pictures, the " Dead Sea " being one of 
 them. 
 
 General W. S. Price is one of the most promising resi- 
 dent painters Lexington has had since Jouett. He is a 
 son of the late Daniel B. Price, of Mcholasville, Ky., and 
 was a pupil of the lamented Oliver Frazer. His first effort, 
 made at the age of seventeen, was a portrait of "Old King* 
 Solomon," the unterrified grave-digger during the cholera 
 of '33, and long one of the "institutions" of Lexington. 
 This picture merits the celebrity it has attained. Another 
 early picture is a fine portrait of Postmaster Ficklin. The 
 portrait of President Fillmore, in the Phoenix Hotel dining- 
 room, is by Price, and was painted in 1855. One of his 
 most successful efforts is a large picture of General George 
 
150 EISTOKY OF LEXINGTON. [1T88. 
 
 H. Thomas, which has become extensively known. Mr. 
 Price has received letters highly complimenting his work 
 from both Mr. Fillmore and General Thomas. A striking 
 likeness of Judge Kobertson must not be forgotten. Lat- 
 terly, General Price has attempted composition pictures, 
 and with marked success. The "Night before the Battle 
 of Chiekamauga," the "Young Artist," and "Caught 
 Napping," indicate the latitude, as well as the superiority 
 of his talents. He has reflected honor upon the art history 
 of his state. His studio is in the second story of the Post- 
 office building, on the corner of Mill and Short streets. 
 
 Mrs. Eliza Brown, widow of Professor John Brown, of 
 Transylvania University, who died in 1855, has painted a 
 number of beautiful landscapes, the merit of which is 
 heightened by the fact that Mrs. Brown commenced with 
 the pencil at a time of life when art eflbrts generally cease. 
 A Rhineland scene, the " Yosemito Valley," a Canadian 
 landscape, and an exquisite bit of Minnesota rock and 
 water, are worthy of special mention. Mrs. Brown, who 
 is now nearly seventy, attempted a few months ago, and 
 for the first time, portrait painting, and with extraordinary 
 success, considering her age. Her residence and studio is 
 on the corner of Short and Upper streets. 
 
 Mr. Stuart, a South Carolinian, but now a resident of St. 
 Louis, painted some excellent portraits in this city last 
 spring; one each of Mrs. Rosa Jeffrey, Mr. Cooper, city 
 Librarian, and K. A Buckner, Sen., deceased. 
 
1789.] TOWN AFFATKS-JAMES BROWN. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Town Affairs — James Brown — The Methodist Church — Father 
 Foythress — The Cloud — Adams and Centenary Seces- 
 sions — Pastors and Incidents — The Lexington Light In- 
 fantry — Its Brilliant Record — Share in the War of 1812 — 
 Death of Hart and Searles — The Killed — Incidents — The 
 Man who smoked out the Indians — List of Captains. 
 
 In 1789, the trustees of Lexington, with an eye to the 
 public comfort and welfare, directed " all fences to be re- 
 moved from the streets," and prohibited " the cutting and 
 removing of timber from the public grounds." A curious 
 phenomenon caused great anxiety among the good citizetis 
 this year. It was so dark in the afternoon of October 31, 
 that the people had to dine by candle-light, and the dark- 
 ness lasted nearly three hours.* 
 
 James Brown, wh@ became one of the eminent public 
 men of this county, settled in Lexington in 1789. He was 
 born in Virginia, September 11, 1766, and was educated at 
 William and Mary College. He commanded a company of 
 Lexington riflemeu, in Wilkinson's expedition against the 
 Indians, in 1791. At the organization of the common- 
 wealth in this city, the next year he became the first secre- 
 tary of state of the new government, which subsequently 
 necessitated his removal to Frankfort. Soon after the ces- 
 sion of Louisiana, he removed to that state, and was twice 
 elected to the United States Senate. He was also minister 
 to France from 1823 to 1829. He died in Philadelphia, in 
 1835, distinguished for his eloquence and legal ability. 
 When Mr. Brown lived in Lexington, his residence was 
 
 •Old Gazette. 
 
152 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1789. 
 
 on the corner of Mill and Short streets, on the site of t'he 
 building now owned by Mr. Wolverton. 
 
 The Methodist Church commenced its history in Lexing- 
 ton, in 1789, with a feeble but devout little band of 
 Christians, who assembled at times in a dilapidated log 
 cabin which stood on the corner of Short and Dewees 
 streets, where the Colored Baptist church novsr stands. 
 Two years before this, the first Methodist church built in 
 Kentucky (a log one) had been erected at Masterson's station, 
 five miles northwest of Lexington, and in 1790, the first 
 annual conference of the church in Kentucky was held 
 there, and had the great and good Bishop Francis Asbury 
 as its presiding officer.* The father of the little church at 
 Lexington was the impassioned, the self sacrificing, and 
 the unfortunate Francis Poj'thress, who went from station 
 to station, preaching and toiling and suffering in silence. 
 At a conference in Baltimore, in 1776, Father Poythress 
 had been admitted into the traveling connection, and in 
 1778 he was sent to Kentucky. As a preacher, few, in 
 those days, excelled him. His voice was clear and musical, 
 his knowledge of the Scriptures vast and accurate, and his 
 sermons fell as the dews of life upon the hearts of his con- 
 gregation. His mind finally gave way, from the excessive 
 draughts made upon it, and he never preached again after 
 the fall of 1800. He died and was buried near Nicholas- 
 ville.f John Page, James O'Cull, and Thomas Allen 
 preached at various times to the Methodists in Lexington, 
 from 1792 to 1800, when Lewis Hunt, a Virginian, was ap- 
 pointed to "Lexington town," where he labored with much 
 acceptability to his little flock. In 1803, the church at 
 Lexington was detached from the circuit, and organized 
 into a station. 
 
 This was the first Methodist station in Kentucky, and 
 comprised seventy-seven members, forty-seven white and 
 the rest black. Thomas "Wilkinson was pastor at that 
 time. He was succeeded by Nathaniel Harris and Burwell 
 Spurlock. Dr. Caleb W. Cloud was assigned to, the care 
 
 *Redford's History. tCollins, 126. 
 
1789.] THE METHODIST CHURCH. 153 
 
 of the church in 1811, at which period he was one of the 
 moat able and prominent preachers in the state. Dr. Cloud's 
 ability and piety was only equaled by his eccentricity and 
 independence, and his elaborate "spencer," nick-tailed 
 horse, and imprudent language soon occasioned trouble 
 among the members of the church, which, at that day, was 
 noted for its great simplicity. 
 
 An incident, characteristic of the man, occurred when 
 Postlethwaite's tavern was burned. The doctor, who was 
 then an enthusiastic officer of a fire company, saw a man 
 sitting on a horse amusing himself by watching the fire. 
 He ordered him to assist at the engine ; the man declined, 
 saying that he was a " county " man, and " did n't have to 
 help at town fires." Without more ado, the doctor, with 
 words more plain than elegant, pulled him from his horse 
 and made him " help." 
 
 The church became so dissatisfied with the doctor's 
 "ways," that, in 1812, he withdrew from it, carrying a 
 number of the members with him, and formed the Inde- 
 pendent Methodist Church. After preaching for several 
 years at his own house, he built "St. John's Chapel," on 
 Main street, where Douglass' carriage factory now stands. 
 The doctor officiated gratuitously, and often invited the 
 various denominations to worship in his chapel. After 
 preaching independently for a long series of years, he at 
 last went back to the church he had left. He died May 14, 
 1850, aged sixty-nine, and was followed to his grave by the 
 Masons, the medical profession, and a large number of 
 other citizens. 
 
 But to return. After the withdrawal of Dr. Cloud, the 
 church was blessed with the services of Mr. Akers, but the 
 congregation, crippled by the secession of the independent 
 doctor and his adherents, languished until 1820, when it be- 
 gan to grow under the pastorate of Edward Stevenson, and 
 was still further enlarged by Eichard Tydings. Its pros- 
 perity was such in 1822, that a new church building was 
 erected on Church street, between Tipper and Limestone, 
 at a cost of $5,000, and was dedicated in that year by 
 Bishop George. It was a plain, well-finished, brick edifice, 
 
154 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1789. 
 
 nieasuriug fifty by sixty feet. It held seventy-five pews on 
 the ground floor, and was provided with a gallery above. 
 T. P. Satterwhite, Stephen Chipley, I^icholas Headington, 
 John Shrock, T. K. Layton, Thomas Gibbons, James Ham- 
 ilton, J. W. Russell, Harvey Maguire, and B. W. Ehoton 
 were members of the church at that time. In 1829, William 
 Holman was pastor. His successor was Bishop H. H. 
 Kavanaugh, who was born January 14, 1802, in Clarke 
 county, Kentucky. He joined the Methodist Church at 
 the age of fifteen, was licensed to preach in 1822, and was 
 regular pastor of the Lexington church, both in 1830 and 
 1847. He was elected bishop at the general conference of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church South, at Columbus, 
 Georgia, in 1854. Bishop Kavanaugh was a resident of 
 Lexington for many years, and was greatly beloved and 
 esteemed. 
 
 Among the ministers who succeeded him may be named 
 George C. Light ; the worthy and useful Spencer Cooper, 
 who died in 1839, and the eccentric, widely-known, and 
 now aged Peter Cartwright. The wonderfully eloquent 
 Maffit conducted a revival in the church on Church street 
 in 1834. Immense audiences were entranced by his glow- 
 ing words, and many connected themselves with the church. 
 Maflit preached in Lexington again in 1887. 
 
 The present church edifice on Hill street, between Upper 
 and Mill, was commenced in 1841, and dedicated by the 
 gifted bishop, Henry B. Bascom, in 1842. Bishop Basoom 
 was born in New York, May 27, 1796. His boyhood life 
 was a hard one, and his early manhood full of trials and dis- 
 couragements, but surmounting every obstacle, he lived to 
 gain from Henry Clay the eulogy, " He is the greatest nat- 
 ural orator I ever heard." He was appointed chaplain to 
 the House of Representatives in Congress in 1841, but soon 
 resigned, and accepted, in 1842, the presidency of Tran- 
 sylvania Hniversity, which position he held for seven years. 
 In 1849, his volume of sermons was published. He died 
 in Louisville, Kentucky, September 8, 1850. 
 
 On the division of the Methodist Church in the United 
 
1789.] LEXINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY. 155 
 
 States, in 1844, the church in Lexington connected itself 
 with the Southern Conference, and it had abundant; pros- 
 perity until 1856, at which time a dispute arose, concerning 
 the power of the officers of the church, and ended in the 
 secession of a large number of the members, under the 
 leadership of Samuel Adams and Nicholas Headington. 
 The seceders bought the old medical hall lot, on the corner 
 of Church and Market streets; built the house now known 
 as the City Library with subscriptions raised from the 
 general public; organized an independent church, and made 
 Samuel Adams their pastor. The church was called 
 "Morris Chapel," after Bishop Morris, of Ohio. A disa- 
 greement between the congregation and the officers of the 
 new church resulted in the resignation of Mr. Adams and 
 the calling of C. B. Parsons, who failed to give satisfaction, 
 and at last, after existing independently for eight or nine 
 years, most of the members returned to the "church on the 
 hill," and deeded their property to the Church South. 
 
 The names of some of the ministers who labored for the 
 Hill Street church before this secession are "William Gunn, 
 L. D. Huston, S. Adams, T. C. Shelman, J. H. Linn, E. P. 
 Buckner, R. Heiner, "W". C. Dandy, Mr. Spruell. 
 
 The Methodist Church, like the Baptist and Presbyterian, 
 had its war troubles also, which grew worse and worse, 
 until they culminated, in September, 1865, in an open rup- 
 ture, when the party favoring the Northern Conference se- 
 ceded, and formed what is now called the Centenary Meth- 
 odist Church (see chapter on 1865). Since that time the 
 Hill Street church has enjoyed the services of the following 
 pastors, viz : H. P. Walker, B. M. Messick, R. K. Hargrove, 
 S. X. Hall, H. A. M. Henderson, and "W. S. Rand, the 
 present untiring and acceptable minister. No church in 
 Lexington has had more discouraging circumstances to con- 
 tend with than the Hill Street church, but she has come 
 out nobly from them all, and is now rapidly growing in 
 strength and usefulness. 
 
 The Lexington Light Infantry, of glorious memory, and 
 the oldest military company in Kentucky, and perhaps in 
 
156 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [l'?89. 
 
 this country, was organized in 1789.* Its formation was due 
 to a threatened Indian invasion, and to the martial passion 
 of General James Wilkinson, who was chosen its first captain. 
 Its first ensign was John Fowler, afterward postmaster of 
 Lexington. Since that time a host of stirring associations 
 have clustered about the simple name " Old Infantry," for 
 it has been connected with victories and defeats, conflicts 
 and massacres, and with some of the most brilliant military 
 achievements recorded in the annals of Kentucky. It was 
 led by Wilkinson in successful expeditions against the In- 
 dians; shared in the disastrous defeats of Harmar and St. 
 Clair ; bore a gallant part in the victorious campaign of 
 "old Mad Anthony" Wayne against the Sciota and other 
 Indians,! and, in 1792, escorted Governor Shelby into Lex- 
 ington, then the capital of the state, and assisted in the 
 ceremonies of his inauguration. These were the days when 
 the "Old Infantry" delighted in flint-lock muskets, and in 
 tinder-boxes and steel. 
 
 In 1803, the company was called out by President Jeffer- 
 son to go to Louisiana, but the purchase of that state by 
 the government superseded the necessity. It was about 
 this time that the well-known and historic uniform suit of 
 the company was adopted. It consisted of a blue cloth coat, 
 with cufis, breast, and collar faced with red and ornamented 
 with bell-buttons. The pantaloons were of blue cloth, the 
 hat black, and the plume red. The favorite parade ground 
 of the company, at this time, was a beautiful level spot back 
 of, and belonging to the property of Mrs. John Carty, on 
 Broadway. Subsequently, the Maxwell Spring grounds 
 were used. A "turn-out" of the Old Infantry in early 
 days was a grand event in Lexington, and was always wit- 
 nessed by a large and admiring crowd of natives of all 
 ages, sexes, colors, and conditions. 
 
 The Lexington Light Infantry was one of the first com- 
 panies to volunteer in the war of 1812, it having organized 
 for the campaign on the 11th of May of that year, with 
 E". S. G. Hart as captain. The " silk-stocking boys," as 
 
 •Old Journals. tGuzette, and Ob. and Bep. 
 
"89.] LEXINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY. 
 
 157 
 
 the members of the company were then often called, were 
 attached to the Fifth Regiment of Kentucky Volunteer 
 Militia, commanded by Colonel William Lewis, and marched 
 for the Northwestern army in August, 1812. On the march 
 to Fort Wayne an incident occurred, which, amusing aa it 
 may appear, speaks volumes for the principles which ac- 
 tuated the men. A member of the company having stood 
 manfully up under the severe fatigues of the march until 
 the last day, at length, sank on the grass of the prairie 
 through which the company was marching, and, whilst his 
 comrades were passing rapidly on, he shed bitter tears at 
 his condition. An officer* approached him, in company 
 with one or two others, to aid him to one of the few wagons 
 that attended the march, and on inquiring the cause of his 
 tears, he earnestly exclaimed, " What will they say in Lexing- 
 ton when they hear that James Huston gave out ?" 
 
 The glorious share which the "Old Infantry" had in the 
 terrible battle and sickening massacre at Frenchtown, on 
 the river Eaisin, in this campaign, is told in our chapter on 
 the year 1812. At that river of death, the heroic band lost 
 half its members in killed, wounded, and prisoners; the 
 brilliancy of their uniform causing the men to be readily 
 picked ofi' by the enemy. The gallant captain of the com- 
 pany, who was wounded and disabled in the battle, was 
 barbarously murdered by the savages after having trusted 
 himself to the protection of his pretended friend, Captain 
 Elliott, of the British army, who infamously abandoned 
 him to the mercy of the Indians.f 
 
 The heroic death of Charles Searles, another gallant mem- 
 ber of the Light Infantry, wounded in the battle of the 
 18th, should never be forgotten.f On the morning of the 
 23d, by strong exertion, he was able to walk, and so to con- 
 ceal his wound, that he was allowed to accompany his cap- 
 tors unmolested, until they stopped for the night. No 
 doubt the fatigue, aided by the sufierings from his wound, 
 at length revealed to the savages his disabled condition, and 
 marked him out as a victim. He, with several other prison- 
 
 *Gen. J. M. McCalla. fWestcrn Annals. tMcCalla's Address. 
 
158 HISTORY OF LEXINGTOir. [1789. 
 
 ers, was seated on the ground, partaking of some food, 
 when one of the savages rose up, and drawing his toma- 
 hawk, approached Searles from behind. 
 
 The prisoner marked the movement, and apprehending 
 his intention, watched the descending blow, and tried to 
 catch it in his hand, but only partially succeeded, the weapon 
 inflicting a deep wound in the shoulder. Rising to his feet, 
 he seized his antagonist, who was unprepared for such a 
 bold resistance, and snatching the tomahawk from his hand, 
 was about to inflict a deserved vengeance on his cruel as- 
 sailant, when Dr. Bower, of the regiment, told him that if 
 he struck the Indian all the prisoners would be murdered, 
 and his death, now inevitable, would not be prevented. As 
 soon as he found that he might endanger his comrades by 
 resisting, he dropped the uplifted arm, let fall the weapon, 
 and, without a murmur or a complaint, waited until the as- 
 tonished savage picked up the tomahawk, and coolly and 
 deliberately dispatched his victim. 
 
 Can Roman or Grecian annals display a more sublime in- 
 stance of manly generosity and magnanimity than this ? 
 
 It was at the battle of Frenchtown that a member of the 
 "Old Infantry" company, James Higgins,* astonished even 
 the boldest of his comrades by his daring contempt of death. 
 Vain eflEbrts had been made to dislodge a large number of 
 Indians from a barn, into which they had crowded, and 
 from which they were pouring a destructive fire into Colonel 
 Lewis's command. The soldier we have mentioned asked 
 permission to " smoke 'um out." It was granted. He then 
 coolly picked up a large blazing " chunk " from a camp fire, 
 deliberately walked up to the barn in the very face of a hail 
 storm of bullets, and applied the " chunk." The barn was 
 soon one mass of flames, and the brave infantryman quickly 
 had the satisfaction of seeing all the Indians " smoked out." 
 The most remarkable feature of the case was that the man 
 had always been regarded at home as ridiculously timid, 
 and had often been imposed upon, both by his neighbors 
 and conu-ades in arms. But after this bold deed, the past 
 
 *G-eneral S. L. Williams and T. P. Dudley. 
 
1789.] LEXINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY. I59 
 
 was forgotten, and it was not safe for any one to say any- 
 thing in the presence of the "Old Infantry" against the 
 man " who smoked out the Indians." James Higgins, the 
 hero of this glorious incident, was born near Side View, 
 Montgomery county, Kentucky, but removed to Lexington, 
 and was one of her citizens when he enlisted in the Old 
 Infantry. This gallant man died many years ago. 
 
 A few names of the killed of this company have been 
 preserved, viz : IS". S. G. Hart, Charles Searles, J. E. Blythe 
 (son of President Blythe, of Transylvania University), Jesse 
 Cock, Alexander Crawford, Samuel Elder, William Davis, 
 Jesse Riley, Armston Stewart, George Shindlebower, Sam- 
 uel Cox, and Charles Bradford. 
 
 On the 11th of September, 1839, the Light Infantry cele- 
 brated in Lexington its fiftieth anniversary. At eleven 
 o'clock A. M., a procession, consisting of the Louisville 
 Guards, Captain Anderson ; the Volunteer Artillery, Cap- 
 tain Trotter; the Mechanics Infantry, Captain Forbes; and 
 the "Old Infantry," under Captain G. L. Postlethwaite, 
 marched to the beautiful woodlands of John Love (now 
 J. H. Mulligan's, adjoining the Maxwell Spring grounds), 
 where an exceedingly appropriate and interesting address 
 was delivered by General John M. McCalla, after which 
 came a banquet, and then the survivors of the war of 1812 
 reviewed their hardships and dangers, and fought their bat- 
 tles over again. 
 
 At the commencement of the war with Mexico, the Light 
 Infantry again took the field, under the command of Captain 
 Cassius M. Clay, and was known in the army by the remai'k- 
 able name of the "Lexington Old Infantry Cavalry." In 
 that war, the Kentucky cavalry used as its regimental flag 
 the colors which the ladies of Lexington had presented to 
 the " Old Infantry," some years before, on an anniversary 
 of the battle of the Raisin. 
 
 In times of peace, the company amused itself with target 
 shooting at Maxwell's spring. On one of these occasions, 
 Captain Richard Parker, then commanding the Old Infan- 
 try, but now one of our oldest citizens, was accidentally 
 
160 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T89. 
 
 shot in the hip, and he still sutlers from the wound then 
 received. 
 
 In 1860, the Old Infantry took its stand in the Kentucky 
 State Guard, with the following officers, viz: Captain, 
 Samuel D. McCuUough ; First Lieutenant, George W. Did- 
 lake; Second Lieutenant, S. W. Price; Third Lieutenant, 
 J. B. Norton; Ensign, E. H. Prewett; Surgeon, Dr. G. W". 
 McMillin; Right Guide, Charles Dobyns; Left Guide, W". 
 W. Dowden; Third Sergeant, B. W. Blincoe; Fourth Ser- 
 geant, Charles Schultz ; Fifth Sergeant, M. Hogarty. 
 
 In the memorable summer of 1861, just before' Kentucky 
 was drawn into the gigantic civil contest then waging, the 
 Old Infantry held a reunion in the densely crowded Odd 
 Fellows' Hall, on the corner of Main and Broadway. The 
 company was conducted to the hall by those two noted or- 
 ganizations, the " Lexington Rifles " and the " Chasseurs," 
 headed by the splendid ITewport band. An opening address 
 was delivered by JudgeL. L. Todd, of Indianapolis, a former 
 captain of the Old Infantry, after which a new flag was pre- 
 sented to the company by General Combs, in behalf of the 
 donor, Mr. David A. Sayre. The old flag of the Old In- 
 fantry, which had gone through the leaden storm of Buena 
 "Vista, was then unfurled, a roll of all the captains called, 
 and the Star Spangled Banner sung, after which the meeting 
 adjourned. 
 
 Many of the members of the company served gallantly 
 on either side in the terrible war between the States, and 
 fully maintained the ancient renown of the venerable or- 
 ganization, which, for the credit of Lexington, should never 
 be permanently abandoned. 
 
 From the year 1789 to the present time, the Lexington 
 Light Infantry has been commanded by the following cap- 
 tains, viz : General James "Wilkinson, 1789 ; James Hughes 
 and Samuel "Weisiger, 1791 ; Cornelius Beatty, 1793; John 
 Postlethwaite, 1797; Thomas Bodley, 1803; IST. S. G. Hart, 
 1811-12; and since the last date by Daniel Bradford, J. G. 
 Trotter, Adam Beatty, "William Logan, Levi L. Todd, ' 
 Robert Megowan, Richard Parker, G. L. Postlethwaite, T. 
 
1789.] 
 
 LIST OF CAPTAINS. 
 
 161 
 
 P. Hart, Thomas Smitli, R. Morrison, John M. McCalla, 
 Lawrence Daly, James O.Harrison, T. Monks, T. W. Lowry, 
 W. Allison, Lewis Barbee, F. G. West, Joseph Hoppy, G. 
 L. Postlelhwaite, J. B. Clay, C. M. Clay, S. D. McCullough, 
 S. W. Price. 
 
162 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T90. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Town Affairs — Earmar's Defeat— John Pope— The Jail- 
 Fire Companies. 
 
 "While the actual population of Lexington, in 1790, was 
 not large, the town was a place of some importance as a 
 stopping point for traders, as it was on the line of com- 
 munication between the East and the West. In this year, 
 the trustees ordered a " canal " to be dug to carry the 
 water of the " Branch " straight through town. They also 
 made the announcement that "the town commons shall i 
 hereafter be known as Water street." Lexington's encour- ' 
 agement of art in 1790 is exhibited in the eagerness of the 
 citizens to obtain " black profile likenesses, taken by the 
 physiognotrace." 
 
 In July of this year, the delegates from Fayette attended 
 the eighth convention, held at Danville. At this convention, 
 an act of separation, passed by the Virginia legislature, 
 was finally accepted, and a ninth convention, to form a 
 state constitution, was called for April, 1791. 
 
 Incursions and murders by the Indians had now become 
 so frequent and unbearable that the new general govern- 
 ment, which had just gone into operation, sent out a mili- 
 tary force to protect the frontier. In the fall. Colonel 
 Trotter, with some volunteers from Lexington, went to 
 Fort Washington (Cincinnati), and joined the expedition 
 of General Joseph Harmar against the Miami towns. The 
 campaign ended disastrously. 
 
 That distinguished statesman, John Pope, came to Lex- 
 ington in 1790, at which time he was about twenty years 
 of age. He lived in this city for many years. Mr. Pope 
 was born in Prince William county, Virginia, and emi- 
 
1T90.] JOHN POPE— THE JAIL. 163 
 
 grated to Kentucky while quite a boy.* He was a man 
 of great ability and remarkable talents, and was one of the 
 most formidable opponents Mr. Clay ever had ; and, like 
 Mr. Clay, he attained distinction by his own exertions. 
 Mr. Pope was often a member of the Kentucky legislature, 
 was for mariy years a representative in Congress, was 
 United States Senator in 1807, and was for six years gov- 
 ernor of the Territory of Arkansas. He died in "Vyash- 
 ington county, Kentucky, in 1842, aged seventy-two. He 
 built and resided in the house now occupied by Joseph 
 "Wolfolk, near the junction of Rose and Hill streets. 
 When Mr. Pope ran against Mr. Clay, in the Lexington 
 district, it was in the vigor of their days, when each one 
 was able to do his best. It was Wagoner and Gray Eagle 
 against each other. Mr. Clay was the winner, but did not, 
 we believe, distance his competitor. The I'ace was honor- 
 able to both, and if Mr. Pope had had the same passionate 
 determination, and the same fiery and never-relaxing am- 
 bition of Mr. Clay, there would have been two Clays in 
 the state without room enough to hold them. An amus- 
 ing incident occurred during this race.f Mr. Pope had but 
 one arm. On the approach of the contest, Mr. Clay called 
 upon an Irishman in Lexington, who had been his political 
 friend heretofore, but now declared his intention to go for 
 Pope. Mr. Clay wanted to know the reason. The answer 
 was, " Oeh, Misther Clay, I have concluded to vote for the 
 man who has but one arm to sthrust into the sthreasury." 
 
 A log jail succeeded the pillory and the stocks in Lex- 
 ington in 1790, and stood near the first court-house on 
 Main, not far from the corner of Broadway.J In these 
 early days, when imprisonment for debt was in vogue, the 
 "jail bounds," or the precincts within which a debt pros- 
 oner could walk, was marked on the pavements and the 
 houses near the jail by^a broad stripe of black paint. A 
 larger jail was erected in 1797, on the same ground where 
 the present jail stands, was destroyed by fire in 1819, and 
 another one was completed the next year. The building 
 
 *Collins. tOorrespondence Cincinnati Gazette. t^'^ Gazette. 
 
164 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1790- 
 
 of the present prison commenced in 1850. The fol- 
 lowing is an incomplete list of those who have filled the 
 office of jailer, viz: Innis B. Brent, Clark, Bar- 
 ker, Wm. Bobbs, Nathaniel Prentiss, Eichard Sharp, 
 
 Joseph K. Megowan, T. B. Megowan, "White, Ben. 
 
 Blincoe, "W". H. Lusby, and Thos. B. Megowan. Including 
 all the terms he has served, Mr. T. B. Megowan has been 
 a jailer for nearly forty years. 
 
 Lexington's first regular fire company was organized at 
 Brent's tavern in 1790, with John Bradford as secretary. 
 It was styled the Union Fire Company, and used buckets 
 only. Before this, in case of a fire, each citizen was re- 
 quired, when the alarm was given, to attend with a bucket 
 filled from his own well. The Union company's " bucket- 
 house " was a building on Main, near Scott's block. Later, 
 it was on Water street, and was finally converted into an 
 engine house. In 1805, the officers of the " Union" were: 
 Captains — Dan'l Bradford, Christopher Keiser ; Directors — 
 William Macbean, George Anderson, John Jones, Alex- 
 ander Frazer, Thomas Hart, Jr., John Jordan, Jr., Thomas 
 Bodley, Alex. Parker, Charles Wilkins, Lewis Sanders, 
 William Boss, Thomas Whitney, Maddox Fisher. The 
 trustees passed a resolution in 1812, authorizing a committee 
 "to procure four additional ladders, four fire-Oiooks, three 
 rope-ladders, and three tubs to put under the pumps, all to 
 be marked with the name of the company, etc., and a fine of 
 ten dollars imposed on any person who will use them, un- 
 less in case of fire." In 1818, two little " newly-invented" 
 engines were bought by the town authorities. They at- 
 tracted great attention and admiration. 
 
 The fire department was organized in 1832, when the city 
 was incorporated. In 1840, the city could boast of the 
 " Eentuckian," "Lyon," and "Resolution" hand-engines, 
 and others were added from time to time. The period in- 
 cluded betwee.4 1850 and 1860 was the golden age of the 
 tire companies in Lexington. Then the Fourth of July was 
 the day of their glory, and the old Lyon, Clay, Eentuckian, 
 and other engines, with their hose carriages, were resplen- 
 dent with beautiful decorations fashioned by the ladies of the 
 
1T90.] FIRE COMPANIES. 165 
 
 city. Three hundred firemen have been known to turn out 
 in procession on such occasions, presenting a splendid ap- 
 pearance with their brilliant uniforms and gay trappings. 
 But these are memories of an age which ended with the 
 purchase of the first steam fire engine, in March, 1864. 
 The "Lyon" engine house was on Limestone street, near 
 the corner of Hill ; the " Clay," on Broadway, between 
 Short and Second, now known as Pruden's marble works ; 
 the " Union," on Short, between Upper and Limestone, is 
 now the headquarters of the steam fire department. 
 
166 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1T91. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Survey of Lexington — Expeditions of Soott and Wilkinson — 
 St. Clair's Defeat — Delegates to the Ninth Conoeniion. 
 
 During the spring of 1791, the trustees of Lexington 
 made war on " wooden chimneys," the use of which, for 
 the future, was prohibited. They also ordered "all the 
 post and rail fences across Short street to be taken down." 
 In the latter part of March, the following survey of the 
 town was made, the report of which we give verbatim, with 
 the drawing which accompanied it.* 
 
 " Surveyed by order of the trustees of the town of Lex- 
 ington, 204 acres of land, including the court-house of 
 Fayette county in the center, in a circular figure of two 
 miles in diameter. Beginning at A, one mile southeast 
 from the said court-house, at a post on the northeast side 
 of the road, running thence south 56J, west 125 poles 
 to a post crossing Tate's creek road at 85 poles ; thence 
 south 78f, west 125 poles to a post, thence north 78|, west 
 125 poles to post ; thence north 56^, west 125 poles to post 
 crossing the Hickman road at 25 poles, thence north 33|, 
 west 125 poles to post crossing Craig's mill road at 45 
 poles ; thence north 11 J, west 125 poles to a stake in 
 Hackney's field, about 40 poles southeastwardly from his 
 house; thence north llj, east 125 poles to post; thence 
 north 33f, east 125 poles to post 15 poles northeast of the 
 old Leestown road, crossing the head of McConnell's mill 
 pond at 45 poles ; thence north 56^, east 125 poles to post, 
 passing and leaving out Eckle's and Brown's plantations ; 
 thence north 78|, east 125 poles to post, crossing John- 
 ston's mill road at 35 poles ; thence south 78f , east 125 
 
 •Trustees' Book. 
 
1791.] 
 
 SVRVET OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 167 
 
 poles to post, leaving out Irvine's house, 14 poles ; thence 
 south 56i, east 125 poles to post crossing Russell's road at 
 75 poles; thence south 33f, east 125 poles to post near 
 Springle's house in the survey, and crossing Bryan's road 
 at 25 poles; thence south 11}, east 125 poles to post; 
 thence south Hi, west 125 poles to post near Captain Wil- 
 son's house, leaving him in the survey ; thence south 331, 
 west 125 poles to the beginning, leaving Javell 14 poles in 
 the survey, and passing Masterson, and leaving him out." 
 
 W. 'i 
 
 1 <• 
 
 1,1- 
 
 '?\ 
 
 \ SATri-RWHltE. 
 
 HACKNEY'S 
 
 The Indians, greatly emboldened by their success over 
 Harmar, extended their incursions, and immigrants were 
 killed by them even in the neighborhood of Lexington. 
 In May, General Charles Scott organized an expedition of 
 mounted volunteers to punish the Indians on the Wabash, 
 and General James Wilkinson, who was appointed second 
 
168 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1791. 
 
 in command, augumented the force with a number of men 
 from Lexington. The troops began their march from Fort 
 Washington, May 23, 1791, and early in the following June, 
 destroyed three Kickapoo towns, killed thirty warriors, and 
 took fifty-eight prisoners, without the loss of a man.* By 
 the 18th of June, all the volunteers from Lexington had re- 
 turned, highly elated at their success. It is a matter of 
 great regret that only the following few namesf of soldiers 
 from this city have been preserved, viz : Thos. Allen, Jas. 
 M'Dowell, Jas. Brown, Wm. M'Millin, John E. King, Sara' I 
 Patterson, Jos. Jones, Kich'd Bartlett, John Peoples, John 
 Arnold, Benj. Gibbs. 
 
 In July, General Wilkinson was appointed by Governor 
 St. Clair to complete the work so successfully commenced 
 by Scott. He organized his expedition in Lexington, and 
 engaged the celebrated Indian-hunter, Bland Ballard, as his 
 guide. He started for the Wabash country August 1st, and 
 on the 7th, surprised and burned the town of Kathtippeca- 
 munk, not far from the ruins of which afterward stood 
 the celebrated Prophet's town destroyed by General Har- 
 rison in 1811, killed six braves, and took thirty-four pris- 
 oners, for all of which he was duly thanked by his country. 
 Wilkinson's loss was two killed and one wounded. The 
 prisoners taken justified their defeat by constantly declaring 
 " Kentucky too much." Only the following names of the 
 volunteers from Lexington and Fayette in this expedition 
 are extant, viz :J James McDowell, Levi Todd, F. M'Murdie, 
 Jos. Logsdon, Dav. Caldwell, W. M'Dowell, Wm. Lewis, 
 Wm. Berry, Thos. Atkins, Rich. Bartlett, Moses Caldwell, 
 Patrick Burk, Philip Phillips, John Arnold, Chas. Snedeger, 
 Samuel Harrod, Wm. Clark, Thos. Bruer. 
 
 During the entire spring, and while these expeditions 
 were in progress, preparations for the great invasion of the 
 Indian country by General St. Clair were progressing. As 
 early as May, St. Clair had come to Lexington in person to 
 get the aid of the militia; but the infirm old man, with his 
 well-known character for rigid discipline and bad luck, 
 
 *01d Gazette. tOld Gazette. JKentnoky Gazette. 
 
1791.] DELEGATES TO mNTB CONVENTION. Igg 
 
 met with very small encouragement. One company of 
 sixty men, under William Ellis* (one of the founders of 
 Grant's station), comprised all the volunteers from the 
 whole of Lexington and Fayette county. The balance of 
 the troops obtained by St. Clair from Kentucky had to be 
 drafted, and they, without confidence in their commander's 
 ability, and regarding the regular force which they were 
 compelled to serve with as doomed to destruction, deserted 
 every day.f Beset by a combination of unfavorable cir- 
 cumstances, St. Clair, with his disaffected troops, commenced 
 his march from Fort Jefferson against the Miami villages, 
 and on the 4th of November, while encamped on a tribu- 
 tary of the Wabash, was suddenly attacked hy twelve hun- 
 dred Indians, and suffered one of the most terrible and 
 overwhelming defeats recorded in the annals of savage 
 warfare. The news o' this great disaster brought sorrow 
 to many a household in Fayette county; but no record of 
 her loss is known to be in existence. In an old journal,! 
 mieution is casually made that " Israel Hart, William Bryan, 
 Charles Bland, William Lee, Matthew Eobinson, Noble 
 Wood, and James M'Farin had been paid for their services 
 during St. Clair's campaign." An incident of the day was 
 the arrival in Lexington of a band of friendly Chickasaw 
 warriors on their way to join the army of St. Clair, who 
 had been defeated just the day before they got to this city. 
 In December, 1791, Fayette elected the following dele- 
 gates to the convention to form a constitution for Kentucky, 
 viz : Hubbard Taylor, Thos. Lewis, George S. Smith, Robert 
 Frier, and James Crawford. This was to be the last of the 
 long series of Danville conventions, as Congress, on the 
 4th of the preceding February, had admitted Kentucky 
 into the Union. 
 
 *St. Clair's Report. tCollins, 44. JKentueky Gazette. 
 
170 HIHTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Indian Depredations — First Session of the Kentucky Legisla- 
 ture: Proceedings, Addresses, Ceremonies, and Appoint- 
 ments—Removal of the Capital— List of Public Officers since 
 1792 — Circuit Judges and Clerks — State Representatives and 
 Senators — United States Representatives and Senators. 
 
 The spring of 1792 had hardly come, before the Indians, 
 exulting in St. Clair's defeat, renewed their incursions, and 
 the danger soon became such that immigrants and settlers 
 were compelled when traveling to go in armed bands. 
 About the first of March, the Indians burnt two houses, 
 and killed a man and woman on North Elkhorn, and 
 shortly after, as if determined to aggravate their white foes 
 by every possible means, they crept even nearer to Lexing- 
 ton, and stole negroes, carried them off and sold them.* 
 The last man killed by the Indians, in the vicinity of Lex- 
 ington, was shot and scalped in the spring of 1792. His 
 body was brought to town, and was prepared for burial in 
 a house on Hill street, between Spring and Merino. Bad 
 as matters were, no expeditions against the Indians were at- 
 tempted, as fruitless efforts were then being made by the 
 government to effect a peace with the enraged savages. 
 
 The ninth and last convention met in Danville, April 1st 
 of this year, and on the 19th of the month, and the seven- 
 teenth anniversary of the battle of Lexington, Massachu- 
 setts, the first constitution of Kentucky was adopted, to go 
 into effect on the 1st of June following. In May, the gov- 
 ernor and other officers, and the members of both houses 
 of the legislature, were elected. On the 4th of June, 1792,t 
 commenced in Lexington the first session of the Kentucky 
 
 *01d Gazette. tState Papers, and Old Gazette. 
 
1792.] FIRST SESSION OF TUK LEGISLATURE. \1\ 
 
 legislature, and the organization of the state government. 
 Early in the morning of that eventful day, the infant cap- 
 ital of the new state presented a scene of unusual bustle 
 and excitement. The streets were crowded with citizens 
 and soldiers. Men, women, and children, arrayed in the 
 gayest pioneer fashion, poured in from the country in every 
 direction. Orderlies dashed about, drums beat, sabers clat- 
 tered, and ramrods rattled, and such a cleaning of rifles, 
 patching of buckskin suits, snapping of flints, and gather- 
 ing of provisions, was wonderful to behold. The day was 
 well worthy of the attention it received. It had been 
 eugerly and anxiously desired by the people of Kentucky 
 for years, and was destined to be an era in their history, for 
 on that day Isaac Shelby was to take the oath of office as 
 governor of a commonwealth then but three days old, and 
 the work of setting up the political machinery of the new 
 state was to be regularly begun. 
 
 As the morning waned, news came in that the governor, 
 then being escorted from Danville by a detachment of the 
 Lexington troop of horse, was approaching the town, and 
 forthwith the " county lieutenant," the board of trustees, 
 the members of the legislature who had arrived, and a large 
 number of prominent gentlemen, went out to meet him. 
 At the corner of Main and Broadway, he was received with 
 military honors by the " Old Infantry Company,'" and, in 
 the midst of enthusiastic cheers from the great crowd there 
 assembled, was presented by the chairman of the board of 
 trustees of Lexington with the following written address : 
 
 " To His Excellency, Isaac Shelby, Esq., Governor of the State 
 of Kentucky: 
 
 " Sir : The inhabitants of the town of Lexington beg leave 
 through us to present to your excellency their sincerest 
 congratulations on your appointment to the office of chief 
 magistrate of the State of Kentucky. 
 
 " Truly sensible that no other motive than a sincere de- 
 sire to promote the happiness and welfare of your country 
 could have induced you to accept an appointment that must 
 
172 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 draw you from those scenes of domestic ease and private 
 tranquillity which you enjoy in so eminent a degree. 
 
 "Having the fullest confidence in your wisdom, virtue, 
 and integrity, we rest satisfied that under your administra- 
 tion the constitution will be kept inviolate, and the laws so 
 calculated as to promote happiness and good order in the 
 state. 
 
 " In the name of the inhabitants of Lexington, we bid 
 you welcome, and assure you that we, and those we repre- 
 sent, have the warmest attachment to your person and char- 
 acter. 
 
 "May your administration insure blessings to your 
 country, and honor and happiness to yourself. 
 
 " By order of the trustees of Lexington. 
 
 "John Bradford, Chairman" 
 
 After the presentation of this address, the oath of office 
 was administered; then the horse and infantry paraded on 
 the public square, and, after firing alternately fifteen rounds, 
 a general discharge of rifles was given in honor of the new 
 governor, who was escorted to his lodgings by the largest 
 and most picturesque procession that the western cpuntry 
 had then known. " Store clothes" were scarce in that mul- 
 titude, while tow-linen shirts, powder-horns, moccasins, 
 buckskin pants, and coonskin caps were abundant. 
 
 Later in the day the following reply to the address of 
 welcome was sent by Governor Shelby : 
 
 " To Mr. John Bradford, Chairman of the Board of Trustees 
 of Lexington : 
 " Sir : I receive, with the warmest sentiments of gratitude 
 and respect, your very polite and genteel address, which , added 
 to the friendly treatment exhibited by you this day in con- 
 ducting me to this place, commands my most cordial respect 
 and esteem ; and, although I am thoroughly sensible of my 
 want of experience and abilities to discharge the very im- 
 portant duties committed to me, the warm congratulations 
 only of my country induce me to come forward, with some 
 hope that by a strict attention to the duties of my ofiice. 
 
1792.] FIRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE. 173 
 
 and a firm adherence to public justice (both of which, I 
 trust, are in my power), I may in some degree merit a part 
 of that confidence which they have placed in me. 
 
 " Unacquainted with fiattery, I only use the plain lan- 
 guage of truth to express my warm attachment to the in- 
 habitants of this place, and assure them, through you, sir, 
 that I shall be happy to render them any service in my 
 power which may not be incompatible with the interests of 
 our common country. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, with great regard and esteem, 
 
 sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 "Isaac Shelby." 
 
 This address was read to the citizens, and also the 
 announcement of the appointments, by the governor, of 
 James Brown as secretary of state, and George Nicholas, 
 attorney-general.* The legislature met and organized by 
 electing Alexander S. Bullitt, of Jefierson county, speaker 
 of the senate ; Eobert Breckinridge, speaker of the house, 
 and John Logan, of Lincoln, state treasurer, after which 
 it adjourned, and the rest of the day was spent in rejoic- 
 ing and in interchange of courtesies between the citizens 
 and their distinguished guests. 
 
 On the 6th of June, after the general assembly had been 
 fully organized, the members of both houses assembled in 
 the senate chamber of the state-house, a two-story log 
 building of the regular old pioneer type that stood nearly 
 in the center of the east side of Main street, between Mill 
 and Broadway. At twelve o'clock, Governor Shelby entered 
 the hall, attended by the secretary of state, and was imme- 
 diately conducted to a position on the right of the speaker 
 of the senate, where, after respectfully addressing, first the 
 senate and then the house, he proceeded to read the com- 
 munications he had prepared. He was listened to with the 
 deepest attention, and amid the most profound silence on 
 t^e part of the mass of the legislators and citizens, who 
 filled almost to suffocation every nook and corner of the 
 gloomy but substantial edifice. At the close of his address, 
 
 ♦Kentucky Gazette. 
 
174. BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 the governor delivered to each speaker a copy of the man- 
 uscript, and retired aa he had entered. The two houses 
 then separated, and, after voting an address in reply to that 
 of his excellency, adjourned.* What a scene for a painter, 
 what a subject for a glowing pen, was that of the opening of 
 the first session of the Kentucky legislature, where the 
 courtly practice of the British kings and colonial governors 
 appeared in such strange and striking contrast with the 
 rude and simple surroundings of early western life. The 
 pomp and state of the house of lords in a log cabin, the 
 royal ermine, and the republican coonskin, European refine- 
 ment and elegance, western simplicity and virtue. Proba- 
 bly just such another scene has never been enacted before 
 or since. The example set by Governor Shelby, of ad- 
 dressing the legislature in person, was followed in Kentucky 
 up to the time of Governor Scott, when it was changed to 
 the present one, in accordance with a precedent established 
 by President Jefferson. 
 
 The legislature was engaged during its first session in 
 organizing the government, the judiciary and revenue re- 
 quiring much of its attention. The session lasted twelve 
 days. The first bill that secured the sanction of the gov- 
 ernor was entitled " an act establishing an auditor's office 
 of public account8."f Acts were passed " establishing the 
 town of Versailles, at Woodford court-house;" and form- 
 ing the county of Clark from a part of Fayette. Bills 
 were passed establishing the various courts, and taxes were 
 imposed on land, carriages, cattle, billiard tables, ordinary 
 licenses, and retail stores. Commissioners were appointed 
 by the house of representatives to select a permanent seat 
 of government, then a matter of great jealousy and con- 
 tention between the people of the opposite sides of the Ken- 
 tucky river.J Five gentlemen were chosen, any three of 
 whom might fix upon a location. Their names were Robert 
 Todd, of Fayette; John Edwards and John Allen, of 
 Bourbon ; Henry Lee, of Mason ; and Thos. Kenneday, of 
 Madison. The commissioners met soon after their appoint- 
 
 *E;entuoky Gazette. tState Papers. JButler. 
 
1792.] F IRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE. 175 
 
 ment, when it was fouod that two were in favor of Frank- 
 fort, and two for Lexington. The matter was decided by 
 the vote of General Robert Todd for Frankfort. "Why 
 General Todd decided against his own town has long been 
 a mystery to many, but it is known that he regarded his 
 position as a delicate one, inasmuch as he owned a large 
 amount of land in this vicinity, and feared if he gave his 
 vote for his own place of residence, it might be attributed 
 to motives of personal interest. Modern legislators are 
 seldom troubled with such acute sensibilities. What a pity 
 it is that General Todd listened to the seductive voice of 
 old Mrs. Grundy. But he did, and Lexington lost the 
 capital. 
 
 Some of the first "appointments in the militia made by 
 the governor were those of Benj. Harrison, Thos. Kenne- 
 day, and Robert Todd, as brigadier-generals; /William 
 Russell, James Trotter, Henry Lee, William Steele, and 
 Levi Todd, lieutenant-colonels; James McDowell, John 
 Morrison, and John McDowell, majors. Robert Parker 
 was appointed surveyor of Fayette county.* 
 
 The members of the assembly received one dollar per 
 day for their services, and as no revenue had yet been col- 
 lected, the treasurer had to borrow that, and when they 
 were at last paid they had to rest content with " cut money;" 
 silver dollars cut into convenient "change," sometimes 
 counted, but oftener weighed.f Old time wages of a dollar 
 per day in "cut money," would not be extravagantly rel- 
 ished, we imagine, by our present public servants. The 
 office of the first state treasurer, who had neither treasure, 
 nor building to put it in if he had, was in " the big log 
 tavern" of Robert Megowan, deceased, then the tavern of 
 this place, which stood on the spot now covered by Mr. 
 Thomas Bradley's hardware store on Main street.J 
 
 At the time of this first session, Lexington was the 
 largest town in the state, and CQnta.ined one thousand in- 
 habitants, the population of the entire commonwealth 
 being about ninety thousand. The nine counties then in 
 
 *State Papers. fj^Iarshall. JOld Inhabitants. 
 
176 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 existence were Fayette, Mercer, Madison, Lincoln, Jefter- 
 son. Mason, Bourbon, Ifelson, and Woodford. 
 
 As we said above, this first meeting of the Kentucky 
 legislature was an event of great moment and heartfelt 
 satisfaction to the people. The infant republic of the vast 
 wilderness had seen nothing but trials, vexations, and dis- 
 heartening obstacles in its way from the time it was a dis- 
 trict of Virginia till it became an independent state. Ifine 
 conventions met and toiled before the much-desired result 
 was obtained. The whole work was done over and over 
 again. They were aggravated by the tardiness of Virginia 
 to complete the work of separating the district from the 
 mother State. The old Congress of 1788 declined emphat- 
 ically to act on Kentucky's petition to be received into the 
 Union. The distinguished John Brown, first and only 
 member from Kentucky in the old Congress, said that "the 
 New England states wanted no new Southern states ad- 
 mitted.* 
 
 Here was another delay. Kentucky had to wait till the 
 old crumbling government had dissolved, and the new one 
 had gone (into effect. To these repulses may be added the 
 other troubles of French, Spanish, and English intrigues, 
 the ambitious and disturbing conduct of some of her own 
 statesmen, and ever recurring Indian troubles. But all 
 difficulties were overcome. The first legislature met, and 
 the citizens of the new commonwealth rejoiced with ex- 
 ceeding great joy. 
 
 The magistrates composing the Fayette court of quarter 
 sessions in 1792 were Thomas Lewis, John McDowell, and 
 Robert Todd ; and those of the county court were James 
 Trotter, Walter Oarr, Percival Butler, Edward Payne," 
 Joseph Crockett, William Campbell, Abraham Bowman, 
 Hubbard Taylor, and James McMillan. The other public 
 officers who have served the town and county since the 
 organization of the state government are as follows, viz: 
 
 *Gaaette. 
 
1792.] JUDGES, CLERKS, AND REPRESENTATIVES. I77 
 
 CIRCUIT COUET JUDGES. 
 
 Samuel McDowell, Buekner Thurston, John Coburn, 
 Thomas Lewis, Robert Todd, Benjamin Howard, Henry- 
 Payne, Johii Monroe, John McDowell, John Parker, Will- 
 iam Warren, Benjamin Johnson, Benjamin Mills, Jesse 
 Bledsoe, T. M. Hickey, Daniel Mayes, A. K. WooUey, 
 Richard A. Buekner, W. C. Goodloe, C. B. Thomas. 
 
 CIRCUIT COURT CLERKS. 
 
 Thomas Bodley, H. I. Bodley, T. S. Redd, James Wood, 
 J. B. E^orton, J. B. Rodes. 
 
 STATE REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
 First Representatives of Payette in Legislature of Ken- 
 tucky, May 1, 1792 — William Russell, John Hawkins, 
 Thomas Lewis, Hubbard Taylor, James Trotter, Joseph 
 Crockett, James McMillan, John McDowell, Robert Pat- 
 terson. 
 
 1793. David Walker, James Hughes, Edmund Bullock, 
 Joseph Crockett, John South, Thomas January, Robert 
 Frier, Reuben Searcy. 
 
 1794. Joseph Crockett, E. Bullock, John McDowell, J. 
 Hughes, D. Walker, J. South. 
 
 1795. E. Bullock, J. Crockett, John Parker, J. Mc- 
 Dowell, J. Hughes, D. Walker. 
 
 1796. Bullock, Parker, William Russell, Hughes, Mc- 
 Dowell, Walker, Walter Carr. 
 
 1797. McDowell, Bullock, Parker, Russell, John Brad- 
 ford, Thomas Caldwell, James Morrison. 
 
 1798. Bullock, C. Beatty, J. Parker, J. H. Stewart, R. 
 Patterson, McGregor, Carr, Breckinridge, H. Harrison, 
 McDowell, Thomas Caldwell, W. Russell. 
 
 1799. W. Russell, John Breckinridge, John Bell, John 
 South, Hez. Harrison, W. Carr. 
 
 1800. W. Russell, John Breckinridge, John Parker, 
 Hez. Harrison. 
 
 1801. Benjamin Graves, James Hughes, Benjamin How- 
 ard, John Bell. 
 
178 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 1802. Benjamin Howard, Wm. Kussell, James Hughes, 
 John Bradford. 
 
 1803. Wm. Russell, Jas. Hughes, James True, Henry Clay. 
 
 1804. Henry Clay, Wm. Eussell, Benj. Graves. 
 
 1805. Henry Clay, Wm. Eussell, Grimm R. Tompkins. 
 
 1806. Henry Clay, Wm. Russell, John Pope. 
 
 1807. Henry Clay, Wm. Russell, John Pope. 
 
 1808. Henry Clay, John Parker, James Fishbaek. 
 
 1809. W. T. Barry, H. Clay, Alfred W. Grayson, Geo. 
 Trotter (elected to fill vacancy by Clay resigning, who 
 went to United States Senate). 
 
 1810. David Todd, John H. Morton, Joseph H. Hawkins. 
 
 1811. George Trotter, David Todd, J. H. Hawkins. 
 
 1812. J. H. Hawkins, David Todd, Jesse Bledsoe. 
 
 1813. D. Todd, J. H. Hawkins, Robert Russell. 
 
 1814. W. T. Barry, Henry Payne, T. T. Crittenden. 
 
 1815. H. Payne, James True, Levi L. Todd. 
 
 1816. Jos. C. Breckinridge, J. Parker, J. True. 
 
 1817. Jos. C. Breckinridge, J. Parker, W. T. Barry. 
 
 1818. Jos. C. Breckinridge, Thos. T. Barr, Thomas T. 
 Crittenden. 
 
 1819. J. Parker, H. Payne, R. WicklifFe. 
 
 1820. Percival Butter, H. Payne, George Shannon. 
 
 1821. Jas E. Davis, John R. Witherspoon, Matthias 
 Plournoy. 
 
 1822. James Trotter, Geo. Shannon, J. R. Witherspoon. 
 
 1823. Wm. Russell, R. Wickliffe, James True. 
 
 1824. H. C. Payne, R. Wickliffe, James True. 
 
 1825. R. J. Breckinridge, H. C. Payne, J. True. 
 
 1826. R. J. Breckinridge, M. Flournoy, J. True. 
 
 1827. R. J. Breckinridge, Leslie Combs, J. True, Jr. 
 
 1828. R. J. Breckinridge, Leslie Combs, J. True, Jr. 
 
 1829. Edward J. Wilson, Combs, and True. 
 
 1830. John Curd, Combs, and True. 
 
 1831. H. E. Innis, Chas. Carr, R. H. Chinn. 
 
 1832. A. K Woolley, J. R. Dunlap, H. E. Innia. 
 
 1833. L. Combs, G. R. Tompkins, J. R. Dunlap. 
 
 1834. G. E. Tompkins, J. R. Dunlap, A. K. Woolley. 
 
 1835. Jacob Hughes, John Curd, Eobt. Wickliffe, Jr. 
 
1792.] STATE SENATORS. 179 
 
 1836. H. Daniel, W. Rodes, E,obt. Wickliffe, Jr. 
 
 1837. H. Clay, Jr., W. Rodes, Robt. Wickliffe, Jr. 
 
 1838. H. Clay, Jr., W. Rodes, Larkin B. Smith. 
 
 1839. Jacob Huglies, Rich'd Pindell, J. Q. McKinney. 
 
 1840. C. M. Clay, J. Curd, Clayton Curie. 
 
 1841. l^eal McCann, Robt. S. Todd. 
 
 1842. R. S. Todd, E. A. Dudley, 0. D. Winn. 
 
 1843. T. S. Redd, EHsba Hogan, C. R. Thompson. 
 
 1844. Robt. S. Todd, Thos. A. Russell. 
 
 1845. L. Combs, G. "W". Darnaby,J. Cunningham. 
 
 1846. L. Combs, Richard Spurr. 
 
 1847. L. Combs, D. L. Price. 
 
 1848. George Robertson, R. J. Spurr. 
 
 1849. H. C. Pindell, John C. Breckinridge 
 
 1850. R. A. Athey, C. C. Rogers. 
 
 1851. Changed to two each second year. 
 1853. M. C. Johnson, F. K. Hunt. 
 1855. R. J. Spurr, R. W. Hanson. 
 1857. Leslie Combs, M. C. Johnson. 
 1859. T. H. Clay, R. A. Buckuer. 
 1861. R. A. Buckner. 
 
 1863. R. J. Spurr. 
 1865. J. C. Yanmeter. 
 1867. R. C. Rogers. 
 1869. D. L. Price. 
 1871. W. Cassius Goodloe. 
 
 STATE SENATORS. 
 
 1792, Robert Todd and Peyton Short; 1796, James 
 Campbell; 1800, James Trotter; 1805, Edmund Bullock; 
 1809, Edmund Bullock; 1813, Edmund Bullock; 1817, W. 
 T. Barry; 1821, Matthias Flournoy; 1825, Robert Wick- 
 liffe; 1829, Robert Wickliffe; 1833, R. H. Chinn; 1837, A. 
 K.WooUey; 1841, William Rodes; 1845, R. S. Todd ; 1849, 
 Oliver Anderson ; 1851, Elihu Hogan ; 1853, J. F. Robin- 
 son; 1857, W. S. Darnaby; 1859, W. S. Darnaby; 1861, J. 
 F.Robinson; 1865, W. A. Dudley; 1867, W. A. Dudley; 
 1869, A. L. McAfee. 
 
180 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1792. 
 
 CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
 1796, John Fowler; 1804, John Fowler; 1806, Benjamin 
 Howard; 1808, Benj. Howard; 1810, W. T. Barry; 1812, 
 Henry Clay; 1814, Henry Clay; 1816, Henry Clay; 1818, 
 Henry Clay; 1820, S. H.Woodson; 1822, Henry Clay; 1824, 
 Henry Clay; 1825, Herman Bowmar; 1827, James Clarke ; 
 1829, James Clarke; 1831, James Clarke; 1833, Chilton 
 Allen; 1835, Chilton Allen; 1837, K. Hawes; 1839, R. 
 Hawes; 1841, Thos. F. Marshall; 1843, Garret Davis; 1845, 
 Garret Davis; 1847, C. S. Morehead; 1849, C. S. More- 
 head; 1851, J. C. Breckinridge; 1853, J. C. Breckinridge; 
 1855, A. K Marshall; 1857, J. B. Clay; 1859, "W. E. Sims; 
 1861, R. A. Buckner ; 1863, Brutus Clay; 1865, G. S. Shank- 
 lin; 1867, J. B. Beck; 1868, J. B. Beck; 1870, J. B.Beck. 
 
 UNITED STATES SENATORS. 
 
 The following citizens of Fayette county have served 
 terms in the Federal Senate, viz : 1792, John Brown ; 1796, 
 Humphrey Marshall, John Brown ; 1801, John Breckin- 
 ridge, Buckner Thruston; 1813, Jesse Bledsoe, John Pope; 
 1818, Henry Clay; 1825, Henry Clay; 1836, Henry Clay; 
 1861, John C. Breckinridge. 
 
 ^^ 
 
1793.] LEXINGTON INDIGNANT, ETC. Igl 
 
 XX. 
 
 Lexington Indignant — A Virginia Town — Democratic Society 
 Founded — John Breckinridge — Inventors and Inventions — 
 West and the First Steamboat — Barlow's Planetarium — 
 Music of Light — Speeder Spindle — Burrowes' Mustard — 
 Locomotive — Vaccination. 
 
 The removal of the state capital to Frankfort, in 1793, 
 caused great disappointment in Lexington, and no little 
 indignation, as Lexington was at that time the most impor- 
 tant settlement on the frontier. A few months after the 
 removal, and while the general assembly was in session in 
 Frankfort, the Indians drove some hunters within five 
 miles of the town, and shortly after actually penetrated 
 into the place.* These incidents formed a standing sub- 
 ject of wit and ridicule among disappointed Lexingtonians 
 for weeks after their occurrence. 
 
 Lexington, in 1793, was a perfect type of the Yirginia 
 towns of that period. The manners, tastes, and appear- 
 ance of the people, and the general characteristics of the 
 place were "Virginian, and though many of the citizens 
 were emigrants from Marj'land, North Carolina, l^ew 
 Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the great mass of them had 
 come from the Old Dominion. The grand old customs and 
 distinguishing features of the mother of states and states- 
 men, then impressed upon Lexington by her children, are 
 happily not yet extinct. 
 
 Early in the summer of 1793t was founded the "Dem- 
 ocratic Society of Lexington," John Breckinridge being 
 president, and Thomas Bodley and Thomas Todd, clerks. 
 
 »01d Gazette, August 2, \1Bi. tButler. 
 
182 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [im. 
 
 This society was noted for its hostility to ferleralism, its 
 efforts to secure the free navigation of the Mississippi river, 
 and its passionate sympathy for the young republic of 
 Prance. The members of the society, which embraced all 
 the democrats in Lexington, wore tri-color cockades, and 
 planted poles, surmounted with the cap of liberty, on every 
 corner. One of these " liberty poles " remained standing 
 for several years, on the corner of Main and Cheapside. 
 The federalists, to show their aversion of the tri-color, wore 
 a black cockade with an eagle button on the left side of 
 the hat. Party spirit was high and fierce, and if the dem- 
 ocratic society of Lexington, with little regard for the gen- 
 eral government, encouraged the agents of the French re- 
 public in their efforts to organize a force to wrest from 
 Spain her Louisiana territory, it is not to be wondered at 
 when we remember that Spain stubbornly refused the 
 western people an outlet to the ocean, and the federal gov- 
 ernment, in addition to the almost studied coldness shown to 
 Kentucky, was remarkably slow in bringing Spain to terms. 
 
 John Breckinridge, president of the Democratic Society, 
 had arrived in Kentucky just a few months anterior to 
 the formation of the society. He was born in Augusta 
 county, Virginia, December 2, 1760. His father's early 
 death compelled him, while but a boy, to labor hard to sus- 
 tain his widowed mother and her impoverished family. 
 Under these discouraging circumstances, Mr. Breckinridge 
 practiced law in Albemarle county, Virginia, from 1785, 
 until his removal to Kentucky, and as a lawyer, no man of 
 his day excelled him, and but few could compare with him. 
 "While a member of the Kentucky legislature, he inaugu- 
 rated the movement against the alien and sedition laws, 
 and was prominent and influential in the convention which 
 framed the state constitution of 1799. 
 
 As a senator in Congi-ess, as attorney-general of the United 
 States under Jefferson, and as a great leader of the old 
 democratic party, he displayed the qualities of a patriot, 
 and made himself famous as a statesman. He resided for 
 some time in a house which stood in the rear of the present 
 residence of Mr. B. Gratz, fronting on Broadway, and be- 
 
1793.J THE FIRST STEAMBOAT. 183 
 
 tween Second and Third. He died near Lexington, Decem- 
 ber 14, 1806. Mr. Breckinridge was the grandfather of 
 our distinguished fellow-citizen, General John C. Breckin- 
 ridge. 
 
 With the year 1793 commences the history of invention 
 in Lexington, for at that time, in all reasonable probability, 
 was invented the first steamboat that ever successfully 
 plowed the waters of the world. The inventor, Edward 
 West, was a Virginian, and moved to this city in 1785. 
 He was the first watchmaker who settled in Lexington. 
 His shop and residence both were near the corner of Mill 
 and Hill streets, opposite the present residence of Mrs. 
 Letcher, Mr. "West was a hard student and close investi- 
 gator. He spent all his leisure time in experimenting with 
 steam and steam machinery of his own construction, and 
 the little engine that so successfully propelled his little boat, 
 was the result of years of untiring industry. He obtained 
 a patent for his great invention, and also one for a nail- 
 cutting machine, the first ever invented, and which cut 
 5,320 pounds in twelve hours, the patent for which " he sold 
 at once for ten thousand dollars."* Models of both inven- 
 tions were deposited in the patent office, but they were un- 
 fortunately destroyed when Washington was burned by 
 the British in 1814. It is said that John Fitch, of Pennsyl- 
 vania, made the initiatory step in steam navigation in 1787, 
 but it is also known that he had no success till August, 1807, 
 while West's boat was notoriously a success as early as 
 1793, years before Fulton had built his first boat on the 
 Seine. In that year (1793), in the presence of a large 
 crowd of deeply interested citizens, a trial of West's won- 
 derful little steamboat was made on the town fork of Elk- 
 horn, which was damned up near the Lexington and Frank- 
 fort freight depot for that purpose. The boat moved 
 swiftly through the water. The first successful application 
 of steam to navigation was made, and cheer after cheer 
 arose from the excited spectators. A number of our most 
 
 *Miohaux. 
 
184 BISTORT of' LEXINGTON. [1793. 
 
 respected and venerable citizens remember witnessing this 
 experiment when boys. In confirmation of the early date 
 of this invention, we quote the following editorial notice 
 from the old Kentucky (gazette, dated April 29, 1816 : 
 
 "Steamboats. — A steamboat owned by a company of 
 gentlemen of this town (Lexington) was to sail for New 
 Orleans yesterday, from near the mouth of Hickman creek. 
 We are informed that she is worked on a plan invented 
 by Mr. West, of this place, nearly twenty years ago, and 
 in a manner distinct from any other steamboat now in use. 
 On trial against the current of the Kentuckj-, when that 
 river was very high, she more than answered the sanguine 
 expectation of her owners, and left no doubt on their minds 
 that she could stem the current of the Misassippi with 
 rapidity and ease." 
 
 , The editor settles the question of the antiquity of the 
 invention, but speaks indefinitely. John B. West, the 
 inventor's son, states decidedly that it was in the year 1793. 
 The memory of Edward West should be cherished by all 
 his countrymen; for to his genius is due one of the 
 grandest inventions recorded in the " geographical history 
 of man," since Jason sailed in search of the golden fleece, 
 or the Phcenicians crept timidly along the shores of the 
 Mediterranean, in their frail, flat-bottomed barges. The 
 time when steam was first used as a motive power will 
 form an era in the world's history, for the revolution it 
 has worked has been a mighty one, and a hundred years 
 from now, the little stream called the " Town Fork of Elk- 
 horn" will have become classic. The identical miniature 
 engine that West made and used in 1793 is now in the 
 museum of the lunatic asylum in this city. Edwin West 
 died in Lexington, August 23, 1827, aged seventy. 
 
 In 1796,* Nathan Burrowes, an ingenious citizen of Lex- 
 ington, introduced the manufacture of hemp into Kentucky, 
 and also invented a machine for cleaning hemp. Like 
 many other inventors, he was betrayed, and derived no 
 
 *S. D. MuCui lough. 
 
1T93.] INVENTORS AND INVENTIONS. 185 
 
 benefit from either. He afterward discovered a superior 
 process of manufacturing mustard, and produced an article 
 wMch took the premium at the "World's Fair, in London, 
 and which has no equal in quality in existence. The secret 
 of its compounding has been sacredly transmitted unre- 
 vealed. It is now three-quarters of a century since " Bur- 
 rowes' Mustard " was first made, and it is still manufactured 
 in Lexington, and has a world-wide celebrity. Mr. Bur- 
 rowes settled in Lexington in 1792, and died here in 1846. 
 
 At the beginning of the present century, John Jones, 
 who died in Lexington in 1849, at the advanced age of 
 ninety years, invented a speeder spindle and a machine for 
 sawing stone, which were afterward " caught up " by eastern 
 impostors. 
 
 Though not an invention, it may not be inappropriate 
 here to state that vaccination had been introduced for sev- 
 eral years in Lexington by Dr. Samuel Brown, of Transyl- 
 vania University, when the first attempts at it were being 
 made in I^Tew York and Philadelphia.* Up to 1802, he 
 had vaccinated upward of five hundred persons in Ken- 
 tucky. 
 
 In 1805, Dr. Joseph Buchanan, long known as one of the 
 most remarkable citizens of Lexington, invented, at the age 
 of twenty, a musical instrument,! producing its harmony 
 from glasses of different chemical composition, and origi- 
 nated the grand conception of the music of light, to be ex- 
 ecuted by means of harmonific colors luminously displayed; 
 an invention which will, if ever put in operation, produce 
 one of the most imposing spectacles ever witnessed by the 
 human eye. 
 
 About 1835, Mr. E. S. l^oble, of Lexington, invented an 
 important labor-saving machine, for the purpose of turning 
 the bead on house-guttering. 
 
 One of the greatest mechanical geniuses, or inventors, 
 that Lexington has produced, and one who has done honor 
 to America, was Thomas Harris Barlow. His shop was, for 
 a long time, located on Spring street, between Main and 
 
 *Michaux'B Travels. tOollins, 559. 
 
186 BISTORY OF LEXINGTON. \11^3. 
 
 Water. He settled in Lexington in 1825, but first attracted 
 public attention in 1827, by making a locomotive which 
 would ascend an elevation of eighty feet to the mile, with 
 a heavily-laden car attached.* He, at the same time, con- 
 structed a small circular railroad, over which the model lo- 
 comotive and car ram successfully in the presence of many 
 spectators, some of whom are still alive. This model is yet 
 in existence in the Lunatic Asylum of this city. Lexing- 
 ton can claim, therefore, the Urst railroad and the first loco- 
 motive ever constructed in "Western America. After this, 
 Mr. Barlow invented a self-feeding nail and tack machine, 
 which was a success. He sold it to some Massachusetts 
 capitalists. In 1855, he invented and perfected a rifled per- 
 cussion cannon, for the testing and experimental manufac- 
 ture of which Congress appropriated $3,000.t This gun 
 attracted the attention and admiration of the Russian min- 
 ister at Washington during the Crimean war, which was 
 then raging, and is believed to be the pattern which subse- 
 quent inventors of rifled guns have more or less followed. 
 It weighed seven thousand pounds, the bore was flve and a 
 half inches in diameter, twisting one turn in forty feet. It 
 was cast at Pittsburg. 
 
 His last, and greatest achievement, and one that will long 
 cause his name to be gratefully remembered by the learned 
 and scientific throughout the world, was the invention of 
 the planetarium, now so celebrated, both for the wonderful 
 ingenuity of its harmonious arrangement and working, and 
 for the ease and accuracy with which it represents the mo- 
 tions and orbits of the planets. The planetarium was the 
 result of ten years' patient study and labor, having been 
 commenced in 1841, and finished in 1851. J It was finally 
 perfected and exhibited in a room in the upper story of the 
 building which formerly occupied the site of the present 
 banking-house, on the corner of Main and Upper streets.]] 
 The first planetarium Mr. Barlow made, was purchased 
 for Transylvania University. The instrument is now used 
 at Washington, West Point, and in most of the great ed- 
 
 *Obs. and Bep. tMilton Barlow. JId. ||Wm. Swift. 
 
1^93.] INVENTORS AND INVENTIONS. 187 
 
 ucational institutions of this country. At the late grand 
 Exposition at Paris, in 1867, Barlow's planetarium was ex- 
 amined with delight and admiration by the savants of 
 Europe, and received a premium of the first class. Mr. Bar- 
 low was born in ITicholas county, Kentucky, August 5, 
 1789, and died in Cincinnati in 1865. 
 
188 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1794. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Qame — Wayne's Victory — Lexington Post-office — Incidents, 
 and List of Postmasters — The Catholic Church — Father 
 Badin — Pastors. 
 
 Game, once so abundant about Lexington, had greatly 
 diminished by the year 1794. Teal and duck were still 
 plentiful, and the deer had not left the forests, but the 
 buffalo and the elk had disappeared, and wild turkeys were 
 never seen. Immense numbers of quails, which before the 
 settlement of Kentucky had been unknown, now migrated 
 from the other side of the mountains, following up the 
 grain scattered by emigrants. 
 
 Kelief from the plundering and murdering Indians was 
 now at hand. General Anthony Wayne, the successor of 
 the ill-fated St. Clair, after having organized his forces with 
 great care and deliberation, moved against the Miami sav- 
 ages in the summer of 1794. General "Wilkinson, Robert 
 Todd, and Thomas Lewis, and a large number of mounted 
 volunteers from Lexington and Fayette county, constituted 
 a part of the army, and participated in "Wayne's brilliant 
 and decisive victory over the Indians at the rapids of the 
 Miami, August 20, 1794. A few months after the battle, 
 peace was effected with the northwestern tribes, and, after 
 long years of bloodshed and misery, anxiety and watching, 
 the settlers of the Dark and Bloody Ground had rest from 
 their savage foes, who never again ventured upon Kentucky 
 soil. 
 
 The Lexington post-office was established about the year 
 1794, the inefficiency of the old confederation and the 
 incomplete organization of the new government rendering 
 it impossible until that late period. Before that time, all 
 
1794.] LEXINGTON POST-OFFICE. 189 
 
 letters and papers received by the citizens were obtained 
 through the kindness of friends and innniigrants, or came by 
 private enterprise. A lady in Lexington, at that early day, 
 whose husband had gone to Crab Orchard, received a letter 
 from him which he had intrusted to a party of settlers who 
 intended to go through Lexington on their way west. In 
 passing through the ""Wilderness," the Indians attacked 
 the party, killing the man who had the letter, and his com- 
 panions carried it to the anxious wife stained with his 
 blood.* 
 
 In 1787, Bradford's "post-rider" brought letters to the 
 citizens, and in 1790 to still further accommodate them, he 
 opened a letter-box in his office where all letters and papers 
 brought to town could be deposited, and he published a 
 list of them in the Gazette once a month.* The first post- 
 master, Innis B. Brent, who was also jailer, had his office 
 in the log jail building which stood on Main street, between 
 Graves' stable and the corner of Broadway. It was next 
 located in " Postlethwaite's tavern " (Phoenix). In 1808, it 
 was in a building with immense hewed log steps, which oc- 
 cupied the site of the new Odd ^Fellows Hall, on Main. Mr. 
 Jordan was then postmaster, and our venerable fellow- 
 citizen, Mr. Ben Kiser, was his deputy. 
 
 In the year 1812 and for some time after, the post-office 
 was located in a little red frame-house which stood on the 
 site of Hoagland's stable, on Main, between Limestone and 
 Kose. Persons are still living who remember when the 
 news came to Lexington that the war with England was 
 over. The post-rider, with the mail bag strapped behind, 
 him, and furiously blowing his horn, dashed up to the post- 
 office door with the word "Peace" in big letters upon the 
 front of his hat. 
 
 At a later period the post-office was near the old Ken- 
 tucky Gazette office, near Clark & Bros, grocery, on Main. 
 In 1861, it was removed from the building now known as 
 Eule's cigar store, on the corner of Main, to its present lo- 
 cation, on the corner of Mill and Short streets. 
 
 *Cist, 129. tOld Gazette. 
 
190 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1794. 
 
 Joseph Fickliu, who was appointed postmaster in 1822, 
 is believed to have held the office longer, and through more 
 presidential administrations than any other postmaster in 
 this country. The names of the postmasters of Lexington, 
 in order of their succession, are Innis B. Brent, Peter G. 
 Voorhies, John W. Hunt, John Jordan, Jr., John Fowler, 
 Joseph Ficklin, Thomas Redd, Squire Bassett, Jesse Wood- 
 ruff, L. B. Todd, S. W. Price. 
 
 The Catholic church in Lexington owes its establish- 
 ment to the self-sacrifice and untiring energy of the Rev. 
 Stephen Theodore Badin,* who commenced, in January, 
 1794, to gather together the few Catholics then in the town. 
 Father Badin was a native of France, and had been a sub- 
 deacon of the diocese of Orleans. He escaped from Bor- 
 deaux in 1792, while the furious Jacobins were murdering 
 his fellow-priests, and sailed for the United States. He 
 was ordained in Baltimore, by Bishop Carroll, the following 
 year, being the first priest of his church ever ordained in 
 this country, and shortly after set out for Kentucky. He 
 journeyed from Limestone (Maysville) to Lexington on 
 foot, and passed over the field of the disastrous battle of 
 Blue Licks, and though the defeat had taken place more 
 than eleven years before, the scene of it was still marked 
 by the whitened bones of the massacred settlers. For a 
 number of years after his arrival in Lexington, Father 
 Badin, like the majority of the pioneer preachers, fared 
 badly. 
 
 A little hut was his home ; he ground his own corn with 
 a hand-mill, and once had to go several days without 
 bread.f Father Badin celebrated mass in private houses 
 until the year 1800, when his congregation erected a log 
 church in a corner of the lot on which the First Baptist 
 Church, on Main, is now located. Here he officiated until 
 1812, when the wants of his flock demanded a larger house. 
 A gothic chapel of brick was accordingly built in the old 
 Catholic graveyard, on Winchester street, and was dedicated 
 May 19, 1812. J The subscription for this new church was 
 
 *Spalding. tDavidson. tM^cCabe. 
 
1''94-] FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH. 
 
 191 
 
 opened on St. Patrick's day in 1810, at which time the Rev. 
 F. O'Flynn preached in the court-house an eloquent pan- 
 egyric on Ireland's patron saint. Three hundred dollars 
 were subscribed on the spot, and enough was raised shortly 
 after to commence work on the chapel. 
 
 Father Badin labored in Lexington for many years, be- 
 loved by his congregation, and respected by all who had 
 the good fortune to know him. This early and zealous 
 missionary, whose goodness, learning, and wit would have 
 made him an ornament in the most polished society, spent 
 his life with hunters and hardy settlers, in doing what he 
 believed to be the best for his fellow-men. In 1822 he went 
 to Paris, France, and while there published a book entitled 
 " Early Catholic Missions in Kentucky." In 1832 he labored 
 among the Potawatomie Indisms. After traversing Ken- 
 tucky and other states on missionary duty a hundred times 
 through rain and storm, and heat and cold, he went to 
 his rest at last in 1853. 
 
 Eev. G. A. M. Elder, born in Marion county, Kentucky 
 in 1793, succeeded Father Badin. He was a student at 
 Emmettsburg College, Maryland ; was ordained by Bishop 
 David in 1819, and is noted as the founder and first presi- 
 dent of St. Joseph's College at Bardstown. He was a man 
 of strong mind and unconquerable energy. Rev. Elder died 
 September 28, 1828, in the institution he had established, 
 and which remains as his monument. 
 
 St. Peter's Church, on Limestone street, was built during 
 the pastorate of Eev. Edward McMahon, a native of Ire- 
 land, and was dedicated December 3, 1837. On Sunday, 
 August 13, 1854,* just a few moments after the congrega- 
 tion had retired from this building, the entire ceiling fell 
 in with a crash that would have carried death and destruc- 
 tion with it if it had occurred a little while before. Fathers 
 Butler, John Maguire, and Dismarias succeeded each other. 
 Father Diemarisewas an Italian, learned and scholarly, and 
 endowed with unusual philosophical talents. He died in 
 
 *Observer and Keporter. 
 
192 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON: [1794. 
 
 Philadelphia, a few years ago. In 1859, Rev. Peter Mc- 
 Mahon and Rev. JE. G. Allen were the resident priests. 
 
 Rev. John H. Bekkers, a Hollander, took charge of the 
 church in 1864, and has remained its faithful and efficient 
 pastor ever since. Under his direction, the present hand- 
 some and commodious St. Paul's Church, on Short street, 
 between Broadway and Spring, was completed. The corner- 
 stone of this church was laid by the Rt. Rev. Gr. A. Carroll, 
 on Sunday, November 12, 1865, and was dedicated, with 
 impressive services, October 18, 1868, by Archbishop Purcell. 
 
1T95.] BRICK HOUSES, ETC. 193 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Brick Houses — Immigration — Infidelity— Free Navigation of 
 the Mississippi — German Lutheran Church — Lexington Li- 
 brary, Founders, Incidents, Librarians. 
 
 Brick houses began to take the place of wooden ones in 
 Lexington in 1795. The first one erected is believed to have 
 been the one built by Mr. January in the back part of the 
 lot, betv7een Mill and Broadway, on which the residence of 
 Mr. Benjamin Gratz now stands.* 
 
 The fear of all future invasions by the Indians having 
 been removed by the decisive campaign of General Wayne, 
 immigrants in great numbers poured into Kentucky, and 
 many of them settled in Lexington, whose substantial 
 growth dates from this year. Unfortunate!}', some of the 
 newcomers were admirers of Thomas Paine, and exerted 
 themselves to spread his peculiar views through the com- 
 munity, and being aided by the existing partiality for French 
 ideas, met with some success, and laid the foundation of the 
 infidelity and lax morality which became unpleasantly 
 prominent shortly after. 
 
 There was great rejoicing in Lexington, in the fall of 1795, 
 over the welcome news that a treaty had been coneinded 
 with Spain, by which the United States was conceded the 
 free navigation of the Mississippi river to the ocean, with 
 a right of deposit at New Orleans. 
 
 About this time (1795), the organization of a German 
 Lutheran church was eflFected in Lexington, mainly through 
 the efibrts of Captain John Smith, Jacob Kiser, Casper 
 Kernsner, and Martin Castel.f Money enough was secured, 
 by means of a lottery, to purchase the lot on Hill street, be- 
 tween Mill and Upper, on which the Southern Methodist 
 
 *M.cCabe. fOld Kentucky Gazette. 
 
194 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [^95. 
 
 Church now stands, and to erect a story and a half frame 
 building, which was used both as a church and school-house. 
 The pastor of the church was the Rev. Mr. Dishman, the 
 teacher was Mr. Leary. The congregation was composed 
 almost entirely of Germans, among whom were Henry 
 Lanckart, Jacob Springle, John Kiser, Adam Webber, 
 George Adams, Haggard, Edward Howe, Malcolm Myers, 
 and Mr. Bushart. Many members of the Lutheran Church 
 were buried in their old graveyard, which is still to be seen 
 back of the present Hill Street Methodist Church. 
 
 About the year 1815, the little frame Lutheran church 
 was destroyed by fire, and no other was ever erected. The 
 congregation became scattered, and finally died out, even 
 from the memory of many. "When the old church lot was 
 sold to the Lutheran Methodists, only one trustee of the 
 Lutheran Church, Adam Webber, was still alive. 
 
 The Lexington Library, the oldest institution of its kind 
 in Kentucky, if not in the West, commenced its existence 
 in this year (1795). On New Year's day, a number of gen- 
 tlemen met in the " old state-house " to consult in regard to 
 establishing a library for the benefit of the citizens of Lex- 
 ington and the students of Transylvania Seminary. It was 
 resolved to organize such an institution, to be called " Tran- 
 sylvania Library," and the following citizens were appointed 
 a committee to perfect the work, viz : Robert Barr, John 
 Bradford, John Breckinridge, James Brown, R. W. Down- 
 ing, Thomas Hart, Thomas January, James Parker, Samuel 
 Price, Fred. Ridgely, H. Toulmin, and James Trotter. 
 
 So earnest were these gentlemen in the good work to 
 which they had been called, that in a few days they had se- 
 cured subscriptions from the public amounting to five hun- 
 dred dollars. A purchasing committee was appointed, and 
 the money forwarded for the books.* At this time, Tran- 
 sylvania Seminary, as the present university was then called, 
 was a small school, with no collection worthy the name of 
 " library," and there were no private libraries in the city, 
 though it could boast, even at that early day, of many citi- 
 
 *Keutucky Gazette. 
 
1795.] LEXINGTON LIBRARY. 195 
 
 zens of culture and education, who no doubt waited with 
 the greatest impatience for the infant library. Patience 
 was needed, for it took nearly a year to collect and transport 
 the books to Lexington. But they came at last (four hun- 
 dred volumes) in January, 1796, and were placed for safe 
 keeping in the seminary building. 
 
 In 1798, when the Presbyterian grammar school, "Ken- 
 tucky Academy," was merged in Transylvania Seminary, 
 lorming Transylvania University, the library was increased 
 by the addition of the little library of Kentucky Academy. 
 By this means, the library came in possession of valuable 
 theological works, obtained through the generous exertions 
 of Rev. Doctor Gordon, of London,* and also books bought 
 by subscriptions obtained by Eev. James Blythe from 
 President Washington, Vice-President Adams, Aaron 
 Burr, and other distinguished gentlemen. The library now 
 numbered over six hundred volumes, and the committee, 
 believing it could be made more useful if placed in a more 
 central location, removed it to the drug store of the first 
 librarian, Andrew McCalla, which was located at that time 
 on the corner of Market and Short streets, where the Daily 
 Press office now stands, and its name was changed to 
 " Lexington Library." By this name it was incorporated 
 November 29, 1800. The shareholders named in the 
 charter are : Thomas Hart, Sen., James Morrison, John 
 Bradford, James Trotter, John A. Seitz, Eobert Patterson, 
 John McDowell, Robert Barr, "William Macbean, James 
 Maccoun, Caleb Wallace, Fielding L. Turner, Samuel Pos- 
 tlethwait, and Thomas T. Barr. At a general meeting of 
 the shareholders, held at the house of John Mcl*?^air, on 
 the first Saturday in January, 1801, a complete organiza- 
 tion under the charter was effected by the election of a 
 board of directors. 
 
 In 1803, the library contained seven hundred and fifty 
 volumes, and had been removed to a room in the old state- 
 house on West Main street, between Mill and Broadway. 
 The juvenile library of one thousand one hundred and 
 
 *Wmterl)otham's History, vol. iii, p. 155. 
 
196 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T95. 
 
 thirty-five books, which had been collected by an associa- 
 tion of ambitious and energetic boys, was consolidated 
 with the Lexington Library in 1810. It was further in- 
 creased by donations and sales of shares, until, in 1815, it 
 had grown to two thousand five hundred and seventy- 
 three volumes. La 1824, the books of the Lexington 
 Athseneum were turned over to it. Small as it was, the 
 Lexington Library was now the largest and most prominent 
 one in the western country, and it received frequent con- 
 tributions of books, pamphlets, journals, and documents 
 from various literary, scientific, and philosophical societies 
 throughout the country, not to mention many donations 
 of books from private citizens of Lexington and Fayette 
 county. The library numbered over six thousand volumes 
 in 1837, and was increased the next year through the 
 eftbrts of Henry Clay, Eobert "Wickliffe, Jr., and A. K. 
 Woolley, who addressed public meetings in its behalf. In 
 1839, Leslie Combs gave one thousand three hundred dol- 
 lars in turnpike stock to the institution. At present, the 
 number of books in the library is estimated at ten thou- 
 sand, a small number when the age of the library is con- 
 sidered, but its smallness is due, to some extent, to the 
 vicissitudes it has encountered during an eventful history. 
 It has suffered from frequent removals, from fire, and from 
 water. At one time, the books were kept in the old Odd- 
 Fellows' hall, on Church street, between Upper and Lime- 
 stone. The building was destroyed by fire, and the books 
 sadly damaged. They were then removed to the Medical 
 hall, which at that time occupied the site of the present 
 library building, on the corner of Church and Market 
 street. This hall was also destroyed by fire, and many 
 books were lost. The library found another refuge in the 
 new Medical Hall, erected on the corner of Broadway and 
 Second streets, but still the fire fiend pursued it ; the hall 
 was burned, and the books, for the third time, were dam- 
 aged, both by the fire itself and water from the engines. 
 That the library was not scattered and almost entirely de- 
 stroyed, Lexington may thank the watchful care of our late 
 fellow-citizens, Leonard Wheeler, and also William A. 
 
1795.] LEXINGTON LIBRARY. I97 
 
 Leavy, Lyman W. Seeley, and John S. Wilson. The 
 library finally landed in the house now owned by the 
 library company, on Jordan's row, and at present occu- 
 pied as the internal revenue ofELce. 
 
 In 1865, the present library building was bought by 
 money raised from issuing bonds of the company for six 
 thousand dollars, and the books were forthwith removed to 
 it. This important occasion is the result of Mr. Thomas 
 Mitchell's enlightened exertions. 
 
 The following bondholders have, up to the present time, 
 given up their bonds, and have accepted, instead, perpetual 
 shares, viz: Benjamin Gratz, M. C. Johnson, Mrs. John 
 Curty, D. A. Sayre, Wm. Warfield, H. T. Duncan, Jr., E. 
 D. Sayre, J. B. Payne, J. S. Wilson, J. M. Elliott, W. W. 
 Bruce, M. P. Lancaster, B. S. Thompson, J. B. Morton, 
 M. E. Graves, C. W. Fouschee, M. G. Thompson, J. W. 
 Berkley, J. W. Cochrane, J. W. Cochran. 
 
 At the meeting of the Kentucky Press Association in 
 Lexington, in January, 1870, the editors in attendance re-, 
 solved to send their various journals free to the library. 
 The Lexington Library is an exceedingly valuable one, 
 abounding as it does in rare old works, which can not now 
 be obtained elsewhere for any consideration, and the good 
 that it has done can not easily be overestimated. The 
 names of the librarians, in the order of their succession, 
 are : Andrew McCalla, Lewis H. Smith, David Logan, 
 Thomas M. Prentiss, James Logue, Lyman W. Seeley, 
 James Logue, Wellington Payne, William M. Matthews, 
 Henry C. Brennan, Allie G. Hunt, Joseph Wasson, William 
 Swift, and J. B. Cooper. The oflice was held longer by 
 James Logue than by any other librarian. He was custo- 
 dian of the books for more than twenty-five years. Mr. 
 Swift will be remembered for his accurate and extensive 
 information and for his extraordinary memory. The in- 
 stitution has never had a librarian more devoted to its in- 
 terests than the present one, Mr. Cooper. 
 
198 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON: [1^96. 
 
 CHAPTE;R XXIII: 
 
 Episcopal Church — Mrst Building — Bev. James Moore — 
 Early Members — The " St Paul" Schism — List of Rectors 
 of Christ Church — Present Condition. 
 
 The history of the Episcopal Church in Lexington com- 
 mences with the year 1796, when a feeble little band or- 
 ganized the present Christ Church, in a dilapidated frame 
 house which stood on the site of the present church, on the 
 corner of Market and Church streets. Rev. James Moore, 
 who was the first minister of the Episcopal Church of the 
 United States who settled permanently in Kentucky, was 
 the first rector of Christ Church. He came from Virginia 
 to Lexington in 1792,* and was at that time a candidate for 
 the ministry in the Presbyterian Church, but shortly after, 
 considering himself too rigorously treated by the Transyl- 
 vania Presbytery, he connected himself with the Episcopal 
 Church. He was a man of learning, great piety, and beau- 
 tiful manners. In 1798, he was appointed acting president 
 of Transylvania University, which oflice he held for several 
 years. He died June 22, 1814, at the age of. forty-nine. 
 
 A little brick house succeeded the frame one, in 1808 
 and was furnished by means of a lottery, of which William 
 Morton, "Walter Warfield, Daniel Sheely, and John Wyatt 
 were managers.f Among others, who were either members 
 of the church at that time, or were adherents of it, may be 
 namedj John D. Clifford, Thomas January, John Bradford, 
 Henry Clay, John W. Hunt, Thomas B. Pinkard, Frederick 
 liidgely, John Jordan, Elijah Craig, Alexander Parker, 
 John Postlethwaite, William Essex, John Brand, Matthew, 
 Elder, Matthew Shryock, and T. King. 
 
 »Conins. tOld Gazette. JChurch Eecords. 
 
1T96.] THE EPISCOPAL GHURCB. 199 
 
 The Rev. John "Ward succeeded Mr. Moore in November, 
 1813. Mr. Ward conducted a successful female school in 
 Lexington for many years. He died in this city in 1860, 
 aged eighty-two. After performing the duties of the rec- 
 torship for six years with great acceptability, he was suc- 
 ceeded, in September, 1819, by Rev. Lemuel Burge, who 
 officiated as pro tern, pastor for five months, when he was 
 called to the church eternal. 
 
 The zealous and talented Dr. George T. Chapman, who 
 is still living, at a very great age, in Massachusetts, became 
 the next regular rector, in July, 1820. His volume of " Ser- 
 mons to Presbyterians of all Sects," which was published in 
 1828, passed through several editions.* He was rector of 
 Christ Church for ten years. 
 
 During Dr. Chapman's ministry, the little brick chapel 
 gave way to a larger and more church-like edifice, which 
 was built on the same spot which had been occupied by 
 both of its predecessors. The building was of brick, stuc- 
 coed to imitate stone, and the aisles and other parts of it 
 were, in time, strewn with memorial slabs and tablets to 
 those who were buried in and around the edifice. This 
 church building was badly constructed, audit became more 
 and more insecure every year. A knowledge of this fact 
 made the growth of the congregation very slow as long as 
 it was occupied. 
 
 The present bishop of the diocese, the Rev. Benjamin 
 Bosworth Smith, was called to the rectorship of Christ 
 Church in November, 1830. Bishop Smith was born June 
 13, 1794, in Bristol, R. L, was graduated at Brown Univer- 
 sity in 1816, ordained priest in 1818, and consecrated bishop 
 in St. Paul's Church, New York city, October 31, 1832. 
 This learned, faithful, and now aged minister, resigned the 
 rectorship in October, 1838, since which time he has been 
 constantly employed in a laborious oversight of the diocese. 
 In addition to publishing several sermons and charges, 
 Bishop Smith has contributed largely to religious journals. 
 Dr. Henry Caswell,t an English clergyman, was assist- 
 
 *Caswell. tB. B. Smith. 
 
200 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1796. 
 
 ant rector of Christ Church for a part of Bishop Smith's 
 term. In 1834, he was called to the professorship of Sacred 
 Literature in the Episcopal Theological Seminary, then just 
 established in Lexington, which position, with that of assist- 
 ant rector, he held for three years. In 1839, he published a 
 volume entitled "America and the American Church," and, 
 about the same period, returned to England, and was for 
 ten years vicar of Figheldean, Diocese of Salisbury. He 
 came back to the United States a few years ago, and sub- 
 sequently died in Franklin, Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1837, Christ Church became divided* upon some com- 
 paratively unimportant questions, and a part of the congre- 
 gation organized a church, which they named " St. Paul's." 
 They worshiped in Morrison College, but only for a short 
 time. The trouble was soon settled, and the seceding mem- 
 bers renewed their connection with Christ Chi.rch. 
 
 For a short time after the resignation of Bishop Smith, 
 the amiable Rev. Edward Winthrop, a native of ITew Haven, 
 Connecticut, was temporary rector. He died in l^ew York, 
 in 1865. 
 
 The regular successor of Bishop Smith was Rev. Edward 
 F. Berkley, who entered upon the duties of the rectorship 
 in January, 1889. Mr. Berkley was born in "Washington 
 City, September 20, 1813. He came to Lexington in 1835, 
 was for three years a member of the Episcopal Theological 
 Seminary in this city, and was ordained to the ministry in 
 Christ Church in December, 1838. Mr. Berkley's fine qual- 
 ities of head and heart so endeared him to his congreo'ation 
 that he was retained in the service of the parish for nearly 
 nineteen years. He resides at present in St. Louis, Mis- 
 souri. 
 
 On the 17th of March, 1847, the corner-stone of the 
 present tasteful and elegant church edifice was laid, with 
 appropriate ceremonies, and a dedicatory address was deliv- 
 ered by the Rev. James Craik, of Louisville. The remains 
 of those buried in and around the ,church were subsequently 
 removed to the Episcopal Cemetery. The memorial tablets 
 
 *Uhurch Beoords. 
 
1T96.] THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. £01 
 
 of Mr. Moore, first pastor of the church, and Mr. John D. 
 Clifford, one of its early and generous benefactors, were 
 preserved through the provident attention of Mr. John 8. 
 Wilson, and, in 1858, when the church was still further im- 
 proved, they were set in the wall of the building, where 
 they still remain. 
 
 Mr. Berkley resigned in November, 1857, and was suc- 
 ceeded, in March, 1858, by the Eev. James H. Morrison, of 
 Pemberton, Virginia, a gentleman of superior scholarly 
 attainments. 
 
 The present rector, the Eev. Jacob S. Shipman, took 
 charge of Christ Church on the 14th of October, 1861. Mr. 
 Shipman was born in Niagara, New York, November 30, 
 1832. In completing the Yale College course he enjoyed the 
 special instruction of Dr. Joseph M. Clark. Mr. Shipman 
 was ordained to the priesthood in 1858, and had been rector 
 of two churches successively before he was called to Christ 
 Church. Scholarly and original, possessed of a cultivated 
 mind and a warm and generous heart, Mr. Shipman has 
 gained the highest esteem of his congregation, which has 
 enjoyed abundant peace and prosperity under his efficient 
 ministry. 
 
 Christ Church, has been steadily increasing in membership 
 amd influence for many years, and its present very flourish- 
 ing condition is a source of great gratification to all christian 
 people. 
 
202 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1T9T 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Lexington Immigration Society — Size of Town — Town Prop- 
 perty — Market Houses — Theater — Henry Clay: His Char- 
 acter as an Orator, Statesman, and Man — Incidents. 
 
 The year 1797 produced an association in Lexington, 
 whose influence was so salutary that it was soon imitated 
 in other places ; and this was the " Lexington Immigration 
 Society." Strong exertions, and successful ones, were made 
 by it to induce industrious farmers and mechanics to re- 
 move to this region. Publications were made and circu- 
 lated full of information regarding the amount of the or- 
 dinary products of the soil per acre, the common prices 
 of marketing, the various species of mechanical labor, and 
 productions, etc. Of this society, Thomas Hart was presi- 
 dent ; John Bradford, secretary. 
 
 The following particulars from one of these documents 
 are extracted for the benefit of the curious : 
 
 AVEKAGE PKODUCB OF ONE ACKE OF LAND. 
 
 Of wheat sown in corn-ground, 25 bushels ; in fallow- 
 ground, 35; corn, 60; rye, 25; barley, 40; oats, 40; pota- 
 toes, Irish, 250 — sweet, — ; hemp, 8 cwt. ; tobacco,! ton; 
 hay, 3 tons. 
 
 LEXINGTON MAKKET PRICES. 
 
 "Wheat, per bushel, |1 ; corn, 20 cents ; rye, 66 cents ; 
 barley, 50 cents; oats, 17 cents; potatoes, Irish, 33 — sweet, 
 $1 ; hemp, per ton, $86.66 ; tobacco, per cwt., |4 ; hay, 
 per ton, $6. 
 
 The establishment of this society shows that our enter- 
 prising ancestors were determined to build up their flour- 
 ishing town, which consisted of sixteen hundred inhabit- 
 
1797.] MARKET HOUSES— THEATER. 203 
 
 ants, and over two hundred houses,* a few of them brick 
 ones, many of them frame, but the most of them log ones, 
 with chimneys built on the outside. A town lot was 
 worth thirty dollars, and good farms in the vicinity could 
 be bought for five dollars per acre.f The best farmers lived 
 in log cabins, and even whea they went " to town " wore 
 hunting-shirts and leggings. The then beautiful vale 
 through which town fork poured, was variegated with 
 corn-fields, meadows, and trees. The means used for car- 
 rying on the town government were not as extravagant 
 then as those of modern times, as all the town property 
 in the hands of the trustees consisted of " two oxen, a cart, 
 a wheelbarrow, sledge, mattock, crowbar, shovel, and a 
 two-foot rule. "J 
 
 By this time, the ground-room of the old state-house, 
 which had been converted into a market-house, had become 
 entirely too small for the ambitious citizens of Lexington 
 and a subscription was raised, which resulted iti the build- 
 ing of a substantial market-house on the public ground, 
 between the present court-house and Cheapside, from 
 which circumstance Market street derived its name. 
 
 In 1814, a market-house was built on Water street, but 
 the Cheapside structure was not removed until 1817. The 
 market-house now in use was built in 1844, 
 
 How Lexington supported a place of amusement in 1797, 
 we are not prepared to say, but she certainly had one. "An 
 exhibition-room, adjoining Coleman's tavern," was erected 
 by George Saunders, and opened to the public Monday 
 evening, June 5th. "Admission at sunset; performance 
 to begin at dark ; pit, 3s. 9d. ; gallery, 2s. 3d."§ A theat- 
 rical performance was held in the court-house in 1798. In 
 1807, Melish, the traveler, was in Lexington, and visited 
 the theater, which then stood on the corner of "Water and 
 Limestone, but his metropolitan tastes were not entirely 
 gratified, as he said afterward, that " the performance did 
 very well, but there was a deficiency of actresses, and one 
 
 *Joseph Scott's Directory. fBrown's Gazetteer, JTrusteea' Book. 
 
 gold Gazette. 
 
204 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [179T. 
 
 of the men had to play a female part, which did not suit 
 my taste at all." 
 
 In 1812, "Macbeth" was played at the "Hotel Theater," 
 atid on the evening of May 30th, in that year, " John 
 Bull," a comedy, was performed before a packed audience, 
 by Thespian amateurs belonging to the " Old Infantry" com- 
 pany, in honor of the Lexington volunteers for the war 
 against England. A goodly sum was realized, and used to 
 buy arms, clothing, and camp equipage for the soldiers.* 
 
 " Usher's Theater" was built about the year 1816.t It 
 was located on the old Bruen property, at the corner of 
 Spring and Vine streets, and, though it was on a small 
 scale, it could boast of regular boxes, a pit, and a gallery. 
 The celebrated Drake family constituted one of the first 
 regular companies which appeared in the theater. Edwin 
 Eorest, who had before played minor parts in Philadelphia, 
 made his debut as a leading actor in " Usher's Theater." 
 He was brought out by Collins and J ones. J Sol. Smith, 
 the noted comedian, who died in St. Louis in 1869, 
 raised his first theatrical company in Lexington, and played 
 in this theater for several weeks previous to his first tour. 
 
 In 1832, and frequently thereafter, the Masonic Hall was 
 used for theatrical purposes. The theater was located, in 
 1837, on the lot now occupied by John 8. Wilson's resi- 
 dence, on Upper street, and here the noted Mrs. Duff made 
 her first appearance in Lexington. The remarkable GrUS 
 Adams charmed a crowded audience, in 1840, in a building 
 neither very large nor very pretentious, which the citizens 
 dignified with the name "Theater." It stood on Short 
 street, between Broadway and Jefferson, opposite the resi- 
 dence of J. B. Wilgus. 
 
 After this time, Melodeon Hall and other rooms were 
 used; but for the last fifteen years, the Odd Fellows' Hall, 
 corner of Main and Broadway, has been " the theater." 
 The followers of Thespis and Orpheus who have visited 
 Lexington would make an army, and we can only mention, 
 in addition to the distinguished artists already named, the 
 
 ^Observer and Eeporter. tBenj. Kiser. JMarsh. 
 
^''^''■1 HENRY CLAY. 205 
 
 famous elder Booth, the great pioneer actor Cooper, Julia 
 Dean, Murdoch, Mrs. Lander, Joe Jefferson, Sontag, Patti, 
 Parodi, Brignoli, and Ole Bull. 
 
 Henry Clay, whose greatness is crystallized in history, 
 and whose name is the most illustrious one associated with 
 Lexington, came to this city in November, 1797, and made 
 it his home for the rest of his life, a period of more than 
 half a century. Here he struggled. Here he triumphed. 
 Here he sleeps. 
 
 On the 12th of April, 1777, in the " Slashes " neighbor- 
 hood, of Hanover county, Virginia, in the midst of a great 
 revolution, Henry Clay was born. His father, a Baptist 
 minister, died when Henry was four years old, and left his 
 family no legacy but poverty and toil. Fortunately, the 
 mother of Henry was a woman of vigorous intellect and 
 great energy, and she managed to maintain her large family 
 in comparative comfort. Both parents were natives of Vir- 
 ginia. The early years of the future orator were years of 
 much labor and little education, and it was then that he 
 was known as "the mill- boy of the slashes,"* from the fact 
 that he was often seen, when the meal-barrel was low, going 
 to and fro between his mother's house and the mill, on the 
 Pamunky river, mounted on a scrub pony, with a meal-bag 
 for a saddle and a rope for a bridle. Up to the age of 
 fourteen, he had received three years' "schooling," in a log 
 house of the period, and from Peter Deacon, of whom little 
 is known, except that he was the only teacher of Henry 
 Clay. He was now placed by Captain Henry Watkins, 
 whom his mother had married, in the store of Richard 
 Denny, of Richmond. At the end of a year, Peter Tinsley, 
 of Richmond, clerk of the high court of chancery of Vir- 
 ginia, gave him a situation in his office, and about the same 
 time, namely 1792, his mother removed with his stepfather 
 to Kentucky, and settled in Woodford county, where she 
 died in 1827. 
 
 While engaged in the chancery court office, Henry Clay 
 attracted the attention of Chancellor Wythe, who engaged 
 
 *Oolton Papers, 19. 
 
206 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [179T. 
 
 him as an amanuensis, assisted him in mental improvement, 
 and encouraged him to study law, which he subsequently 
 did, in the office of Robert Brook, then attorney-general of 
 Virginia. 
 
 Mr. Clay, having obtained a license to practice law from 
 the judges of the court of appeals of Virginia, immigrated 
 to Lexington, Kentucky, in N'ovember, 1797. Here (to use 
 his own words), *" I established myself, without patrons, 
 without the favor of the great or opulent, without the means 
 of paying my weekly board, and in the mid?t of a bar un- 
 commonly distinguished by eminent members." Lexi ngton 
 was then the metropolis of the "West, claiming sixteen hun- 
 dred inhabitants, and George Ificholas, Joe Daviess, James 
 Brown, John Breckinridge, William Murray, and James 
 Hughes were the leading lawyers. Mr. Clay, at this time, 
 seemed to be in bad health.f He was delicate in person 
 and slow in his movements ; but he quickly rallied. His 
 first speech in Lexington was made in a young men's de- 
 bating club. I'he smiles provoked by his awkward begin- 
 ning were succeeded by cordial cheers and congratulations. J 
 The first fee Mr. Clay received was fifteen shillings. His 
 first public speech he made at the age of twenty-one, in the 
 summer of 1798. The news had just arrived in Lexington 
 that Congress had passed the infamous alien and sedition 
 laws, and while crowds of excited and indignant men were 
 discussing the news on Main street, a cart was drawn out, 
 and Clay was put in it and told to " speak." He did speak; 
 and the brilliant and crushing eloquence of his denuncia- 
 tions of those odious enactments, revealed his genius to the 
 people, and laid the foundation of his fame. He rose rap- 
 idly in his profession. In 1799 he married Lucretia, 
 daughter of Thomas Hart, one of the earliest citizens of 
 Lexington. The marriage took place in the house on the 
 corner of Mill and Second, now occupied by Mrs. Ryland. 
 Mrs. Clay was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, 1781. 
 
 As we have seen, Mr. Clay united himself at an early 
 period with the Jeffersonian or Democratic party. In 
 
 *Speech at Lexington, 1842. tCollins. |Colton. 
 
179?.] BENRY CLAT. 207 
 
 1803, he was elected from the county of Fayette to the 
 lower house of the Kentucky legislature, and was re-elected 
 to that body every succeeding session, until 1806, when he 
 was chosen United States senator, to fill out the unexpired 
 term of General Adair. The rapidity with which these 
 favors were showered upon Mr. Clay evidence how soon he 
 had gained a strong hold upon the popular heart. After 
 serving during the session for which he was elected, Mr. 
 Clay resumed the practice of his profession in Lexington. 
 He was now thirty, the leader of the bar, and overwhelmed 
 with important cases. 
 
 In the summer of 1807, he was again sent to the state 
 legislature, and was elected speaker of the house. He was 
 continued in the assembly until 1809, when he was returned 
 to the United States Senate to fill out the unexpired term 
 of Buckner Thurston. He bore a conspicuous part in the 
 discussion of the great national questions before the senate. 
 His first speech of the session foreshadowed the outlines 
 of that vast scheme of " protection," known as the "Amer- 
 ican system," of which Mr. Clay has been called the 
 " father." His powerful eflbrts in favor of the " protection " 
 of domestic manufactures, on the " line of the Eio Per- 
 dido," and in opposition to the rechartering of the United 
 States Bank, stand pre-eminent in congressional history. 
 Mr. Clay subsequently changed his opinion, and urged the 
 chartering of the United States Bank, and gave his reasons 
 for the change with characteristic force. 
 
 In 1811, Mr. Clay was elected to the lower house of Con- 
 gress, and entered on the great period of his life, commenc- 
 ing with his election as speaker of the house of represent- 
 atives, and terminating with his death, during which all 
 his great endowments became so conspicuous through 
 services and eflbrts so illustrious.* He had never before 
 been a member of that house, which renders it still more 
 remarkable that he should have been elected its speaker on 
 the day he took his seat. He was re-elected speaker six 
 times, and after occupying the chair about thirteen years, 
 
 *Addres3 of Dr. R. J. Breckinridge. 
 
208 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [179T. 
 
 left it to become secretary of state in the cabinet of the 
 younger Adams, in 1825, which situation he held till the 
 close of that administration in 1829. He was out of Con- 
 gress during two short periods ; first in 1814-15, while en- 
 gaged as one of the American commissioners in negotiat- 
 ating the treaty of Ghent, and again in 1820-22, when the 
 condition of his private affairs obliged him to return to the 
 bar. After the close of his service as secretary of state, 
 in 1829, he remained in private life till the autumn of 1831, 
 when he was elected to the senate of the United States for 
 the third time, and commenced a senatorial career even 
 more protracted and glorious than his previous career in 
 the more popular branch of Congress. He was elected to 
 the senate the fourth time in 1837. In March, 18i2, after 
 twelve years continuous service in the senate, covering six 
 years of the administration of General Jackson, the whole 
 of Mr. Van Buren's administration, and the first two years 
 of Mr. Tyler's, he resigned his seat in the senate, and re- 
 tired, as he supposed, finally to private life. In 1848, he 
 was elected to the senate for the fifth time, and was a mem- 
 ber of it till his death, in 1852. From bis entrance into 
 public life, just fifty years had expired at his death; and 
 of these more than forty years had been passed in the most 
 laborious public service. From his entrance into the house 
 of representatives, in 1811, he had served thirteen years as 
 a speaker of that house, about sixteen years as a senator, 
 and four years as secretary of state, thus occupying far the 
 greater part of the last forty years of his life in a career 
 unsurpassed by any statesman of his era. 
 
 That career of forty years was as diversified as it was 
 brilliant.* During the war of 1812 he was " the master spirit, 
 around whom all the boldness and chivalry of the nation 
 rallied. He was the life and soul of the war party in Con- 
 gress." In 1815, we find him one of a commission con- 
 cluding a treaty of peace with England, in the ancient city 
 of Ghent, and shortly after enjoying the society of the most 
 noted characters in Europe. Then comes his review of the 
 
 *!N'iles' Eegister and Congressional Globe. 
 
1797.] HENRY CLAT. 209 
 
 Seminole war; his triumphant eftbrts in behalf of internal 
 improvements, and for the recognition of the South Ameri- 
 can republics ; his Herculean labors to avert the convulsion 
 which threatened the nation in 1821, on the application of 
 Missouri for admission into the Union ; his eloquent appeals 
 in behalf of Greece; his achievements in the protection 
 battles of 1832-33 ; opposition to the sub-treasury system 
 in 1836; thrilling farewell scene in the senate in 1842; re- 
 tirement to Ashland; practice of his profession; recall to 
 the senate in 1848 ; and the mighty efforts of " the old man 
 eloquent " during the perilous slavery excitement in Con- 
 gress in 1850-52. 
 
 Mr. Clay was thrice a candidate for the presidency; first, 
 in 1825, when his opponents were Andrew Jackson, John 
 Quincy Adams, and W. H. Crawford. The people failed to 
 make a choice. The election was thrown into the house 
 of representatives, where Mr. Clay gave his vote and influ- 
 ence for Mr. Adams, who thus became President. Upon 
 the inauguration of the new President, Mr. Clay was made 
 secretary of state. The course pursued by Mr. Clay on this 
 occasion subjected him to the bitterest denunciations and 
 abuse. It was charged that he had bought his seat in the 
 cabinet, and the cry of "bargain and corruption" was re- 
 peated over and over again, to the end of his life, and de- 
 feated him in every subsequent race for the presidency. 
 Where now is the man |Who may hope to keep his greatness 
 and purity undeliled from the ever accumulating filth of the 
 political arena? Slander is the soul -scorching price of po- 
 litical eminence. In a speech delivered at Lexington, Ken- 
 tucky, September 9, 1842, Mr. Clay said: "My error in 
 accepting the office tendered me arose out of my under- 
 rating the power of detraction and the force of ignorance, 
 and abiding with too sure a confidence in the conscious in- 
 tegrity and uprightness of my own motives." It is enough 
 to say that the life-long friends of Mr. Clay, those who 
 knew, indeed, the integrity and clearness of his inner life, 
 have always scouted this charge with scorn and contempt. 
 
 In 1832, Mr. Clay, who had disconnected himself from 
 the Jeffersonian Democrats, was again nominated for the 
 
210 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1T97. 
 
 presidency by the "National Kepublicans," or Whigs (as 
 they were beginning to be called), a new party, mainly 
 created by himself. His great antagonist was General Jack- 
 son, the candidate of the "Democratic" party. .This con- 
 test was one of the fiercest and most stubborn that had yet 
 been waged in America, and never did the energy and genius 
 of Mr. Clay shine out more resplendent. Mr. Clay's tri- 
 umph was complete in his own state, but the indomita- 
 ble old hero of New Orleans was re-elected President. The 
 "Whig party, of which Mr. Clay was the idol, passionately 
 desired to lift him to the chief magistracy of the nation, 
 and again nominated him in 1844. He was opposed by 
 James K. Polk, the Democratic candidate. Mr. Clay was 
 powerfully and almost successfully supported by his party. 
 The contest, which was remarkably close and long, seemed 
 doubtful, and was decided by the vote of New York, and 
 the prize fell to Mr. Polk, while apparently within the very 
 reach of Mr. Clay. 
 
 On the slavery question, Mr. Clay was conservative. 
 "While deprecating the evils of African slavery, and favoring 
 its gradual abolishment, he invariably denounced the wild 
 and violent sentiments of radical abolitionists. 
 
 Mr. Clay was engaged in two duels. The first was with 
 Humphrey Marshall, author of the History of Kentucky. 
 Mr. Clay was wounded in this duel. The second was with 
 John Randolph. 
 
 The voice of the world has pronounced Mr. Clay a great 
 man — great as a statesmen, and pre-eminently great as a 
 lawyer; but it is as an orator that he will live longest in 
 ^he memory of men. The accompaniments of his great 
 intellect were a finely-formed, graceful, and commanding 
 person, fascinating manners, a piercing eye, and a voice of 
 wonderful melody and power. Upon great occasions, he 
 was all earnestness, all feeling, body and soul seemed merged 
 in one spiritual essence, and from his lips flowed a stream 
 of irresistible eloquence, which has given him a place in 
 history as one of the grandest orators the world has ever 
 produced. 
 
I 
 
 l'?97.] BENRT GLAT. 211 
 
 Mr. Clay's personal appearance in 1845 is thus described :* 
 " He is six feet and one inch in height; not stout, but the op- 
 posite ; has long arms and a small hand ; always erect ia 
 carriage, but particularly so in debate; has a well-shaped 
 head and a dauntless profile; an uncommonly large mouth; 
 upper lip commanding, nose prominent, spare visage, and 
 blue eyes, electrical when kindled; forehead high, hair nat- 
 urally light, and slow to put on the frosts of age ; a well- 
 formed person, and an imposing aspect." Taken as a whole, 
 his appearance and bearing were singularly impressive. His 
 presence was always felt. 
 
 Mr. Clay was accurate in business, and exceedingly care- 
 ful to attend to the little things of life.f If he casually 
 borrowed even a dime, he returned it punctually and scru- 
 pulously. He met all his obligations, and expected every 
 one else to do the same. He was always neat in his dress. 
 He sent for a barber on the morning of his death, and was 
 cleanly shaved at bis own expressed desire. He always 
 showed great respect for religion. He was born with an 
 appreciation of the courtesies due on all occasions. He was 
 a hard worker. He pre.pared himself for all public occa- 
 sions. His speeches were the result of study and fore- 
 thought. While he was ready at all times to defend his 
 honor at the pistol's mouth, he was magnanimous and gen- 
 erous, and if, in the heat of the moment, he gave unmerited 
 offense, he was quick to apologize and ask forgiveness. 
 He was great everywhere. He towered when among the 
 most distinguished. One of Mr. Clay's most remarkable 
 traits was his power over men. He was born to command. 
 On one occasion, after the burning of the old court-house, 
 and while court was being temporarily held in the " old 
 Eankin Meeting-house," which stood on the site of the 
 present city school-house, on the corner of Walnut and 
 Short streets, Mr. Clay was called upon to defend a pris- 
 oner. Mr. Clay demanded the warrant, looked at it, found 
 it defective and illegal, and turning at once to the prisoner, 
 said to him, "Go home, sir!" The man hesitated. "Go 
 
 *Oolton. tJames O. Harrison, executor of Mr. Clay. 
 
212 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [I'^S* 
 
 home!" thundered Mr. Clay. The man jumped up at, 
 once and "put out," without an effort on the part of the 
 astounded sheriff or judge to stop him. IJfo one thought 
 of resisting that imperial personal power. 
 
 On the 25th of June, 1847, Mr. Clay united with the 
 Episcopal Church in Lexington. 
 
 The tremendous exertions made by Mr. Clay in 1849-50, 
 in behalf of the compromise measures, which employed 
 his whole heart and brain, night and day, sapped his 
 vital powers. The excitement while it lasted kept him 
 alive, but bodily decay soon followed. The last summer 
 Mr. Clay spent with his family and friends in Lexing- 
 ton was in 1850. His health was quite delicate. He 
 looked like a victim of consumption.* Returning to "Wash- 
 ington city, "broken with the storms of state," and scathed 
 with many a fiery conflict, Henry Clay gradually de- 
 scended toward the tomb. After the month of March, 1852, 
 he wasted rapidly away, and for weeks lay patiently await- 
 ing the stroke of death. For some days before his death^ 
 he was not allowed to walk, even with the support of 
 others. His phj'sician, the eminent Dr. Jackson, of Phila- 
 delphia, told him on one occasion not to attempt to walk, 
 that if he stood erect he would faint, and that if he should 
 faint he would breathe no more. "Why is this?" asked 
 Mr. Clay. " Because there is not enough of vitality in 
 the heart to give circulation to the blood." " Has it then 
 come to this," said Mr. Clay, and for a moment sorrow- 
 fully. And seeing the necessity, he suffered himself to be 
 borne like a child to and from his bed. 
 
 On the morning of June 28, the great change commenced, 
 and found him ready. The dying statesman whispered to his 
 friend, the Eev. Dr. Butler, " I have an abiding trust in 
 the merits and mediation of our Savior." At night he 
 was calm, but his mind wandered. In a low and distinct 
 voice he named his wife and son and other relatives in a 
 disconnected manner. On the morning of the 29th, he 
 continued perfectly tranquil, though exceedingly feeble, 
 and manifesting a disposition to slumber. About ten 
 
 *Joiirnal3. 
 
1797.] HENRY CLAY. 213 
 
 o'clock he asked for some cool water, which he was in the 
 habit of taking through a silver tube ; upon removing the 
 tube from his mouth, he appeared to have more difficulty 
 in swallowing than previously. He turned to his son and 
 said, " Do n't leave me." Soon after he motioned to have 
 his shirt collar opened, and then added, " I am going soon." 
 Serenely he breathed his last, at eleven o'clock a. m., in the 
 presence of his son Thomas, Governor Jones, of Tennessee, 
 and his favorite servant, Charles. His last moments were 
 calm and quiet, and he seemed in full possession of all his 
 faculties, and apparently suffering but little. His counte- 
 nance to the last indicated a full knowledge of his condition. 
 
 He had long since made every preparation for his death, 
 giving his son full instructions as to the disposition of hia 
 body and the settlement of his worldly affairs. 
 
 The sad news was at once flashed to Lexington, when 
 every place of business was immediately closed, and the 
 solemn tolling of the bells announced the great grief that 
 had fallen upon the home of Clay. After every tribute of 
 respect and love had been rendered the illustrious dead in 
 Washington, solemn and impressive funeral honors and 
 services were conducted in the senate chamber at twelve M. 
 of June 31, in the presence of the President and his cabinet, 
 both houses of Congress, the diplomatic corps, and a host 
 of distinguished men from all parts of the country. After 
 laying in state in the capitol building until four o'clock 
 p. M., the body was placed upon a train for Baltimore, but 
 did not reach Lexington until the whole nation, by the 
 most extensive and beautiful demonstrations, had evinced 
 its love and sorrow for the departed sage. 
 
 On the morning of Saturday, July 10, his funeral took 
 place at his home, Lexington. (See chapter on 1852.; In 
 the presence of a mighty concourse of the sorrowing, at 
 the sound of the dirge, the minute guns, and the tolling 
 bells, a great procession of his mourning fellow-citizens car- 
 ried him tenderly, and with every token of love and respect, 
 from the old house at Ashland to Christ Church, and from 
 thence to the Lexington Cemetery. Mr. Clay's body was 
 first deposited in the public vault, afterward it was in- 
 
214 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1797. 
 
 terred by the side of his mother, and lastly, in 1857, it was 
 incased in a beautiful marble sarcophagus, and placed per- 
 manently in the chamber of the Clay monument, then 
 completed. On one of the last days of his life, he said to 
 Judge Underwood, his colleague in the senate, " There 
 may be some question where my remains shall be buried. 
 Some persons may designate Frankfort. I wish to repose 
 in the cemetery at Lexington, where many of my friends 
 and connections are buried."* And so it is this day. 
 Upon the marble sarcophagus, in enduring letters, can be 
 seen these memorable words, uttered by Mr. Clay : 
 
 "I can, with unshaken confidence, appeal to the Divine 
 Arbiter for the truth of the declaration that I have been 
 influenced by no impure purpose, no personal motive, have 
 sought no personal aggrandizement, but that, in all my 
 public acts, I have had a sole and single eye, and a warm, 
 devoted heart, directed and dedicated to what, in my best 
 judgment, I believed to be the true interests of my country." 
 
 Another marble sarcophagus rests near that of Mr, 
 Clay. It contains the remains of his wife and life-long 
 companion, Mrs. Lucretia Clay, who died in April, 1864, 
 aged seventy-three. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clay had eleven children — six daughters 
 and five sons. Two daughters died in infancy. Lucretia 
 died at Ashland, aged fourteen. Eliza died at the same 
 age, while en route for Washington city. Mrs. Duralde 
 only lived to be twenty. Mrs. Irwine died in 1835. Henry, 
 Jr., was killed at Buena Vista, in 1847. James B. died in 
 Canada, in 1864, aged forty-seven. Theodore died in 1871, 
 at the age of sixty-nine. Thomas H., born in 1803, died 
 in 1872. John M. Clay, born in 1821, is the only surviving 
 child of the Cicero of the West. All of the deceased mem- 
 bers of the household sleep in the family lot in the Lexing- 
 ton Cemetery, where also repose the remains of Elizabeth 
 "Watkins, the mother of the great Clay. 
 
 Ashland, for nearly half a century the home of Mr. Clay, 
 is situated about a mile and a half from the Lexington 
 
 •Judge Underwood. 
 
1797.] HENRY CLAT. 215 
 
 court-house, on the southwest side of the turnpike leading 
 to Bichmond. The grounds are beautiful, and the forest 
 trees magnificent. The land, which is not surpassed for 
 richness in the famous " Blue Grass Region," cost Mr. Olay 
 about ten dollars an acre, in 1805 or 1806. The " old house " 
 which Mr. Clay occupied, stood on the site of the present 
 beautiful residence, which was erected by James B. Clay, in 
 1857. The "old house" was a spacious and comfortable 
 brick mansion, devoid of architectural adornment. Here 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clay entertained, with simple elegance, Daniel 
 Webster, Lafayette, President Monroe, Mr. Lowndes, 
 Martin Van Buren, Mr. Politica (the Russian minister). 
 General Bertrand, Lord Morpeth, and a host of other dis- 
 tinguished men of this and foreign countries. 
 
 Mr. Clay's law office* was, for a long time, in the house 
 now occupied by Dr. Bruce, on Mill, between Church and 
 Second streets. He, and his son James, also used the office 
 now occupied by Judge Carr, on Short, between Upper and 
 Limestone streets. Some of Mr. Clay's grandest oratorical 
 eftbrts were made in the present court-house, and in the 
 yard suirounding it. Before Mr, Clay purchased Ashland, 
 he lived in a house erected on the site of the Hunter resi- 
 dence, on Mill street, and opposite his old law office. 
 
 *Jas. O Harrison and Wm. Swift. 
 
216 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1'"'8. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Resolutions of " '98 "St. Andrew's Society : List of Members- 
 Caledonian Club — Jesse Bledsoe. 
 
 Nowhere in the United States was the administration of 
 President John Adams more odious than in Lexington, 
 and when, on the 9th of ifovember, 1798,* the Kentucky- 
 legislature passed the resolutions introduced by John Breck- 
 inridge, of Fayette, protesting against the notorious alifen 
 and sedition laws, the gratification and excitement of the 
 citizens was intense. Liberty poles and tri-color cockades 
 were more numerous then in Lexington than in any other 
 place in the whole country. 
 
 The Scotchmen of Lexington organized an association 
 on the 17th of November, 1798,t which they entitled the " St. 
 Andrew's Society of Lexington, in the State of Kentucky." 
 John Maxwell was the chairman of the meeting of organiza- 
 tion, and George Muter, afterward one of the judges of the 
 supreme court of the state, was elected the first president. 
 The objects of the society, as stated verbatim in the pre- 
 amble to its constitution, were : " To promote philanthropy 
 amongst those of the natives of Scotland who have chosen 
 as their residence different parts of the State of Kentucky, 
 and to promote a friendly union and intercourse with the de- 
 scendants of parents who came originally from that coun- 
 try; desirous, also, to extend the benevolent hand of relief 
 to such of this description, whether presently residing in 
 said state, or who may hereafter arrive therein." 
 
 The first anniversary meeting was held in Megowan's 
 tavern, on Friday, November 30, 1798, when a dinner was 
 
 *BuUer. tSociety Keoords. 
 
1798.] JUDGE BLEDSOE. 217 
 
 given, which was enjoyed by the members of the society, 
 and a number of invited guests. The original members 
 of the society were Alexander McGregor, John Cameron, 
 William McBean, John Maxwell, David Keid, Richard 
 Lake, John Arthur, "William Todd, Thomas Reid, George 
 Muter, Miles McCoun, James Russell, Alexander Springle, 
 and James Bain. Up to 1806, the following additional 
 names had been added to the roll of the society, viz: Rob- 
 ert Campbell, Allan B. McGruder, John Bradford, Daniel 
 McBean, John Brand, John Ferrier, Thomas Bodley, E. 
 Sharpe, William Miller, George Anderson, John Jackson, 
 and Joseph McClear. The St. Andrew's Society has been 
 succeeded by tbe present " Caledonian Club," which regu- 
 larly celebrates the birthday of Robert Burns. 
 
 About the year 1798, Jesse Bledsoe commenced the study 
 of law in Lexington.* Judge Bledsoe was born in Cul- 
 pepper county, Virginia, April 6, 1776, and was the son of 
 Joseph Bledsoe, a Baptist preacher, and Elizabeth Miller, 
 his wife. Judge Bledsoe was brought by an elder brother 
 to the neighborhood of Lexington when a boy, and was 
 sent to Transylvania Seminary, where he soon made him- 
 self conspicuous by his talents, industry, and scholarly 
 attainments. After completing his collegiate course, he 
 studied law, and commenced its practice with success and 
 reputation. About this time, he married the eldest daughter 
 of Colonel Nathaniel Gist. 
 
 He early attracted popular attention and favor, and was 
 frequently elected to the Kentucky legislature. He was at 
 one time state senator from Bourbon county, after which 
 his superior abilities caused him to receive the appointment 
 of secretary of state under Governor Charles Scott. In 
 1812, while a member of the legislature, he was elected to 
 the IJnited States Senate, the distinguished John Pope 
 being his colleague. He was appointed circuit judge in 
 the Lexington district, by Governor Adair, in 1822, where- 
 upon he removed to, and settled permanently in Lexing- 
 ton; where, before, he had only resided at times. Simul- 
 
 »Collins. 
 
218 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1''98. 
 
 taneous with his appointment as judge, he was made pro- 
 fessor of law in Transylvania University, and after ably 
 filling both places for a number of years, he resigned, and 
 resumed the practice of liw. 
 
 Subsequently, he abandoned his profession for a short 
 time for that of the ministry; and in 1831,* he preached 
 the dedication sermon on the opening of the Christian 
 Church, on the corner of Mill and Hill streets. In 1833, 
 Judge Bledsoe removed to Mississippi, and from thence, in 
 1835,t to Texas, and was gathering materials for a history 
 of that new Republic, when he was taken sick and died, 
 June 25, 1836, at Nacogdoches. Judge Bledsoe was a man 
 of powerful intellect, no little eccentricity, and remarkable 
 eloquence. His speeches were noted for strength, wit, 
 originality, and fire, and rarely failed to carry conviction 
 with them. In his best days, but few men were considered 
 the mental equals of Judge Bledsoe. Amos Kendall, who 
 knew him in his palmiest day, said of him : J " Mr. Bledsoe 
 was a man sui generis. He was endowed with splendid 
 talents, and with the exception of Henry Clay, was the 
 most eloquent man in Kentucky. His manner was slow 
 and deliberate, his language beautiful, his gestures graceful, 
 and his thoughts communicated with the utmost clearness." 
 Judge Bledsoe's residence in Lexington was, at one time, 
 on the place now occupied by Mr. A. M. Barnes, fronting 
 on Fourth street, and at the head of Walnut. At another 
 time, he lived on Short, between Walnut and Dewees 
 streets, and in the house now occupied by Mr. Armstrong. 
 
 *Observer and Reporter. tCollins. JKendall's Biography. 
 
1799.] STREET IMPROVEMENT, ETC. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Street Improvement — Second Constitutional Convention — Ken- 
 tucky Vineyard Association. 
 
 The first improvement of the streets of Lexington com- 
 menced in 1799, in which year a part of Main street was 
 paved. Up to this time, the citizens had contented them- 
 selves with narrow " log-walks," with here and t)iere a 
 hroad, fiat stone. Macadamized roads were unknown, and 
 mud-holes were so deep and numerous on Main street and 
 the "public square," that the trustees had a "bridge" ex- 
 tended from the court-house to what is now called Carty's 
 corner.* The " Branch," or as it was then frequently 
 called, the " Canal," rose so high in 1799, that it overflowed 
 the bridge which extended across it on Upper street. 
 
 It did not take the people of Kentucky many years to 
 discover that they wanted a more democratic constitution 
 than that of 1792, and a convention to revise it was 
 accordingly called by the legislature. In May, 1799, 
 the following delegates were elected in Fayette to the 
 convention, which met the succeeding June, viz: John 
 McDowell, Buckner Thurston, John Breckinridge, W. Carr, 
 and John Bell. The convention framed the second consti- 
 tution of Kentucky, which went into effect in June, 1800. 
 
 The Kentucky Vineyard Association was formed in Lex- 
 ington in 1799, and seven hundred and fifty acres of land, 
 "lying in the big bend of the Kentucky river, near the 
 mouth of Hickman creek," were purchased. The asso- 
 ciation assured the public that, " in less than four years, 
 wine may be drank on the banks of the Kentucky, pro- 
 duced from European stock." This was, probably, the 
 first regular attempt to cultivate a vineyard in America. 
 
 •Trustees' Book. 
 
220 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1800. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Population of Lexington — Death of Washington — The Great 
 
 Sevival. 
 
 In the year 1800, Lexington was the rising town of the 
 West. Her population amounted to two thousand four 
 hundred, while the adjacent village of Cincinnati, which 
 bought much of its merchandise in Lexington, could only 
 claim a population of seven hundred and fifty. 
 
 The news of the death of Washington, which occurred 
 December 14, 1799, was a long time in creeping "out West;" 
 but as soon as it was known in Lexington, due respect was 
 paid to the memory of the Father of his Country. On the 
 22d of January, 1800,* the town council unanimously "Re- 
 solved, That the trustees of Lexington will join the pro- 
 cession on Saturday next from respect to the memory of 
 George Washington, as commander-in-chief of the Revo- 
 lutionary army of the United States, who led his country 
 to independence, and then resumed his station as a private 
 citizen in 1783." The " procession " formed at Masons' Hall, 
 at twelve o'clock m., on Saturday, January 25, 1800, and was 
 composed of military with arms reversed, musicians, trustees, 
 president, professors and students of Transylvania Univer- 
 sity, Masons in regalia, clerk of the town and board of 
 trustees, clergy, justices of the peace, and private citizens. To 
 the measure of a solemn dirge, the procession slowly moved to 
 the frame Presbyterian church on Cheapside, when an ap- 
 propriate address was delivered by Professor James Brown, 
 of Transylvania University.f 
 
 The remarkable religious excitement which had com- 
 menced in the Green river country some time before, reached 
 
 *Town Keoords. tOld Gazette. 
 
1800.] THE GREAT REVIVAL. 221 
 
 Lexington and Fayette county in 1800. It was confined to 
 Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists, and before the 
 " great revival," as it is called, had ended, the most aston- 
 ishing events transpired. At Lexington and "Walnut Hill, 
 meetings were commenced which frequently extended 
 through entire days and nights. The people attended in 
 vast crowds from all the surrounding country, on foot, on 
 horseback, and in every imaginable vehicle, bringing with 
 them tents, provisions, and cooking utensils for a protracted 
 visit, and often a camp-meeting concourse would number 
 from ten to twenty thousand persons. The wildest excite- 
 ment, and the most ridiculous extravagances, characterized 
 these meetings. A hymn or an exhortation was the signal 
 to the living mass of humanity to shout and groan and laugh 
 and scream until the noise was almost equal to the ocean in 
 a storm. Visions and trances were of frequent occurrence. 
 In Lexington,* a woman swooned, and when she awoke, said 
 she had been walking on the tree tops. One fainted and had 
 a vision of heaven, and another had a view of hell. These 
 epileptic evidences of piety were succeeded by growling 
 and barking, kissing and hugging,,danciDg, jerking, falling, 
 rolling, and tumbling. The influence of the imagination 
 on the nervous system has never been more strikingly 
 illustrated than during the "great revival" of 1800. 
 
 •Lyle, 7. 
 
222 
 
 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [IS"!- 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 The First Kentucky Bank— Nail Factory. 
 
 The first bank chartered in Kentucky was the Lexing- 
 ton Insurance Company, which was incorporated by the 
 legislature in 1801 * and inadvertently with banking privi- 
 leges. The clause giving it such powers was not per- 
 ceived or understood by the members, and they voted for 
 the bill, while they were bitterly hostile to all banks. The 
 officers of "the bank," as the institution was always called 
 in early days, were : President, "William Morton ; directors, 
 John Jordon, Stephen Waute, Thos. Hart, and Thomas 
 Wallace; cashier, John Bradford; clerk, Wm. McBean. 
 The bank was located on Main, between Mill and Broad- 
 way, about where the Scott bakery now stands, and issued 
 bills of various denominations. The bank was subsequently 
 located on the site of Thompson and Boyd's saddlery store, 
 on Main, between Upper and Limestone. The institution 
 exploded in 1818. 
 
 A cut-nail manufactory, the first one in Kentucky, was 
 established in Lexington, by George Norton, in 1801. Ten- 
 penny nails were sold at one shilling fourpence per pound, 
 and six pennies at one shilling sixpence. Cincinnati 
 bought all her nails in Lexington, and purchasers often 
 came from points two hundred miles distant for Lexington 
 nails, and carried them home in saddle-bags on horseback. 
 In fact, Lexington was then the metropolis of a great ter- 
 ritory, and was noted among other things forf her stores, 
 manufactories, newspaper, taverns, paper and powder mills, 
 tanyards, and her two rope-walks, which supplied the ship- 
 ping on the Ohio. 
 
 ♦Acts Legislature. tMichaux. 
 
1802-3-4.] MEDICAL SOCIETY, ETC. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Medical Society — Members — Musical Society — Lorenzo Dow — 
 Miscellaneous — 6r. M. Bibb — Dr. Joseph Buchanan. 
 
 The "Lexington Medical Society" was in active opera- 
 tion in 1802, and numbered among its members Drs. B. 
 "W. Dudley, Samuel Brown, Frederick Ridgely, Walter 
 Warfield, J. L. Armstrong, and otbers.* 
 
 Thomas Paine's writings aftbrded Lexington subjects for 
 long and animated discussions in 1803. In this year, a 
 musical society was formed. The excitement in regard to 
 the acquisition of Louisiana was such that "volunteers for 
 New Orleans" paraded on the streets.f 
 
 The citizens of Lexington celebrated the annexation of 
 Louisiana, in the spring of 1804, by a grand barbecue, at 
 Maxwell Spring, at which patriotic toasts were given, and 
 salutes were fired by four military companies. In June, 
 twelve splendid looking Indian chiefs of the Osage nation, 
 passed through the city on their way to Washington, to 
 try to effect a treaty with the United States. The noted 
 and eccentric Lorenzo Dow arrived in Lexington, on foot, 
 October 3d, and preached a characteristic sermon. 
 
 In 1804, and for several years after, the late distinguished 
 George M. Bibb was a member of the Lexington bar. He 
 was a native of Virginia, and a graduate of Princeton. 
 He died April 14, 1859, aged eighty, after having been 
 successively senator in Congress, chief justice of Ken- 
 tucky court of appeals, and secretary of the treasury under 
 Tyler. Hon. John J. Crittenden studied law in Lexington, 
 under Mr. Bibb, in 1805. 
 
 *01d Kentucky Gazette. tid- 
 
224 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1802-3-4. 
 
 Dr. Joseph Buchanan* settled in Lexington in 1804, 
 and soon became noted as one of her tnost extraordi nary- 
 citizens. He was born in "Washington county, Virginia, 
 August 24, 1785, but spent his boyhood in Tennessee, 
 where he attended a grammar school, and astonished every 
 one by his remarkable progress. In the course of nine 
 months, in 1803, he mastered the Latin language. He was 
 so fond of originality in all his essays, that he would not 
 even condescend to write on any subject on which he had 
 ever read anything. 
 
 He entered Transylvania University at the age of nine- 
 teen,! and was so delicate and diffident that he passed for 
 a simpleton, until he detected and ofl'ered to demonstate an 
 error in his mathematical text-book (Ferguson on Optics), 
 which brought him into direct collision with the professor 
 of mathematics. During the vacation of the college, he 
 published a mathematical pamphlet of twenty pages, in 
 which he demonstrated the sufficiency of gravitation for 
 all the celestial motions, and showed the inaccuracy of some 
 of the hypotheses of the very distinguished Sir Isaac Ifewton, 
 
 In 1805, he commenced the study of medicine with Dr. 
 Samuel Brown. Eemoving to Port Gibson, Mississippi 
 Territory [then], in 1807, in order that he might, by med- 
 ical practice, obtain means to complete his medical educa- 
 tion in Philadelphia, Dr. Buchanan then wrote a volume 
 on fevers, which, while it defeated his first object, that of 
 earning money, was his favorable introduction to the dis- 
 tinguished professors of the University of Pennsylvania 
 and especially to Professors Barton and Rush. But his 
 means being insufficient for the completion of his medical 
 studies there, as well as for the publication of his book, he 
 walked back to Lexington, in 1808, in twenty-seven days, 
 where the degree of A. B. having been conferred on him, 
 at the instance of President Blythe, he was, in 1809, ap- 
 pointed to the chair of the Institutes of Medicine in the 
 university. 
 
 In 1812, he published an able volume on the "Philosophy 
 
 »Uinversity Eecords. tCollins. 
 
1802-3-4.] DR. JOSEPH BUCHANAN. 225 
 
 of Human Nature," and almost immediately abandoned 
 the medical profession, to visit the East to learn the new 
 Pestalozzian system of education, and to introduce it into 
 Kentucky. Subsequently, he invented a " capillary" steam 
 engine, with spiral tubes for boilers; and in 1825, he made 
 a steam land carriage which attracted general attention in 
 Louisville, through the streets of which city it was run ; 
 and, we are told, discovered a new motive principle, de- 
 scribed as being derived from combustion, without the aid 
 of water or of steam. 
 
 This remarkable philosophical, mathematical, and in- 
 ventive genius died in Louisville, in 1829, " little known, 
 except as a writer, to more than a small circle of friends." 
 
 In the language of his biographer, "the life of Dr. 
 Buchanan affords an instructive moral," to young men, we 
 add, showing that for success in this world, talents of the 
 highest order, industry the most untiring, or self-denial the 
 most strict, are not alone sufficient, unless combined with 
 steadiness of purpose and unvarying concentration of 
 effort in the right direction. 
 
226 HISTORY OP LEXINGTON. [1805. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Burr's Visit — Trustee Chronicles — William T. Barry. 
 
 Aauon Buek, one of the most extraordinary men of his 
 age, made his first visit to Kentucky in 1805, arriving in 
 Lexington, August 19th, and attracting universal attention. 
 After a stay of several days, he went south, but returned 
 again, and remained a considerable time in Lexington. It 
 was at this time that Colonel Burr commenced, it is be- 
 lieved, to lay his unsuccessful plans for the erection of a 
 magnificent Southern empire. He was met in Lexington 
 by the studious and accomplished Blannerhasset and his 
 gifted wife, around whose lives fate wove so strange and 
 sad a web. 
 
 The trustees of Lexington distinguished themselves, in 
 1805, by prohibiting the citizens from keeping " pet pan- 
 thers;" by encouraging the introduction of "chimney 
 sweeps," and by indorsing the "Bachelors' Society for 
 the Promotion of Matrimony," which met weekly at Wil- 
 son's tavern. For the sum of five dollars, they " allowed 
 Thomas Ardon to shew his lyon," which constituted the 
 first menagerie that ever visited Lexington. 
 
 "William Taylor Barry commenced the practice of law in 
 Lexington in 1805. This illustrious orator and statesman was 
 born in Lunenburg county, Virginia, February 15, 1784.* 
 His parents, who were respectable, energetic, and poor, 
 emigrated to Kentucky in 1796, and settled first in Fayette 
 and then in Jessamine county; and conscious that they 
 could not give their son wealth, resolved to educate him. 
 Young Barry was sent to the Kentucky Academy in Wood- 
 ford, and finishing his collegiate course at Transylvania 
 
 ♦Observer and Beporter. 
 
1805.] WILLIAM TAYLOR BARHT. 
 
 227 
 
 llDiversity, after the union of the Kentucky and Transyl- 
 vania Academies. 
 
 After he left the university, he commenced the study of 
 law with the Hon. James Brown, minister to France, and 
 finished his law studies at William and Mary College in 
 Virginia. Then, like his great competitor of after years, 
 Henry Clay, he commenced life in Lexington at the age of 
 twenty-one— young and poor, with neither family nor in- 
 fluence to bring him into notice, and with nothing to rec- 
 ommend him but his virtues and attainments. Shortly 
 after, he commenced business he married the daughter of 
 Waller Overton, of Fayette county. His first wife dying 
 in 1809, in 1812, he married again, in Virginia, a daughter 
 of General S. T. Mason. 
 
 From the year of his arrival in Lexington to the time of 
 his death in a foreign land, the life of the gifted Barry was 
 a brilliant panorama of success. Soon after he came to 
 the bar, he was appointed attorney for the commonwealth, 
 which ofiice he filled for several years, and in 1807 he was 
 for the first time, elected a representative from Fayette 
 county, and was re-elected for several years in succession 
 almost without opposition. He rose rapidly in his profes- 
 sion ; soon took the first rank as a great lawyer and an 
 eloquent advocate, and in a little while was the recognized 
 peer of Eowan Bledsoe, Haggin, and " Harry of the West." 
 In 1810, Mr. Barry was elected a representative to Con- 
 gress from the Ashland district, and distinguished himself 
 by his eloquent denunciations of the aggressive insults then 
 being offered to the United States by England. After the 
 declaration of war in 1812, he not only strongly advocated 
 its vigorous prosecution, but took the field as an aid to 
 Governor Shelby, and served during the severe and glorious 
 campaign, which resulted in the capture of the British 
 army, the death of Tecumseh, and the conquest of a large 
 part of Upper Canada.* 
 
 In 1814, Mr. Barry was again sent to the state legislature 
 by an almost unanimous vote; was made speaker of the 
 
 •Collins. 
 
228 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1805. 
 
 house, and shortly after elected to the United States Sen- 
 ate, -where he remained for two sessions. Here occurred 
 one of the most remarkable events of his life. He resigned 
 his seat in the senate, to accept the position of circuit 
 judge with a meager salary. Public men rarely abandon 
 national honors, position, and pay so easily at this day. It 
 was during Mr. Barry's judgeship that a tipsy mountaineer 
 stalked into the presence of the court shouting : " I am a 
 horse ! " " Sheriff," said Judge Barry, "take that horse to 
 the stable." 
 
 In 1817, he was forced by the people to become a mem- 
 ber of the state senate. "While in the legislature, Mr. 
 Barry, who was ever alive to home interests, was actively 
 engaged in promoting the success of Transylvania Univer- 
 sity', and was persevering in his efforts to have it endowed, 
 and to bring it under the patronage of the state.* He suc- 
 ceeded in his undertakings, for his struggles and his elo- 
 quence principally induced the legislature to give the insti- 
 tution about $20,000, and the name of Wm. T. Barry gave 
 it free passport among the people. The law department of 
 this institution, with which, by his profession, he was more 
 particularly connected, also commanded his attention. He 
 was instrumental in giving it funds sufficient to purchase a 
 good library. In this department he was the first regular 
 professor and law lecturer after the reform in the uni- 
 versity. Under his management it prospered beyond ex- 
 pectation, and surpassed the most sanguine anticipation of 
 its friends. 
 
 In 1820, he became a candidate for the office of lieuten- 
 ant-governor. The people recollected his services and his 
 struggles in their cause, and gave him an overwhelming 
 vote. At this period he decidedly stood foremost in the 
 affections of the people of Kentucky. Subsequently, he 
 was made secretary of state during the administration of 
 Governor Desha, and after the appellate court of the state 
 was reorganized, he was appointed chief justice. In the 
 change of parties in Kentucky in 1825, produced by Mr. 
 
 *0b3erver and Eeporter. 
 
1805.] WILLIAM TAYLOR BARRY. £29 
 
 Clay's adherence to Mr. Adams,* Major Barry became the 
 leader of the Democratic party in the state, and was de- 
 voted to its principles to the day of his untimely death. 
 
 In 1828, Mr. Barry was the Democratic candidate for the 
 office of governor, while Mr. Clay was the champion of 
 the opposing party, and it was during that bitter and hotly 
 contested struggle that Barry exhibited so powerfully the 
 wonderful resources of his great intellect, and achieved 
 his greatest triumph, for though he was defeated by a small 
 majority for governor, it was mainly through his almost 
 superhuman exertions in that campaign that the vote of 
 Kentucky was given to General Jackson in the presidential 
 election which followed. Mr. Barry's astonishing oratori- 
 cal powers were all brought out in this campaign. As a 
 speakerf he was full of energy, action, and fire, and on the 
 stump, filled as he always was, on such occasions, with 
 eloquence and majesty, he seemed every inch a towering 
 tribune of the old Roman commonwealth. The rare pecu- 
 liarity of Mr. Barry's style was, that, instead of conmiencing 
 a speech with deliberation and coolness, and gradually 
 warming up with his subject, he launched out at once with 
 words as bold and eloquent as those which invariably 
 attended his blazing perorations. One of Judge Barry's 
 finest efforts was made in 1828, when standing upon a table 
 placed against the rear wall of the present court-house, he 
 defended himself, before an immense crowd, against some 
 partisan charges made by his political opponents. 
 
 Mr. Barry was called to "Washington in 1829, as post- 
 master-general, which office he held until unable, from 
 physical disability, to discharge its onerous duties. Ardently 
 hoping that a milder climate would restore the now shat- 
 tered health of this ornament of his cabinet. President 
 Jackson appointed him minister to Spain, for which coun- 
 try Mr. Barry sailed in 1835. He was destined to never 
 reach Madrid. His health rapidly declined, and Barry, the 
 great orator, the favorite of fortune, the idol of the people, 
 died a few days after reaching Liverpool. 
 
 •Collins. tJames O. Harrison. 
 
230 EJSTORV OF LEXINGTON. [1805 
 
 It has been truly said that " no man who has figured so 
 largely in the well-contested arena of western politics ever 
 left it with fewer enemies or a larger number of devoted 
 friends than "Wiiiiam T. Barry." His great abilities and 
 lofty virtues made him the hero of his party, and his politi- 
 cal opponents loved him as they felt the singular charm of 
 his mild and conciliating disposition, and the influence of 
 his generous and exalted soul. 
 
 In our court-house yard stands an unpretending, weather- 
 beaten monument of granite, surrounded by a plain iron 
 railing. It has been there so long, and has such an old- 
 fashioned look, that hundreds pass it daily without once 
 giving it so much as a glance, and without the thought 
 once occurring to them that it stands there to remind them 
 of one of the loftiest spirits that ever did honor to Lexing- 
 ton and our commonwealth. The rains and snows of many 
 winters have descended upon it, but the angel of immor- 
 tality has shielded that old shaft with her protecting wings, 
 and it still tells its proud story. 
 
 On one side is the inscription: 
 
 " To the memory of William Taylor Barry this monu- 
 ment is erected by his friends in Kentucky (the site being 
 granted by the county court of Fayette), as a testimony of 
 their respect and admiration for his virtues." 
 
 On another side is carved this beautiful sentence: 
 
 "His fame lives in the history of his country, and is as 
 immortal as America's liberty and glory." 
 
 Mr. Barry lived in the house now owned by Joseph 
 Wolfolk, near the corner of Hill and Rose streets. 
 
 The remains of Barry, after reposing nearly nineteen 
 years in a foreign land, were brought back to Kentucky, by 
 act of the legislature, and reinterred in the State cemetery 
 at Frankfort, with many honors and great respect, Novem- 
 ber 8, 1854. The eloquent Theodore O'Hara, who was 
 the orator of the occasion, concluded his eulogy upon Barry 
 in these burning words : 
 
 " Let the marble minstrel rise to sing to the future gen- 
 erations of the commonwealth the inspiring lay of his high 
 genius and lofty deeds. Let the autumn wind harp on the 
 
1805.] WILLIAM TAYLOR BARRT. 231 
 
 dropping leaves her softest requiem over him ; let the win- 
 ter's purest snow rest spotless on his grave; let spring 
 entwine her brightest garland for his tomb, and summer 
 gild it with her mildest sunshine, and let him sleep em- 
 balmed in glory till the last trumph shall reveal him to us 
 all radiant with the halo of his life." 
 
232 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1806. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Currency — Stray Pen — JFelix Grundy. 
 
 The currency used in trade in Lexington, in 1806, was 
 miscellaneous in its character. Kaecoon and other skins 
 were given in exchange for goods, but Spanish dollars, cut 
 into halves, quarters, and eighths, were mostly used, while 
 very small change was effected by means of papers of 
 needles and pins. In this year a Lexington merchant 
 carried one hundred pounds of " cut silver " with him to 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 The Lexington " stray pen " was located about this time, 
 on Market street, near the present Press office. 
 
 Felix Grundy, long eminent as a Democratic leader and 
 statesman, was a resident of Lexington and a trustee of 
 Transylvania University in 1806, and for some time anterior 
 to that date. He was born in Berkley county, Virginia, 
 September 11, 1777, came to Kentucky when a boy, 
 studied law, and soon acquired a high reputation as an 
 advocate in criminal cases. Before his removal to Nash- 
 ville in 1808, he had served in the Kentucky legislature, and 
 as chief justice of the court of appeals. He died December 
 19, 1840, after filling the positions of representative and 
 senator in Congress, and attorney general of the United 
 States. 
 
1807.] THE OBSERVER AND REPORTER. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 The Observer and Reporter — Editors — Biographical Notices — 
 
 Incidents. 
 
 The Observer and Reporter, now the oldest newspaper 
 in existence in Kentucky, if not in the "West, was founded 
 in 1807,* by William W. "Worsley and Samuel R. Overton, 
 and was first called the " Kentucky Reporter." Their first 
 office, as the early copies of the paper state, was opposite 
 Mr. Sanders' store," and therefore occupied the site now 
 filled by Clark & Bro.'s warehouse, on East Main street, 
 and was between the first capitol building of the infant 
 commonwealth of Kentucky, and the Free and Easy tavern, 
 so notorious in the early history of Lexington. Near it 
 was a rakish-looking craft of a building, nine feet wide and 
 forty feet long, then commonly called the " Old Gun-boat." 
 This was the first silver-plater's shop used in this city by the 
 late David A. Sayre, and there the ring of his busy ham- 
 mer was often heard far into the night. 
 
 Mr. "Worsley came to this place from Virginia at an early 
 day, and married a sister of Thomas Smith, at that time 
 editor of the Kentucky Gazette, and afterward editor of 
 the Observer. Aside from his capacity as a writer and pub- 
 lisher, Mr. Worsley was noted for his strict integrity and 
 remarkable amiability. Mr. Overton, who was connected 
 with the Observer only a few months, and in a business 
 way, was a son of Waller Overton, of this county. 
 
 The Observer commenced its career as a strong Jeffer- 
 sonian Democratic organ, or rather " Republican," as the 
 party was then called. Its first prospectus contains this 
 
 *0b. and Eep. in Lex. Lib. 
 
234 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1807. 
 
 language :* " The character of the Reporter witji relation 
 to politics shall be strictly republican. Highly approving 
 of the principles of the revolution, as contained in the fed- 
 eral constitution, and duly 'appreciating the enlightened 
 policy pursued by the present administration, it shall be the 
 undeviating object of the editors, as far it may come within 
 the sphere of their influence, to contribute to the promotion 
 and preservation of the former, and embrace every oppor- 
 tunity of testifying to the virtue and faithfulness of the latter. 
 Whenever we may discover ourselves deviating from the 
 principles held sacred by the people, we shall invariably be 
 disposed to retrace our steps and make such assertions as 
 may clearly and satisfactorily present themselves. We shall 
 also rely with confidence on the vigilance of the people to 
 point out those errors to which we may be subject and in 
 which their interests may be involved." The public is also 
 informed that " for the more speedy conveyance of the Re- 
 porter, the editor has established at great expense some 
 private posts." 
 
 Mr. Overton retired from the paper, and left Mr. Wors- 
 ley sole proprietor until February, 1816, when he took into 
 partnership his brother-in-law, Mr. Thomas Smith. Mr. 
 Smith married Miss iN'aunette Price, a niece of Mrs. Henry 
 Clay. He was at one time president of the Frankfort and 
 Lexington railroad. Smith bought out Worsley's interest 
 in 1819, and conducted the paper alone until April, 1828, 
 when he took in James W. Palmer as a partner. Mr. Palmer 
 was an Englishman, whose beautiful disposition and en- 
 gaging manners made him exceedingly popular. He wrote 
 elegantly, but not strongly. He was a devoted Episco- 
 palian, and for years, as was then the custom here, made 
 the responses at public worship in behalf of the congrega- 
 tion. He was well known as the calculator of the almanacs 
 for Kentucky. Mr. Palmer was connected with the Re- 
 porter about a year, after which Mr. Smith had entire charge 
 again, until March, 1832, when the paper passed into the 
 hands of Edwin Bryant and 'E. L. Finnell, who united 
 
 *See files Observer and Reporter. 
 
1807.] TEE OBSERVER AND REPORTER. 235 
 
 with it the " Lexington Observer, the consolidated papers 
 being called " The Kentucky Reporter and Lexington Ob- 
 server."* Mr. Smith removed to Pewee Valley, where he 
 died only a few months ago. On his retirement from the 
 paper the gentlemen of Lexington gave him a public recep- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Finnell came to this place from Georgetown, and had 
 published a paper in "Winchester. He was the father of 
 General J. W. Finnell, of Covington, and a practical printer, 
 and often stood at the case and " set up" his own editorials. 
 He was a sprightly writer, and a man of great energy. 
 "When his connection with this paper ceased, he, with con- 
 siderable enterprise, established and labored hard to keep 
 up " The Lexington Atlas," a daily paper, but without suc- 
 cess. His subscription list became quite extensive, but the 
 expenses of the establishment were so great that he was 
 compelled to give up the attempt, after several months of 
 disastrous experience. He died near Frankfort, in 1853. 
 
 Judge Edwin Bryant came from the old Berkshire hills 
 of Massachusetts, to this city, when but a boy, and was 
 soon a Kentuckian, both in sentiment and by adoption. He 
 was an editor of signal ability, courtesy, and success. After 
 the Observer, he assumed the management of the "Louis- 
 ville Dime," in connection with Mr. W. N. Haldeman, of 
 the present Courier-Journal. 
 
 In 1847, failing health induced him to take an overland 
 mule-back journey to the Pacific, and he joined Fremont in 
 one of his famous expeditions. He assisted in the capture 
 of California, and was the first American alcalde (judge) 
 who ever administered justice on that then far distant coast. 
 
 Returning home. Judge Bryant published a volume en- 
 titled, " "What I saw in California," which had a very extraor- 
 dinary sale. 
 
 He resided in Pewee Valley, Kentucky, until the time of 
 his death, which took place in December, 1869. 
 
 Robert Nelson "Wickliflre, brother of D. C. Wickliffe, suc- 
 ceeded Bryant in 1833. He graduated with distinguished 
 
 ♦Observer and Beporter. 
 
236 BISTORT OF LEXIN&TON. [1807. 
 
 honors at Transylvania University, was admitted to the 
 bar, and in all subsequent oratorial efforts evinced a rare fer- 
 tility and resource of scholarship and literary knowledge. 
 As an editor, he was fully equal to Prentice, and as an 
 orator, was considered by many to be the peer of Clay. 
 
 Mr. "Wickliffe represented his county in the legislature, 
 was a delegate to the conventiou which framed the present 
 state constitution, and in 1851 was Democratic candidate for 
 lieutenant-governor,* but he never attained the position his 
 extraordinary powers entitled him to, as he lacked ambi- 
 tion, and was totally indifferent to political and professional 
 honors. For years after his official connection with the 
 Observer had ceased, Mr. "Wickliffe contributed to the ed- 
 itorial department. He died at the age of fifty, February 
 26, 1855. 
 
 In September, 1838, Hon. D. C. Wickliffe became sole 
 editor and proprietor of the Observer and Eeporter.f 
 
 Daniel Carmichael Wickliffe was born in Lexington, 
 Kentucky, on the 15th of March, 1810. He was educated 
 at Transylvania University, and graduated with much honor 
 at the very early age of seventeen. He adopted the law as 
 his profession. 
 
 On the 25th of November, 1844, Mr. Wickliffe married 
 Miss Virginia Cooper, a daughter of the Rev. Spencer 
 Cooper, widely-known local Methodist minister of this city. 
 
 Anterior to his marriage, and in September, 1838, Mr. 
 Wickliffe succeeded Mr. IST. L. Finnell as editor and pro- 
 prietor of the Observer and Reporter, and he gave all the 
 rest of his active life to the profession of journalism, not 
 even excepting the period when he was secretary of state 
 of Kentucky, during Governor Robinson's executive term 
 He was editor of this paper for nearly twenty-seven years, 
 and in very many respects was the ablest one that ever 
 wielded a pen in the whole commonwealth of Kentucky. 
 He gave Mr. Clay no weak support, 
 
 Mr. Wickliffe, to his great honor be it said, was almost en- 
 fold Kentucky Statesman. tObserver and Exporter, 
 
1807.] THE OBSERVER AND REPORTER. 237 
 
 tirely a self-made man. In June, 1865, Mr. "Wickliffe sev- 
 ered his connection with the press. He died May 3, 1870. 
 
 John T. Hogan became associated with Mr. Wickliffe in 
 the editorial department in 1855, and filled the position for 
 four years. 
 
 In September, 1862, the Observer office was used by Gen- 
 eral John Morgan as his headquarters, and in 1864 it was 
 occupied by federal troops. 
 
 The establishment was purchased by a number of gentle- 
 men in 1865, and the concern was styled the " Observer and 
 Eeporter Printing Company," with William A. Dudley as 
 editor. Mr. Dudley resigned the editorial chair for a seat 
 in the senate of Kentucky. He died March 19, 1870, at 
 the age of forty-six, after an exertion of energy in connec- 
 tion with, first, the Lexington and Frankfort, and then the 
 Short Line railroad, that made him most widely known. 
 
 W. C. P. Breckinridge succeeded Mr. Dudley, having 
 been elected by the company in July, 1866. The author 
 of this volume succeeded Colonel Breckinridge in July, 
 1868, and became sole editor and proprietor of the Ob- 
 server and Reporter. In April, 1871, he disposed of the 
 establishment, which is at present owned and managed by 
 a company. Dr. Thomas Pickett, of Maysville, Kentucky, 
 succeeded the writer as editor, and he in turn was succeeded 
 by the present editor, Mr. J. S. Smith. 
 
238 HHTORV OF LEXINGTON. [1808-9. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Miscellaneous — Sheep Excitew.ent — Dr. Ben. W. Dudley. 
 
 In 1808, and long after, it was the custom in Lexington 
 to call the hours from twelve o'clock at night until daylight. 
 
 All Lexington and Fayette county was excited in the 
 summer of 1808 over a " living elephant," the first one ever 
 seen in the community. One of the newspapers of the 
 town urged every one to go and see it, as " perhaps the 
 present generation may never have the opportunity of 
 seeing a living elephant again." 
 
 A long list of " school-books manufactured in this place," 
 was advertised in a Lexington newspaper in 1809. 
 
 At an early period, probably at this time (1809), a great 
 excitement was created about Merino sheep, which suddenly 
 acquired an enormous value, and the few in the country 
 were sought after with the most ridiculous avidity. The 
 extent of the speculation may be inferred from the tradition 
 that a master mechanic actually received three merino sheep 
 from Mr. Samuel Trotter as payment for building for him 
 the residence now owned, by Judge Robertson, and situated 
 at the corner of Hill and Mill streets.*' 
 
 Dr. Benjamin "W". Dudley, who afterward became so fa- 
 mous as a surgeon, commenced his public career in 1809, 
 in which year he was appointed to the chair of anatomy 
 and surgery in Transylvania University. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Winslow Dudley! was born in Spottsyl- 
 vania county, Virginia, on the 12th day of April, 1785; was 
 brought by his parents to Kentucky county, where they 
 landed six miles east of Lexington, on the 3d day of May, 
 
 »Benjamin Kiser. tObserver and Reporter. 
 
1808-9.] DR. BEN. W. DUDLEY. 239 
 
 1786. His earlier education was obtained at country schools, 
 and finished in Transylvania University. He came to Lex- 
 ington in 1797, and for a time -worked in the store of Samuel 
 and George Trotter. He studied medicine with the late 
 Drs. Ridgely and Fishback, after which he attended medi- 
 cal lectures in the old school of Philadelphia, graduated in 
 1806, and returned to Lexington, where he continued the 
 practice of medicine, and acted as professor in the medical 
 college until 1810, when he visited Europe, and spent four 
 years, profiting by the instructions of the most distinguished 
 medical and scientific teachers. During his stay in London, 
 he was made a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. 
 
 Returning to Lexington, he soon stood in the front rank 
 of the profession. In 1818, on the reorganization of the 
 medical college of Transylvania University, he was recalled 
 to the chair of surgery and anatomy, and remained in that 
 connection for forty years, during which time the college 
 acknowledged no superior on this continent. Its great suc- 
 cess was largely due to Dr. Dudley, whose professional fame 
 spread throughout the civilized world. He attended a la- 
 borious practice for about fifty years, when he contracted 
 poison in performing a surgical operation, from which he 
 suflEered greatly, and never recovered. He died suddenly, 
 after about two hours of illness, at a quarter to one o'clock, 
 on Thursday morning, January 20, 1870, of apoplexy. 
 
 Dr. Dudley's achievements in the operation of lithotomy 
 alone are so great as to be actually incredible to the most 
 distinguished surgeons of Europe, and are sufiicient of 
 themselves to hand his name down to a distant posterity. 
 He operated for stone in the bladder about two hundred 
 and sixty times, losing only two or three patients. He op- 
 erated upon the eye in numerous cases, and frequently per- 
 forated the cranium for the relief of epilepsy. In spite of 
 the fact that he left no production of his pen behind, his 
 scientific triumphs will long cause him to be remembered 
 as the great surgeon of Kentucky. Dr. Dudley's ofiice was 
 on the corner of Mill and Church streets, and occupied the 
 site of the present residence of E. Say re. 
 
240 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1810- 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Great Prosperity of Lexington in 1810 — Center of theWestern 
 Trade — Manufacturers and Business — Decline — Lexington 
 Bible Society — Freshets. 
 
 Lexington was at the zenith of her commercial pros- 
 perity in 1810. Situated on the great line of communica- 
 tion between the older settlements of the East and the fer- 
 tile West, she was benefited by every great wave of immi- 
 gration that swept into the wilderness. Since 1800, her 
 growth had been so rapid that her population had tripled 
 itself, and was now eight thousand, while that of Fayette 
 county was twenty-one thousand three hundred and seventy. 
 By this time, almost the entire trade of the "West centered 
 in Lexington, which had also become the grand depot of 
 supplies for emigrants, and the great manufacturing point 
 of an immense region. It is said that in 1810 the sales 
 of the most extensive business house in Lexington 
 amounted to one hundred thousand dollars per month. A 
 careful eye witness of the prosperity of Lexington at this 
 time said :* " Main street presents to the eye as much 
 wealth and more beauty than can be found in most Atlan- 
 tic cities. A prodigious quantity of European goods are 
 displayed and retailed to the crowds of customers who re- 
 sort here from the neighboring settlements." 
 
 A tolerably correct estimate of the business and manu- 
 facturing importance of Lexington in 1810 is extantf Its 
 enumeration is as follows, viz: four paper mills, two 
 tobacco factories, three nail factories, one mustard factory, 
 four cabinet shops, six powder mills, five wool-carding 
 
 *Brown's Emigrant Directory. tCumming, 160. 
 
1810.] LEXINGTON'S DECLINE. 241 
 
 machines run by horse power, one sail-duck factory, one 
 brush factory, one reed factory, one umbrella factory, one 
 white lead factory, four chair factories, one oil-mill, thirteen 
 rope-walks, seven brick-yards, five hat factories, ten black- 
 smith shops, seven saddlery shops, ten tailor shops, fifteen 
 boot and shoe shops, three blue dyers, two copper and tin 
 shops, two printing establishments where books were made, 
 one bindery, seven distilleries, four billiard tables, five paint 
 shops, one looking-glass factory, one Venetian blind fac- 
 tory, two foundries, three cotton mills, five bagging fac- 
 tories, and five coarse linen factories. One steam flour mill, 
 the first in Kentucky, had just been erected by Stevens & 
 Winslow. Twenty-five large stores are mentioned. Ne- 
 groes from fourteen to thirty years of age quoted at from 
 three hundred and fifty to four hundred dollars. " Vaux- 
 hall" is described as "a public garden, kept by Mr. Terasse, 
 from St. Bartholomew, with summer-houses, and arbors 
 illuminated every "Wednesday evening with variegated 
 latnps, a fashionable resort for music, dancing, and feast- 
 ing." In Lexington and Fayette there were one thousand 
 looms, which wove two hundred and seven thousand yards 
 of hemp, flax, and cotton cloth. " Lexington," says a 
 traveler,* " is expected to become the largest inland town 
 of the United States. Perhaps there is no manufactory in ' 
 this country which is not known here." 
 
 The trade and population of Lexington, after 1810, de- 
 clined, and did not begin to grow again until about the 
 year 1820. The cause of this decline is easily accounted 
 for. It commenced with the successful opening of steam 
 navigation upon the Ohio river, an event which revolution- 
 ized the trade and trade channels of the western country. 
 The same cause which produced this decline in Lexington, 
 made Cincinnati, with its favorable location, an important 
 city. In 1810, when Lexington had eight thousand inhab- 
 itants, Cincinnati had but two thousand five hundred ; but 
 the steamboat came, and, in 1820, Cincinnati had grown to 
 four times the size of Lexington. The prosperity of Lex- 
 
 *Cumming. 
 
242 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1810. 
 
 ington in' the future will largely depend upon the use she 
 makes of the same great agent which has operated against 
 her. Steam, upon artificial highways, can bring back to 
 her much of what it carried away upon the natural chan- 
 nels of trade. 
 
 A "Bible Society" was formed in Lexington in 1810* 
 of which Robert M. Cunningham was president. It grew 
 and prospered, and, in 1820, its corresponding secretary, 
 James Blythe, supplied- many persons with Bibles printed in 
 Lexington. Its successor was the " Lexington and Vicinity 
 Bible Society," which was formed November 24, 1836,t 
 and its officers were: President, L. P. Yandell; Vice-pres- 
 idents, J. M. Hewitt, J. C. Stiles, Walter Bullock, D. M. 
 "Winston, George Robertson, R. T. Dillard, and Mr. Harris; 
 Executive Committee, James Eishback, Edward Stevenson, 
 T. K. Layton, M. T. Scott; W. A. Leavy, Corresponding 
 Secretary; Edward "Winthrop, Recording Secretary; Will- 
 liam Richardson, Treasurer. The object of this society, as 
 set forth in its constitution, is, "to aid in the circulation of 
 the Holy Scriptures, without note or comment. It inter- 
 feres with no man's views of truth and duty; requires no 
 sacrifice of principle; aims to establish no peculiar creed ; 
 but wants all to meet on common ground, to give the Bible 
 to their fellow creatures." The society is still in existence, 
 and doing a great work of usefulness and good. 
 
 Alarming freshets were not unfrequent at this period. 
 The miserable " canal " then in existence could not accom- 
 modate the water which ran from all the streets and high 
 lots, and collected in the " Town Fork of Elkhorn creek," 
 and sometimes, after a rain, the water extended from tlie 
 present Phoenix Hotel far beyond "Water and Vine streets.^ 
 A lead factory and a paper mill were on "Water street at 
 that time, near where the present Louisville freight depot 
 stands, and the mill-races were fed from the then flourish- 
 ing Town Fork, now so insignificant. 
 
 *01d Kentucky Gazette. tSociety Eecords. tMcCulIough. 
 
1811.] EARTHqVAKE, ETC. 243 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Earthquake — Battle of Tippecanoe — Jose-ph H. Daviess, His 
 Career and Gallant Death — St. Tammany Society. 
 
 On the morning of December 16, 1811, the citizens of 
 Lexington were startled and alarmed by several successive 
 shocks of an earthquake,* accompanied by a sound like 
 that of distant thunder. Fortunately no other damage was 
 done than the breaking of window glass and the disturb- 
 ance of a few bricks from chimneys. 
 
 In 1811, the Indians of the Northwest, incited by Tecum- 
 seh and the Prophet, who were encouraged by the British, 
 gave such marked evidences of hostility that General Har- 
 rison marched to the Wabash, where, shortly after, he was 
 joined by Colonel J. H. Daviess and a number of volua- 
 teers from Lexington. On the 7th of November, the mem- 
 orable battle of Tippecanoe took place, and Colonel Daviess 
 was numbered among the slain. 
 
 Colonel Joseph Hamilton Daviess was born in Bedford 
 county, Virginia, March 4, 1774.t His parents, Joseph and 
 Jean Daviess, emigrated to Kentucky when their son was 
 five years old, and settled near Danville. Young Daviess 
 received his education from his mother and superior 
 teachers of country schools, and became a proficient in the 
 Latin and Greek languages, and evinced a remarkable tal- 
 ent for public speaking. In 1792, he volunteered under 
 Major Adair, and served against the Indians, and distin- 
 guished himself by his daring conduct. After this, he 
 studied law under the celebrated George Nicholas, in a 
 class with Jesse Bledsoe, John Pope, Felix Grundy, an I 
 others who afterward became noted, and studied with the 
 
 »ObBerver and Reporter. tOollins. 
 
244 BISTORT OF LEXIN&TON. [1811- 
 
 most untiring energy and perseverance. He was admitted 
 to the bar in 1795, and in his first case triumphed over his 
 learned old teacher. In 1801, he went to Washington 
 City, and was the first western lawyer who ever appeared 
 in the supreme court of the United States. There he 
 gained another legal victory, which placed him at once in the 
 foremost rank of his profession. He was married to Miss 
 Annie Marshall, sister of the United States chief justice, 
 in 1803, and in 1806, occurred his celebrated prosecution 
 of Aaron Burr, during which he confronted Henry Clay 
 and John Allin. 
 
 He removed to Lexington in 1809, and resided there up 
 to the time of his death. During that period, there was 
 hardly an important cause litigated in the courts where he 
 practiced that he was not engaged in. Colonel Daviess 
 was a federalist, but when the Indian war of 1811, which 
 was aggravated by England, broke out, he was one of the 
 first to enlist.* He was appointed major of cavalry, but 
 when he was killed in the battle of Tippecanoe, he was 
 fighting on foot in a charge made at his own solicitation. 
 He fell wounded in three places, and met death with great 
 calmness. General Harrison said of him :f " Major Daviess 
 joined me as a private volunteer, and on the recommenda- 
 tion of the officers of that corps, was appointed to com- 
 mand the third troop of dragoons. His conduct in that 
 capacity justified their choice; never was there an officer 
 possessed of more ardor and zeal to discharge his duties 
 with propriety, and never one who would have encoun- 
 tered greater danger to purchase military fame." Col- 
 onel Daviess was a man of remarkably fine personal ap- 
 pearance and impressive bearing. As a lawyer . he was 
 one of the ablest in the land, and as an orator he had few 
 equals and no superiors. His death caused a profound 
 sensation, and in Lexington imposing funeral ceremonies 
 were performed, and a Masonic lodge was formed and 
 named in his honor. Colonel Daviess lived in the house 
 now occupied by Mr. William Fishback, opposite the Chris- 
 
 *Davidson. tHarrison's Report, Battle Tippecanoe. 
 
1811.] ST. TAMMANTS SOCIETY. 245 
 
 tian Church, and between Walnut and Limestone, on 
 Main. 
 
 A St. Tammany Society was instituted in Lexington 
 about this time (1811), and continued to exist up to 1820. 
 The " "Wigwam" was in the second story of " Connell's ale 
 shop," which stood on the site of the Cleary building, on 
 the corner of Main and Broadway. The sons of St. Tam- 
 many often paraded through the streets disguised as In- 
 dians, and magnificent in red paint, feathers, bows, toma- 
 hawks, and war clubs. It was one of the moat noted Dem- 
 ocratic organizations in the West. Thomas T. Barr, Rich- 
 ard Chinn, and others successively filled the office of 
 " Sachem." We give verbatim one of the society's 
 orders,* viz : 
 
 "St. Tammany's Day. — The Sons of St. Tammany, or 
 Brethren of the Columbian Order, will assemble at the 
 council fire of their great wigwam, on Tuesday, the 12th 
 of the month of flowers, at the rising of the sun, to cele- 
 brate the anniversary of their patron saint. 
 
 "A dinner will be provided at brother John Fowler's 
 garden, to which the brethren will march in procession, 
 where a long talk will be delivered by one of the order. 
 
 " An adjourned meeting of the society will be held on 
 to-morrow evening, at the going down of the sun. By 
 order of the grand sachem, 
 
 " IN". S. Potter, Sec. 
 
 " %th of the Month of Flowers, Year of Discovery, 326." 
 
 'Kentucky Glazette. 
 
 ^^^^ 
 
246 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON: [1812. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 War with England— Bolls of Lexington and Fayette Volun- 
 teers—The Meeting and Farting at Lexington— The Review 
 and the March— EusselVs Expedition- Trotter s Fight with 
 the Indians — The Barracks. 
 
 The commencement of the year 1812 found Lexington 
 full of excitement. The frequent and long-continued out- 
 rages of England on American rights and property on the 
 ocean were denounced in the strongest terms by the Demo- 
 crats, and palliated by the Federalists. While the parties 
 hurled at each other the epithets of "Jacobin" and "Tory," 
 a war with England was openly threatened, and on May 2d, 
 General James Winchester, an old officer of the Revolu- 
 tion, established a recruiting office in Lexington. Early in 
 June, an immense war-meeting was held in the court-house 
 yard, and deafening shouts of applause greeted one of the 
 il, sentiments proposed : " May the legs of every Tory be made 
 into drumsticks with which to beat Jefferson's march."* 
 
 War was declared by the United States on the 18th of 
 June, and Lexington greeted the news with a brilliant 
 illumination and great rejoicing, and as soon as it was 
 known that a requisition had been made upon Kentucky 
 for troops, and even before the governor's orders reached 
 Lexington, a company of volunteers had been formed, and 
 its services tendered to the state.f Six companies in all 
 were quickly raised in the city and county, and it is a matter 
 of the greatest regret that complete rolls of them are not 
 to be had, either in the state military office or in the war 
 department at Washington. Of one company, Captain 
 Arnold's riflemen, we could obtain no list whatever, and 
 
 *01d Gazette. tObserver and Reporter. 
 
 AK 
 
1812.] VOLUNTEERS. 247 
 
 the following rolls, with the exception of that of Captain 
 Hart's company, are meager, confused, and unsatisfactory. 
 The subjoined fragments are all that could be gathered, viz : 
 
 hart's company. 
 
 Officers. — Captain, N. S. G. Hart ; Lieutenant, L. Com- 
 stock; Second Lieutenant, Geo. G. Ross; Ensign, J. L. 
 Herron ; Sergeants, Levi L. Todd, John Whitney, Chas. 
 F. Allen, Thos. Smith, Fielding Gosney, Thoa. Chamber- 
 lain ; Corporals, William 0. Batler, Chas. Bradford, Isaac 
 L. Baker, Jacob Schwing, Alex. Crawford. 
 
 Privates. — Andrew Allison, F. J. Allen, Francis Allen, 
 Hugh Allen, Thomas Anderson, T. J. Anderson, Daniel 
 Adams, Wm. Adams, James E. Blythe, Henry Beard, L L. 
 Baker, Wm. C. Bell, John Beckley, Robt. Campbell, R. T. 
 Campbell, Lewis Charless, Hiram Clines, Elisha Collins, R. 
 H. Chinn, Samuel Cox, Jesse Cock, Lawrence Daily, Will- 
 iam Davis, Phillip Dunn, Benj. Davis, Samuel Elder, Ed- 
 ward Elder, Thos. Fant, A. Ferguson, E. Francis, K. M. 
 Goodloe, R. W. Gilpin, James Huston, Jas. L. Hickman, 
 Bennet Hines, Samuel Holding, James Higgins, James 
 Johnston, Robert Kelley, Thomas King, S. Kalker, J. E. 
 Kelley, John Kay, Charles Lewis, John Linginfelter, Adam 
 Lake, D. Lingenfeltei-, John Maxwell, Jr., Thomas Monks, 
 J no. A. Moon, Peter Messmore, J. W. McChesney, Robt. 
 Mather, James Maxwell, James Feale, Chas. ]:!feil, Jas. P. 
 Parker, W. Pritchard, James Reiley, Robert Rolling, George 
 Rogers, Geo. Rolls, Charles Searls, Armstrong Stewart, Ste- 
 phen Smith, Thomas Smith, Valentine Shally, Geo. Shin- 
 dlebower, B. Stephens, V. Shawley, Daniel Talbott, J. Tem- 
 pleman, Sam'l B. Todd, R. S. Todd, — Townsend, Joseph 
 Vance, Derrick Vanpelt, T. Verden, Zephaniah Williams, 
 John Whitney. 
 
 mbgowan's company. 
 
 Oj^cers.— Captain, Stewart W. Megowan; Lieutenant, 
 Martin Wymore ; Ensign, Levi Todd; Sergeants, Richard 
 Roach, Barnet Harvey ; Corporals, T. H. Blackburn, John 
 McMakin. 
 
248 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1812. 
 
 Privates. — Alexander Alsop, John Brown, Ezra Bowyer, 
 James Cummins, John Eaves, James Eear, Bernard Giltner, 
 T. R. Gatewood, — Griffin, John P. Hogan, John M. Ho^au, 
 Hiram Jeter, Bernard Jeter, Richie Jerrett, John P. Kin- 
 kead, Solomon Kolker, Zach. Kirby, Joseph Lankhart? 
 John Litterell, John Moon, John P. Miller, Wm. Mitchell, 
 Richard Masterson, Jr., S. McMakin, Jamee Ifapper, Tom 
 Petty, Lewis Pilcher, Beverly Pilcher, Geo. W. Shivery, 
 Greeu Spyers, John Shivel, James Schooley, David Weigert, 
 Hiram Worthen, Simon Waters. 
 
 m'dowell's cavalry. 
 
 Captain, James McDowell; First Lieutenant, Michael 
 Fishel ; Second Lieutenant, J. G. Trotter. 
 
 Privates.— W. W. Ater, Patterson Bain, W. P. Bryant, T. 
 M. Bryant, George Bowman, John Dishman, John Gist, 
 George Hooker, William Long, Joseph Lemmon, William 
 Montgomery, James McConnell, William McConnell, ¥. 
 McConnell, Samuel McDowell, Salem Piatt, Alexander 
 Pogue, Henry Riddle, William Royal, Thomas Royal, Byrd. 
 Smith, David Steel, William Tanner. 
 
 Edmonson's company — allbn's regiment. 
 Captain, John Edmonson. 
 
 Privates. — Richard Bledsoe, Walter Carr, Jr., R. P. Kin- 
 ney, Robinson Prewitt, W. D. Parrish, Dudley Shipp. 
 
 Hamilton's company. 
 
 Captain, John Hamilton ; Lieutenant, William Moore ; 
 Sergeants, Tobias Pennington, R. McCullough; Corporals, 
 Ira Barbee, Thomas Parker, Thomas Hamilton. 
 
 Privates. — Willis Calvert, Geo. Corman, Fathan Chinn, 
 Alfred Chinn, William Doyle, Luke Field, Michael Good- 
 night, James Gregg, Samuel Hicks, Philip Jones, Hartwell 
 Long, Wm. Musgrove, Andrew Meffiard, Jonathan McLain, 
 W. D. Patterson, Wm. Patterson, Thomas A. Russell, Jas. 
 Sanderson, William Sanderson, George Sanderson, Ander- 
 son Simpson, AnJi'ewSimson, Nelson Tapp, Linton Tandy, 
 
1812.] VOLUNTEERS. 249 
 
 Willis Tandy, Thomas Venard, Absalom Venard, John 
 Wilhoite. 
 
 la addition to these participants in the war, the following 
 persons also went from Lexington or Fayette, viz : "Will- 
 iam 0. Butler, afterward general; Major Ben. Graves, on 
 the staff of Colonel Lewis; James Overton, aid to General 
 Winchester; Chas. Carr, paymaster of Dudley's regiment; 
 Charles S. Todd, then a young lawyer in Lexington, but 
 subsequently minister to Eussia; Thomas Bodley, deputy 
 quartermaster-general, who died June 11, 1833, aged sixty- 
 one; and Adjutant, afterward General, John M. MeCalla, 
 who was reported by his commander as "distinguished" in 
 the actions of the 18th and 22d of January, 1813. General 
 McCalla, now a venerable and highly esteemed citizen of 
 Washington, D. C, is a native of Lexington, and a grad- 
 uate of Transylvania TJniversity. He practiced law in this 
 city for many years prior to his removal to his present 
 residence, and was well known for his bold and skillful 
 support of the Democratic party. He was a clear, astute, 
 and efficient political debater, and is well remembered for 
 his earnestness, energy, atid integrity. General McCalla 
 erected and lived in the house now owned by Mr. Benjamin 
 Gratz, and situated on Mill street, opposite the college 
 lawn. 
 
 The Kentucky quota was rapidly organized for the field, 
 and the Fifth regiment, commanded by Col. William Lewis, 
 and composed of the companies of Capts. Hart, Hamilton, 
 and Megowan, from Fayette ; Capts. Gray and Price, from 
 Jessamine ; Capt. Williams, from Montgomery, and Capts. 
 Martin and Brassfield, of Clark, in obedience to orders, 
 assembled in Lexington on the 14th of August, to march 
 to the general rendezvous at Georgestown, at which place 
 it was to join the other regiments, and be put in motion 
 with them for the frontier.* It was a soul-stirring occasion, 
 and thousands of citizens assembled from all quarters to 
 witness the novel sight of a band of citizen soldiers march- 
 ing to the battle-field. Gray-haired veterans of the lievo- 
 
 ♦Ueneral J. M. McCalla. 
 
250 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1812. 
 
 lution, and their matron companions, came to behold again 
 what they often saw in former days ; the youth of both 
 sexes, the generation which had grown up since the storm 
 of the Revolution had passed away, were eager to behold 
 the unwonted spectacle, and all classes came to bid an 
 agitated adieu to friends, to sons, to brothers, to lovers, to 
 those whom they might never again behold. Many doubted 
 whether the youth and effeminacy of some of the troops 
 were not unequal to , the fatigues of the campaign ; all 
 felt for them the deepest interest, the keenest anxiety. 
 As the regiment took up the line of march from "the 
 common" (Water street), where it was formed, and wheeled 
 into Main street, at Postlethwaite's corner, such a spectacle 
 was there exhibited as Lexington had never seen before, 
 and probably may never behold again. The moving mass 
 of people filling the street; the windows, doors, and 
 even roofs of houses crowded; weeping females waving 
 their parting adieus from the windows; an occasional shout 
 from the crowd below; the nodding plumes and inspiring 
 music; the proud military step and glancing eye of the 
 marching soldier as he caught the last view of the girl he 
 left behind him, or looked his last farewell to his tender 
 mother or affectionate sister — neither language nor paint- 
 ing can portray the scene. 
 
 The troops marched a few miles that evening and en- 
 camped, and the next day reached Georgetown, where, 
 with Scott's and Allen's regiments, they were formed into 
 a brigade under General Payne. On the following Sunday 
 they were reviewed by Governor Scott and Generals Payne 
 and Winchester, accompanied by all the field oflicers. The 
 field was covered with the friends and relatives of our brave 
 soldiers who went to take their parting farewell. The 
 spectators, it is supposed by some, amounted to twenty 
 thousand persons.* 
 
 After the review was finished, the army and spectators 
 formed a compact'body and listened to an eloquent address 
 from Henry Clay, and an animated sermon from President 
 
 *01d Gazette. 
 
1812.] RVSSELL'U EXPEDITION. 251 
 
 Blythe, of Transylvania University. Mr. Clay adverted to 
 the causes of the war, the orders in council, the previous 
 aggressions on American commerce, the impressment of 
 seamen, and the incitement of the savages to hostilities. 
 He concluded with a stirring appeal to the troops to remem- 
 ber that much was expected of them from abroad, that Ken- 
 tucky was famed for her brave men, and that they had the 
 double character of Americans and Kentuckians to support. 
 
 A few days after the review, the brigade was ordered to 
 Cincinnati to receive arms, ammunition, and camp-equip- 
 age. Hardships commenced at once, for heavy rains con- 
 tinued from the time the troops left Georgetown until they 
 reached Cincinnati. That was, however, but a trifle to the 
 labors which were awaiting them, when, having crossed the 
 Ohio under the gloom of Hull's surrender, and pressed for- 
 ward to Saint Mary's, they were ordered to leave their 
 heavy baggage, take six days' provision, and a supply of 
 ammunition, and by forced marches, to push on to relieve 
 Fort Wayne, then besieged by an allied Indian and British 
 force. Here en route, we leave them for the present. 
 
 On the 29th of September, General W. H. Harrison, who 
 had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Western 
 army, left Lexington for the seat of war. 
 
 Little was done by the American forces during the year 
 1812, after Hull's surrender; but what was done, was 
 largely participated in by the volunteers from Lexington. 
 In October,* Colonel William Russell, with four hundred 
 men, marched rapidly up the Illinois river until he got 
 within a mile of one of the Peoria towns. A brisk charge 
 was made upon the town defended by about one hundred 
 and fifty Indian warriors, who were put to flight, with the 
 loss of twenty-five found dead, besides a number carried 
 off. The women and children fled to a swamp at the flrst 
 approach of the men, and the warriors soon took shelter 
 under the same cover. Colonel Russell had only three men 
 wounded. Four prisoners were taken, and about sixty 
 horses prepared to remove the women and children, with 
 
 *Observer and Reporter. 
 
252 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1812. 
 
 all their plunder, fell into his hands. The Indians of the 
 neighboring towns had heard of General Hopkins crossing 
 the Wabash, and seven hundred warriors marched to meet 
 him, leaving one hundred and fifty in charge of the women 
 and children, who were preparing to move off when Col- 
 onel Russell arrived. He destroyed everything in the town 
 which he could not bring away, and left it on the same 
 evening. 
 
 Captain George Trotter's company (McDowell Cavalry) 
 was in Campbell's expedition* against the Mississinawa 
 towns at the head of the Wabash, and was in the heat of 
 the action of the 18th of December, in which the Indians 
 were defeated. Two members of the company, viz : Cor- 
 poral Henry Riddle and Salem Piatt were killed, and Cap- 
 tain Trotter, Sergeant Byrd Smith, and David Steel were 
 wounded. When this company returned to Lexington after 
 the expiration of its term of enlistment, it was given a 
 public dinner. 
 ny Recruiting for the regular army was kept up in Lexing- 
 ton during the entire war. A rope-walk which was on the 
 "Woodlands'" property, and which ran parallel with the 
 Richmond turnpike, was converted into a barraeks.f and 
 used by the regular soldiers until the close of the struggle. 
 At this place, a deserter was shot and buried. 
 
 *0l3server and Keporter. fT. B. Megowan. 
 
1813.] BATTLE OF FRENCETOWN. 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Battle of Frenchtown — The Baisin Massacre — Fate of Lexing- 
 ton Volunteers: Hart, Graves, Edmonson, and others — The 
 Pall of Grief — " Kentucky Squaw " — New Companies — 
 Incomplete Rolls — Dudley's Defeat — Thrilling Incidents — 
 Battle of the Thames — Great Rejoicing — Close of the Cam- 
 paign in the Northwest. 
 
 The year 1813 constitutes a tragic era in the history of 
 Lexington, that will long be reverted to with mournful 
 interest. 
 
 In the former chapter, we left the Kentucky troops on 
 their weary march toward the seat of war. After under- 
 going every kind of, hardship, they finally reached the 
 rapids of the Maumee where, broken down and disheart- 
 ened, they camped by the frozen river in snow two feet 
 deep. But soon the call of the suffering citizens of Prench- 
 town (now Monroe), on the river Eaisin, Michigan, roused 
 the feelings of the troops into zeal and ardor, and a detach- 
 ment of six hundred men, under Colonel Lewis, was sent to 
 relieve them. Two marches brought the detachment in 
 view of Raisin, and at last they were gratified with the 
 object of their desire, the sight of an enemy in battle array. 
 The skill of Colonel Lewis, and the bravery of the troops, 
 brought to a successful termination the battle of the 18th 
 January, 1813; and after contending with the enemy until 
 the darkness of the night separated the combatants, the 
 troops collected their wounded, and took up their position 
 on the spot from which the enemy had been driven. 
 
 On the evening of the 20th, General Winchester arrived 
 with two hundred regulars, and assumed command, but 
 took none of the precautions which military foresight 
 would have dictated, and at daylight, on the morning of 
 
 ^'^ 
 
254 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. L1813- 
 
 the 22d, while in an exposed position, the little army was 
 suddenly attacked by two thousand British and Indians. 
 The scenes that followed, we describe, in the language of 
 an eye witness and participant:* " Upon the firing of the 
 first gun, Major Graves immediately left his quarters, and 
 ordered his men to stand to their arms. Very many bombs 
 were discharged by the enemy> doing, however, very little 
 execution, most of them bursting in the air, and the fight- 
 ing became general along the line, the artillery of the enemy 
 being directed mainly to the right of our lines, where 
 "Wells' command had no protection but a common rail 
 fence, four or five rails high. Several of the Americans on 
 that part of the line were killed, and their fence knocked 
 down by the cannon balls, when General Winchester or- 
 dered the right to fall back a few steps, and reform on the 
 bank of the river, where they would have been protected 
 from the enemy's guns. Unfortunately, however, that part 
 of the line commenced retreating, and reaching Hull's old 
 trace along the lane, on either side of which the grass was 
 BO high as to conceal the Indians. At this time, Colonel 
 Lewis and Allen, with a view of rallying the retreating 
 party, took one hundred men from the stockade, and en- 
 deavored to arrest their flight. Very many were killed and 
 wounded, and others made prisoners; among the former. 
 Colonel Allen, Captains Simpson, Price, Edmonson, Mead, 
 Dr. Irwin, Montgomery, Davis, Mcllvain, and Patrick ; and 
 of the latter, General Winchester, Colonel Lewis, Major 
 Overton, etc. The firing was still kept up by the enemy 
 on those within the pickets, and returned with deadly effect. 
 The Indians, after the retreat of the right wing, got around 
 in the rear of the picketing, under the bank, and on the 
 same side of the river, where the battle was raging, and 
 killed and wounded several of our men. 
 
 "It is believed that the entire number of killed and 
 wounded within the pickets did not exceed one dozen, and the 
 writer doubts very much whether, if the reinforcements had 
 not come, those w:ho fought the first battle, although their 
 
 \ *EeT. T. P. Dudley. 
 
1813.] TffE RAISIN MASSACRE. 255 
 
 number had been depleted by sixtj'-five, would not have held 
 their ground, at least until reinforcements could have come 
 to their relief. Indeed, it was very evident the British verv 
 much feared a reinforcement, from their hurry in removing 
 the prisoners they had taken, from the south to the west of 
 the battle ground, and in the direction of Fort Maiden, 
 from which they sent a flag, accompanied by Dr. Overton, 
 aid to General "Winchester, demanding the surrender of the 
 detachment, informing them they had Generals Winchester 
 and Lewis, and in the event of refusal to surrender, would not 
 restrain their Indians. Major Graves being wounded, Major 
 Madison was now left in command, who, when the sum- 
 mons to surrender came, repaired to the room in which 
 Major Graves and several other wounded officers were, to 
 consult with them as to the propriety of surrendering. It 
 is proper here to state that our ammunition was nearly ex- 
 hausted. It was finally determined to surrender, requiring 
 of the enemy a solemn pledge for the security of the wounded. 
 If this was not unhesitatingly given, they determined^ 
 to fight it out. But 0, the scene which now took place ! \ 
 The mortification at the thought of surrendering the Spar- / - 
 tan band who had fought like heroes, the tears shed, the , ''' 
 wringing of hands, the swelling of hearts — indeed, the 
 scene beggars description. Life seemed valueless. Our ) 
 Madison replied to the summons, in substance, ' We will 
 not surrender without a guaranty for the safety of the 
 wounded, and the return of side-arms to the officers.' (We 
 did not intend to be dishonored.) The British officer 
 haughtily responded: 'Do you, sir, claim the right to dic- 
 tate what terms I am to offer?' Major Madison replied: 
 ']S"o, but I intend to be understood as regards the only 
 terms on which we will agree to surrender.' Captain Will- 
 iam Elliott, who had charge of the Indians, it was agreed, 
 should be left with some men, whom, it was said, would 
 aSord ample protection until carryalls could be brought 
 from Maiden to transport the prisoners there, but the sequel 
 proved they were a faithless, cowardly set. The British 
 were in quite a hurry, as were their Indian allies, to leave 
 after the surrender. Pretty soon Captain Elliott came into 
 
256 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1813. 
 
 the room where Major Graves, Captain Hickman, Captain 
 Hart, and the writer of this (all wounded) were quartered. 
 He recognized Captain Hart, with whom he had been a 
 room-mate, at Hart's father's, in Lexington, E^entucky. 
 Hart introduced him to the other officers, and, after a short 
 conversation, in which he (Elliott) seemed quite restless 
 and a good deal agitated, (he, I apprehend, could have 
 readily told why,) as he could not have forgotten the humil- 
 iation he had contracted in deceiving Hart's family pecu- 
 niarily. He proposed borrowing a horse, saddle, and bridle, 
 for the purpose of going immediately to Maiden, and hur- 
 rying on sleighs to remove the wounded. Thence assuring 
 Captain Hart especially of the hospitality of his house, and 
 begging us not to feel uneasy; that we were in no danger; 
 that he would leave three interpreters, who would be an 
 ample protection to us, he obtained Major Graves' horse, 
 saddle, and bridle, and left, which was the last we saw of 
 Captain Elliott. We shall presently see how Elliott's 
 pledges were fulfilled. On the next morning, the morning 
 of the massacre, between daybreak and sunrise, the Indians 
 were seen approaching the houses sheltering the wounded. 
 The house in which Major Graves, Captains Hart and Hick- 
 man and the writer were, had been occupied as a tavern. 
 The Indians went into the cellar and rolled out many bar- 
 rels, forced in their heads, and began drinking and yelling. 
 Pretty soon they came crowding into the room where we 
 were, and in which there was a bureau, two beds, a chair 
 or two and perhaps a small table. They forced the drawers 
 of the bureau, which were filled with towels, table cloths, 
 shirts, pillow-slips, etc. About this time Major Graves and 
 Captain Hart left the room. The Indians took the bed- 
 clothing, ripped open the bed-tick, threw out the feathers, 
 and apportioned the ticks to themselves. They took the 
 overcoat, close-bodied coat, hat, and shoes. from the writer. 
 When they turned to leave the room, just as he turned, the 
 Indians tomahawked Captain Hickman in less than six feet 
 from me. I went out on to a porch, next the street, when 
 I heard voices in a room at a short distance ; went into the 
 room where Captain Hart was engaged in conversation 
 
1813.] THE HAISIN MASSACRE. 257 
 
 with the interpreter. He asked: 'What do the Indians 
 intend to do with us?' The reply was: 'They intend to 
 kill you.' Hart rejoined : 'Ask liberty of them forme to 
 make a speech to them before they kill us.' The inter- 
 preters replied: 'They can't understand.' 'But,' said 
 Hart, ' you can interpret for me.' The interpreters replied: 
 ' If we undertook to interpret for you, they will as soon 
 kill us as you.' It was said, and I suppose truly, that Cap- 
 tain Hart subsequently contracted with an Indian warrior 
 to take him to Amherstburg, giving him six hundred dol- 
 lars. The brave placed him on a horse and started. After 
 going a short distance, they met another company of In- 
 dians, when the one having charge of Hart spoke of his 
 receiving the six hundred dollars to take Hart to Maiden. 
 The other Indians insisted on sharing the money, which 
 was refused, when some altercation took place, result- 
 ing in the shooting of Hart off the horse by the Indian 
 who received the money. A few minutes after leaving the 
 room where I had met Hart and the interpreters, and while 
 standing in the snow eighteen inches deep, the Indians 
 brought Captain Hickman out on the porch, stripped of 
 clothing, except a flannel shirt, and tossed him out on the 
 snow within a few feet of him, after which he breathed 
 once or twice and expired. While still standing in the 
 yard, without coat, hat, or shoes, Major Graves approached 
 me in charge of an Indian, and asked if I had been taken. 
 I answered, no. He proposed that I should go along with 
 the Indian who had taken him. I replied: ''So; if you 
 are safe, I am satisfied.' He passed on, and I never saw 
 him afterward." 
 
 The author of the above narrative was finally ransomed 
 by a generous British officer, who gave his Indian captor 
 an old pack-horse and a keg of whisky to release him. 
 
 Another witness* of the cowardly massacre at Raisin 
 gives the following experience, which particularly concerns 
 the volunteers directly from Lexington. He says : 
 
 " On the morning of the 23d, shortly after light, six or 
 
 •»&. M. i3ower, Amerifaii State Papers — 12. 
 
268 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. HSIS. 
 
 eight Indians came to the house of Jean Baptiste Jereauuie, 
 where I was in company with Major Graves, Captains Hart 
 and Hickman, Dr. Todd, and fifteen or twenty volunteers. 
 They did not molest anything, or person, on their first ap- 
 proach, but kept sauntering about until there was a large 
 number collected, at which time they commenced plundering 
 the houses of the inhabitants, and killing the wounded 
 prisoners. The Indian who claimed me as his property, 
 commanded me to hold his horse, which was about tweuty 
 paces from the house. Shortly after going to the house, I 
 saw them knock down Captain Hickman at the door, to- 
 gether with several others. Supposing a general massacre 
 had commenced, I made an eflbrt to get to a house about 
 a hundred yards distant, which contained a number of 
 wounded; but on my reaching the house, to my great mor- 
 tification, found it surrounded by Indians, which precluded 
 the possibility of my giving notice to the unfortunate vic- 
 tims of savage barbarity. An Indian chief, of the Tawa 
 tribe, of the name of McCarty, gave me possession -of his 
 horse and blanket, telling me, by signs, to lead the horse to 
 the house which I had just before left. The Indian that 
 first took me by this time came up and manifested a hos- 
 tile disposition toward me, by raising his tomahawk as if to 
 give me the fatal blow, which was prevented by my very 
 good friend McCarty. On my reaching the house which I 
 had first started from, I saw the Indians take oft" several 
 prisoners, which I afterward saw in the road, in a most man- 
 gled condition, and entirely stripped of their clothing. 
 
 "Messrs. Charles Bradford, Charles Searls, Turner, and 
 Ebenezer Blythe, of Hart's company, were collected around 
 a carryall, wtiieh contained articles taken by the Indians 
 from the citizens. We had all been placed there by our re- 
 spective captors, except Blythe, who came where we were 
 entreating an Indian to convey him to Maiden, promising 
 to give him forty or fifty dollars, and whilst in the act of 
 pleading for mercy, an Indian, more savage than the other, 
 stepped up behind, tomahawked, stripped, and scalped him. 
 The next that attracted my attention was the houses on fire 
 that contained several wounded, whom I knew were not able 
 
1813.] FATE OF LEXINGTON VOLUNTEERS. 259 
 
 to get out. After the houses were nearly consumed, we re- 
 ceived marching orders, and, after arriving at Sandy creek, 
 the Indians called a halt, and commenced cooking. After 
 preparing and eating a little sweetened gruel, Messrs. Brad- 
 ford, Searls, Turner, and myself received some, and were 
 eating, when an Indian came up, and proposed exchanging 
 his moccasins for Mr. Searls' shoes, which he readily com- 
 plied with. They then exchanged hats, after which the 
 Indian inquired how many men Harrison had with him, 
 and, at the same time, calling Searls a Washington or Mad- 
 ison, then raised his tomahawk and struck him on the 
 shoulder, which cut into the cavity of the body. Searls 
 then caught hold of the tomahawk, and appeared to resist, 
 and upon my telling him his fate was inevitable, he closed 
 his eyes and received the savage blow, which terminated 
 his existence. I was near enough to him to receive the 
 brains and blood, after the fatal blow, on my blanket. A 
 short time after the death of Searls, I saw three others share 
 a similar fate. We then set out for Brownstown, which 
 place we reached about twelve or one o'clock at night. 
 After being exposed to several hoursincessant rain in reach- 
 ing that place, we were put into the council-house, the floor 
 of which was partly covered with water, at which place 
 we remained until next morning, when we again received 
 marching orders for their village on the river Rouge, which 
 place we made that day, where I was kept six days, then 
 taken to Detroit and sold." - 
 
 The grief in Lexington and Fayette county, occasioned 
 by the Frenchtown defeat, and the cold-blooded massacre 
 after it, was as intense as it was widely spread. The em- / 
 blems of sorrow and afiliction were soon seen on every hand. ' 
 The churches and newspapers were clothed in mourning, 
 and, amid the tolling of bells, the relatives and friends of 
 the murdered soldiers walked sadly in a funeral procession 
 to church, when the sorrow of a whole community was 
 poured out, and prayers were ofl^ered for strength to bear 
 the great affliction. 
 
 Captain John Edmonson, who fell in the battle of French- 
 
260 BISTORT OF LEXINOTON. [1813. 
 
 town, was a native of Washington county, Virginia,* but 
 had settled early in Fayette county, Kentucky, where he 
 had resided for many years before his death. His company 
 of riflemen was connected with Colonel Allen's regiment. 
 Edmonson county, Kentucky, was named in his honor. 
 
 Major Benjamin Graves, one of the victims of the " mas- 
 sacre," after the battle of Frenchtown, was also a Virginian, 
 but had emigrated to Fayette county, Kentucky, when quite 
 young.f He was an amiable, shrewd, and intelligent man, 
 and represented the county several years in the legislature. 
 He was one of the first to volunteer in 1812, and was ap- 
 pointed major in Colonel Lewis' regiment, and proved 
 himself a cool, vigilant, and gallant officer. Qtraves county, 
 Kentucky, bears his name. 
 
 Captain Nathaniel G. T. Hart, whose tragic fate we have 
 recorded, and in whose honor Hart county, Kentucky, was 
 named, was born inTHSgerstowSTMaryland, but was brought 
 toTiexington, Kentucky, when a little child.J He studied 
 law, and practiced in Lexington, but abandoned the pro- 
 fession for mercantile pursuits. In 1812, at the age of 
 twenty-seven, he was commanding the celebrated "Lexing- 
 ton Light Infantry " company, and he and the company en- 
 listed as soon as war was declared. Henry Clay and James 
 Brown both married sisters of Captain Hart. 
 
 An amusing incident,|| toogood to be lost, occurred during 
 this tragic period. An adventurous and exceedingly useful 
 female, born in Fayette, went out with one of the Lexington 
 companies in the capacity of a washerwoman, shared the 
 captivity at Haisin, and marched with the prisoners to 
 Maiden, which was crowded with Indians, among whom 
 were a number of squaws. The appearance of the washer- 
 woman at once caught their attention, especially as she bore 
 on her back a large blanket, well filled with her baggage. 
 One of the squaws came up to her, and demanded the 
 bundle, which she very promptly refused to give up, but the 
 squaw seized it, and a struggle for its possession at once 
 drew a crowd of warriors around them, who formed a circle 
 
 *Collins. fid. tid. IIGcn. J. A.McCalla. 
 
1813.] NEW COMPANIES. 
 
 261 
 
 to see fair play, and enjoy the sport. The pulling operation 
 not being sufficient, the female soldier determined to show 
 her Kentucky play, and attacked her with her fists, and, 
 pulled her hair with vigor, until at last her antagonist gave 
 up the attempt, and left her in possession of her bundle. 
 With laughter and huzzas for the "Kentucky squaw," 
 the warriors declared she should not be disturbed again, 
 and she marched off in triumph to join her fellow prisoners. 
 The "Kentucky squaw" remained at Maiden about six 
 months, making money by her skill and industry, and then 
 marched back to Lexington in regular infantry style, on 
 foot, and lived for many years to enjoy the fame of her 
 brilliant victory over her rash and badly taken-in foe. 
 
 The following names, in addition to those already given, 
 of soldiers killed and wounded, have fortunately been pre- 
 served. They belonged to Captain Hart's company. 
 Killed— Alex. Crawford, Wm. Davis, Sam'l Elder, Thos. 
 King, "Wm. Lewis, Peter Mesner, Jas. Riley, Stephen 
 Smith, Geo. Shindlebower, B. Stephens, Armstrong Stew- 
 art, Thos. Fant. Wounded— Chas. Bradford, Thos. Cham- 
 berlain, John Beckly, Edward Elder, James Higgius, S. 
 B. Todd. 
 
 The butchery at Raisin excited a storm of the intensest -^ 
 indignation and excitement throughout Kentucky, which 
 was the greatest sufferer by it. There was a general rush 
 to avenge the slaughter of the gallant men who had fallen, 
 and the tender of troops was largely in excess of the de- 
 mand. Lexington resounded with the notes of the bugle 
 and the beating of drums. Five companies of volunteers 
 were rapidly organized in the city and county, and camp- 
 fires blazed on every hand. The companies formed were 
 commanded by Captains Archie Morrison, John C. Mor- 
 rison, David Todd, Stewart W. Megowan, and M. Flour- 
 noy, and belonged to the regiment of Colonels Dudley and 
 Boswell. The following is a fragment of the roll of Cap- 
 tain Archie Morrison's company, viz : Thomas Christian, 
 A. F. Eastin, George Eave, Elijah Smith, Larkin Webster, 
 John Webster, and Thomas Webster. 
 
 We also append an incomplete list of unclassified ?oldiers, 
 
262 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1813. 
 
 who served in the war, but .in what years and in whose 
 companies is not known. The list embraces : 
 
 Ashton Garrett, Thos. H. Barlow, Allen Baker, Thos. 
 Barr, Kobert Burns, Daniel Brink, Enoch Bryan, Landen 
 Carter, Wm. Clark, Horace Coleman, William Chinn, 
 Lewis Castleman, "W". E. Combs, PJnoch Ducker, J. K. 
 Dunlap, A. S. Drake, John Daroaby, Joseph Edger, Peter 
 Ealeman, Asa Farra, John Figg, John Figg, Jr., John 
 Graves, Thos. C. Graves, J. G. Goodin, John Gess, William 
 Gray, Abram Hicks, Jabez Jones, John Keiser, Jeremiah 
 Kirtley, Adam Lake, William Lewis, Jacob Markley, 
 Robert Masterson, James Masterson, Peter Metcalf, James 
 Megowan, C. C. Moore, C. S. Moore, S. Moore, T. R. 
 Moore, Thos. Mcllvaine, Charles Postlethwaite, Hugh 
 Paine, Francis Ratclift'e, Fielding Roach, James Sheely, 
 Samuel Smith, George Simpson, George Stipp, John Stere, 
 John Todd, Jacob Varble, Abram Ware, Joshua Webb, 
 Benjamin Wood, George Wheeler, George Yeiser, George 
 Yates. 
 
 The Kentucky volunteers were hurried to the relief of 
 Harrison, and succeeded in cutting their way through the 
 British and Indians to Fort Meigs. But the soldiers of 
 Lexington and Fayette seemed ever destined to reach vic- 
 tory only after repeated baptisms of blood. Another dis- 
 aster awaited them. 
 
 On the 5th of May, General Harrison sent Captain 
 Hamilton with an order to Colonel Dudley to land eight 
 hundred men on the northern shore of the Maumee, oppo- 
 site Fort Meigs, destroy the British batteries there, and 
 then immediately return. 
 
 Dudley succeeded perfectly in capturing the batteries, 
 but instead of instantly returning to his boats, suffered his 
 men to waste their time, and skirmished with the Indians 
 until Proctor was enabled to cut them off' from their only 
 chance of retreat. They were surrounded, taken by sur- 
 prise, defeated, and then came another repetition of the 
 Raisin massacre, in which Colonel Dudley, as already re- 
 lated in a former chapter, was barbarously mangled and 
 murdered, and only one hundred and fifty of his men es- 
 
1813] DUDLEY'S DEFEAT. 263 
 
 caped captivity or death. "We insert for preservation the 
 foliovving comprehensive account of the disaster by one 
 who w&s engaged in it :* 
 
 "When Colonel Dudley attacked the batteries of the 
 enemy, opposite Fort Meigs, on the 5th of May, 1813, he 
 advanced in three columns. The right, led by himself, 
 carried them without the loss of a man. The middle was 
 the reserve. The left, headed by Major Shelby, formed at 
 right angles on the river, to protect from below. This ar- 
 rangement was scarcely made before the spies under my 
 command (about thirty in number, including seven friendly 
 Indians), who flanked at some hundred yards distance in 
 the woods, were attacked by part of the Indian force of 
 the enemy. Unacquainted with the views of Colonel Dud- 
 ley, they knew not but that it was their duty to fight. 
 For near fifteen minutes, with the loss of several killed 
 and wounded, they maintained an unequal conflict. In this 
 time. Colonel Dudley having effected his object, and fear- 
 ing their fate, had advanced to their relief with the right 
 column. The enemy retreated. Our troops, impelled 
 more by incautious valor and a desire for military distin- 
 guishment than prudence, pursued. He then stood firm for 
 a short time on his right, and gave way on his left, which 
 threw our lines with its back toward the river, so that 
 every step we tJvanced carried us farther from under the 
 protection of our fort. Whenever we halted, so did the 
 Indians, and renewed their fire— we charged on them. 
 They again retreated. In this way, with the loss of from 
 thirty to fifty killed on our side, and a number wounded, 
 was the battle fought for upward of three hours. How 
 much the enemy suffered during this time, 'twas impossible 
 to ascertain from the circumstance of their bearing off" 
 their dead. Soon after the commencement of the engage- 
 ment, we were forced to bring our whole force into action. 
 The enemy was, during this time, receiving large reinforce- 
 ments from the other side of the river, which enabled him 
 now nearly to surround us. Our troops were generally 
 
 •Capt. Leslie Comba' lieport to Gen. Green Clay. 
 
264 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1813. 
 
 mucli exhausted, owing to the swampiness of the ground 
 over which they had fought, and many of them with their 
 guns wet, or without ammunition. In this situation, the 
 enemy in much force, fresh to the battle, pressed with a 
 most destructive cross-lire on our left. It gave way. Con- 
 scious of his advantage, with a desperate effort he advanced 
 on the remainder. These, disheartened and confused, were 
 ordered to retreat to the batteries. Unfortunately, this 
 retreat soon turned to flight, which all the eflorts of the 
 officers could neither prevent nor stop. 
 
 " The best disciplined troops in the world are sometimes 
 panic struck — then can it be surprising that militia, under 
 these circumstances, and who had seen scarce thirty days 
 service, should become so ? In small parties, by tens and 
 by twenties, they arrived at the batteries, thereby falling an 
 easy prey to the regular force of the enemy, who, early in 
 the action, had retaken them from the right column. Thus, 
 upward of eight hundred men, who had set out with the 
 most flattering prospect of success, led on by imprudence, 
 were overwhelmed by numbers, cut up, and defeated. 
 About one hundred and seventy only having made good 
 their retreat before the close of the battle, escaped across 
 the river in our boats. 
 
 " Immediately after the surrender, we were marched oft" 
 toward Fort Maumee, one and a half miles below, near the 
 British encampment. "We had gone but a short distance 
 before we met the head of the left line of Indians who had 
 been inclosing us. Having surrendered to Englishmen en- 
 tirely, I expected we should be treated with that tenderness 
 and humanity indicative of a noble mind, and always due 
 the unfortunate. What was, then, ray astonishment when, so 
 soon as we met the Indians, they began, in face of the En- 
 glish guard, of General Proctor, Colonel Elliot, and other officers 
 who were riding up the line, to rob us of our clothing, money, 
 watches, etc. Almost all lost in this way their hats and 
 coats, some even their shirts, and some their pantaloons 
 also. He who did not instantaneously give up his clothes, 
 frequently paid his life for it. No ditt'ereiice was made be- 
 tween well and wounded in this as well as what followed. 
 
1813.] DUDLEY'S DEFEAT. 265 
 
 It would be almost impossible to I'elate all the acts of indi- 
 vidual outrage that took place. I shall never forget the 
 demoniac look of the villain who stripped me, nor shall I 
 soon forget those who encouraged, since, notwithstanding 
 my request, they did not hinder him from doing it. I 
 showed him my wound. 'T was vain ; before I could un- 
 fasten the bandage, regardless of my pain, he tore my coat 
 off from my shoulders. I had gone but little farther before 
 I saw ten or twelve men, lying dead, stripped naked, and 
 scalped. Near them were two lines of Indians formed 
 from the entrance of a triangular ditch in front to the old 
 gate of Fort Maumee, a distance, I think, of forty or fifty 
 feet. The idea immediately struck me that all the pris- 
 oners ahead of me had been massacred. I determined, if 
 such was the case, to go no further. Upon inquiring, a 
 soldier told me they were in the fort, and showed me the 
 way, which was between those two lines of Indians. Dur- 
 ing this moment's delay, a man who was walking behind, 
 stepped before me; just as we entered the defile, an Indian 
 put a pistol to his back, and fired — he fell. I ran through 
 without being touched. My feelings were somewhat re- 
 lieved at finding about two-thirds of the prisoners already 
 within. How many were killed afterward I am unable to 
 say. We heard frequent guns at the place during the 
 whole time the remaining prisoners were coming in. Some, 
 although not killed, were wounded severely with war clubs, 
 tomahawks, etc. The number who fell after the surrender 
 was supposed by all to be nearly equal to the killed in battle. 
 We now hoped, however, that we were secure from further 
 insult or injury — but no sooner had all the prisoners got in 
 than the whole body of Indians, regardless of the opposi- 
 tion of our little guard, rushed into the fort. There seemed 
 to be almost twice our number. Their blood-thirsty souls 
 were not yet satiated with carnage. One Indian alone shot 
 three, tomahawked a fourth, and stripped and scalped them 
 in our presence. It seems to me, even to this day, when- 
 ever I think of this circumstance, that I again see the 
 struggles of the dyiiig prisoner and hear him cry, in vain, 
 for mercy. The whole then raised the war-whoop and com- 
 
^7 
 
 266 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1813. 
 
 menced loading their guns. "What were our feelings at 
 this moment, he, who has never realized, can not imagine. 
 A description is impossible. "Without any means of de- 
 fense or possibility of escape, death in all the horror of 
 savage cruelty, seemed to stare us in the face. Rendered 
 desperate hy this idea, and the perfect disregard which the 
 British evinced for that duty, held sacred by all civilized 
 nations (the protection of prisoners), much did we wish for 
 our arras, and had we then had them, they would have 
 been surrendered but with our lives. Or, had this been 
 carried much farther, the prisoners would, at any risk, have 
 sold their lives as dearly as possible. Tecumseh, however, 
 more humane than his ally and employer, generously inter- 
 fered and prevented farther massacre. Colonel Elliot then 
 rode slowly in, spoke to the Indians, waved his sword, and 
 all but a few retired immediately. After a short consulta- 
 tion with those who remained, they came and took from 
 among us a number of young men, of whom the British 
 said they wanted to make sons, but we feared they took 
 them as hostages for the lives of those Indians who were 
 wounded. Just at dusk, boats came up and carried us to 
 the fleet, eight miles below. Notwithstanding the naked 
 condition of the prisoners, and the disagreeableness of the 
 weather (which was rainy and excessively cold for the sea- 
 son), many of them were obliged to remain all night in the 
 open boats in ankle-deep mud and water. The wounded 
 were put into the holds of the different vessels, where their 
 only bed (and a good many had not even this), was the wet 
 sand thrown in for ballast, without blankets or any other 
 kind of covering. Provision was issued to them the next 
 day about twelve. Their treatment afterward was nearly 
 as good, I am induced to believe, as the British could aftbrd, 
 being themselves scant of provisions. I feel myself partic- 
 ularly indebted to some of the officers for their politeness 
 and attention. 
 
 " I can not conclude without testifying to the bravery and 
 carelessness of danger displayed by the troops throughout 
 the engagement. The only contest seemed to be, while 
 any hope of victory remaiued, who should first oust the 
 
1813.] BATTLE OF THE THAMES. £07 
 
 enemy from his hiding places. And I am convinced, wIilmi 
 the retreat commenced, by far the greater part had no idea 
 of surrender, but exhausted, confused, and overcome, were 
 forced to it on their arrival at the batteries." 
 
 But an end came to defeats and massacres at last. On 
 the 10th of September occurred the splendid and decisive 
 victory of Perry over the British fleet, on Lake Erie. A i 
 thrill of joy vrent through Kentucky ; Lexington in particu- / 
 lar was given up to rejoicing. The city was illuminated, 
 bonfires were lighted, and all the bells rung out their mer- 
 riest peals. The Federalists of that day were most cordially 
 detested by a vast majority of Keutuckians, and a chroni- | 
 cler* does not fail to state that, " while the joy bells of 
 Lexington were ringing for Perry's victory, the bells of 
 Massachusetts were tolling in disappointment at the defeat 
 of the British." 
 
 Perry's success was the death knell of British power in the 
 Northwest, where hostilities ceased entirely after the battle 
 of the Thames. This glorious and eminently decisive vic- 
 tory occurred on the 5th of October, and in it the volun- 
 teers from Lexington and Fayette played a most gallant 
 and distinguished part, and sustained heavy losses. The 
 Forty-second regiment commanded by a Lexingtonian, Col- 
 onel George Trotter, who served in this campaign as a brig- 
 adier-general, was presented with a drumf taken at the battle 
 of the Thames. The drum was ornamented with the Brit- 
 ish coat of arms, and the inscription, "41st lieg." Before 
 being presented, the following was added to the inscription : 
 " Presented by General Harrison and Governor Shelby to 
 Colonel George Trotter, for the Forty-second regiment, 
 Kentucky militia, as a testimony of its patriotism and good 
 conduct, and for having furnished more volunteers than 
 any other regiment." 
 
 The success of General Harrison on the Thames gave 
 Lexington another occasion for rejoicing. The news was 
 announced to the citizens by the mail carrier, who galloped 
 into town with " victory," in big letters, exhibited on the 
 
 ■^Observer and Kepoiter. tMcCabe. 
 
268 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1813. 
 
 front of his hat, and thereupon all the schools were dis- 
 missed, business was suspended, and there was a grand 
 procession, speeches, and general rejoicing. The term of 
 service of the volunteers expired about this time, and their 
 return was the signal for balls, parties, and displays, in 
 their honor. 
 
 With the battle of the Thames, which closed the war in 
 the Northwest, Lexington and Fayette had no farther direct 
 share in the struggle, which became mainly confined to the 
 eastern and southern borders of the country. It was time 
 that Kentucky was allowed a little rest, for she may be said 
 to have almost fought through the two first years of the 
 war by herself. Virginia gave the Northwest to the nation, 
 and her daughter, Kentucky, saved it from conquest by 
 savage and foreign foes at the cost of her noblest blood. 
 
1814.] BERO OF FORT STEPHENSON. 269 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXVIII. 
 
 Spotted Fever — The Hero of Fort Stephenson — Joy over Jack- 
 son's Victory — Drafted Men — Amos Kendall commences Life 
 in Lexington — Agricultural Societies — The Kentucky and 
 Mechanical Association, Officers — W. B. Kinkead — Present 
 Society — WUliam Preston — Leading Agriculturists. 
 
 Lexington was visited with spotted fever during the 
 month of March, 1814, and to such an extent did it rage 
 that from eight to a dozen persons died daily.* 
 
 On the 4th of September of this year, Major Greorge 
 Croghan, whose heroic defense of Fort Stephenson, in 
 August, 1813, forms one of the most brilliant chapters in 
 American history, was given a complimentary party in 
 Lexington, and was honored by the citizens as he deserved. 
 Congress, with her usual tardy justice, voted him a gold 
 medal twenty-two years after his wonderful repulse of the 
 British and Indians. 
 
 The patriotic citizens of Lexington indulged in an illu- 
 mination on the night of October 1st, in their joy at the 
 news just received of Jackson's victory over the British at 
 Mobile.f The "barracks" were resplendent with candles, 
 which were placed on the tops of the buildings, and other 
 lights were placed in the boughs and on the tops of the 
 trees surrounding the " barracks," making a most romantic 
 effect. Rows of caudles lined the windows of the houses 
 in the town, and a procession, with a thousand candles, 
 and headed by a drum and fife, paraded the streets. The 
 battle had taken place on the 15th of September, and it was 
 two weeks before Lexington got the news. In 1814, the tran- 
 sit of the ordinary mail from Washington to Lexington oc- 
 cupied twelve or thirteen days. 
 
 *Kendall'3 Journal. tid. 
 
270 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1814. 
 
 Two companies of drafted men, under Captains James 
 Dudley and A. S. Drake, were raised in the fall of this 
 year, but peace was declared before they reached the seat 
 of war. The whole number of companies raised in Lex- 
 ington and Fayette, for the common defense, during the 
 war of 1812, was thirteen. This fact is, of itself, the high- 
 est tribute that can be paid to their gallant patriotism. 
 
 Amos Kendall, who afterward became postmaster-gen- 
 eral of the United States, and the devoted friend and right- 
 hand man of that just and unflinching old hero. General 
 Jackson, may be said to have commenced life in Lexington, 
 where he arrived, a young man, in the spring of 1814.* 
 He came poor and unknown, and at the instance of Judge 
 Bledsoe, whom he had met in Washington City when that 
 powerful orator was a member of the United States Senate. 
 Mr. Kendall walked from Maysville to Lexington. He 
 started as a teacher in the family of Mr. Clay, who was 
 then working at the peace negotiations at Ghent. At the 
 same time, he studied law, and subsequently took the pre- 
 scribed oath, and was qualified as an attorney in our pres- 
 ent old court-house. Mr. Kendall died November 12, 1869, 
 in Washington City, at the age of eighty, after attaining 
 a position before the nation befitting the high order of his 
 mind and talents. The teacher of the children of the great 
 and eloquent leader of the Whig party became one of the 
 most renowned Democrats of the old regime. The poor 
 tutor in Mr. Clay's family became one of the most honored 
 and respected members of the cabinet of his most formid- 
 able antagonist, "Old Hickory." Who will say that truth 
 is not romantic? Mr. Kendall was a native of Dunstable, 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 The unsurpassed natural advantages of the now famous' 
 "Blue Grass Region" for stock raising were quickly appre- 
 ciated by its settlers, who, at a very early day, turned their 
 attention to the raising and improvement of live stock of 
 various kinds. Horse and cattle "shows" were regularly 
 held at Lexington, even before the commencement of the 
 
 *Kendari's Biography. 
 
1814.] KENTUCKY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 271 
 
 present century. But it was not until 1814 that the city 
 could claim to have a regular society for the improvement 
 of live stock and the promotion of kindred interests. In 
 the year named, the "Kentucky Agricultural Society"* 
 was organized in Lexington, and for many years held 
 annual exhibitions at " Fowler's Garden," on the Maysville 
 turnpike, the same property in which " Scott's Pond " is 
 now included, and which was then the favorite place of 
 public resort. The following programme of the societyf 
 will convey an idea of the character of primitive Lexing- 
 ton fairs : 
 
 "]S"oTiCE. — A meeting of the members of the Kentucky 
 Society for promoting Agriculture will take place at 
 Fowler's Garden, adjoining Lexington, on the last Thurs- 
 day in next September, and continue for three days, at 
 which time and place the society will award twenty-three 
 silver cups — one to each of the articles named below. 
 Members are requested to be punctual in their attendance. 
 " To the best gelding, a silver cup. 
 
 " " suckling colt, a silver cup. 
 
 " " imported or country raised bull, a silver cup. 
 
 « " " " " cow, a silver cup. 
 
 " " stall-fed bullock, silver cup. 
 
 " " country bred bull, silver cup. 
 
 « « " " between three and four 
 
 years old, silver cup. 
 " " country bred bull, between two and three 
 
 years old, silver cup. 
 « « country bred bull, between one and two 
 
 years old, silver cup. 
 a « bull calf, not exceeding twelve months old, 
 
 silver cup. 
 " « country bred cow, silver cup. 
 « « heifer, between three and four years old, 
 
 silver cup. 
 
 *Kentucky Gazette. tl<3. 
 
272 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1814- 
 
 "To the best heifer, between two and three years old, 
 silver cup. 
 « « heifer, between one and two years old, 
 
 silver cup. 
 ** « heifer, not exceeding twelve months old, 
 
 silver cup. 
 « " carpeting manufactured in private families, 
 
 silver cup. 
 « " hemp or flax linen manufactured in private 
 
 families, silver cup. 
 « « table linen manufactured in private families, 
 
 silver cup. 
 « " cloth manufactured in private families, 
 
 silver cup. 
 « « cassinett or jeans manufactured in private 
 
 families, silver cup. 
 « " whisky, not less than one hundred gallons, 
 
 of this year's make, silver cup. 
 « " cheese of the present year's make, silver 
 
 cup. 
 " " wheat, quality, quantity, and excellence of 
 crop will be considered, silver cup. 
 "It is confidently believed that much fine stock will be 
 exhibited, and much bought and sold within the three days 
 of the fair ; therefore, those who either wish to sell or pur- 
 chase will do well to attend. H. Taylor, 
 
 Jas. Shelby, 
 
 EOBT. "WlCKLIFPB, 
 
 RoBT. Crockett, 
 E. "Warfield. 
 
 " Committee." 
 
 In 1832, a fair was organized by the Kentucky Eacing 
 Association,* and in September, 1833, the first of a series 
 of annual exhibitions on the Association Course was given 
 under the management of a committee, consisting of Ben- 
 jamin "Warfield, James Shelby, Thomas Smith, John Brand, 
 
 'Association Becord. 
 
18U.1 A WARD OF PREMIUMS. 273 
 
 and Walter Dunn. Referring to this fair, a Lexington 
 newspaper says : 
 
 "On tliis occasion will be assembled for exhibition, com- 
 petition, or sale, specimens of the most approved and cele- 
 brated breeds of English cattle, and we learn tliat breeders 
 and others will be thus enabled, by actual coniparisou, to 
 judge of the relative qualities of the cattle imported by 
 Sanders, Smith, and Tegarden, in 1817, and the short-horns 
 imported by Colonel Powell, of Philadelphia. Garcia, Lu- 
 cilla, and Pontiac, of the Powell stock, will be exhibited 
 for premiums, and some calves by Pontiac and Sultan, of 
 the Powell stock." 
 
 We append the list of awards for the 12th and 13th of 
 September, 1834, viz : 
 
 FRIDAY. 
 
 To President, a bull, by Cornplanter, he by imported Te- 
 cumseh, and out of Lady Monday, and she by San Martin, 
 and out of Mrs. Motte (imported), is awarded the first pre- 
 mium. The property of J. C. Talbott. 
 
 To Melville, a bull, by Haggiu's full-blooded Teeswater 
 bull, his dam by San Martin, is awarded the second pre- 
 mium. The property of E. Warfield. 
 
 To Pioneer, a two-year old bull, by Exchange, his dam 
 Beauty, is awarded the first premium. Bred by B. War- 
 field. The property of J. Scott. 
 
 To Slider, by Duroc, dam Lady Monday, is awarded the 
 second premium. Bred by and the property of James 
 Garrard. 
 
 To Clay, one-year old bull, by Accommodation, dam 
 Beauty, is awarded the first premium. Bred by and the 
 property of B. Warfield. 
 
 To Mordecai, by Sultan, dam , second premium. 
 
 Bred by and the property of Lewis Sanders. 
 
 To bull calf Accident, by Pioneer, dam Helen Eyre, is 
 awarded the first premium. Bred by B. Warfield. The 
 property of James K. Brown. 
 
 To bull calf , by Oliver, dam a Patton cow by Ma. 
 
274 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1814. 
 
 rauder, second premium. Bred by H. Clay. The property 
 of L. P. Yandell. 
 
 To Lady Caroline, a cow of the Holderness breed, im- 
 ported, is awarded the first premium. The property of 
 Walter Dun. 
 
 To Lucilla, got by Memnon, imported, dam Virginia (be- 
 gotten in England), by General, second premium. The 
 property of George ^. Sanders. 
 
 To Cleopatra, a two-year old cow, by Accommodation, 
 dam Nancy Dawson, is awarded the first premium. Bred 
 by and the property of S. Smith, 
 
 To Silvia, by Contention, dam young Pink, second pre- 
 mium. Bred by and the property of Dan. Boyce. 
 
 To Helen Eyre, a one-year old heifer, by Accommoda- 
 tion, dam Pink, is awarded the first premium. Bred by B. 
 Warfield. The property of James N. Brown. 
 
 To Pocahontas, by Exchange, dam Nancy Dawson, sec- 
 ond premium.* Bred by and the property of S. Smith. 
 
 To Anna Fisk, a cow calf, by Oliver, dam Beauty, is 
 awarded the first premium. Bred by and the property of 
 B. Warfield. 
 
 To Mary Tilford, by Symmetry, dam Holderness cow, 
 second premium. Bred by and the property of Walter Dunn. 
 
 To Mr. Boyce is awarded the premium for oxen. 
 
 To James N. Brown is awarded the first premium for fat 
 bullocks. 
 
 To John Mng, the second. 
 
 We, the subscribers, appointed judges to award prizes to 
 cattle, on the 12th of September, 1834, have adjudged the 
 preceding. H. Clay, 
 
 James Eennick, 
 Jacob Hughes, 
 Isaac Vanmeteb, 
 Will. P. Hume. 
 
 September 12, 1834. 
 
1814.] AWARD OF PREMIUMS. 275 
 
 SATURDAY. 
 
 Award on Horses. 
 
 To Lance, a stallion, the property of E. Blackburn, is 
 awarded the first premium. 
 
 To "Woodpecker, a stallion, the property of R. B. Tarlton, 
 is awarded the second premium. 
 
 To Sir Walter, a two-year old stallion, the property of 
 A. Stanhope, is awarded the first premium. 
 
 To Red Rover, a two-year old stallion, the property of 
 E. W. Hockaday, is awarded the second premium. 
 
 To Henry Duncaji's yearling stud colt is awarded the first 
 premium. 
 
 To Jas. Erwin's yearling stud colt is awarded the second 
 premium. 
 
 To Jas. Erwin's sorrel sucking colt is awarded the first 
 premium. 
 
 To Chas. Carr's young collier colt is awarded the second 
 premium. 
 
 To Susan Hicks, a mare, the property of E. Warfield, is 
 awarded the first premium. 
 
 To Letitia, a mare, the property of Jas. Erwin, is awarded 
 the second premium. 
 
 To Jas. Erwin's filly, out of Letitia, the first premium. 
 
 To G. N. Sanders' filly, , the second premium. 
 
 To "Wm. H. Eanes' gelding, , the first premium. 
 
 To Jos. L. Downing's gelding, , the second pre- 
 mium. 
 
 To Jas. Erwin's carriage horses is awarded the first pre- 
 mium. 
 
 To Jos. L. Downing's young carriage horses is awarded 
 the second premium. 
 
 We, the judges on horses, unanimously agreed to the 
 above award. C. Carr, 
 
 G-. D. Hunt, 
 John W. Mooke, 
 J. S. Berrtman, 
 John Hudson. 
 
276 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. flSM. 
 
 Awards on Jacks, etc. 
 
 Best jack — Warrior, exhibited by P. B. Hockaday, first 
 premium. 
 
 Hector, exhibited by Eobt. C. Boggs, second premium. 
 
 Best jenny — Miss Palafox, exhibited by A. McClure, first 
 premium. 
 
 Calypso, exhibited by Henry Clay, second premium. 
 
 For best pair of mules — Brown mules exhibited by Isaac 
 Shelby, first premium. 
 
 For best two-year old mules — A. Brown, exhibited by 
 Isaac Shelby, premium. 
 
 For best year old mule — Awarded to Thos. H. Shelby's 
 brown mare mule. 
 
 For best sucking mule — Awarded to Isaac Shelby. 
 
 "We, the undersigned, appointed a committee to award 
 the premiums on the above stock unanimously'- agree in 
 awarding the above. ^ David McMuktry, 
 
 Lewis Dbdman, 
 James Shelby. 
 
 James Shelby agrees to the above, with the exception of 
 the mule colts, upon which he declines acting. 
 
 On Sheep and Swine. 
 
 To Henry Clay's Saxon ram is awarded the first premium. 
 
 To Bird Smith's boar is awarded the premium for boars. 
 
 "We, the judges, unanimously agree to the above award. 
 
 John IIakt, 
 Robert C. Boggs. 
 
 In 1850, the Maxwell Springs Company was organized 
 and incorporated,* and secured the grounds fronting on 
 Bolivar street, and including "Maxwell's Spring," and now 
 being converted by the city into a park. These grounds 
 are noted for their fine springs of water, as the time-hon- 
 ored gathering-place to celebrate the Fourth of July, and 
 as the spot where the " Old In''a,ntry " and other volunteer 
 
 * Acta Legislature. 
 
1814.] AOKICULTVEAL SOCIETIES— OFFICERS. 277 
 
 companies that suffered at Raisin met and bade their friends 
 and relatives adieu, on starting to join Harrison. Here, 
 also, on public occasions. Clay, Barry, Scott, and a host of 
 other prominent men have addressed immense crowds. 
 
 The Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Association 
 was incorporated December 7, 1850,* and bought grounds 
 adjoining those of the Maxwell Springs Company, and in 
 July, 1853, the two societies entered into an arrangement 
 by which the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Asso- 
 ciation obtained provisional use of the Maxwell Springs 
 Company's land, on which to hold annual exhibitions. The 
 entire grounds were then greatly improved, a handsome and 
 capacious amphitheater, and all other needed buildings, 
 were erected, trees and shrubs were planted, and the place 
 soon became noted far and wide for its extraordinary beauty 
 and convenience. The first officers of the Kentucky Agri- 
 cultural and Mechanical Association were elected April 13, 
 1850, as follows : 
 
 Benjamin Gratz, president; Henry C. Payne, vice-presi- 
 dent ; Jas. A. Harper, secretary; David A. Say re, treasurer. 
 Dr. R. J. Breckinridge, Abram Vanmeter, Henry T. Dun- 
 can, Edward Oldham, Joseph Wasson, Charles W. Innes, 
 James Kinnaird, Richard Allen, of Jessamine, James 0. 
 Harrison, and Isaac Shelby, were elected directors. 
 
 On the night of December 18, 1861, the splendid build- 
 ings of the association were destroyed by fire while being 
 used by federal troops. Ever since that calamity the 
 annual fairs have been held on the grounds of the Kentucky 
 Racing Association. 
 
 In 1868, W. T. Hughes was president of the association, 
 R. J. Spurr, vice-president, and Ernest Brennan, secretary 
 and treasurer. 
 
 The agricultural associations of Fayette county have had 
 no more energetic and valuable friend than Benjamin Gratz, 
 whose efitbrts contributed greatly to their success. (See 
 chapter on Transylvania University.) 
 
 Another public-spirited and most efficient president was 
 
 * Acts Legislature. 
 
278 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. , [1814. 
 
 Judge "W. B. Kinkead, well known both as a lawyer and 
 an agriculturist. He was born in "Woodford county, Ky., 
 and was appointed a circuit judge by Governor Letcher. 
 He has been a resident of Lexington for many years. 
 
 In the spring of 1872, the Maxwell Springs Company 
 and the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Associa- 
 tion were dissolved to give place to a more effectual organ- 
 ization — The Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical 
 Society, of which Gen. "W"m. Preston was made president. 
 General Preston was born in Louisville, but has long made 
 Lexington his home. He served in the Mexican war, has 
 represented his state in Congress, was United States min- 
 ister to Spain, and was a major-general in the service of 
 the late Confederate States. General Preston is a line 
 lawyer and a good speaker. He is a man of very superior 
 abilities, and his highly-cultivated mind is stored with 
 information. 
 
 The last exhibition of the society was held in the beauti- 
 ful grove at Ashland. Its future fairs are expected to be 
 held in an extensive amphitheater, to be erected on the old 
 historic grounds at Maxwell's Spring, which were so long 
 in use before the late war. 
 
 Among the agriculturists of Fayette — in addition to 
 those already named — who have encouraged and sustained 
 her associations, and have been awarded premiums, may be 
 mentioned those short-horn breeders, Messrs.Wm.Warfield, 
 Jesse H. Talbott, W. H. Richardson, W. B. Kinkead, J. G. 
 Kinuaird, Hart Boswell, C. W. Innis, John P. Innis, and 
 John Burgess. Among the association's other active friends, 
 representing various agricultural interests, are I. C. Van- 
 meter, R. J. Spurr, W. H. Smith, T. H. Shelby, Jr., J. K. 
 Viley,W. li. Estill, D. S. Coleman, H. A. Headley, William 
 Bryan, IST. P. Berry, Gran Weathers, E. 0. Bryan, J.W. 
 Berry, and David Prewitt. 
 
1815.] BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 Battle of New Orleans — Captain S. W. Megowan — General 
 George Trotter — Lexington Female Benevolent Society — 
 Second Presbyterian Church — James Mc Chord — Pastors — 
 Church Buildings — Division — Peace. 
 
 No regularly organized troops from Lexington partici- 
 pated in the war with England, after the battle of the 
 Thames, but this did not prevent her citizens from feeling 
 the liveliest interest in the struggle. "When the great 
 Jackson achieved his glorious and extraordinary victory 
 over the disciplined British regulars, who had fought 
 against the first Napoleon, Lexington was beside herself 
 with delight. The 22d of February was observed as a day 
 of general thanksgiving for the brilliant ending of the 
 war; salutes were fired, addresses delivered, and at night 
 the whole city was illuminated. Licensed by the general 
 joy, crowds of boys marched through the streets, singing, 
 at the very top of their voices, this stanza, composed by a 
 Lexington wit, and considered remarkably fine : 
 
 "In his last hopes on Orleans strand, 
 
 John Bull was quite mistalcen ; 
 
 With all his skill in Packen-hams, 
 
 He could not save his bacon.'' 
 
 The only man from Lexington known to have been in 
 the battle of New Orleans was Capt. Stewart W. Megowan.* 
 In 1812 he raised and commanded a company of volunteers 
 from this city, and, under Colonel Lewis, joined General 
 Harrison. In 1813 he raised another company, and called 
 them the "Lexington Rifles." He again joined Gen. Har- 
 rison, under Governor Shelby, from whom he had obtained 
 
 «01d Statesman. 
 
280 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1815. 
 
 his commission of captaincy. Captain Megowan was in 
 the battle of the Thames, when Tecumseh was slain ; and 
 was present when Proctor's troops surrendered. After 
 serving out that campaign, Capt. Megowan again returned 
 to Lexington, and hearing New Orleans was about being 
 attacked by British troops, he endeavored to raise a third 
 company, but finding he would not have time to do so, he 
 started down the Missis-sippi river alone, to join General- 
 Jackson. After reaching jt^ew Oi'leans, he and a flat-boat 
 captain, by the name of Twiggs, beat up for volunteers in 
 the streets of that city, and raised a company composed of 
 sailors and Kentucky flat-boatmen. 
 
 Twiggs was elected captain, and Megowan first lieuten- 
 ant. General Jackson gave the custom-house into their 
 charge, and on the evening before the battle of New Orleans, 
 Megowan obtained leave to take as many men as would go 
 with him, and join General Jackson. Five Dutch sailors 
 volunteered to accompany him, and although they neither 
 understood the English language, nor were versed in mili- 
 tary discipline, they followed him into the fight, and shared 
 in the victory. Capt. Megowan died at the age of 79 years. 
 
 General George Trotter, a well-known native and citizen 
 of Lexington, died October 13, 1815, aged thirty-seven. 
 He was several times a member of the legislature from 
 Fayette, and was noted for his gallant conduct in the war 
 of 1812. He served with Colonel Campbell in the Missis- 
 sinewa campaign, and was acting brigadier-general in the 
 famous battle of the Thames. His residence was at "Wood- 
 lands," and is now used by the Agricultural College. 
 
 The " Lexington Female Benevolent Sopiety," now pre- 
 eminent for its judicious charity, great usefulness, and 
 blessed influence, was organized in 1815, and has been in 
 active operation ever since. The following named ladies 
 constituted one of its early board of officers : Mrs. John 
 Norton, President ; Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Ross, Vice-Presi- 
 dents; Miss Kidgely, Secretary; Mrs. Ward, Treasurer. 
 Managers, Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Robert, Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Han- 
 son, Miss Clifibrd, Mrs. Elliott, Miss Montgomery, Mrs. 
 Beckley, Mrs. Stevens* The institution was not incorpo- 
 
1815.] SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHVRCB. 281 
 
 rated until February, 1851. The charter members were: 
 Mrs. John Norton, Mrs. John H. Brown, Mrs. James 0. 
 Harrison, Mrs. Wyett R. Higgins, and Mrs. Isaac W. Scott. 
 Among other members of the society, who have greatly 
 assisted in forwarding its noble objects, may be named 
 Mrs. Thomas Skillman, who was connected with it for very 
 many years, Mrs. A. V. Sayre, Mrs. Eliza BIythe, Mrs. Eliza 
 Eoss, Mrs. Thos. C. Orear, Mrs. M. P. Lancaster, Mrs. 
 John Carty, Mrs. E. McCalister, Mrs. George Brand, Mrs. 
 H. M. Skillman, Mrs. Montrnollin, and many others. 
 
 The Second Presbyterian Church of Lexington was 
 founded in 1815, and was first known as the " Market Street 
 Church." It was built by the united efforts of a number of 
 non-profeseing admirers of the Rev. James McChord, 
 together with a few regular members of Presbyterian 
 churches. The building committee was composed of 
 John Tilford, T. H. Pindell, John McKinley, Alexander 
 Parker, David Castleman, and Joseph C. Breckinridge. 
 These, together with the following, were the signers of the 
 church constitution, viz : C. Wilkins, Samuel Trotter, L. 
 McCuUough, J. H. Hervey, M. T. Scott, Benj. Merrill, F. 
 Dewees, Matt. Kenneday, W. H. Richardson, Thos. Jan- 
 uary, Thos. T. Skillman, "W"m. Pritchart, C. Logan, N". Bur- 
 rowes, A. M. January, T. P. Hart, J. B. Boswell, R. S. 
 Todd, B. Chambers, T. B. Prentice, W. W. Blair, E. Sharpe, 
 
 Butler, J. Bruen, John McChord, W. B. Logan, James 
 
 Trotter, R. H. Bishop. Only one of these signers (A. M. 
 January) is now living. 
 
 The edifice was built after the peculiar and substantial 
 style of the day, and occupied the site of the present 
 church building, on Market, between Church and Second 
 streets. The walls were two and a half feet thick, the pul- 
 pit was in the middle of the front end of the house, and 
 the seats were arranged in ascending tiers, facing the doors, 
 so that persons entering found themselves confronted by 
 an army of gazers. The church called the Rev. James 
 McChord to be its first pastor, and he preached the dedica- 
 tory sermon, July 30, 1815, at which time the church was 
 opened for worship. 
 
282 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1815. 
 
 James McChord was born in Baltimore,* in 1785, and 
 removed with his parents to Lexington, in 1790. After re- 
 ceiving a liberal education at Transylvania University, he 
 studied law with Henry Clay, but after mature thought, 
 abandoned that profession for the ministry, and entered a 
 theological seminary in New York, where beheld the fore- 
 most rank. In 1809, he was licensed, and in 1811, ordained. 
 He published a treatise in 1814, on the nature of the church, 
 which was condemned by the Associate Reformed Presby- 
 tery, whereupon he sent in a declinature of their authority, 
 and connected himself with the West Lexington Presby- 
 tery. He was pastor of the Market Street Church only 
 four years, but in that short time he became famous. To 
 his great intellect was added not only brilliant scholarly at- 
 tainments, but the most powerful and thrilling eloquence, 
 which carried all before it as the sweeping of a mighty 
 wind. Some of his congregation, who had come only to 
 enjoy and admire, were converted. Others who desired 
 nothing more serious than entertaining preaching, and who, 
 unfortunately controlled the financial aft'airs of the church, 
 took the alarm, and the gifted pastor was soon made so 
 uncomfortablef that he resigned, and for a year managed 
 to subsist by! teaching a school. His highly sensitive 
 nature never recovered from the blow, and sad and broken- 
 hearted, he died far too young, May 26, 1820. Love and 
 attention revived with his death. His admirers changed 
 the name of his late charge to " McChord Church ;" his re- 
 mains were interred beneath the pulpit, and a marble tab- 
 let bearing his name, the date of his birth and death, and 
 the inscription, "the resurrection of the just shall unfold 
 his character," was set in the wall. The memory'of this 
 good man is still reverently cherished in Lexington. Mc- 
 Chord's sermons, including his " last appeal to the Market 
 Street Church," have received great attention both in this 
 country and in England. 
 
 Mr. McChord's residence was on Limestone, between 
 Fourth and Fifth streets — the same afterward occupied by 
 
 •Davidson's History. -fid 
 
1815.] PASTORS. 283 
 
 Mr. Armant. During the time which intervened between 
 the resignation of Mr. McChord and the accession of the 
 next regular pastor, the Rev. John Breckinridge, the pulpit 
 was supplied by the accomplished Rev. William Wallace 
 and Father R. H. Bishop, who was for some time professor 
 in Transylvania University, and afterward became the 
 founder and president of Oxford College, Ohio. 
 
 Rev. John Breckinridge, who succeeded Mr. McChord 
 in 1823,* was a son of Attorney-General John Breckinridge, 
 and was born near Lexington, Kentucky, July 4, 1794. 
 Like McChord, he turned from the law to the ministry, and, 
 like him, captivated the hearts of his hearers by his charm- 
 ing eloquence. After serving the Second Church three 
 years, he accepted the chair of pastoral theology at Prince- 
 ton, which he held a short time. He was an advocate of 
 colonization. At the time of his death, which occurred 
 August 4, 1841, he was president-elect of Oglethorpe Uni- 
 versity, of Georgia. 
 
 In 1828, the Rev. John C. Young, D. D., became pastor 
 of the church. Dr. Young was born in Pennsylvania, 
 August 12, 1803, and, after graduating, was licensed to 
 preach in 1827. In 1830, he resigned the pastorate of the 
 Second Church, and accepted the presidency of Centre 
 College, which prospered under his ripe scholarship and 
 efficient administration. Dr. Young died in Danville, Ken- 
 tucky, June 23, 1857. 
 
 The Rev. Robert Davidson, son of President Davidson, 
 of Dickinson College, succeeded Dr. Young in 1882. Mr. 
 Davidson was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, February 23, 
 1808, and graduated at Princeton. He is extensively 
 known as the author of an exceedingly interesting 
 "History of the Presbyterian Church in Kentucky." 
 He was pastor of the church until 1840, when he was 
 elected president of Transylvania University. He was 
 afterward tendered the position of superintendent of pub- 
 lic instruction, but declined it. In 1869, he was one of the 
 delegation to the general assembly of the Free Church of 
 
 •Davidson. 
 
284 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1815. 
 
 Scotland. He lives, at present, in Philadelphia, where he 
 is greatly esteemed. Dr. Davidson has been a laborious 
 and useful writer. 
 
 In 1841, Rev. John D. Matthews (see chapter on First 
 Church) was called to the pulpit, which he filled for several 
 3' ears. 
 
 The Kev. John H. Brown, D. D., succeeded Mr. Matthews 
 in 1844, and was pastor until 1853, when he resigned, and 
 settled in Chicago, Illinois, where he died, February 23, 
 1872, afier a successful ministry in that city. 
 
 The present elegant and tasteful church edifice was built 
 on the site of the old building in 1847. After the erection 
 of the church, the remains of the gifted McChord were 
 again deposited beneath the pulpit, where they now rest. 
 Eev. Robert G. Brank, a native of Greenville, Kentucky, 
 a graduate of Centre College, and an exceedingly graceful 
 and efl'ective speaker, succeeded Mr. Brown in 1854, and 
 remained pastor of the church for fourteen years, during 
 which time he made himself greatly beloved by his faithful 
 and efficient ministry. 
 
 At the close of the late war, the Second Church, like its 
 sister churches, was filled with dissension between the two 
 parties then formed in it — the Southern Assembly party, 
 with Mr. Brank as pastor, and the General Assembly party, 
 with Rev. E. H. Camp as pastor. 
 
 In May, 1869, both of these ministers resigned, and the 
 church troubles were adjusted (see chapter on First Pres- 
 byterian Church). The Eev. Nathaniel "West filled the 
 pulpit of the church during the winter of 1869-70, after 
 which the present regular pastor. Rev. Mr. Burch, took 
 charge of the church, which continues to prosper under 
 his earnest and efficient ministry. 
 
1816.] EASTERN LUNATIC ASYLVM. 
 
 285 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 Luxurious Lexington— Eastern Lunatic Asylum— List of 
 Contributors — Superintendents — Improvements — Present 
 Condition. 
 
 Lexington, in 1816, was known as the most elegant and 
 fashionable city in the West. Great attention was given 
 to music, dancing, and all the lighter accomplishments; 
 pleasure gardens and other places of amusement were liber- 
 ally patronized, and social entertainments were the order of 
 the day. A visitor, at that time, says :* " Lexington is as 
 large as Cincinnati. The inhabitants are as polished, and, 
 I regret to add, as luxurious as those of Boston, New York, 
 or Baltimore, and their assemblies and parties are con- 
 ducted with as much ease and grace as in the oldest towns 
 of the Union. A summer view of Lexington is inexpress- 
 ibly i-ich, novel, and picturesque, and the scenery around it 
 almost equals that of the Elysium of the Ancients." • 
 
 The Eastern Lunatic Asylum, founded in 1816,f under 
 the name of the "Fayette Hospital," was the first institution 
 of the kind established in the western country, and the 
 second state asylum opened in the United States. The 
 projector of this now magnificent public charity was Andrew 
 McCalla,J one of the early settlers of Lexington, and a man 
 noted for his kind heart and benevolent deeds. He was 
 assisted by many other citizens of like character, and all of 
 them were incorporated early in 1816, under the name of 
 " The Contributors to the Fayette Hospital." 
 
 The names of these contributors, as far as known, are : 
 Alex. Parker, Trotter, Scott & Co., John W. Hunt, Geo. 
 Trotter, Jr., Thomas January, Lewis Sanders, J. & D. Mac- 
 
 *Brown's Gazette. tOld Kentucky Gazette. tColIins. 
 
286 EISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1816. 
 
 coun, Andrew McCalla, T. D. Ovvings, Sam. Trotter, F. 
 Eidgely, John Bradford, E. Higgins & J. D. Young, David 
 Williamson, Mrs. Eleanor Hart, Benjamin Stout, "William 
 Morton, Thos. H. Pindell, William Leavy, John Pope, E. 
 Warlield, Daniel Bradford, Patterson Bain, Michael Fishel, 
 Adam Eankin, Eobert Miller, L. M'Cullough, Tandy & 
 Castleman, Eobert Frazer, Eobert H. M'Nair, J. Postle- 
 thwait, John H. Morton, John Hart, Jas. B. January, Sam'l 
 Ayres, Asa Farrow, Thomas Tibbats, E. W. Craig, Eobert 
 Holmes, Sanford Keen, J. & B. Boswell, Maddox Fisher, 
 E. Yeiser, David & J. Todd, Fisher & Layton, C> Coyle, 
 James Wier. 
 
 On the 1st of March, the contributors organized under 
 the charter, and shortly after purchased the " Sinking 
 Spring" property, on which the present buildings are 
 located. The site selected owed its name to a peculiar 
 spring, still used, which has its origin in an immense sub- 
 terranean volume of water, from which, it is said, the "Big 
 Spring" at Georgetown flows. There is a tradition* that 
 a quantity of chaflj emptied into the "Sinking Spring," 
 came out, some hours after, at the " Big Spring." 
 
 On Monday, June 30, 1817, on the occasion of the laying 
 of the corner-stone of the "Fayette Hospital" building, a 
 procession marched from the court-house to the Sinking 
 Spring, in the following order, viz : 
 
 Two Civil Oflicers of the County, Judge of the Circuit 
 
 Court, Justices of the Peace and Bar. 
 
 Clergy. 
 
 Trustees and Professors of Transylvania University. 
 
 Students of Transylvania University. 
 
 Trustees of the Town. 
 
 Physicians. 
 
 Students of Medicine. 
 
 Music. 
 
 Architects of the Building. 
 
 Orator of the Day. 
 
 Hospital Committee. 
 
 Contributors. 
 
 Citizens. 
 
 •Dillard, R. X. 
 
1816.] EASTERN LUNATIC ASYLUM. 287 
 
 In the presence of a large concourse of spectators, after 
 an appropriate prayer by Rev. Robert M. Cunningham, the 
 corner-stone was laid, and in it were deposited the news- 
 papers of Lexington for that week, some silver and copper 
 coins of the United States, two publications in favor of the 
 institution, and a brass plate bearing the name of the en- 
 graver and the following inscription : 
 
 State of Kentucky, 
 
 LEXINGTON, 
 
 June 30th, a. d. 1817. 
 
 Deposited in the Corner-stone of the 
 
 FAYETTE HOSPITAL. 
 
 The first erected west of the 
 Apalachiau Mountains. 
 Built by Contribution, under the Direction of 
 AND'W M'CALLA, \ 
 
 THOS. JANUARY, \ n -ij- n •» ^ 
 STEPHEN CHIFLEY, [-BuiMing Committee of 
 STERLING ALLEN, | *^' Contributors. 
 RICH'D HIGGINS, J 
 
 Also, the 5th verse of the 11th chapter of Matthew, in the 
 original. 
 
 The ceremony was concluded by a powerful and eloquent 
 oration by Henry Clay. 
 
 By the time the hospital was roofed in, a financial crisis 
 defeated the plans of the building committee, and in 1822, 
 it was found best to tender the property to the state, which 
 purchased it the following year, gave it the name of the 
 "Kentucky Eastern Lunatic Asylum," and appropriated 
 $10,000 for its benefit. The asylum was formally opened 
 May 1, 1824, and the first patient admitted was " Charity,"* 
 a negro woman from Woodford county. For twenty years 
 after its opening, the attending physicians were Dr. S. 
 Theobolds, Dr. Louis Decognets, and others, assisted by 
 the medical faculty of Transylvania University. In 1833, 
 and at several difierent times after, the cholera raged with 
 fatal efl'ect in the asylum, and several times it has been 
 visited by destructive fires, in one of which a number of 
 
 ♦Superintendent's Beport. 
 
288 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. .[1816. 
 
 patients were consumed. In 1844, the custodial manage- 
 ment of the institution was changed for an enlightened 
 one.* Dr. J. K. Allen was made the first superintendent 
 lander the new order of things. Chains and jailers rapidly 
 disappeared, and the institution soon wore a civilized appear- 
 ance. Dr. Allen held his office for ten years, giving great 
 satisfaction to all concerned, and gaining for himself an 
 enviable reputation. 
 
 In 1850, a liberal bequest was made to the asylum by 
 James S. Megowan, "for the purpose of adding to the com- 
 fort and amusement of the patients." 
 
 Dr. "W. S. Chipley, who for many years made mental 
 diseases his special study, succeeded Dr. Allen in 1855, and 
 continued as superintendent for fourteen years. Under his 
 very efficient management, improvements were made in 
 almost every respect, and the institution attained a position 
 of usefulness second to none in this country. 
 
 The capacity of the asylum was greatly increased in 
 1867, by an appropriation of $150,000 by the legislature. 
 The new buildings erected, gave the institution two hun- 
 dred and fifty additional rooms. 
 
 In 1869, Dr. Chipley resigned, and Dr. John "W. Whit- 
 ney became superintendent, a position which he still holds. 
 The institution has never been more prosperous, or its 
 aflairs more efficiently managed, than since the induction 
 of the present able and skillful superintendent. His assist- 
 ants are Drs. Dudley, Layton, and Rogers. 
 
 Since 1822, the state appropriations to the asylum have 
 amounted to nearly a million of dollars. The little patch 
 of ground it then owned has been increased to three hun- 
 dred acres; nearly three thousand five hundred patients 
 have been admitted to the institution, of whom largely 
 over a thousand have recovered, besides very many who 
 were so much improved as to justify their restoration to 
 society. The asylum is supplied with every convenience, 
 comfort, and medical and scientific arrangement calculated 
 to benefit its inmates ; and stands in the first rank among 
 like institutions in the United States. 
 
 '■'Uepnrl. 
 
1817.] CARRIAGES— NEGROES. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 Carriages — Negroes — Branch United States Bank. 
 
 Lexington was noted, as early as 1817, for her number 
 of carriages, which was twice that of any other town of its 
 size in the United States.* This peculiarity has distin- 
 guished her ever since, and so much so in late years, as to 
 gain for her, from a pungent writer,, the name of "the city 
 that goes on wheels." 
 
 The prices of negroes rose in 1817, young men being 
 worth from $500 to $700. 
 
 A branch of the United States Bank went into operation 
 in Lexington, January 27, 1817. The directors were James 
 Morrison, William Morton, John W. Hunt, Alexander 
 Parker, John Tilford, A. S. Bartow, Cuthburt Bullitt, John 
 H. Hanna, James Taylor, W. T. Barry, John T. Mason, 
 and John H. Morton. 
 
 *Palmer. 
 
290 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1818. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 Relics of the Olden Time — Leslie Combs. 
 
 The quaint and beautiful costumes of the old colonial 
 days were not quite extinct, even in 1818, At entertain- 
 ments, and on full dress occasions in Lexington, at that 
 date, old gentlemen were frequently seen arrayed in all the 
 magnificence of square coats, rufiled shirt-bosom, court 
 vest, lace cuffs, short breeches, knee-buckles, and white 
 stockings; and elderly ladies looked grand in wonderfully 
 long-waisted dresses, with immense ruffles about the elbows, 
 and with their powdered hair towering aloft on cushions. 
 
 General Leslie Combs settled in Lexington in 1818, and 
 has made it his home ever since that time. General Combs 
 was born in Clark county, Kentucky, November 28, 1793. 
 His father was a Virginian, and his mother a Marylander. 
 During the war of 1812, General Combs, at the age of 
 nineteen, distinguished himself by his courage and gal- 
 lantry. In the campaign which ended at Kaisin, he was 
 sent with a dispatch from General Winchester to GenerS,! 
 Harrison, and in the execution of his trust, traversed the 
 pathless wilderness through snow and water for a hundred 
 miles, and endured privations which nearly cost him hia 
 life.* In April, 1813, he was commissioned Captain of 
 scouts, and was attached to the torce under General Green 
 Clay, which had been ordered to the relief of Tort Meigs. 
 Captain Combs volunteered, with the assistance of an In- 
 dian guide and four men, to carry the news of Clay's ap- 
 proach to Harrison. He succeeded in threading his perilous 
 way through swarms of hostile savages, and had arrived 
 in sight of the closely invested fort, when he was attacked 
 
 *Lossing. 
 
1818.] LESLIE COMBS. 291 
 
 by Indians, one of his men killed, another wounded, and 
 he and the rest of his little band, after intense suflering, 
 escaped, in a starving condition, back to Fort Defiance. 
 
 Subsequently, he took a gallant part in the disastrous 
 defeat of Colonel William Dudley, on the 5th of May, was 
 wounded, laken prisoner, and compelled to run the gaunt- 
 let at Fort Miami. 
 
 After the war. General Combs settled in Lexington, 
 where he practiced law for nearly half a century. In 1836, 
 General Combs raised a regiment for the southwestern 
 frontier, at the time of the Texas revolution. As a lawyer, 
 trustee of Transylvania University, member of the legis- 
 lature, railroad pioneer, state auditor, and a brilliant and 
 sparkling speaker, General Combs has stood in high repute 
 among his fellow-citizens. After a long and eventful life, 
 the "boy-captain of 1812" is still among us. He resides 
 on Main, between Limestone and Rose, and adjoining the 
 First Christian Church. 
 
292 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1819. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 Monetary Troubles — Parody — Visit of Monroe, Jackson, and 
 Shelby — Dr. Charles Caldroell. 
 
 The year 1819 found Lexington suffering from the finan- 
 cial derangement and demoralization which extended over 
 the whole country. The multitude of newly created banks 
 which had been thickly planted throughout Kentucky, had 
 been so badly managed as to excite universal contempt. 
 The following quaint effusion, printed in the Reporter of 
 1819, indicates the state of feeling at that time in regard 
 to the banks : 
 
 " To the Editors of the Reporter : I have ventured to send 
 you another squib at the banks. Nothing, I conceive, 
 can be more injurious to the country than the toleration of 
 swindling and bankrupt moneyed institutions. 
 
 "It is high time our non-faying money shops were 
 closed — their credit is irretrievably lost. 
 
 " PARODY. 
 (Oh I blame not the Bard, if he fly to the bower, etc.) 
 
 "Alas! for the banks, their fame is gone by — 
 
 And that credit is broken, which used but to bend; 
 O'er their fall, each director in secret must sigh, 
 
 Per 't is interest to love them, but shame to defend. 
 Unprized are their notes, or at ten per cent, selling, 
 
 Unhonor'd at home, unredeem'd on demand; 
 But still they 've a merit — I joy in the telling — 
 
 They 're taken for pork, though rejected for land. 
 
 " But their glory is gone I — ev'ry dog has his day — 
 
 Yet their fame (such as 't is) shall abide in my songs ; 
 Not e'en in the hour when my heart is most gay. 
 Will I cease to remember their notes and their wrongs. 
 
1819.] DR. CHARLES CALDWELL. 293 
 
 The stranger in passing each Tillage shall say, 
 (As he eyes the sad spot with his hand on his hreast,) 
 
 Thbke once stood a bank ! — but, unable to pay, 
 It suspended itself, and, thank G— d, is at rest 1 1 " 
 
 President Monroe and General Jackson, accompanied by 
 Governor Shelby, visited Lexington, Friday, July 3, 1819,* 
 and were escorted to Keen's tavern by the old infantry, 
 several rifle and artillery companies, and a large and enthu- 
 siastic crowd of citizens. Salutes were fired, both when 
 they entered town, and when they arrived at the tavern. 
 They visited the university, and were addressed by Dr. 
 Holly and some of the students, after which they went to 
 Jouett's studio. Tbe next day they " attended the Fourth 
 of July festival at Dunlap's." Sunday, they attended 
 church. Monday, they were given a public dinner at 
 Keen's tavern by the citizens, who addressed the Presi- 
 dent through Colonel Morrison. The distinguished guests 
 left town the next day. 
 
 Dr. Charles Caldwell, well known in medical circles in 
 both America and Europe, settled in Lexington in 1819. 
 He was born in Caswell county, North Carolina, in 1772. 
 At the age of fourteen, he had mastered Latin and Greek, 
 after which he opened a grammar school, taught three 
 years, then studied medicine, and graduated under E-ush in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 In 1795, he commenced his career of authorship, which 
 has since made him so distinguished. He labored with 
 prodigious energy, and his literary and scientific writings 
 and translations are estimated at ten thousand pages. 
 
 Dr. Caldwell was the first prominent champion of phre- 
 nology in the United States, and was one of the few distin- 
 guished men who openly espoused the mesmeric theory in 
 the face of public ridicule. He bought, in Europe, the first 
 medical library of Transylvania University. Many of the 
 books he gathered in Paris from dealers to whom they had 
 been sold by once eminent and wealthy physicians, who 
 had been ruined by the French Revolution. By this means 
 
 *Gazette. 
 
294 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1819. 
 
 he obtained many rare and valuable works, which made 
 the Transylvania Medical Library superior to any other at 
 that time in this country. The booka were brought from 
 Maysville to Lexington on pack-horses. 
 
 Dr. Caldwell was a resident of Lexington and professor 
 in the Medical College for sixteen years, at the end of which 
 time (after making himself very unpopular, by favoring 
 the removal of the college to Louisville,) he resigned, and 
 was largely instrumental in establishing the Louisville 
 Medical Institute. He died some years ago, leaving behind 
 him a wide-spread reputation as a clear writer, an able 
 teacher of philosophical medicine, and a man of enlight- 
 ened liberality in advance of his age. 
 
1820.] RUSSELL'S SPJilNa. 295 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 liecuperalion—John D. Clifford — EussclVs Cave — Mrs. Lin- 
 coln's Birthplace. 
 
 In 1820, Lexington, which for several years had been 
 decreasing in population, commenced to grow again, and 
 business slowly but steadily increased. 
 
 John D. CiiiFord died in Lexington, May 8, 1820, aged 
 forty-two. Mr. Cliflord was noted for his love and knowl- 
 edge of the natural sciences; for being a public-spirited 
 friend of every learned and charitable institution, and for the 
 liberal support he extended to the Episcopal Church. He 
 was the president of the Lexington Athenaeum, in a room 
 of which institution he opened a museum of natural and 
 iintiquarian history, and just before his death he assisted 
 Professor Kafinesque to survey the ancient remains near 
 Lexington. Mr. Clifford married Mary S., daughter of 
 William Morton. 
 
 Eussell's spring and cave, in this county, were explored 
 by Professor Rafinesque, in 1820, and were thus described 
 by him :* 
 
 " Eussell's spring is a natural curiosity. It is a subter- 
 ranean stream of water issuing from a cave. Both have 
 been traced and followed for three-quarters of a mile, and 
 it is moreover connected with the sinks west of Eussell's, 
 since something thrown into them has been seen to come 
 out at the spring. The cave is crooked, narrow, and rather 
 shallow. As the stream often fills it from side to side, one 
 must often wade, to explore it, and even swim in some 
 places. Fishes are often found in it, such as suckers and 
 catfish. In freshets, the water fills the cavity. At tlie 
 
 * Western Keview, 1820. 
 
296 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1820. 
 
 mouth the stream is usually one foot deep, and discharges 
 itself into the Elkhorn, about one hundred steps below. 
 The mouth of the cave is below a chain of rocky limestone 
 cliffs, where some organic fossils are imbedded. A large 
 and spacious hall lies next to it in the rock, forming another 
 cave, which is filled by rubbish at a short distance, but 
 communicates by narrow chasms with the other cave." 
 
 In 1820, Robert S. Todd, who died in 1849, lived on 
 Short street, in the house adjoining and belonging to St. 
 Paul's Church (Catholic), and at present occupied by Father 
 Bekkers. Colonel Todd's daughter. Miss Mary Todd, after- 
 ward the wife of President Lincoln, was born in this house. 
 Mrs. Lincoln was married November 4, 1842. 
 
1821.] THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 297 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 Financial Crisis — Relief and Anti-Relief — Prevailing Prices 
 —Elder T. P. Dudley. 
 
 In 1821, Lexington, like the whole state of Kentucky, 
 was suffering from the financial distress which had been 
 growing worse and worse ever since the close of the war of 
 1812. The community was flooded with all sorts and sizes 
 of depreciated "shinpl asters," as they were contemptuously 
 called; business was ruined, everybody was in debt, and 
 every one was suing or being sued. During this terrible 
 depression and stagnation of commercial interests, all the 
 old political interests were lost sight of, and the crisis 
 brought into existence the now famous " Eelief" and 
 "Anti-Relief" parties, the first demanding a stay-law on 
 executions from the legislature, the last opposing it. The 
 contest was hot and protracted, and resulted in the still 
 more famous " Old Court" and " New Court" parties. 
 
 At this dark period all the farmer had to sell went at 
 ruinously low prices, and all he bought he got at the most 
 exorbitant rates.* Corn sold at twelve and a half cents per 
 bushel; wheat, thirty-seven cents ; flour at two dollars and 
 fifty cents per barrel; net pork at one dollar and twenty- 
 five cents per hundred pounds; butter at six cents per 
 pound, and eggs at three cents per dozen ; cottons, forty 
 and sixty cents, and prints, which would not be worn, at 
 seventy-five cents per yard. Tea retailed at three dollars 
 per pound, coffee at seventy-four cents, and Muscovado 
 sugar at thirty-seven cents per pound; and, as an instance 
 of the perverted taste of that day, it was the usual custom 
 to exchange two pounds of tree sugar for one of the Mus- 
 
 • Kentucky Letter in Cincinnati Gazette. 
 
298 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1821. 
 
 covado. "Whisky — old copper-distilled Bourbon whisky — 
 sold at twenty-five to thirty cents per gallon. Milch cows 
 rated from seven dollars to ten dollars per head, and good 
 horses were often bought at twenty-five to forty dollars. 
 
 The venerable Elder Thomas P. Dudley, of Lexington, 
 entered the ministry of the Particular Baptist Oburch in 
 1821. He was born in Kentucky county, Virginia, May 3, 
 1792, and in a few days after was under the government of 
 the infant commonwealth of Kentucky. He enlisted for 
 the campaign of 1812 in Trotter's cavalry, but left the troop 
 at Fort Defiance to act as assistant commissary to the left 
 wing of the northwest army. He was in the battle and 
 massacre at the river Raisin, where he was captured. After 
 his release from captivity, he served as quartermaster-gen- 
 eral of the Kentucky troops sent to the aid of Jackson at 
 iNew Orleans, and was in the celebrated victory of the 8th 
 of January, 1815. After serving faithfully in the ministry 
 for more than half a century, Elder Dudley still survives, 
 and is one of the oldest and best known citizens of Lex- 
 ington. Mr. Dudley has been the pastor of the church at 
 Bryant's Station for many years. This church, which was 
 organized in 1786, has had but two pastors from that time 
 to the present, viz : Ambrose Dudley, and his son, Thomas 
 P. Dudley, the subject of this notice. 
 
 yj>r 
 
1822.] GAMBLINO SUPPRESSED, ETC. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 Gambling Suppressed — Female Bible Society. 
 
 Lexington was so grievously infested with gamblers in 
 the fall of 1822, that the citizens combined to crush them 
 out, and after an indignation meeting, a general attack was 
 made on the sporting characters, and many of them were 
 lodged in jail. A newspaper of the time,* "hoped that 
 persons at a distance would understand that the society of 
 Lexington does not tolerate any species of gaming." 
 
 In 1822, the Lexington Female Bible Society was organ- 
 ized. Mrs. Elizabeth Skillman, whose lovely character 
 will long be remembered by our citizens, was one of the 
 members of the first board of managers, and was president 
 of the institution for nearly forty years. She died Febru- 
 ary 18, 1872, in the eighty-sixth year of her age. 
 
 •Observer and Keporter. 
 
300 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1823. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 Thomas T. Skillman—D. A. Sayre ^ Co.— " Old Court" 
 and "New Court" Parties — The Contest in Lexington — 
 Incidents — Jos. C. Breckinridge. 
 
 The " Western Luminary," the first religious newspaper 
 published in the southwest, was established in Lexington, 
 by Thomas T. Skillman, in 1823, to aid in counteracting 
 the strong infidel tendency then manifested in the city. 
 Mr. Skillman was one of the best and most useful citizens 
 of his day. He died June 9, 1833, a victim of the terrible 
 cholera season of that year, and the loss which his church 
 and the community sustained, was felt to be such that it 
 deepened still more the sadness and gloom that pervaded 
 the suffering city. 
 
 The banking house of D. A. Sayre & Co., was founded 
 in 1823. 
 
 In 1823, the court of appeals of Kentucky made its cele- 
 brated decision that the "relief" statutes passed at prior 
 sessions of the legislature, retrospectively extending re- 
 plevins, were unconstitutional. This decision created an 
 immense sensation. The " lieliefs " now became known as 
 the "New Court" party, whose sole aim was to remove the 
 offending judges of the court of appeals, and substitute 
 new ones who would bend to the popular will. The "Anti- 
 Reliefs," or as they were soon called, the "Old Court" 
 party, formed the opposition. The struggle which ensued, 
 and which extended through three years, was the most vio- 
 lent and bitter one in the annals of the state, excepting the 
 one at the eve of the late war. 
 
 In no place in the state was the combat more fierce than 
 in Lexington, the home of several of the ablest leaders of 
 
1823.] THE CONTEST IN LEXINGTON, ETC. 301 
 
 both the parties. Every weapon of political warfare was 
 called into play ; argument, and invective, and sarcasm, and 
 satire, and pasquinade, and ribaldry, were all exhausted 
 in the strife of words. 
 
 It was during this exciting period, that the famous brick- 
 bat war broke out on the streets of Lexington.* The 
 combatants in about equal numbers, were ranged on each 
 side of the street, and while pick and crowbar were kept 
 busy in tearing up pavements, the fighting men in the op- 
 posing ranks were equally busy for a full hour, by " Shrews- 
 bury clock," hurling missiles at each other. Broken heads 
 and bloody noses was the order of the day. When the 
 fight was raging most furiously, and all were expecting a 
 resort to firearms, R. J. Breckinridge and Charlton Hunt, 
 opposing candidates, both of them brilliant, rising young 
 lawyers, appeared on the street, with arm locked in arm, 
 each waving a white handkerchief, and Avalking boldly be- 
 tween the combatants. They thus ended the fray. 
 
 Another incident characteristic of the day and the people 
 deserves to be recorded. It was then the custom for success- 
 ful candidates at the close of the polls, to give a "big treat" 
 to their constituents. On one of these occasions, Robert 
 Wickliffe, Sr., "treated" to punch, a barrel of which was 
 set in the middle of Limestone street, opposite the place 
 now known as the Sayre Institute. A strong partisan on 
 the other side, a somewhat notorious character, who was 
 always after called "Dr." tapper, secretly dropped some 
 tartar emetic in the punch. Such a scene as ensued beg- 
 gars all description, and could hardly be limned with the 
 pencil of a Hogarth. The retching and heaving, the sput- 
 tering, and spewing, and spouting, with 
 
 " The two and seventy stenches, 
 All well defined, and several stinks," 
 
 "Which assailed the olfactories of the passers-by was due 
 notice to give the participators in the debauch a wide berth. 
 That was the last general political treat given in the interior 
 of the state. 
 
 •Kentucky letter to Cincinnati Gazette. 
 
302 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1823. 
 
 Joseph C. Breckinridge, oldest son of Hon. John Breck- 
 inridge, and father of Hon. John C. Breckinridge, was for 
 many years a citizen of Lexington. He died in Frankfort, 
 September 1, 1823, aged thirty-five. Mr. Breckinridge was 
 born in Virginia, graduated at Princeton, served in the war 
 of 1812, studied law and practiced in Lexington. At an 
 early age he was elected to the legislature from Fayette 
 county, and at the time of his death, was secretary of 
 state under Governor Adair. 
 
 m. 
 
1824.] LEXIXGTON LYCEUM. 303 
 
 CHAPTEE XLVIII. 
 
 The "Athens of the West" — Lexington Lyceum — Botanical 
 Garden — Jefferson Davis. 
 
 The literary culture and educational advantages of 
 Lexington had become such by 1824, that the city was 
 spoken of far and wide as the "Athens of the West."* 
 Her claims to the title were by no means insignificant. 
 The society of Lexington was noted for its intelligence, ap- 
 preciation of literature, its good taste and elegance. The 
 pulpits of the city were adorned by able and eloquent men, 
 the newspapers were the leaders of the state press, and the 
 bar was probably the strongest one at that time in the 
 United States. Transylvania University, under the dis- 
 tinguished Dr. Holly, had attained even a European celebrity, 
 and the city was crowded with her learned professors, and 
 medical, academical, and law students. Lectures were fre- 
 quent and well sustained and the weekly discussions of the 
 Lexington Lyceum, which was composed of the best men 
 of all professions, were listened to by crowded audiences. 
 The city library was the largest in the west, and has never 
 been more liberally patronized. A botanical garden had 
 just been established; the pencil of Jouett had made him 
 famous and was now constantly engaged ; and scholars 
 and distinguished men from all parts of the country, vis- 
 ited Lexington to enjoy the society in the noted seat and 
 center of learning and intellectual culture in the west. 
 
 The Lexington Lyceum mentioned above was the suc- 
 cessor of the " Lexington Junto,"t the debating society in 
 which Henry Clay distinguished himself by the first speech 
 he made in Lexington, in the year 1798. The Lyceum 
 
 *Flint's Travels. tOld Kentucky Gazette. 
 
304 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. ^1824. 
 
 met at one time in Satterwhite's tavern, and afterward in 
 the court-house. It existed for very many years and did 
 great good by means of lectures and public del)ates. The 
 Lyceum now in existence was chartered March 9, ]868.* 
 Its incorporators were : J. S. Phelps, J. R. Morton, H. M. 
 Buford, J. H. Webster, G. W. Darnall, F. W. WooUey, and 
 (Jr. W. Ranek. 
 
 The botanical garden established in 1824 was projected 
 by the learned Prof. C. S. Rafinesque of Transylvania 
 University, who became its first director and manager, as- 
 sisted by John W. McCalla, Thos. Smith, Joseph Ficklin, 
 and J. M. Pike.f The garden, which was, properly speak- 
 ing, a botanical, medical, and agricultural institution 
 founded to promote the natural sciences and a knowledge 
 of husbandry, was situated about where Judge S. S. Good- 
 loe now lives on the Richmond turnpike. It existed but a 
 few years, but is noted as having been the first institution 
 of the kind projected in the west, if not the first in the 
 United States. 
 
 Hon. Jefi'erson Davis, late President of the Confederate 
 States, and who will always occupy a prominent and illus- 
 trious place in the world's history, resided in Lexington in 
 1824, and was a member of the senior class in Transylvania 
 University. He is remembered as a slender, fair-haired 
 young man, quiet, unassuming, and of very studious habits.J 
 He boarded with Postmaster Ficklin, in the brick house, 
 still standing, on the southwest corner of Hill and Lime- 
 stone streets. The historic interest now attached to this 
 spot will deepen and increase with advancing time. 
 
 *Acls Legislature. tB. G. Becoida. ^Letter to ttie Author. 
 
1825.] LAFAYETTE'S VISIT. 305 
 
 CHAPTEE XLIX. 
 
 Lafayette's Visit to hexington — Reception — Ceremonies and 
 Incidents — The Christian Church — First Meeting Places — 
 " Union of the Disciples and Christians" — Early Ministers — 
 Dr. Jas. Fishhack — Regular Pastors — Dissensions about 
 Ordination — The Campbell and Rice Debate — ^'■Excommuni- 
 cation" — Present Condition of the Main Street Church. 
 
 Probably the grandest gathering ever seen in Lexington 
 was on the occasion of the reception of General Lafay- 
 ette, May 16, 1825. In no place in this country did the old 
 hero recive a more cordial welcome than in the seat of the 
 county which was named in his honor. An immense con- 
 course of people from all parts of Kentucky and from sev- 
 eral other states, companies of infantry, artillery, and cav- 
 alry, Revolutionary soldiers, distinguished strangers, mem- 
 bers of all professions, went out to meet him, wearing " La- 
 fayette badges." 
 
 The announcement that the marquis and suite were in 
 sight was the signal for round after round of deafening 
 cheers, volleys of musketry, and thunders of artillery, 
 which only ceased long enough to give the following com- 
 mittee time to formally receive and welcome him to Lex- 
 ington, viz : John Bradford, William Morton, Dr. Eichard 
 Pindell, Dr. Walter Warfield, John Fowler, Alexander 
 Parker, Andrew McCalla, William Leavy, James Lemmon, 
 Charles Norwood, Col. James Trotter, and Gen. Thomas 
 Bodley.* The welcome address in behalf of Lexington was 
 delivered by John Bradford, and that in behalf of the 
 county by Leslie Combs. Formal replies were made by Gen. 
 Lafayette, after which, amid renewed cheers. and salutes, a 
 
 •Observer and Eeporter. 
 
306 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1825. 
 
 grand procession moved through the principal streets of 
 the town to Mrs. Keen's tavern, where rooms were pre- 
 pared for the distinguished guests. 
 
 The procession marched in the following order: 
 
 First assistant marshal and staflj Col. McConnell. 
 
 Division of cavalry and mounted riflemen. 
 
 Marshal of the day and staff, Gen. McCalla. 
 
 Committee of Revolutionary officers and soldiers. 
 
 Sub-county committee. 
 
 State committee, with Colonel Wash from Missouri. 
 
 General Lafayette, with Col. Bowman, of the Eighth Vir- 
 ginia regiment in the Revolutionary army, in a barouche 
 drawn by four hay horses. 
 
 Col. G. "W". Lafayette, Col. Le Vasseur, and Count De 
 Syon, in a barouche also drawn by four bays. 
 
 Governors Desha and Carrol, with their suites, Colonels 
 Hickey and Rowan, and Colonels Shelby and Erwin. 
 
 Revolutionary officers and soldiers. 
 
 Trustees of the town. 
 
 Judges of the Federal and State courts, and members of 
 Congress and of the State legislature. 
 
 Officers of the army and navy. 
 
 Officers of the militia. 
 
 Second assistant marshal and staff, Col. Payne. 
 
 First division of the military escort on foot. . 
 
 Third assistant marshal and staff,, Col. Beard. 
 
 Second division of the military escort on foot. 
 
 Fourth assistant marshal and staff", Col. Dunlap. 
 
 President, Professors, and Trustees of Transylvania Uni- 
 versity, and the clergy. 
 
 Onion Philosophical and "Whig Societies of the Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 Students of the University according to classes. 
 
 Fifth assistant marshal and staff. Col. Prewitt. 
 
 Citizens on foot. 
 
 Sixth assistant marshal and staff', Lieut. Col. Dudley. 
 
 Citizens on horseback. 
 
1825.J THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 307 
 
 Division of cavalry and mounted riflemen. 
 
 Seventh assistant marshal and staff, Lieut. Col. Combs. 
 
 Rest and then a sumptuous dinner followed the arrival 
 at the tavern, after which the afternoon was spent by the 
 marquis in a cordial reception of the enthusiastic multi- 
 tude which crowded in upon him. At night a grand com- 
 plimentary ball was given him in the then new Masonic 
 Hall, on Main, between Broadway and Spring streets, which 
 was beautifully decorated for the occasion. The managers 
 of the ball were : E. Warfield, J. H. Morton, J. W. Hunt, 
 J. W. Palmer, C. Wilkins, W. W. Worsley, B. Gratz, J. 
 Postlethwait, L. Combs, T. Smith, T. S. Caldwell, W. 
 Brand. General Lafayette was welcomed to the hall by 
 the Rev. John Ward in behalf of his Masonic brethren. 
 
 Before his departure, Lafayette reviewed the old sol- 
 diers of the Revolution, visited Mrs. Clay and the widow 
 of Governor Scott, and spent some time with Jouett, who 
 afterward completed the life-size portrait of Lafayette, 
 now owned by the State of Kentucky. One of the most 
 prominent features of the entertainment of Lafayette in 
 Lexington was a literary reception at Transylvania Uni- 
 versity. A classic address was made by President Holly, 
 and eulogistic orations and poems were delivered in French, 
 Latin, and English by the students. 
 
 In 1825,* two feeble little religious bodies, which occa- 
 sionally attracted attention on account of their " new 
 notions," struggled for existence in Lexington. The mem- 
 bers of one met at the residence of Mrs. Bell (mother of 
 Dr. T. S. Bell, of Louisville), who lived on Main street, 
 between Walnut and Rose, and nearly opposite Mr. S. S. 
 Thompson's planing mill. They called themselves " Chris- 
 tians," and their pastor was that learned, liberal, and great 
 man. Barton W. Stone, who had long been at the head of 
 a flourishing classical school in Lexington. The other 
 little fl.ock met in a house on Spring street, between Main 
 and Water, which afterward became the machine shop of 
 Thomas H. Barlow, one of the greatest inventors America 
 
 * Old Inhabitants. 
 
308 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1825. 
 
 has ever produced. They called themselves "Disciples," 
 and held the peculiar views advanced by Alexander Camp- 
 bell, who, two years before (1823), upon the occasion of his 
 first visit to Lexington, had created a great sensation by 
 his startling and powerful sermons. The " Disciples " were 
 occasionally addressed by that intrepid, original, and able 
 man of God, Elder John ("Raccoon") Smith, who now 
 sleeps in the Lexington cemetery. Elders "Wm. Poindexter 
 and Thomas Smith also labored for this church. 
 
 The "Christians" and "Disciples" agreed in most of 
 their religious opinions. They kept up separate organiza- 
 tions, however, for a number of years. The " Christians," 
 or " Stoneites," as they were then often called, were par- 
 ticularly careful not to make immersion a test* of religion, 
 and it was their practice to receive unimmersed christians 
 of all denominations to their communion and fellowship. 
 It was this which prevented for some time the union of the 
 two bodies. 
 
 By the year 1831, the Christians had gathered strength 
 sufficient to erect a house of worship, which they built on 
 Hill street, near the corner of Mill, and opposite the pres- 
 ent residence of Judge Robertson. The church was a very 
 plain brick one, with an interior gallery, which, after the 
 old style, ran around two sides and the end of the building. 
 It was formally opened for worship on Sunday, October 
 16, 1831,t and the dedication sermon was delivered by the 
 eccentric and eloquent elder, Jesse Bledsoe, who, but a 
 short time before, had abandoned the bar for the pulpit. 
 The " Disciples," at this time, were meeting in a building 
 which stood near the present residence of Dr. H. M. Skill- 
 man, on Broadway. 
 
 On Saturday, January 1, 1832, the Christians and Dis- 
 ciples, between whom there existed a most fraternal feeling, 
 assembled, by agreement, in the Hill Street meeting-house, 
 to consider the probabilities of the union of the two bodies. 
 Candid and generous addresses were delivered by Elders 
 Barton Stone and John Smith; the members of both 
 
 *Christian Messenger, vol. v, p. 19. tObsei'ver and Reporter. 
 
^^25.] THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 
 
 309 
 
 churches conferred together, harmony was arrived at, and 
 the hoped-for union was effected upon the broad ground 
 that the Bible was the only rule of faith and practice ; that 
 all should enjoy the right of private judgment, and that 
 the opinions of ecclesiastical leaders should not be allowed 
 to disturb the peace of the church. The united congrega- 
 tions adopted the name Christian for the church, and the 
 Hill Street house became the sole meeting-place. 
 
 Until the services of a regular pastor were obtained, 
 Elders Jacob Oreath, Curtis Smith, Thomas M. Allen, and 
 others preached at different times for the church. 
 
 One of the earliest and ablest of Bishop Campbell's 
 indorsers in Lexington was Dr. James Fishback,* who 
 subsequently became a member of the Christian ministry. 
 He was the son of Jacob Fishback, who came to Ken- 
 tucky from Culpepper county, Virginia, in 1783. Dr. 
 Fishback was educated for the medical profession, and 
 as early as 1805 filled the chair of " Theory and Practice" 
 in Transylvania University. In 1816, becoming dissatis- 
 fied with the stricter views of the Presbyterian Church, 
 of which he was a member, he connected himself with 
 the Baptists, and became one of their regularly ordained 
 preachers. 
 
 In 1823, when Bishop Alexander Campbell visited Lex- 
 ington for the first time. Dr. Fishback paid the closest 
 attention to the opinions and arguments he advanced, and 
 the impressions he then received influenced the balance of 
 his religious life. In 1827,t while pastor of the Baptist 
 Church on Mill street, he strongly advocated a change in 
 the name of the church from what it then was to that of 
 "Church of Christ." Many members of the church favored 
 it, and many denounced it as an "unnecessary change sug- 
 gested by the spirit of the 'Se-w Light heresy." The dis- 
 sension which ensued resulted in the exclusion of Dr. 
 Fishback, John M. Hewitt, Purnell Bishop, Alex. Gibney, 
 E. Chinn, A. Graham, and thirty others, "for contumacy 
 and disorderly conduct." In April, the excluded members, 
 
 •Davidson's History. tBaptist Church Becords. 
 
310 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1825. 
 
 who claimed the ownership of the church building, met in 
 it, organized "the Church of Christ on Mill street," and in 
 turn excluded their excluders from the church. Dr. Fish- 
 back was elected pastor of the new church, the congreg-a- 
 tion of which met for some time alternately with the other 
 Baptists in the Mill Street church, but subsequently left 
 that place and worshiped in the building now known as 
 the Statesman office, on Short street. Most of this congre- 
 gation finally went back to the First Baptist Church, but 
 Dr. Fishback and others, after wavering for some time, 
 joined the Christian Church. Dr. Fishback was a promi- 
 nent preacher of this last-named body for a number of 
 years, and died connected with it in the summer of 1845. 
 
 Dr. Fishback was a preacher of superior talents, bold- 
 ness, and culture, a man of great information and fine per- 
 sonal appearance. He was a strong and able writer, as 
 evidenced by his " Philosophy of the Human Mind," pub- 
 lished in 1813, and his religious "Essays and Dialogues," 
 of 1834. He was married twice. His first wife- was a 
 niece of Patrick Henry, and his last, a daughter of Gov- 
 ernor Shelby. 
 
 The first minister regularly employed by the United 
 congregations on Hill street was Elder James Challen. He 
 was born in Hackensack, ]!^ew Jersey, in 1802, came to 
 Kentucky at an early age, entered Transylvania University, 
 united with the Baptist Church in 1823, but a few years 
 after changed his ojiinion and entered the ministry of the 
 Christian Church. He became pastor of the Hill Street 
 congregation in 1834. He did much to perfect a thorough 
 organization of the church, and endeared himself greatly 
 to his brethren by his graces and virtues. This now 
 aged soldier of the cross is living at present in Davenport, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Dr. B. F. Hall, a native of Fleming county, Xentucky, 
 but who has long made Texas his home, succeeded Mr. 
 Challen. Dr. Hall was a speaker of moderate ability. 
 During his pastorate the church became divided on the 
 subject of ordination, the parties in the contention beino- 
 Dr. Hall, Dr. J. G. Chinn, and others, on one side, and 
 
1825.] REGULAR PASTORS. 311 
 
 Poindexter and a few followers on the other. The breach 
 was finally closed. 
 
 In 1841, Dr. L. L. Pinkerton succeeded Dr. Hall as pas- 
 tor, and under his energetic ministry the church prospered, 
 and shortly after he commenced his labors (1842), the pres- 
 ent large church edifice on Main street was completed. Dr. 
 Pinkerton was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, January 
 28, 1812, and was trained in the Presbyterian faith, but in 
 1830 was baptized under the personal ministry of Bishop 
 Campbell. Before he began to preach, he practiced medi- 
 cine, having graduated in the Transylvania Medical College. 
 Dr. Pinkerton was pastor of the Main Street Church for 
 nearly three years, after which he was very largely instru- 
 mental in forming the Orphan School at Midway, Kentucky. 
 He was for five years professor of belles-lettres in Kentucky 
 University. Dr. Pinkerton is gifted with generosity, inde- 
 pendence, and liberality. His discourses are characterized 
 by elegance, vigor, and originality, over which is cast the 
 charm of a tender melancholy. A more uniformly inter- 
 esting speaker has never filled the pulpit of the Maia Street 
 Church. 
 
 In !N"ovember, 1843, the celebrated debate between those 
 distinguished champions, Bishop Alexander Campbell and 
 the Rev. N". L. Rice took place before densely packed audi- 
 ences in the Main Street Church. The moderators on that 
 occasion were Hon. Henry Clay, Judge George Robertson, 
 and Colonel Speed Smith. 
 
 After Dr. Pinkerton, Elders Newton Short, "William Clark, 
 A. W.' Robbins, and John I. Rogers became pastors of 
 the church. In 1860, W. H. Hopson, a native of Christian 
 county, Ky., was elected to the pastorate, which he filled 
 up to the year 1862, when J. W. McGarvey succeeded, and 
 he in turn was succeeded in 1867 by Elder Robert Graham, 
 who was born in Liverpool, England, and graduated at 
 Bethany College. L. B. "Wilkes, a native of Maury county, 
 Tennessee, became pastor in 1869. 
 
 During the ministry of Mr. Wilkes, a part of the congre- 
 gation, by the advice of its officers, commenced to meet for 
 worship in the Odd Fellows' Hall, on the corner of Main 
 
312 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1825. 
 
 and Broadway, where service was held, for the first time, 
 on Sunday, January 2, 1870, and continued regularly until 
 May 1st of the same year, when the Tirst Presbyterian 
 building was bought by the Main Street church, and de- 
 voted to the use of its members meeting in the hull. The 
 government of two congregations under one eldership 
 created dissatisfaction among some members of the church, 
 andwaspubliclycondemnedbyoneofthem(Mr.EHy) as un- 
 scriptural, despotic, and dangerous. It was continued never- 
 theless, and, unfortunately, a spirit of illiberality at the same 
 time rapidly manifested itself among some of the preachers 
 and leaders of the church. Forced, by these combined 
 causes, and desiring peace and freedom of conscience, a 
 number of the members of the church, acting in accord- 
 ance with the long-recognized rights and usage of the 
 Christian body, quietly established, in the spring of 1871, 
 the " Second Church of Christ," or, as it was kindly and 
 very suggestively called by the public a* that time, the 
 "Little Church around the Corner." 
 
 In the summer of 1871, the members of the Main Street 
 Church meeting on Broadway were organized into an in- 
 dependent church, after having been nearly eighteen months 
 under the rule of the Main Street officers. 
 
 On the 22d of October, 1871, the Main Street portion of 
 the original double body, assumed to exclude from it (the 
 Main Street Church) such members of the Second Church 
 of Christ as had formerly belonged to both the Main Street 
 and the Broadway congregations. The ladies and gentle- 
 men supposed to be excluded, were charged with " disorder 
 and schism in withdrawing and setting up a new organiza- 
 tion without the consent of the church." 
 
 M. E. Lard, the present pastor, who took charge of the 
 Main Street Church late in 1871, is a native of Bedford 
 county, Tennessee. 
 
 The Main Street congregation has been rapidly increas- 
 ing in numbers for several years past, and is now very large 
 and prosperous. The church has lately been considerably 
 improved in appearance. 
 
1826.] FUNERAL HONORS TO JEFFERSON, ETC. 313 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 Funeral Honors to Jefferson, Adams, and Shelby. 
 
 The citizens of Lexington testified their sincere regret 
 for the loss of the patriots, Jeflerson, Adams, and Shelby, 
 by extensive and impressive funeral ceremonies on "Wednes- 
 day, August 15, 1826. 
 
 At eleven o'clock a. m., a procession formed at the Grand 
 Masonic Hall, under the direction of Thomas Bodley, chief 
 marshal ; Messrs. John M. McCalla, Jas. M. Pike, Leslie 
 Combs, C. "W. Cloud, and Joseph Eobb, assistant marshals; 
 and proceeded in the following order to the Episcopal 
 Church : 
 
 Fayette Hussars, Captain Pindell. 
 Light Artillery Cadets, Lieutenant Commandant, "W. B. 
 
 Collins. 
 
 Lexington Light Infantry, Captain "West. 
 
 Fayette Rifle Corps, Captain Dailey. 
 
 Other uniform companies of Fayette county. 
 
 Committee of Arrangements. 
 
 Officiating Chaplain and Orator of the day. 
 
 Eeverend Clergy. 
 
 BIER OF ADAMS, 
 
 supported by eight bearers, with white bands and sashes, 
 
 and followed by a led horse, suitably and 
 
 appropriately accoutered. 
 
 BIER OF JEFFERSON, 
 
 supported and followed in the same manner. 
 The two biers of the ex-Presidents, followed by twenty-four 
 misses dressed in 'white, with white veils and suitable 
 badges, representing the twenty-four states of the Union, 
 
314 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1826. 
 
 BIER OF SHELBY, 
 supported by four bearers, and followed by a led horse ap- 
 propriately accoutered, and a female represent- 
 ing Kentucky, clothed in white, with 
 an appropriate badge. 
 Surviving officers and soldiers of the Revolution. 
 Major-general and his staff. 
 Trustees of the town, Treasurer and Clerk. 
 Militia Officers, General, Regimental, and Staff. 
 Members of Congress. 
 Members of the State Legislature. 
 Fayette Circuit Judge, Attorney, and Clerk. 
 Magistrates of the county, preceded by the High Sheriff 
 President, Trustees, and Professors of Transylvania Uni- 
 versity. 
 Principal, Visitors, and Teachers of the Lafayette Female 
 
 Academy. 
 Union Philosophical Society, "j 
 Whig Society, With badges. 
 
 Franklin Society, j 
 
 Teachers of the several Schools in Lexington and Fayette 
 
 county. 
 Citizens and strangers, four abreast. 
 
 After arriving at the church, which was crowded to excess, 
 a soft and beautiful dirge was played, and then, after a 
 touching prayer by the Rev. George T. Chapman, an elo- 
 quent and impressive funeral oration was delivered by 
 William T. Barry. The ceremonies concluded with an 
 anthem by the choir and a benediction. 
 
 -^^#V^ 
 
1827.] A GREAT RAIN. 315 
 
 CHAPTEE LI. 
 
 A Great Rain. 
 
 An extraordinary fall of rain occurred in Lexington, on 
 Sunday, July 25, 1827.* It commenced with a heavy thun- 
 der shower in the afternoon, and continued all night, and 
 hy morning so great had been the volume of water that 
 had fallen, that citizens going to their places of business, 
 were obliged to wade through the torrents of water which 
 poured through the streets. The cellars in the level parts 
 of the town were completely filled with water, causing great 
 losses to grocers and merchants. The damage done was 
 estimated at twenty thousand dollars. Several lives were 
 endangered by the sudden rise of the water. In one case 
 a black woman was very nigh drowned. She was sleeping 
 in a cellar kitchen. The water had arisen in the street till 
 it reached the cellar windows, when it rushed in so rapidly 
 that she either had not time or presence of mind to make 
 her escape, but catching hold of something above her, 
 cried for help. In a few minutes the cellar was filled, and 
 she must inevitably have been drowned had not some per- 
 son ventured in and brought her out. 
 
 •Western Luminary. 
 
 ■^c^m^i^^^ 
 
316 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1828. 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 
 National Bepublicans and Democratic Republicans. 
 
 By the time the year 1828 rolled 'round, old state and 
 local issues were forgotten in Lexington. The Old Court 
 party was now known as the " l^ational Republican " party, 
 and the !N"ew Court as "Democratic Republican" party. 
 Lexington blazed with political excitement all through 
 this year, and it was at its highest pitch at the November 
 election, which resulted in Jackson carrying the state by a 
 majority of eight thousand over Adams. 
 
1829.] FIRST ROAD MACADAMIZED. 317 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 First Road Macadamized. 
 
 The macadamizing of the streets and roads of Lexing- 
 ton was agitated in 1829, and urged in particular by Henry 
 Clay. On the 30th of October, a large public meeting was 
 held, at which the McAdam plan was indorsed^ and steps 
 were taken to organize a company to construct a road 
 " connecting Lexington with the Ohio river." The follow- 
 ing committee was appointed to advance the interests of the 
 road, viz : Henry Clay, Charleton Hunt, Benjamin Gratz, 
 Richard Higgins, E. J. Winter, John Brand, Benjamin 
 Taylor, Richard Chinn, David Megowan, George Boswell, 
 and D. Sayre. Work was commenced shortly after, on 
 Limestone and Broadway streets, and on the road from 
 Lexington to Maysville, which is believed to have been the 
 first road macadamized in Kentucky. 
 
318 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1830. 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 The First Western Hailroad— Corporators— Officers— Inci- 
 dents— First American Locomotive — Charles Humphreys. 
 
 Lexington claims the honor of having constructed the 
 first railroad in the West, and the second one in America. 
 It was originally known as the " Lexington and Ohio Rail- 
 road," and was chartered by the Kentucky legislature, 
 January 27, 1830 ; and the corporators were* Messrs. John 
 W. Hunt, John Brand, Richard Higgins, Benjamin Gratz, 
 Luther Stevens, Robert WickliiFe, Leslie Combs, Elisha 
 "Warfield, Robert Frazer, James "Weir, Michael Fishell, 
 Thomas E. Boswell, George Boswell, Benjamin Taylor, 
 Elisha J. "Winter, Joseph Boswell, David Megowan, John 
 Norton, Madison C. Johnson, and Henry C. Payne. Elisha 
 J. "Winter was elected first president of the company. The 
 second president was Benjamin Gratz, of Lexington, 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Engineers, at that period, were not so lavish in their es- 
 timates of the cost of constructing railroads, as they have 
 become in modern times, as it is a matter of history that 
 the original estimate of the cost of the contemplated Lex- 
 ington and Ohio road, from Lexington to Portland, was 
 one million of dollars. Of this sum, about seven hundred 
 thousand dollars was promptly subscribed by citizens of 
 Lexington. f 
 
 The " corner-stone " of the road was laid on Water street, 
 near the corner of Mill, with great display, on the 21st of 
 October, 1831. Governor Metcalfe drove the first spike, and 
 an address was delivered to the assembled concourse by 
 Professor Charles Caldwell. Work on this pioneer road 
 was then commenced. 
 
 *Acts Legislature. tLouisville Courier. 
 
1830.] FIRST AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE. 319 
 
 The road-bed was as unique as it was substantial, and 
 consisted of strap-iron rails spiked down to stone-sills. 
 The cars were, for a long time, drawn by horses. The first 
 steam locomotive made in the United States ran over this 
 road. It had been invented by Thomas Barlow, of Lex- 
 ington, as early as 1827 or 1828, and was constructed by 
 Joseph Brueu, an ingenious mechanic, also a resident of 
 Lexington.* The original model of this locomotive is in 
 the museum of the Eastern Lunatic Asylum of this city. On 
 the night of December 21, 1834, a grand ball and supper 
 was given at Brennan's tavern, in Lexington, to celebrate 
 the opening of the road, and the rejoicing and festivity 
 was great. 
 
 An immense and excited crowd assembled at Lexington, 
 on Saturday, January 24, 1835, to witness the starting of 
 the first train for the "Villa." In the following December, 
 the first through train arrived at Frankfort from Lex- 
 ington.-j- 
 
 During the session of the general assembly of 1847, 
 the Louisville and Erankfort Railroad Company was or- 
 ganized and chartered, and at once became the purchasers 
 of that portion of the road lying between Louisville and 
 Frankfort. In 1848, the Lexington and Frankfort Rail- 
 road Company was organized, and in turn purchased from 
 the state that portion of the road between Lexington and 
 Frankfort, 
 
 Regular trains were first run through from Louisville to 
 Lexington in 1851. 
 
 In 1857, the management of the Louisville and Frank- 
 fort and Lexington and Frankfort railroads was consoli- 
 dated. The road is now known as the Louisville, Lexing- 
 ton and Cincinnati Railroad. 
 
 Charles Humphreys died. October 1, 1830, in the fifty-fifth 
 year of his age. He was a self-taught scholar ; was long a 
 law professor in Transylvania University, and was an able 
 and accomplished advocate and jurist. It is said that he 
 was not known to have had a single enemy. 
 
 •Observer and Keporter, 1833. tObserver and Keporter. 
 
320 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1831. 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 Whigs and Democrats — Physicians. 
 
 In 1831, Henry Clay was nominated for the presidency 
 against Andrew Jackson, and the Whig and Democratic 
 parties in Lexington labored for their favorites with a pas- 
 sionate energy and fiery zeal never since surpassed. The 
 newspapers flamed with phillipics and denunciations. 
 Caucuses, speeches, clubs, barbecues, pole-raisings, and 
 mass meetings kept up a tempest of political excitement 
 in which all ages, sexes, and conditions took a part. De- 
 traction and bitter animosity accompanied the heated oppo- 
 sition of the parties, and when the contest ended with the 
 election of Jackson for the second time, the deep mortifi- 
 cation of one side was only equaled by the wild and tri- 
 umphant rejoicing of the other. 
 
 Among the prominent physicians of Lexington about 
 this time (1831) were Drs. Best, Holland, "William Pawling, 
 T. P. Satterwhite, and Richard Pindell, the last-named 
 gentleman was a native of Maryland, and had been a sur- 
 geon in the Eevolutionary army. He died March 16, 1833. 
 
1832.] LEXINGTON A CITr— FIRST OFFICERS. 
 
 321 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 Lexington a City— First Officers— Poor and Work-JIouse— 
 Trustees' Rooms and Council Chamber — List of Mayors- 
 Appearance of Lexington in 1832— Genera? Jackson's Visit. 
 
 Lexington became an incorporated city in 1832, and on 
 the 12th of January of that year, the first mayor and the 
 first board of councilmen were inducted into oifice.* The 
 brief ceremonies took place at the court-houge. The 
 oath was administered to the mayor, Charleton Hunt, by 
 Judge T. M. Hiekey, after which the mayor administered 
 it to the following gentlemen, who composed the council, 
 viz: William A. Leavy, Richard Higgins, Stephen Chip- 
 ley, Robert S. Todd, David Megowan, Richard Ashton, 
 Thomas P. Hart, Luther Stephens, Thomas M. Hiekey, 
 Leslie Combs, John Brand, and Benjamin Gratz. The 
 city was at once divided into four wards, a municipal seal 
 was adopted, a work-house established, and the general 
 machinery of the new government set in motion. 
 
 The first mayor of Lexington, Charleton Hunt, was the 
 
 oldest son of John Wesley Hunt, and was born December 
 
 3, 1801. After graduating at Transylvania University, he 
 
 studied law, and held a prominent position in his profession 
 
 at the time of his death, which occurred December 27, 1836. 
 
 He died just as a future full of promise was opening to 
 
 him. Few men have been more beloved in Lexington, and 
 
 his death produced a general sensation of regret and sorrow. 
 
 The first work-house was located on Limestone street, 
 
 adjoining the jail, and its first keeper was T. B. McGowen.f 
 
 In 1835 a poor-house was combined with the work-house, 
 
 and the buildings of the joint establishment were erected 
 
 *City Kecords. tid. 
 
322 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1832. 
 
 on Bolivar street. The institutions were connected about 
 thirty-five years. The poor-house is now located in the 
 country. The work-house remains on Bolivar street, and 
 has lately been improved. 
 
 The trustees of the town of Lexington held their meet- 
 ings first in the fort, then in the first court-house, afterward 
 in a room in the old state-house, and then again in the 
 court-house. 
 
 The city council occupied the old Odd Tellows Hall, on 
 Church street, until it was destroyed by fire in 1854. The 
 Medical Hall, corner of Church and Market (now replaced 
 by the library building), was used for a long time. In 
 1865, the council took possession of its present hall, in 
 Hunt's row. 
 
 The following is a list of the mayors of the city, from 
 1832 to the present time, viz: 1832-4, Charleton Hunt; 
 1835-6, James E. Davis; 1837-8, J. &. McKinney; 1839-40, 
 C. H. Wickliffe; 1841, Daniel Bradford; 1842-5, James 
 Logue; 1846, Thomas Ross; 1847, John Henry; 1848, 
 George P. Jouett; 1849-50, 0. F. Payne; 1851-3, E. W. 
 Dowden; 1854, T. H. Pindell; 1855-8, William Swift; 1859, 
 T. B. Monroe; 1860-1, Benjamin P. Graves; 1862, C. T. 
 Worley; 1863-5, Joseph Wingate; 1866, D. W. Standiford; 
 1867, J. T. Frazer; 1868, J. G. Chinn; 1869-72, J. T. 
 Frazer. 
 
 The appearance of Lexington at the time it was incor- 
 porated as a city is thus described by an admiring visitor :* 
 
 " The town buildings in general are handsome, and some 
 are magnificent. Few towns in the West, or elsewhere, are 
 more delightfully situated. Its environs have a singular 
 softness and amenity of landscape, and the town wears an 
 air of neatness, opulence, and repose, indicating leisure and 
 studiousness, rather than the bustle of business and com- 
 merce. It is situated in the center of a proverbially rich 
 and beautiful country. The frequency of handsome villas 
 and ornamented rural mansions impart the impression of 
 vicinity to an opulent metropolis. A beautiful branch of 
 
 ♦Flint's Mississippi Valley. 
 
1832.] JACKSON'S VISIT TO LEXINGTON. 323 
 
 the Elkhorn runs through the city, and supplies it with 
 water. The main street is a mile and a quarter in length, 
 and eighty feet wide, well paved, and the principal roads 
 leading from it to the country are macadamized for some 
 distance. In the center of the town is the public square, 
 surrounded by handsome buildings. In this square is the 
 market-house, which is amply supplied with all the pro- 
 ducts of the state. The inhabitants are cheerful, intelligent, 
 conversable, and noted for their hospitality to strangers. 
 The professional men are distinguished for their attain- 
 ments in their several walks, and many distinguished and 
 eminent men have had their origin here. The university, 
 with its professors and students, and the numerous distin- 
 guished strangers that are visiting here during the summer 
 months, add to the attractions of the city. The people are 
 addicted to giving parties, and the tone of society is fash- 
 ionable and pleasant. Strangers, in general, are much 
 pleased with a temporary sojourn in this city, which con- 
 veys high ideas of the refinement and taste of the country. 
 There are now much larger towns in the West, but none 
 presenting more beauty and intelligence. The stranger, on 
 finding himself in the midst of its polished and interesting 
 society, can not but be carried back, by the strong contrast, 
 to the time when the patriarchial hunters of Kentucky, 
 reclining on their buffalo robes around their evening fires, 
 canopied by the lofty trees and the stars, gave it the name 
 it bears, by patriotic acclamation." 
 
 General Andrew Jackson visited Lexington the second 
 time on Saturday, September 29, 1832,* at which time a 
 grand barbecue in his honor was given by the Democrats 
 at " Fowler's Garden." General Jackson was then a candi- 
 date for re-election to the presidency, and Mr. Clay, selected 
 by the " Nationals," was his competitor. " Old Hickory" 
 was escorted into the city by an immense procession, com- 
 posed of military companies, various orders and societies, 
 several bands of music, and a concourse of horsemen and 
 footmen bearing banners, appropriately inscribed, and sur- 
 
 *Gazette. 
 
324 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1832. 
 
 mounted by game cocks, which crowed lustily as they went 
 through the streets. General John M. McCalla, Benjamin 
 Taylor, and Abram Morton were marshals of the day. 
 Jackson rode in an open carriage with Governor Breathitt, 
 who had just been elected by the Democrats. The win- 
 dows and streets were crowded with people, to whom the 
 President continually bowed as they waved their handker- 
 chiefs and hickory branches, and gave him cheer after 
 cheer. The concourse, from the barbecue, attended the 
 President's levee, which was held that night at Postle- 
 thwaite's tavern. On Sunday morning, Jackson attended the 
 Pirst Presbyterian Church, corner of Broadway and Second 
 street, and listened to a sermon from the Eev. Ifathan Hall. 
 The house was crowded almost to sufibcation, and hundreds 
 were unable to enter. The curiosity to see the determined 
 old hero was intense, and he never walked the streets 
 unaccompanied by a crowd. On his way to church he 
 passed the branch of the United States Bank (now the 
 Northern Bank building), which had just been completed, 
 and was then considered a very fine edifice. An amusing 
 tradition, told with great gusto by old-time Democrats long 
 after the reputed occurrence of the incident, declares that 
 Jackson no sooner saw the bank than he gave it one of 
 his most withering glances, muttering, " By the eternal !" 
 and brought his cane down upon the pavement with a most 
 emphatic rap. The effect was, of course, fatal. Three 
 years from that time the bank ceased to exist. The story 
 indicates the intensity of party feeling at that periocL 
 Jackson and his suite left Lexington on horseback the 
 Monday succeeding his arrival, after having been given one 
 of the most enthusiastic receptions ever accorded to a dis- 
 tinguished visitor in Lexington. 
 
1833.] CHOLERA. 325 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 Cholera — Its Terrible Effects — Incidents — The Lexington Or- 
 phan Asylum — First Managers. 
 
 The terrible ravages of the cholera in 1833 will ever 
 keep that fatal year memorable in the annals of Lexington. 
 The devoted city had confidently expected to escape the 
 scourge on account of its elevated position and freedom 
 ft'om large collections of water, but an inscrutable Prov- 
 idence ruled it otherwise. About the 1st of June the cholera 
 made its appearance, and in less than ten days fifteen hun- 
 dred persons were prostrated and dying at the rate of fifty 
 a day.* An indescribable panic seized the citizens, half 
 of whom fled from the city, and those who remained were 
 almost paralyzed with fear. Intercourse between the town 
 and country was suspended for six weeks; farmers had to 
 abandon their grain to the stock for want of laborers; the 
 market-houses in the citj' were empty and desolate, and 
 fiimine would have been added to pestilence but for the 
 great activity of the authorities. 
 
 The streets were silent and deserted by everything but 
 horses and dead-carts, and to complete the desperate con- 
 dition of things three physicians died, three more were ab- 
 sent, and of the rest scarcely one escaped an attack of the 
 disease. f The clergy, active as they were, could not meet 
 one-third of the demands made upon them. Business 
 houses were closed, factories stopped, and men passed their 
 most intimate friends in silence and afar off', staring like 
 lunatics, for the fear of contagion was upon them. The 
 dead could not be buried fast enough, nor could coffins be 
 Lad to meet half the demand. Many of the victims were 
 consigned to trunks and boxes, or wrapped in the bed- 
 
 *Davidson's History. fid. 
 
326 EisTonr of Lexington. [issa. 
 
 clothes upon which they had just expired, placed in carts, 
 and hurried ofl" for burial without a prayer being said and 
 no attendant but the driver. The grave-yards were choked. 
 CoflBned and uncoffined dead were laid at the gates in con- 
 fused heaps to wait their turn to be deposited in the long, 
 shallow trenches, which were hastily dug for the necessities 
 of the occasion. Out of one family of nineteen persons, 
 seventeen died. 
 
 The hitherto festival day, the Fourth of July, came, and 
 found the fearful pestilence abating, and was observed in 
 the churches with mingled tears, thanksgiving, prayers, and 
 supplications. The fell destroyer had swept overlive hun- 
 dred persons out of existence,* and the whole city was in 
 mourning. The terrors and sufferings in Lexington dur- 
 ing the fearful cholera season of " '33 " no pen can describe. 
 
 The Lexington Orphan Asylum originated from the cal- 
 amities occasioned by the cholera, which left children desti- 
 tute and unprotected. A public meeting was held at the 
 court-house on Wednesday, July 17, 1833,t to raise funds 
 to establish an asylum for these children. It was largely 
 attended, and |4,400 were collected for the purpose. A 
 house and lot, formerly the property of Dr. James Fish- 
 back, and located on Third street, between Broadway and 
 Jefferson, where the asylum has ever since remained, 
 was purchased, and on Wednesday, August 14th, the institu- 
 tion was organized with the following managers, viz : Mrs. 
 Wicklifte, Mrs. Sayre, Mrs. Tilford, Mrs. Gratz, Mrs. Er- 
 win, Mrs. Bruen, Mrs. W. Eiehardson, Mrs. Putnam, Mrs. 
 Chipley, Mrs. J. l^orton, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. Dewees, Mrs. 
 Ward, Mrs. L. Stephens, Mrs. J. W. Hunt, Mrs. Peers, 
 Mrs. Leavy, Mrs. Macalester, Mrs. Koss, Mrs. Geohegan, 
 Miss Edmiston, Miss Barry, Miss M. Merrill, and Mrs. 
 Short. The managers furnished the house, procured a 
 matron and an assistant, and gathered and sheltered all the 
 destitute orphans in the city who had been deprived of 
 both parents. 
 
 The institution has no permanent fund, and is supported 
 
 *City Keoords. tObserver iind Jieporter. 
 
1833.] THE ORPHAN ASYLUM. 327 
 
 by subscriptions and donations from any who are disposed 
 to aid in the support of orphans. 
 
 The citizens of Lexington have never allowed it to lan- 
 guish for want of support, but the most liberal and sub- 
 stantial aid it has received since its establishment, was in 
 1866, when, by means of public liberality, its buildings 
 were greatly enlarged and improved. 
 
328 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 1834. 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII. 
 
 Great Revival — Branch Bank of Kentucky — St. Catharine's 
 Academy — City Schools — James 0. Harrison's Adminis- 
 tration. 
 
 The fearful cholera experience of Lexington was not 
 without its beneficial effects. Saddened and chastened, the 
 city turned to religion for consolation, and in 1834, a great 
 revival was the result. Meetings were held for nearly a 
 month, and four hundred additions were made to the 
 various churches.* 
 
 A branch of the Bank of Kentucky was established in 
 Lexington in 1884, its first board being Benjamin Gratz, 
 iiforman Porter, James Hamilton, Stephen Swift, Joseph 
 Bruen, W. H. Eainey, J. G. McKinney, David Heran. 
 After a successful existence of thirty-one years, the insti- 
 tution discontinued business March 13, 1865. The last 
 oflicers of the bank were Henry Bell, president; H. B, 
 Hill, cashier; H. B. Hill, Jr., teller; E. S. Duncanson, 
 book-keeper; John Carty, D. M. Craig, George Brand, M. 
 P. Lancaster, John G. Allen, directors. 
 
 St. Catharine's Academy, on Limestone street, between 
 Winchester and Constitution, was transferred to Lexington 
 in 1834,t from Scott county, Kentucky, where it had been 
 founded four years before. St. Catharine's is a branch of 
 the Roman Catholic Academy of Nazareth, near Bardstown, 
 in this state, and is conducted by sisters of charity. The 
 first superioress of St. Catharine's was Annie Spalding, a 
 relative of the late Archbishop Spalding, and a gifted and 
 accomplished woman. She was poisoned, in 1852, by a 
 negro woman owned by the institution, and who she had 
 
 «Davidsoii'8 History. tAcudamy llecords. 
 
1834.] CITr SCHOOLS. 329 
 
 unwittingly offended. She was buried in the old Catholic 
 Cemetery on Winchester street. The academy has been 
 blessed with success and prosperity since its removal to 
 Lexington, and its buildings have been greatly enlarged 
 and improved. St. Jobn's Academy, located on the same 
 lot, was partially built from the brick that once composed 
 the walls of the old Catholic Chapel in which the celebrated 
 Father Baden officiated for so many years. 
 
 The first city school established in Lexington was organ- 
 ized in 1834, and, like the Orphan Asylum, resulted from 
 the devastations of the cholera, which left many children 
 unprovided with means of education. The old Kaukin 
 Church, on the corner of Short and Walnut streets, was 
 obtained by the city, and the school was opened on the 
 1st day of March, 1834, with one hundred and seven pupils 
 in attendance. Joseph Gayle was principal, assisted by 
 his daughter. The school committee appointed by the 
 council consisted of James 0. Harrison, William A. Leavy, 
 and Thomas P. Hart. The establishment of this school 
 was largely due to the exertions of Charleton Hunt, then 
 mayor of Lexington. In" 1836, William Morton, an old 
 and greatly respected citizen, left a legacy of $10,000 to 
 advance the interests of this school, which is now known 
 as "Morton School (No. 1)." The old schtol- house was 
 replaced by the present one in 1849. Harrison School (ISTo. 
 2), named in honor of James 0. Harrison, was organized 
 in 1849, and Dudley School (No. 3), so called in honor of 
 Dr. B. W. Dudley, in 1851. 
 
 In 1853, the public schools had attained a prosperity, 
 character, and efficiency greater than they ever enjoyed 
 before or since. The number of pupils at that time was 
 one thousand three hundred and seventy-eight,* and so 
 great was the public confidence in the schools, that not a 
 single private ichool for the education of boys was in exist- 
 ence 'n <:he city.f Everybody, without regard to either 
 ociai or financial distinctions, sent their children to the 
 city schools, and the processions, speeches, festivities, and 
 
 »City Keoords. tid. 
 
330 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1834. 
 
 crowds which attended the closing exercises of the schools, 
 indicated the interest and pride that were taken in them by 
 the citizens. These gratifying results were mainly due to 
 the energy and enlightened management of James 0. Har- 
 rison, who was for a long time chairman of the school 
 committee, and who devoted a number of the best years 
 of his life to the upbuilding of the schools. At the present 
 time, the city schools, owing to various causes, are neither 
 as well attended nor as useful as they were twenty years ago. 
 
1835.] NORTHERN BANK— JOEL T. HART. 33^ 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 Northern Bank — Joel T. Hart — James Haggin — George Rob- 
 ertson — John Boyle. 
 
 The E'orthern Bank of Kentucky was founded in June, 
 1835, at which time it purchased from the United States 
 Bank its branch house in Lexington, its debt and specie, 
 and became the agent to wind up the business of the con- 
 cern. The first directors of the Iforthern Bank were B. 
 W. Dudley, D. M. Craig, John Tilford, W. A. Leavy, P. 
 Bain, W. Dunn, B. Gratz, H. Johnson, and W. Barr. 
 
 The officers of the bank at the present time are M. C. 
 Johnson, president; A. F. Hawkins, cashier; E. Bacon, 
 teller; J. T. Davidson and C. Y. Bean, book-keepers. 
 
 The Northern Bank, ever since its establishment, has 
 used the old United States Branch Bank building, on the 
 corner of Short and Market streets. 
 
 The now justly famous Joel T. Hart dates his career 
 from 1835, in which year he settled in Lexington. This 
 great self-made man, who has reflected so much honor 
 upon our city, was born, poor and almost friendless, in 
 Clark county, Kentucky, in 1810. After going to school 
 for a short time, he was compelled, by necessity and 
 the unconscious promptings of his genius, to labor with 
 the stone-mason's hammer, and lived, up to the time of his 
 arrival in Lexington, by building stone fences and chimneys. 
 He was already twenty-five years old when he came to 
 this city, and obtained work in a marble yard, on the 
 corner of Upper and Second streets, where he cut his first 
 letters on a tombstone. His guardian angel, who had thus 
 pushed him one step in advance, placed him full in the 
 path of his great destiny two years after, when he met 
 
332 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1835. 
 
 Clevenger, a young sculptor from Gincinnati, who discov- 
 ered in him a fellow artist, and kindly instructed him in 
 his high calling. In a short time, Hart was freed from the 
 weight that held him down. The rough stone-mason had 
 become what he was bora to be — a sculptor. 
 
 Hart's first studio was in a building connected with, and 
 in the rear of the present residence of Mr. Thomas Brad- 
 ley, on Second street, and his first effort, as an artist in 
 marble, was a bust of Cassius M. Clay. He soon attracted 
 great attention, and in a short time had made himself 
 famous by superbly executed busts of John J. Crittenden,' 
 Andrew Jackson, and Henry Clay. In 1849, Mr. Hart was 
 engaged by the ladies of Richmond, Virginia, to execute 
 the marble statue of Mr. Clay, which now adorns the capi- 
 tol grounds of that city. He went to Italy, and settled in 
 Florence, where he modeled the statue, and, at the same 
 time, invented two valuable instruments to be used in 
 his art. By means of one of these, the workmen are en- 
 abled to transfer the compositions of the sculptor from the 
 plaster to the marble, with a degree of precision utterly 
 impossible by the ordinary method of calipers. By means 
 of the other invention, the form of the living subject may 
 be transferred to the desired material, with an absolute 
 exactitude. As a consequence, therefore, any of the great 
 antique statues may be perfectly reproduced. 
 
 He went to London to obtain a patent for his invention, 
 and While struggling to effect his object, suffered the direst 
 extremes of poverty, until he fortunately attracted the at- 
 tention of some discerning and cultivated gentlemen, who 
 engaged him to make a bust of the noted Dr. Southwood 
 Smith. His success was such as to obtain for him the 
 patronage of the nobility of the realm, and give him a 
 European reputation. Shortly after this, he shipped to 
 America the marble statue of Clay, and also a bronze statue 
 of the same statesman which he had modeled for the city 
 of New Orleans. 
 
 Mr. Hart returned from Italy in 1860, and was received 
 by the city of Lexington with every demonstration of re- 
 spect and honor. At Frankfort, also, he met with distin 
 
1835.] JOEL T. HART. 333 
 
 guished consideration, and the legislature, then in session, 
 appropriated $10,000 to complete the Clay monument in 
 this city, by surmounting it with a statue of Mr. Clay, to 
 be executed by his gifted fellow-townsman, Mr. Hart. A 
 compliment more just or deserved was never more grace- 
 fully paid by a state to its greatest ai'tist. But unfortu- 
 nately the Monumental Association found it necessary to 
 use six thousand dollars of the sum appropriated, to pay 
 expenses already incurred, and the remainder was paid 
 to a stranger for "the statue" which surmounts the Clay 
 monument. 
 
 In the fall of 1860, Mr. Hart returned to Tlorence, Italy, 
 where he still resides. He has never married. He is now 
 known, not only as a sculptor, but also as a philosopher, a 
 poet, a scientist. His poems, many of which have been 
 published anonymously in England and America, are char- 
 acterized by versatility, and considerable beauty and ele- 
 gance of style. 
 
 Mr. Hart is at present still working upon an ideal group, 
 the "Triumph of Chastity,"* which has engaged his 
 genius for several years, and which, in the opinion of noted 
 foreign and American critics, will be the most perfect 
 achievement of modern art. The conception is entirely 
 original. Cupid, fully armed and equipped, is ignomin- 
 iously defeated in an attack upon a virgin just arrived at per- 
 fect womanhood. The figures are nude. An artist who has 
 seen the group says : " It is scarcely too much to say that, 
 as a carefully studied composition, evincing a thorough 
 knowledge of anatomy and of the subtle laws of form and 
 curvature, there is no modern work which may challenge 
 comparison with the ' Triumph of Chastity.' " 
 
 Lexington may well be proud of her great genius, Hart. 
 He is famous throughout the old world and the new. The 
 splendid productions of his chisel drew from his gifted 
 fellow-artist, Hiram Powers, the lofty and generous eulogy, 
 " Hart is the best sculptor in the world." 
 
 Judge James Haggin, for many years a distinguished 
 member of the Lexington bar, died of bilious fever, August 
 
 *Cor. Evening Post. 
 
334 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1835. 
 
 21, 1835. Judge Haggin was born in 1789, and re- 
 moved from Mercer county, Kentucky, to Lexington, in 
 1810. His wife was a Miss McBrayer. Although Judge 
 Haggin never filled any prominent public station but that 
 of judge of the court of appeals with Barry, in 1824, he 
 was none the less known, and his influence during some of 
 tlie most stirring periods in the political history of the com- 
 monwealth was commensurate with his talents, which were 
 of the first order. As a land lawyer, he had no superior in 
 Kentucky, and he was long considered one of the ablest 
 jurists in the western country. Judge Haggin's residence 
 was on the site of the present Hocker school building, on 
 Broadway, between Third and Fourth streets. 
 
 Judge George Robertson settled in Lexington on the 
 4th of July, 1835. His parents were Virginians of Irish 
 descent, and were both endowed with sterling qualities of 
 head and heart. They emigrated to the wilderness of Ken- 
 tucky, and settled at Gordon's station, in 1779. 
 
 Judge Robertson was born in 1790, in that part of the then 
 county of Mercer which is now known as Garrard county. 
 After obtaining a good English education at " neighbor- 
 hood schools," he spent a year at Transylvania University, 
 and then continued his classical studies under Rev. Samuel 
 Finley, at Lancaster, after which he assisted that gentle- 
 man in teaching. 
 
 In 1808, he commenced the study of law at Lancaster, 
 under Martin D. Hardin, and in 1809, Judges Boyle and 
 Wallace of the court of appeals granted him license to 
 practice. 
 
 At the age of nineteen, he married Miss Eleanor, aged 
 sixteen, a daughter of Dr. Bainbridge, of Lancaster. The 
 young couple commenced life under difficulties. Poor and 
 inexperienced, they suffered and struggled for a time, but 
 the young lawyer was energetic, and in two or three years 
 had a good practice. He worked on, and in 1816, was 
 elected a representative to Congress against strong opposi- 
 tion, and was subsequently twice re-elected without oppo- 
 sition. 
 
1835.] JVD&E GEORGE ROBERTSOX. 335 
 
 "While in Congress, he took an active part in the legisla- 
 tion of the nation. He drew and introduced the bill to es- 
 tablish a territorial government in Arkansas. On that bill 
 the question of interdicting slavery was introduced, and 
 elaborately discussed. The restriction was carried by one 
 vote. A reconsideration was had and the bill finallj' passed, 
 divested of the restriction, by the casting vote of the 
 speaker, Mr. Clay. 
 
 He was the author of the present system of selling public 
 lands in lieu of the old system and two dollars minimum; 
 his object being to redeem the West from debt, and pro- 
 mote its settlement and independence. Upon considera- 
 tions of expediency, tbe bill was first carried through the 
 senate. 
 
 After his retirement from Congress, Governor Adair ten- 
 dered him the appointment of attorney-general of the 
 state, but he declined it to pursue his profession and secure 
 a competence for his family. In 1822, he was elected a 
 representative to the legislature by the people of Garrard, 
 in view of the all-absorbing and all-exciting relief ques- 
 tions. He was made speaker of the house in 1823, and 
 was re-elected every session afterward while he remained 
 in the legislature, except the revolutionary session of 1824. 
 He remained in the general assembly until the relief con- 
 test was settled in 1826-7, and during that memorable 
 period several of his speeches were extensively published. 
 He wrote the celebrated protest of 1824, signed by the 
 anti-relief party in the legislature, and was also the author 
 of the manifesto signed by the majority in 1825-6. 
 
 Appointments to the office of governor of Arkansas, and 
 subsequently as minister to Bogota, were tendered him by 
 President Monroe, and the mission to Peru by President 
 Adams, but all were declined. He accepted the office of 
 secretary of state under Governor Metcalfe, and for many 
 years was professor of constitutional law in Transylvania 
 University. 
 
 After the rejection of the nominations of Judges Mills 
 and Owsley to the bench of the court of appeals, he was 
 
336 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1835. 
 
 confirmed as a judge of that court, and subsequently com- 
 missioned chief justice, which elevated position he held 
 until April, 1843, when he resigned it to return to the bar. 
 
 He was called again to the appellate bench in 1854, and 
 there remained for seventeen years, being chief justice 
 most of that time. In the summer of 1872, after more 
 than half a century of public life, Judge Robertson was 
 stricken with paralysis, and on the 5th of September of 
 that year, in the city of Frankfort, he resigned his elevated 
 position under most affecting circumstances, and now in the 
 eighty-second of his age, sufl'ering, but in full possession 
 of all his great mental faculties, he lingers yet a little while 
 on this side the Jordan, in the sunshine of an honored life. 
 He is the last survivor of the stormy and momentous con- 
 gressional session, which ended in 1821. All of his con- 
 temporaries and colleagues of that eventful period — presi- 
 dent, cabinet members, senators, and representatives — have 
 gone before him to the mystic land. 
 
 Judge Robertson has been a laborious and persistent 
 studeijt, a clear, skillful, and strong speaker, noted for his 
 wonderful command of language, his extensive informa- 
 tion, and the power and grasp of his intellect. But it is as 
 a lawyer that he is most distinguished. He studied law as 
 a philosophical system; he mastered it as a science; he 
 investigated, reasoned, and became one of the greatest 
 jurists of this country. In dealing with constitutional 
 questions of magnitude and difficulty, he was at home in 
 the lists with Webster, Clay, and the other giant associates 
 of his life. As a judge, his decisions are consulted and 
 quoted, not only in the United States, but in Europe. This 
 venerable and distinguished citizen of Lexington still lives 
 in the residence he has occupied for many years, on the 
 corner of Mill and Hill streets. 
 
 John Boyle, at one time sole professor of law* in Tran- 
 sylvania University, and for sixteen years chief justice of 
 Kentucky, died in 1835, aged sixty-one years. He was 
 horn of humble parentage, in Yirginia, but married, com- 
 
1835.] JUDGE JOHN BOYLE. 337 
 
 menced the practice of law, and began life in Garrard 
 county. He was three times elected to Congress on the 
 Jeffersonian Democratic ticket, was appointed governor of 
 Illinois by President Madison, and commenced his connec- 
 tion with the Kentucky court of appeals in 1809. His 
 great abilities as a jurist may be inferred from the fact that 
 the appointment of associate justice of the Supreme Court 
 of the United States was twice within his grasp, but was 
 declined. At the time of his death he was district judge 
 of Kentucky. 
 
 •University Kecords. 
 
338 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1836. 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 Hunt's Row — Runaway Negroes and Negro Jails — Thomas 
 A. Marshall. 
 
 "Hunt's Row" was built in 1836, and was named by the 
 city council in honor of Charleton Hunt, the first mayor 
 of Lexington. In the summer of this year the "Lexing- 
 ton Ladies' Legion," composed of volunteer emigrants, left 
 for Texas, after having been presented with a stand of 
 colors. 
 
 It was not uncommon at this period, and for many years 
 after, for advertisements like the following to appear in the 
 Lexington newspapers. A cut of a negro running, and 
 with his bundle tied to a stick and thrown over his shoulder, 
 always adorned the advertisement: 
 
 "Three Hundred Dollars Reward. — Ran away from the 
 subscriber, living near the city of Lexington, on the night 
 of the 4th inst., two negroes, one a bright mulatto boy, 
 named Isaac, about six feet high, about twenty-five years 
 of age, very bushy hair, and very likely; the other, his 
 wife, Celia, about twenty-one years of age, very dark com- 
 plexion, very likely, and pretty stout built. The man had 
 on a broad-brim black hat, with a beaver cloth overcoat; 
 his other clothing not recollected. The woman's clothing 
 is not known. 
 
 " I will give a reward of $10 for each, if taken -in this 
 county; $20 each, if taken in any of the surroundino- 
 counties; $100 each, if taken in any county bordering on 
 the Ohio river, and $150 each, if taken out of the state, 
 and delivered to me in Lexington, or secured in jail so that 
 I get them, and all reasonable expenses paid." 
 
 There were several negro jails, or pens, in Lexington. 
 
1836.] JUDGE THOMAS A. MARSHALL. 339 
 
 where negro slaves were kept, bought, and sold. The old 
 theater on Short street, opposite the residence of J. B. 
 Wilgus, was converted into one. The building now used 
 as the Statesman office, on Short, near Limestone street, 
 was another, as was also the house on Main, between Lime- 
 stone and Rose streets, now used as a barracks for federal 
 soldiers. 
 
 Thomas A. Marshall, son of Humphrey Marshall, the 
 author of a history of Kentucky, settled in Lexington in 
 1836, and was for a long series of years professor of law in 
 Transylvania University. Judge Marshall was born in 
 Woodford county, Ky., January 15, 1794.* After gradu- 
 ating at Yale he studied law, married a niece of Mrs. Clay 
 in 1816, and moved to Paris in 1819, where he practiced his 
 profession until elected to Congress, in 1831. Judge Mar- 
 shall was four years in Congress, and the same length of 
 time in the Kentucky legislature. He adhered to the " Old 
 Court" party, and was influential as a Whig leader. In 
 1835, he was made a judge of the court of appeals, and 
 served in that capacity for twenty-two years, all his terms 
 included. During his judgeship he ignored politics alto- 
 gether. He removed from Lexington in 1857, and finally 
 settled in Louisville, where he died, April 15, 1871. 
 
 Judge Marshall was more eminent as a jurist than in any 
 other respect. Pure, logical, just, and honest, he was pecu- 
 liarly fitted by nature for high legal station. His decisions 
 are the best monument of his calm greatness. 'So other 
 man in Kentucky did more to shape the character of our 
 state laws. While residing in Lexington, Judge Marshall 
 lived at the head of Sixth street, on the place lately owned 
 by Mr. John Burch. 
 
 •Louisville Courier-Journal. 
 
 ^ 
 
340 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1837-8. 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Friendship, Covenant, 
 and Merrick Lodges — Incorporators — Halls — Lexington 
 Aihenceum — Railroad Festival. 
 
 The history of Odd Fellowship, in Lexington, commences 
 with the founding of Friendship Lodge, Wo. 5, May 6, 
 1837, just eighteen years after the establishment of the 
 'Order in the United States. The charter members of this 
 lodge were John Candy, T. J. Harrison, Gabriel Beach, 
 William Wilson, N. P. Long, Abram Spolen, and A. Mayd- 
 well.* The lodge was organized in the room in the rear, 
 and on the second floor of the building now known as 
 "Whitney & Co.'s drug store, on the corner of Mill and Main 
 streets, and there its meetings were regularly held for sev- 
 eral years. 
 
 The growth and prosperity of the order was such that, 
 on the 4th of October, 1845, Covenant Lodge, i^o. 22, was 
 established, its incorporators being R. T. Timberlake, C. C. 
 I^orton, Jesse Woodruff, George StoU, Sen., C. G. Young, 
 W. S. Simpson, Josephus Happy, and W. H. Newberry. 
 The first meeting of this lodge was held in the hall on 
 the corner of Church and Market streets, where the library 
 building now stands. 
 
 The corporators of the third and last lodge established, 
 Merrick, No. 31, March 3, 1856, were Daniel W. Young, 
 W. S. Chipley, Edgar A. Brown, Joseph Lanckart, and A. 
 H. Calvin. The organization of this lodge was effected, 
 and its meetings were held in the same building first used 
 by Covenant Lodge. 
 
 The meeting places of the Odd Fellows have, at different 
 
 *I. O. O. F. Eecords. 
 
1837-8.] BALLS— ATHEN^VM, ETC. 341 
 
 times, been in Hunt's row, on Water street, in the old 
 Methodist Church, on Church street, between Upper and 
 Limestone, which was converted into a hall, and in the 
 Medical Hall, where the library now stands. In 1856, the 
 large hall, on the corner of Main and Broadway, was com- 
 pleted. No better indication of the rapid progress of the 
 order in Lexington is seen than the Grand Hall on Main 
 street, between Upper and Limestone, now used by all the 
 lodges in the city. This handsome and commodious edi- 
 fice was dedicated with impressive ceremonies, in the pres- 
 ence of a large concourse, February 3, 1870, opening prayer 
 by the G. C, John W. Venable, dedication charge by the 
 R. W. G. M., Speed S. Fry, and the oration by P. G. M., 
 M. J. Durham. There is probably no city in the United 
 States where Odd Fellowship is in a more flourishing con- 
 dition than in Lexington. 
 
 The "Lexington Athenseum," a literary association, was 
 established in Lexington, in April, 1838, and used a room 
 in a building in Jordan's row. 
 
 On Wednesday, August 29, a festival, in honor of the 
 president and directors of the Cincinnati and Charleston 
 Eailroad Company, was given by the citizens of Lexington, 
 at which an address was delivered by General Robert T. 
 Hayne, president of the company. 
 
342 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER LXII. 
 Richard H. Mennifee. 
 
 RiCHAKD H. Mennifeb, One of the most wonderful men 
 that Kentucky has ever produced, settled in Lexington in 
 1839. He was born in Bath county, Kentucky, December 
 4, 1809, and was left an orphan when but four years old, 
 to struggle with poverty and obstacles of the most discour- 
 aging kind. Endowed with an ambition second only to 
 his great gifts, he struggled on through a wretched boy- 
 hood. He longed for an education, and had succeeded at 
 twelve years of age in entering a school, but was compelled, 
 after a few months, to leave it and act as bar-keeper in a 
 tavern in Owingsville. At fourteen, he obtained some 
 " winter schooling," and, when but a boy of fifteen, he 
 taught a school to get means to prosecute his studies; and 
 thus he struggled and thus he studied until he succeeded in 
 entering Transylvania University, where he made the most 
 astonishing I progress. Subsequently, after obtaining some 
 assistance, he studied law with Judge Trimble, and his in- 
 tense energy and great ability soon gained for him the 
 smiles of fortune. 
 
 In the spring of 1832, he was appointed commonwealth's 
 attorney, and, in the fall of the same year, he married the 
 eldest daughter of the distinguished artist, Jouett. He 
 was elected to the Kentucky legislature in 1836, and there 
 exhibited talents of so high an order that he was sent as 
 representative to Congress the next year. He entered Con- 
 gress an obscure young lawyer; he left it famous, and ac- 
 knowledged as one of the great men of America. He burst 
 upon his countrymen like a meteor long in darkness, and at 
 once took his owa place. His genius and his marvelous 
 
1839.] RICHARD H. MENNIFEE. 343 
 
 eloquence were upon every tongue. At the height of his 
 sudden and. deserved fame, he removed to Lexington, and 
 measured his strength at the bar with the greatest legal 
 minds of the state. Business rushed to him; wealth was 
 at his door, and the future seemed ready to repay him for 
 the bitter past. In the fall of 1840 he was engaged in a 
 case of great magnitude, in which Clay and Wickliife were 
 both employed against him. He exerted himself to the 
 utmost and accomplished wonders ; but his mind and body, 
 powerfully overtaxed, never recovered their natural tone. 
 He sank from that time, and died, " with all his blushing 
 honors thick upon him," at the early age of thirty-two. Mr. 
 Mennifee's residence was on the Harrodsburg turnpike, the 
 same now occupied by John B. Huston, and formerly by 
 John C. Breckinridge. 
 
344 BISTORT OF LEXINOTON. [1840. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIII. 
 
 Fros ferity of Lexington — Trade and Manufactures — Capital 
 Invested — Captain John Fowler. 
 
 By the year 1840, Lexington had almost recovered from 
 the effects of the adverse circumstances that had caused her 
 decline, and was again prosperous. The Lexington and 
 Ohio Railroad was in active operation. Seven turnpikes 
 ended in the city, and there were six lines of stages run- 
 ning, severally, to Cincinnati, Louisville, !Nashville, Mays- 
 ville, Richmond, and Owingsville. Six newspapers were 
 published, viz : Kentucky Gazette, Observer and Reporter, 
 Intelligencer, Independent Press, Christian Preacher, and 
 Transylvania Journal of Medicine.* Seven associations of 
 skilled mechanics were in existence, and were entitled the 
 Lexington Typographical Society, Union Society of Jour- 
 neymen Saddlers and Trunk-makers, United Society of 
 Cabinet-makers, Hatters' Society, Tailors and Cordwainers' 
 Society, and Master Carpenters' Association. There were 
 in the city eighteen rope and bagging factories, with a cap- 
 ital of $1,300,000, and employing nearly a thousand men ;f 
 three wholesale dry -goods and china houses ; fourteen retail 
 dry-goods establishments ; nine wholesale and retail gro- 
 ceries ; five saddler shops ; twelve blacksmith shops ; one 
 insurance ofiiee ; twelve restaurateurs ; one portrait painter; 
 three dentists; one native sculptor; ten tailor shops ; one 
 bookbinding establishment ; four printing offices ; ten tav- 
 erns ; eight barber shops ; two renovating establishments ; 
 three coach repositories ; thirteen doctor shops ; nine livery 
 stables; two carriage-making establishments; two book- 
 stores , two gunsmith shops ; six silversmiths ; one silver 
 
 •ObserTer and Eeporter. tDireclorj-. 
 
1840.] PROSPERITY OF LEXINGTON. 345 
 
 plater; three clothing establishments; four tin and copper- 
 smith shops ; eight mantua-making houses ; two exchange 
 offices; three cigar factories; three confectioneries; two 
 commission stores ; nine boot and shoe stores ; three leather 
 stores; two comb factories; three upholstering and mat- 
 tress makers ; one morocco factory ; one truss maker ; one 
 lottery office ; two auction stores ; four drug stores ; one 
 machine shop ; a large number of carpenters ; one looking- 
 glass manufactory ; one Bible depository ; nine law offices; 
 two bath houses; one brush factory ; one wheelwright ; five 
 woolen factories — four driven by steam ; two steam cotton 
 mills ; one steam flouring mill ; one extensive iron and brass 
 foundry; one large wholesale iron warehouse; three tan- 
 yards; one marble yard; six brickyards, manufacturing 
 about five million bricks annually ; five batteries, one of 
 them employing forty or fifty hands, and carried on by 
 steam; and one large brewery, producing about fifteen 
 hundred barrels of malt liquor per year. 
 
 The capital invested in the city was : In wholesale dry 
 goods, $200,000 ; in retail dry goods, $1,200,000 ; in whole- 
 sale groceries, $450,000 ; in retail groceries, $150,000 ; in 
 manufacturing establishments, banks, etc., $12,000,000. 
 Total, $14,000,000. 
 
 Captain John Fowler, a greatly beloved and respected 
 citizen of Lexington, died August 22, 1840,* at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-five. Captain Fowler commanded a 
 company in the Revolutionary war ; was the first member 
 of Congress elected from this district, and was for many 
 years postmaster in Lexington. He was one of the best 
 types of the true old Virginia gentleman, and was noted 
 for his mental culture, generosity, refinement, and gen- 
 tleness. A large procession of military, firemen, benev- 
 olent orders, and citizens, followed him to his last resting- 
 place in the old Episcopal Cemetery. 
 
 »Old Gazette. 
 
346 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1841-45. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV. 
 
 John W. Hunt — Thomas M. Hickey — Grand Jury sent to 
 Jail — Financial Distress — Thomas F. Marshall — His Ca- 
 reer and Character — The Clay and Polk Contest — Grand 
 Demonstrations — Daniel Mayes — Removal of the "True 
 American" — C. M. Clay. 
 
 John W. Hottt, father of F. K. Hunt, died in Lexington, 
 August 21, 1841, aged sixty-eight years. Mr. Hunt was 
 born in Trenton, 'Eew Jersey. He came to Lexington at 
 an early day and engaged in the manufacture of hemp, at 
 which he accumulated a fortune. He married Miss Catha- 
 rine Grosh. Mr. Hunt was for a long time the president 
 of the old Lisurance Company, the first bank chartered in 
 Kentucky, and was a liberal patron of the Orphan Asy- 
 lum. He was a man of rare business capacity, sterling 
 integrity, and decision of character. He died greatly 
 esteemed and respected by his fellow-citizens. 
 
 On the 27th of December, 1842, Thomas M. Hickey, 
 another prominent citizen, departed this life. Judge 
 Hickey was born in Lexington of Irish parentage, in Oc- 
 tober, 1797, and rose to position and usefulness by his own 
 energy and ability. He was educated at Transylvania 
 University, studied law with Judge Haggin and was his 
 partner in practice for some time. In 1828, he was ap- 
 pointed judge of the circuit court by Governor Desha, 
 which position he held for about ten years He was twice 
 married. His first wife was a daughter of Oliver Keene, 
 and his second the widow of William T. Barry. His mind 
 was specially adapted to close legal investigations, and as 
 a judge he was remarkable for his clear head and fine 
 reasoning powers. An amusing incident is connected with 
 the iudge. On one occasion, while the grand jury, of 
 
1841-45.] TBOMAS F. MARSHALL. 347 
 
 ■which Mr. Benjaniui Gratz was foreman, was ruaking ex- 
 aminations in regard to the existence of gambling-houses 
 in Lexington, two of the witnesses refused to testify. The 
 jury informed the judge of the fact and refused to proceed 
 in the matter unless the witnesses were compelled to answer 
 questions put to them. The judge construed the action of 
 the grand jury as contempt of court and sent them all to 
 jail, where they were kept for a day or two, much to the 
 amusement of the citizens, who nevertheless justified them 
 in their course. 
 
 In 1843, Lexington felt the full force of the financial 
 troubles which had been growing in intensity for many 
 years. Bankruptcies multiplied, all improvements were 
 suspended, the court dockets were cowded with lawsuits, 
 and heavy sacrifices of property were incurred by forced 
 sales under execution. It was only after much suffering 
 that business again became settled and prosperous. 
 
 That great and brilliant orator and erratic wonder, 
 Thomas F. Marshall, was long identified with the bar and 
 city of Lexington. In 1843, his law oflice was on the first 
 floor of the Press building, on the corner of Short and 
 Market streets. 
 
 Thomas F. Marshall, son of Dr. Lewis Marshall, was 
 born in Frankfort, Kj., June 7, 1801,* though his father's 
 home place was in Woodford county, Ky. His early edu- 
 cation was conducted by his mother, after which he was 
 trained by some of the best classical scholars, including his 
 father. He was never sent to college. His intense appli- 
 cation to books and study prostrated his health, and it was 
 not until he was twenty-five that he was able to commence 
 his favorite pursuit— the law. After studying for two years 
 under Hon. John J. Crittenden, he was licensed to practice, 
 and settled down in Versailles, the county seat of Wood- 
 ford; and, in 1832, as the friend of Henry Clay, was sent 
 for the first time to the legislature, where he at once ex- 
 hibited his astonishing gifts. Impelled by a restlessness 
 which never left him, he removed to Louisville in 1833, 
 intending to devote himself to his profession ; for he was, 
 
 •Barre. 
 
348 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [184:-4B. 
 
 to use his own expression, " steeped in poverty to the very 
 lips." But he was soon again in political life, and twice 
 represented the city in the legislature. 
 
 In 1837, he ran for Congress against Mr. Graves, the 
 regular Whig nominee, and was, of course, beaten by an 
 immense majority. He returned at once to Woodford, was 
 elected the next year to the legislature, was rejected as 
 ineligible for want of a full year's residence, but was elected 
 again without opposition, and the next year also. During 
 all this time he was the staunch advocate in debate and 
 with his pen of the slave law of 1832.* He was elected to 
 Congress from the Ashland district without opposition in 
 1841. He spoke often in Congress, though but two of his 
 speeches were fully reported. Disgusted with the manner 
 in which his first speech was reported, with characteristic 
 irritability he insulted the reporters, and ordered them "not 
 to attempt again to pass upon the public their infernal gib- 
 berish for his English." The reporters revenged them- 
 selves by ignoring his speeches and squibbing him in their 
 letters from Washington. At this session, Mr. Marshall 
 would not support the Whigs in several important meas- 
 ures, and both voted and argued against Mr. Clay's bank bill. 
 He contended that the party had departed from its princi- 
 ples, and ridiculed the Tyler administration on the floor, say- 
 ing that when the history of the country was written, that 
 administration might be put in a parenthesis and defined 
 from Lindley Murray, " a parenthesis to be the clause of a 
 sentence inclosed between black lines or brackets, which 
 should be pronounced in a low tone of voice, and might be 
 left out altogether without injuring the sense." 
 
 In 1843, he pubHcly announced his resolution not to sup- 
 port Mr. Clay for the presidency ,t and from that time he 
 either acted with the Democratic party or in some other 
 connection opposed to the Whigs. In 1845, he ran for 
 Congress, but was beaten in the Whig stronghold by Hon. 
 Garrett Davis. Subsequently he raised a troop of cavalry 
 and served in the Mexican war. He edited the "Old 
 
 *Barre. 
 
 tid. 
 
1841-45] THOMAS F. MAHSHALL. 349 
 
 Guard" in 1850, in opposition to the present constitution ; 
 opposed tlie American party in 1855, and removed to 
 Chicago in 1856, but returned the same year ; sojourned in 
 Lexington, and canvassed so energetically for Mr. Bu- 
 chanan as to again almost destroy his health. 
 
 Mr. Marshall spent the most of his time in Lexington 
 during the late war, and from its commencement warmly 
 advocated the cause of the South. So strenuously in fact, 
 that he was, at one time, under arrest in Lexington. The ex- 
 citements of the war and his own imprudences told rapidly 
 on his shattered constitution, and Mr. Marshall died of 
 disease of the heart and lungs, at his old home in Wood- 
 ford, on Thursday, September 22, 1864. 
 
 In person, Mr. Marshall was tall, very erect, and well 
 proportioned. In the latter part of his life, the hair upon 
 his expansive forehead was thin, his beard heavy, and his 
 fine eyes as full of lustre and of fire as of old. 
 
 "Tom" Marshall fought more duels, and said more good 
 things than any great man of his day. Had he been tem- 
 perate, had he been true and just to himself, and to the 
 high and noble faculties vouchsafed to him by God, he 
 would have fulfilled all the loftiest expectations entertained 
 of him. He would have been one of the master spirits of 
 this country. He was a fine scholar, and his knowledge of 
 the languages in particular, he always kept up. He was 
 thoroughly grounded in the principles of law, and was a 
 very giant at the bar. He was as great a writer as he was 
 a speaker, as the pages of the "Old Guard" will show. 
 His information was immense, and his knowledge of the 
 world's history and of the political history of the United 
 States was simply wonderful. Contrary to a popular fallacy 
 in regard to both himself and Mr. Clay, his speeches were 
 the result of hard study and labor, and not of extempore 
 inspiration. 
 
 His eloquence was full of glowing and tropical magnifi- 
 cence and luxuriance, and he painted word pictures upon 
 the minds of men, as Raphael painted upon canvas. While 
 he rarely moved the deepest feelings of the heart, he never 
 failed to excite almost idolatrous admiration. He was 
 
350 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1841-45. 
 
 sometimes low when he should have been lofty, and often 
 grotesquely humorous, when he should have been great. 
 He was a wild, wayward, and wonderful man of talent and 
 genius. Prentice, his great contemporary, who knew him 
 so well and who resembled hira in so many particulars, 
 sums up the character of Thomas F. Marshall in these few, 
 but eloquent words : " The people seemed to think, and so 
 did he, that his greatest powers were wit, humor, fancy, 
 poetry, and eloquence. He had all these, but his chief 
 power was none of these. It was argument, logic— stern, 
 inexorable cast-steel logic. His other powers, great as they 
 were, served but as adornments of the limbs of his giant 
 logic. 'Eo orator had greater resources in debate. They 
 were inexhaustible, and rendered him unconquerable. 
 Men think of him and muse upon him as he appeared 
 to them in the long past, and they fancy themselves gazing 
 upon a bright star seen through a golden haze." 
 
 The political events of the summer of 1844, in Lexing- 
 ton, will long be remembered by all who participated in 
 the desperate struggle between Clay and Polk, in that 
 memorable presidential campaign. "Whigs and Democrats 
 labored faithfully night and day for their standard-bearers, 
 and barbecues, torch-light processions, pole-raisings, and 
 mass-meetings seemed destined to never end. The grand- 
 est political demonstrations ever witnessed in Lexington 
 took place in July, of this year. On Saturday, the 20th, 
 an immense procession of Democrats, with music, banners, 
 polk-stalks, military companies, and game " roosters," 
 erected a lofty hickory pole, after which the assembled 
 concourse was addressed by those distinguished orators, 
 John Pope and Thomas P. Marshall. 
 
 The "Whigs were not to be thus outdone. The Clay 
 clubs of Fayette organized a grand tableaux procession, 
 which marched the next Saturday, with flags flying, drums 
 beating, and men screaming, " Hurrah for Clay ! " In this 
 brilliant display, every branch of industry in the county of 
 Fayette and city of Lexington was appropriately repre- 
 sented in wagons decked for the occasion. The chief 
 
1841-45.] CASSIVS M. CLAY. 351 
 
 feature of the day was the presentation of banners to the 
 Clay clubs by the Whig ladies of the community. 
 
 Daniel Mayes, long a citizen of Lexington, judge of the 
 circuit court, and professor of law in Transylvania Univer- 
 sity, died in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1844. He married 
 the widow of Charles Humphreys. In pure law argu- 
 ments and clear analysis. Judge Mayes had no superior at 
 the Lexington bar of his day. 
 
 On the 18th of August, 1845, at a great meeting, in Lex- 
 ington, of the best citizens of Central Kentucky, irrespect- 
 ive of party, it was resolved that the press and materials 
 of the "True American," an anti-slavery newspaper con- 
 ducted in Lexington by Mr. Cassius M. Clay, should be 
 sent beyond the confines of the state. A committee was 
 accordingly appointed, which proceeded immediately to 
 Safely box up the articles, and ship them to Cincinnati, 
 after which, Mr. Clay was notified of the address of the 
 house to which they had been sent subject to his order, 
 with all charges and expenses paid. Mr. Clay subsequently 
 obtained a judgment for $2,500 against two of the com- 
 mittee, which amount was paid by citizens of Eayette and 
 adjoining counties. The office of the " True American" 
 was located on Mill street, in the rear part of the building 
 now known as Whitney's drug store. 
 
 Cassius Marcellus Clay is a son of General Green Clay, 
 and was born in Madison county, Kentucky, October 19, 
 1810. He was a student at Transylvania University, but 
 graduated at Tale College, in 1832. He has represented 
 Madison and Fayette each in the legislature. In 1839 he 
 removed to Lexington, and on June 3, 1845, issued the first 
 copy of the " True American," devoted to the overthrow of 
 slavery in Kentucky. He commanded the " Old Infantry " 
 in the Mexican War, was captured at Encarnacion, and 
 was a prisoner for some time. On his return home, he was 
 presented with a sword. Hubsequently, Mr. Clay was min- 
 ister to Russia. Mr. Clay is dauntless and unfaltering in 
 whatever he believes is right. He resides at present in 
 Madison county, Kentucky. 
 
352 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1846. 
 
 CHAPTER LXV. 
 
 War with Mexico — Bolls of Beard's and Clay's Companies — 
 Incidents — W. Mentelle. 
 
 The trouble between the United States and Mexico, 
 growing out of the annexation of Texas, resulted in a dec- 
 laration of war by the Federal Congress, May 11, 1846, 
 and a call for fifty thousand volunteers. Hardly a week 
 after these exciting events, a great war-meeting was held 
 in Lexington, and the organization of a number of com- 
 panies was commenced. Only two companies, however, 
 were perfected, and these were only accepted on condition 
 of going as mounted infantry. The following are com- 
 plete lists of the officers and men belonging to the com- 
 panies, which were commanded respectively by Captains 
 Oliver H. P. Beard and Cassius M. Clay, and were attached 
 to Colonel Humphrey Marshall's regiment: 
 
 Captain Beard's Company. — Oliver H. P. Beard, cap- 
 tain; John H. Morgan, first lieutenant; Lowry J. Beard, 
 second lieutenant ; T. L. Campbell, first sergeant ; A. S. 
 Jouett, second sergeant ; N". B. Scott, third sergeant ; Ed- 
 mund Protzman, fourth sergeant ; C. F. Coppage, first cor- 
 poral; Kichard Adams, second corporal; Isaac Smith, 
 third corporal; S. 0. Berry, fourth corporal; James "W. 
 Forsee, first musician , Thomas Bryan, second musician ; 
 Isaac Sheppard, blacksmith; James F. Megowan, Calvin 
 C. Morgan, William Weigart, John M. Lowe, James M. 
 Taylor, Edward McCarty, Lawrence Daly, R. P. Whitney, 
 Henry Bitterman, Henry Parrott, Abner Hudgins, James 
 B. Harris, Edward Long, Samuel P. Bascom, George 
 Hampton, A. B. Weigart, Henry Carty, G. W. Carter, 
 Hervey Cummings, H. I. Mclntyre, John Dishman, W. W- 
 Bayles, M. W. McCracken, James Mahoney, William Bow- 
 man, Ezekiel Twaits, Henry Fox, R. H. Jeter, James Wait, 
 
1846.] WAR WITH MEXICO. 353 
 
 C. Jackson, M. Barrone, C. Jones, William Rainey, B. 
 Castleman, S. R. Patterson, John Gallegher, A. G. Morgan, 
 J. J. Levasy, J. W. Levasy, Robert Anderson, James Moore, 
 Christopher Tempy, William Thomas, G. W. Runyan, S. 
 E. Roberts, George M. Gorham, James G. Martin, William 
 Fitzpatrick, David Sheppard, James Leonard, John Wise 
 Carver, Sylvester Conover, Samuel Byles, Joseph J. Pat- 
 terson, Thomas O'Haver, Thomas T. Hawkins, G. W. M. 
 Delph, William Twaits, Samuel Pigg, Eli Estill, John Shel- 
 ton, G. B. Williams, J. B. Callaghan, James G. Burch. 
 
 Captain Clay's Company. — C. M. Clay, captain; Jesse 
 Woodruff, first lieutenant; Geo. M. Brown, second lieuten- 
 ant ; James B. Woodruff, first sergeant; Enoch Bryan, sec- 
 ond sergeant; Robert C. Richardson, third sergeant; Sam- 
 uel P. Wilmott, fijurth sergeant ; S. Lanckhart, first corpo- 
 ral ; J. M. Friday, second corporal ; W. H. MuUay, third 
 corporal; James Schooley, fourth corporal; W. D. Rad- 
 cliffe, farrier; Geo. Mason, musician. Privates — Alfred 
 Argabright, Wm. Beaver, Ambrose Burton, John W. 
 Bell, Henry C. Beaver, David Barry, A. G. Bryan, A. C. 
 Bryan, James Bailey, Geo. W. Benjamin, S. L. Barkley, 
 Hubbard Buckner, Dempsey Carroll, David Curtis, Nathan- 
 iel Crouch, B. A. Chapman, J. C. Currie, W. Duke, Charles 
 C. Ellis, Richard L. Ellis, John C. Faulkner, John J. 
 Finch, Henry M. Gaylord, R. M. Gaines, Jr., John Galla- 
 gher, Wm. Glass, Henry H. Hillox, Wesley Holley, Har- 
 rison Igo, James S. Jackson, Henry C. Jackson, David C. 
 Jones, G. Lanckhart, John W. Letcher, John McMain, 
 James McGuire, James H. Miller, Thomas Maupin, C. E, 
 Mooney, J. L. Merchant, Lewis H. Nicholson, W. S. Pren- 
 tiss, Thomas Powell, James Poindexter, J. J. Phillips, Sam. 
 E. Rogers, Wm. Ragin, John Richardson, Lewis H. Red- 
 man, Wm. Smith, Alexander Sumk, Geo. W. Snj'der, 
 Henry Seesill, Wm. Shaw, John Staflbrd, Geo. Step, John 
 H. Simpson, Charles Taylor, Jos. Thornton, Jackson Tay- 
 lor, James M. Taylor, Thomas Weigart, Thomas White, 
 Jackson Yarbour, Alfred Young. 
 
 On the 4th of June, the volunteers started for Louisville, 
 having accomplished their organization and equipment in 
 
354 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1846. 
 
 less than two weeks. On the day the soldiers bade adieu 
 to Lexington, to which many of them were destined never 
 to return alive, they gathered at Morrison College and 
 were addressed by Professor McCown, and each man was 
 presented with a Bible. The reply to the address was made 
 by the adjutant of the regiment, E. M. Vaughn, who after- 
 ward fell so heroically at Buena Vista. The solemn and 
 affecting farewell ceremonies concluded with prayer by the 
 Eev. J. H. Brown, of the Second Presbyterian Church. 
 
 On the 9th of June, at Louisville, the companies were 
 mustered into service by the celebrated Colonel George 
 Croghan, and on the 4tb of July following, they embarked 
 on the steamer "Bunker Hill " for Memphis, from which 
 place they went overland to Little Rock, and through 
 Texas to Camargo, on the Rio Grande, when they entered 
 Mexico. There we leave them to rejoin them again in our 
 next chapter. 
 
 WaldemardeMentelle, an early resident and greatly re- 
 spected citizen of Lexington, died June 26, 1846. He was 
 born in Paris, France, in 1769 ; his father was a member 
 of the French National (scientific) Institute, and was the 
 author of a geography. His family adhered to the cause 
 of their unfortunate sovereigns, Louis XVI and his brave 
 and beautiful queen. Mr. Mentelle and his accomplished 
 wife fled from France at the commencement of the Reign 
 of Terror to escape the savage mob then in power, and, 
 coming to America, settled in Lexington, where they lived 
 until the day of their death. Mr. Mentelle was for many 
 years connected both with the old United States Bank and 
 Northern Bank, and is still well remembered as one of the 
 most amiable, polite, and cultivated gentlemen of the old 
 school. He preserved, to his latest days, all the virtues 
 and manners of the ante-revolution Frenchman. 
 
184V.] BATTLE OF BVENA VISTA. 
 
 356 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 Battle of Buena Visfa—Incidents— The Charge on Marshall's 
 Regiment — Lexington's Dead— Return of the Volunteers- 
 Welcome Home — Honors to the Slain. 
 
 The volunteers from Lexington did not reach Mexico 
 until after the battle of Monterey, owing to unavoidable 
 delays incident to army organization and the error of going 
 by land. .Ifo incident vrorthy of special mention occurred 
 before the battle of Buena Vista, except the capture by the 
 Mexicans of Captain C. M. Clay and ten of his men, at 
 Encarnacion. Lieutenant Jesse Woodruff then took the 
 captain's place and commanded the company from that 
 time until its return home. The Encarnacion prisoners 
 were only released after a long and dreary confinement. 
 
 Both of the Lexington companies had a large and glorious 
 share in the bloody and gallantly contested battle of Buena 
 Vista, which occurred on the 22d and 23d of February, 
 1847, and to their share in the fight we confine ourself. 
 Marshall's regiment occupied the post of honor on the ex- 
 treme left of the line, on a plateau which had a ravine both 
 in the front and rear of the command. The men dis- 
 mounted and fought as infantry. It was in this position 
 that Marshall's regiment was charged upon by an over- 
 whelming force of Mexican lancers and hussars. We give 
 Captain Beard's account* of the scene which ensued : 
 
 " The enemy came rushing down the hill like so many 
 devils, cursing us, and crying no quarter! As soon as we 
 reached our horses we made for the plain, and when we 
 turned the foot of the mountain, we discovered about four 
 thousand lancers at full speed trying to cut us off. It beg- 
 
 *Letter in Observer and Reporter. 
 
356' BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1847. 
 
 gars all description to relate what followed. We had a 
 deep ravine to cross, with rugged banks to climb, and only 
 one could pass at a time. In ascending, my horse reared 
 back and threw me within fifty yards of the enemy. I 
 succeeded in reaching the opposite bank," however, but was 
 compelled to witness the murdering of six of my best men, 
 without being able to render them any assistance, viz : A, 
 G. Morgan, Clement Jones, N"athaniel Kamey, "William 
 Thwaits, Henry Oarty, ^nd "William Bayles, all of whom 
 died with their faces to the enemy. They fought with 
 desperation, until, overpowered by superior numbers, they 
 were run through with the enemy's lances." In this terri- 
 ble charge. Adjutant E. M. Vaughn, of Lexington, and 
 private Thomas "Weigert, of Captain Clay's company, were 
 killed. Two other gallant sons of Lexington died upon 
 this sanguinary field. The brave Colonel "William "R. McKee 
 fell badly wounded, but struggled heroically until over- 
 powered by the enemy, who stabbed him to death with 
 their bayonets as he lay upon the ground. Lieutenant- 
 colonel. Henry Clay, or " Young Henry," as he was oom- 
 monly called, having been wounded, was being borne from 
 the field by a detachment of his men — by whom he was 
 greatly beloved — when a discharge of grape-shot from the 
 enemy's batteries killed three of the men, and inflicted 
 another and mortal wound upon him. He commanded his 
 men te leave him and save themselves. They did so, A 
 moment more, and a Mexican lance pierced his bosom 
 and his heart's blood sealed his devotion to his country. ' 
 One of the thousand incidents of the battle has a home 
 interest. The Lexington boys had nothing to eat and but 
 little to drink for two days; but Lieutenant John H. Mor- 
 gan, afterward the famous cavalry leader of the South, 
 had succeeded in procuring a canteen of water. An officer 
 of an Indiana regiment saw the precious fluid, and, parched 
 with the thirst which then tormented all the army, eagerly 
 offered him "twenty-five dollars for a drink." Morgan 
 shared it with him, remarking that " a Kentuekian never 
 accepted money for water." 
 
 After the battle, the Lexington companies sadly gathered 
 
1847.] LEXINGTON'S DEAD. 
 
 357 
 
 their dead heroes, whose bodies were found covered thick 
 with wounds from Mexican lances. No timber grew near 
 the battle-ground, so the brave volunteers were wrapped in 
 their soldier-blankets and buried in coffins made from the 
 sides and bottoms of army-wagons, and the same material 
 furnished the simple head-boards which bore their names 
 and marked their honored graves. They were buried near 
 the little blood-baptized village of Buena Vista, which 
 then became doubly fraught with mournful interest to 
 Lexington. 
 
 The news of the battle was received in Lexington while 
 the circuit court was in session. It was immediately ad- 
 journed in respect to the Kentucky slain, and the citizens 
 offered every token of sympathy and regard to the families 
 of the soldiers who had so gloriously fallen. 
 
 On the 12th of April, 1847,* a great public meeting was 
 held, at which tbe following committee on resolutions was 
 appointed, viz : John C. Breckinridge, M. C. Johnson, E. 
 A. Buckner, R. Wickliffe, Sen., Edward Oldham, Waller 
 Bullock, Geo. K Trotter, J. 0. Harrison, Robt. K Wick- 
 liffe, Edward A. Dudley, Jas. L. Hickman, and George B. 
 Kinkead. The committee reported as follows : 
 
 " The gallant deeds of our brave sons who shed their blood 
 on the glorious battle-field of Buena Vista, have added ad- 
 ditional lustre to the Kentucky character for courage and 
 patriotism, and it is just and proper that their dead bodies 
 should not remain in a foreign country and on an enemy's 
 soil, but that they should be removed to their native land, 
 and rest under the protection of their kindred and friends. 
 
 "Besolved, therefore, That while the citizens of Lexington 
 and Fayette county rejoice with those who survived that 
 memorable conflict of arms, and congratulate them on its 
 great result, they mourn and sympathize with the friends 
 and families of those who fell in battle, and will take im- 
 mediate measures to remove their bodies for interment in 
 Kentucky. 
 
 "Resolved, That Capt. George P. Jouett and Nelson Dud- 
 
 *Oity Papers. 
 
358 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1847. 
 
 ley, Esq., be requested and appointed to proceed to the 
 battle-ground of Buena Yista in Mexico, and bring home the 
 bodies of Col. Wm. R. McKee, Lieut, Col. Henry Clay, Jr., 
 Adjutant Edward M. Vaughn, and Messrs. A. G. Morgan, 
 "Wm. W. Bayles, Clement Jones, Nathaniel Ramey, Henry 
 Carty, "Wm. Thwaits, and Thomas "Weigert." 
 
 About the middle of June, 1847, the volunteers returned 
 to- Lexington, Captain Clay's company being under the 
 command of Lieutenant Jesse "Woodruff. Captain Beard's 
 company went out with seventy-eight men and returned 
 with forty-three. Captain Clay's, which had numbered 
 seventy-five, had fifty-four left. The soldiers were wel- 
 comed home by an enthusiastic crowd of citizens and mil- 
 itary, and were addressed by Judge George R. Trotter, and 
 soon after their return a grand barbecue was given in their 
 horior. Captain Clay, after a painful and protracted im- 
 prisonment, returned iu December and was warmly greeted 
 and congratulated. 
 
 The bodies of the heroes who had fallen, were tenderly 
 conveyed frbih their distant resting places to a glory bed 
 prepared for them in the Frankfort cemetery by the com- 
 monwealth, whose honor they had so nobly defended. 
 
 There, on Tuesday, July 20, 1847, an immense concourse 
 assembled at the spot where now rises the stately and beau- 
 tiful monument erected t6 the Kentucky soldiers who fell 
 in the war with Mexico. After appropriate and impressive 
 ceremonies, an oration was delivered by General John C. 
 Breckinridge and an address by Rev. John H. Brown. The 
 remains of the lamented dead were then borne to the 
 graves by the pall-bearers, and after a military salute of three 
 guns by the whole line of infantry and rifles, the ceremo- 
 nies were concluded by the Masonic fraternity. The bodies 
 were then lowered into the graves, and the most impressive 
 scene of the day transpired. By an apparently impulsive 
 movement, the large body of returned volunteers, headed 
 by Colonel Humphrey Marshall, formed in line, marched 
 around the graves uncovered, and in that way left the 
 grounds with slow and solemn tread, and with sincere sor- 
 row depicted in every countenance. It was a silent, but 
 
184T.] HONORS TO THE SLAIN. 359 
 
 impressive manifestation of their feelings, which was com- 
 municated to all around. Three rounds of blank cartridges 
 were then fired from the whole line, and the burial was 
 completed. It was this solemn and beautiful occasion 
 which inspired the gifted Theodore O'Hara to pen that 
 unequaled martial requiem, the "Bivouac of the Dead," 
 commencing with that sublime stanza : 
 
 " The muffled drum's sad roll has beat 
 
 The soldier's last tattoo; 
 Ko more on life's parade shall meet 
 
 That brave and daring few. 
 On Fame's eternal camping ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And Glory guards with solemn round 
 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 
360 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1848-49. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVII. 
 
 Telegraph — Kentucky Statesman — Cholera — Lexington Ceme- 
 tery — A. K. Woolley. 
 
 In 1848, a telegraph line was established between Lex- 
 ington and Louisville, and the first message was flashed 
 over the wires on the 6th of March of that year. 
 
 The Kentucky Statesman, a Democratic newspaper, was 
 established by a company in Lexington, and B. B. Taylor 
 became its first editor. The first number of the paper ap- 
 peared October 6, 1849. The Statesman existed about thir- 
 teen years. 
 
 The cholera appeared in Lexington again in 1849, and a 
 number of deaths resulted from it. 
 
 A revision of the State constitution was demanded by the 
 people in 1849, and a convention was accordingly ordered 
 for that purpose. The delegates elected from Fayette 
 county were James Dudley and Robert Nelson Wickliffe. 
 The convention assembled in Frankfort, and after three 
 months' discussion and consultation, anew form of govern- 
 ment was produced and the convention adjourned tempo- 
 rarily until the people pronounced upon it. 
 
 Though an act was passed by the legislature in Febru- 
 ary, 1848, incorporating the Lexington Cemetery, it was 
 really not established until the year following. At an acci- 
 dental meeting of Messrs. M. T. Scott, Benjamin Gratz, M. 
 C. Johnson, and Kichard Higgins, on the 23d of January, 
 1849, it was resolved that each one use every exertion to 
 obtain a sufficient sum by subscription for the purpose of 
 purchasing a suitable site for a cemetery and for the in- 
 closing and laying out of the same. Their eflbrts were suc- 
 cessful, and on February 12, 1849, the original charter was 
 amended with the following gentlemen as incorporators, viz : 
 
1848-49.1 LEXINGTON CEMETERT. 361 
 
 Benj. Gratz, M. T. Scott, M. C. Johnson, Richard Higgins, 
 S. Swift, Joel Higgins, David A. Sayre, John Tilford, A, T. 
 Sisillman, E. K. Sayfe, Robert Wickliffe, T. Hemingway, 
 John W. Tilford, John Lutz, D. M.Oraig, A. F. Hawkins, 
 Benjamin "Warfield, Robert J. Breckinridge, E. Warfield, 
 G. W. Sutton, John Brand, H. T. Duncan, a^d Edward 
 Macalister. 
 
 Shortly after the passage of this act, the beautiful wood- 
 land of Thomas E. Boswell, containing forty acres, and in- 
 cluded in the present cemetery property, was purchased 
 for $7,000. 
 
 The grounds were rapidly improved, and, on the 25th of 
 June, 1850, the cemetery was solemnly dedicated. The 
 business houses of the city were closed, and an immense 
 procession, composed of the Masonic bodies. Odd Fellows, 
 Sons of Temperance, societies of Transylvania University, 
 and citizens in carriages and on foot, proceeded to the cem- 
 etery. An opening prayer, by the Rev. Dr. Miller, of the 
 Methodist Church, was followed by an ode, composed for 
 the occasion by Professor P. S. Ruter, of Transylvania 
 University, and concluding with this stanza : 
 
 "O thou God 1 our Friend and Father I 
 May the names these grave-stones bear, 
 When we all shall rise together, 
 In thy Book of Life appear." 
 
 The dedication sermon was by R. J. Breckinridge, pastor 
 of the First Presbyterian Cburch, and the closing prayer 
 was delivered by Rev. E. F. Berkley, of the Episcopal 
 
 Church. 
 
 Under the management of Superintendent Bell, the Lex- 
 ington Cemetery has grown more and more lovely each 
 succeeding year, until now, in point of beauty, it has no 
 superior in the United States. There many brave Confed- 
 erate and Federal soldiers sleep their last sleep, and there 
 repose a host of Kentucky's greatest and best children. 
 
 Judge Aaron K. WooUey was one of the victims of the 
 cholera of 1849. He was bora in New Jersey, and, after 
 completing his education at West Point, settled in Lexing- 
 
362 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1848-49. 
 
 ton, and married a daughter of Robert WickliflFe, Sen. He 
 represented Fayette in the legislature in 1834; was for 
 some time judge of the circuit court, and also professor 
 in the law college of Transylvania CTniversity. He was a 
 good lawyer and a fine speaker, possessed of a strong, 
 clear intellect, and gifted with fine conversational powers. 
 He died aged about fifty years. 
 
1850.] POPULATION. 363 
 
 CHAPTER LXVIII. 
 
 Population — New Constitution — County Court — B. F. Graves 
 —R. Wickliffe, Jr. 
 
 The population of Lexington in 1850 was seven thou- 
 sand nine hundred and twenty. 
 
 The constitution framed by the convention of 1849, was 
 approved by the people of Kentucky at the May election 
 of 1850, and, in June following, the convention reassem- 
 bled, and proclaimed the present constitution to be the 
 fundamental law of the state. The population of Fayette 
 county at this time was twenty-two thousand seven hun- 
 dred and thirty-five. In 1850, Benjamin T. Graves became 
 county judge, being the first judge elected in Fayette under 
 the present constitution of Kentucky. 
 
 Judge Graves was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, 
 February 16, 1802. His father, John C. Graves, a Vir- 
 ginian, was one of the earliest settlers of this county, having 
 immigrated to it in 1781. In early life, Judge Graves was 
 engaged in the hat, fur, and tobacco trade. He was fre- 
 quently elected a member of the city council. While 
 serving in this capacity, a subscription was asked of the 
 city for Transylvania University, and by him was made the 
 proposition that the University should give the city fifty- 
 five scholarships. The proposition was carried, and there 
 are to-day numbers of young men in this and adjoining 
 states, who, through his instrumentality, were enabled to 
 fit themselves for the positions of honor and trust they now 
 
 occupy.* 
 
 The best index to his character is the fact that he 
 commenced the study of law at the age of forty, per- 
 
 »Sketoh. 
 
364 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [I860. 
 
 severed under many discouragements, and in due time 
 was admitted to the bar. In 1859, he was elected mayor 
 of Lexington. He has been four times elected judge of the 
 county court, and if he completes his present term, will 
 have been judge for sixteen years. Judge GraVes is a man 
 of no ordinary ability and character. Fayette county will 
 never have a more faithful judge. 
 
 Judges County Court— 1850, B. F. Graves; 1854, B. F. 
 Graves; 1858, 0. D. Carr; 1862, C. D. Carr; 1866, B. F. 
 Graves ; 1870, B. F. Graves. 
 
 Robert Wicklifi'e — son of Robert Wickliffe, Sen., the able 
 pioneer land lawyer — died August 29, 1850, at the early age 
 of thirty-five. R. Wickliffe, Jr., graduated at Transyl- 
 vania University, studied law, represented Fayette in the 
 legislature, and was charge d' affaires to Sardinia from the 
 United States. He worked hard at his profession, and 
 became a good lawyer and an effective speaker, but excelled 
 as a scholar, being specially accomplished in the ancient 
 and modern languages. Mr. Wickliffe was a man of un- 
 usually fine personal appearance. He was summoned to the 
 great beyond in his early manhood, when his life seemed 
 most full of promise. 
 
1861.] RAILROADS. 365 
 
 CHAPTER LXIX. 
 
 Railroads — Lexington and Danville — Maysville and Lexing- 
 ton — Lexington and Covington. 
 
 The railroad subject interested Lexington and Fayette 
 county in 1851. On the 22d of March, |200,000 waa 
 voted to the Lexington and Danville Railroad, and the 
 same amount to the Maysville and Lexington road. The 
 first directors of the last-named road were Henry Waller, 
 J. W. Cochran, F. T. Hord, A. J. January, W. S. Allen, 
 and Christopher Shultz. The first train, from Lexington 
 to Paris, went over this road December 22, 1853. For years 
 no work was done on the Lexington and Maysville road, 
 and the only part of the road completed, viz : from Lex- 
 ington to Paris, was leased and finally purchased by the 
 Kentucky Central Company. 
 
 The sum of $200,000 was voted by Lexington and Fay- 
 ette to the Lexington and Covington Railroad, September 
 6, 1851. The road was completed from Cincinnati to Paris 
 by the fall of 1854, when the first through train from Cin- 
 cinnati arrived in Lexington. This road was advocated as 
 far back as 1841. 
 
366 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1852. 
 
 CHAPTER LXX. 
 
 Visit of Scott and Wool — Lexington and Big Sandy Hail- 
 road — Failure and Revival of the Road — John C. Breckin- 
 ridge — Funeral of Henry Clay. 
 
 Generals Winfield Scott and "Wool arrived in Lexing- 
 ton September 29, 1852, and during their brief stay ad- 
 dressed a large crowd of citizens. This was during the 
 political campaign which resulted in the election of Pierce 
 for president, General Scott being the Whig candidate. 
 
 In January, 1852, the Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad 
 Company was incorporated by the Kentucky legislature, and 
 the following persons were appointed to receive subscriptions 
 to the capital stock : Eobert "Wieklifl'e, Thomas B. Megowan, 
 D. C. Payne, Jacob Hughes, and Thomas Hughes, of Fay- 
 ette county; Joseph H. Richard, A. Trumbo, John W. 
 Barnes, M. R. Conner, and John W. Richards, of Bath 
 county; B. J. Peters, W. H. Smith, Peter Everett, Joseph 
 Bondurant, and Burwell S. Tipton, of Montgomery county; 
 George W. Crawford, R. G. Carter, Jackson B. "Ward, 
 John K. Hord, and D. K. Wies, of Carter county; William 
 Hampton, John Culver, William T. Nicholls, William 
 Geiger, and Hugh Means, of Greenup county. 
 
 The company was organized with R. A. Apperson as 
 president, and on the 18th of September, 1852, the city of 
 Lexington subscribed, $150,000 to it. Ground was broken 
 at Cattlesburg, Saturday, November 19, 1853, and the work 
 was proceeded with. In the summer of 1854, application 
 was made by the company for the issuing of the bonds of 
 the city of Lexington for $100,000, which was refused, on 
 the ground that the railroad company had not complied 
 with the conditions of its contract. The company insti- 
 tuted proceedings in the circuit court, which ordered the 
 
1862.] FUNERAL OF HENRY CLAY. 367 
 
 issuing of the bonds, which was done July 6, 1854, under 
 protest by the city authorities. Subsequently the company 
 failed, the whole amount was lost, work ceased on the road, 
 and in 1860 it was sold to a few gentlemen for $60,000. 
 
 For many years the whole project was substantially aban- 
 doned, but was finally revived under the charter of the 
 present Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad 
 Company, and on the 2d of August, 1869, Fayette county 
 and the city of Lexington each subscribed $250,000 to its 
 stock, the property and rights of the western division of 
 the old company were merged in the new one, work was 
 again commenced on the road in 1871, and on March 2, 
 1872, twenty years after the chartering of the original com- 
 pany, the first rail was laid on Water street, in Lexington. 
 The road is now completed to Mt. Sterling, and its affairs 
 and prospects are most satisfactory. 
 
 General John C. Breckinridge, the vice-president of the 
 Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad Com- 
 pany, was born near Lexington, January 21, 1821. He was 
 educated at Centre College, graduated at the Transylvania 
 law school, commenced the practice of his profession in 
 Lexington, and married Miss Birch, of Georgetown, Ken- 
 tucky. He served as major in the Mexican war, has been 
 a member of the legislature, representative and senator in 
 congress, vice-president of the United States, and major- 
 general and secretary of war of the late Confederate States. 
 The brilliant career of this distinguished Lexingtonian, in 
 the forum, in the field, and in the councils of the nation, 
 indicate the rare gifts and great endowments of the man. 
 
 Henry Clay died in "Washington City, Tuesday, June 2, 
 1852. The sad news was at once dispatched to Lexington, 
 and immediately upon its reception the bells were tolled, 
 the business houses were closed, badges of mourning 
 appeared on every side, and all ceased from their usual 
 avocations.* The mayor immediately issued a proclama- 
 tion for a public meeting of the citizens, which was accord- 
 ingly held in the court-house the next day, for the purpose 
 
 *0b8erTer and Keporter. 
 
368 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1852. 
 
 of giving expression to their feelings of sorrow for the loss 
 of their distinguished fellow-citizen, to make arrangements 
 for the reception of his earthly remains, and to perform 
 such other acts as were deemed worthy of the occasion. 
 
 The meeting was called to order by Mayor E. "W. Dow- 
 den, and on his motion, Dr. Benjamin "W". Dudley was 
 appointed chairman, and Benjamin Gratz, secretary. 
 
 The meeting was opened with an appropriate prayer by 
 the E.ev. William M. Pratt, of the Baptist Church. Judge 
 George Robertson then rose and offered some eminently 
 appropriate resolutions, which he accompanied with a brief 
 but eloquent speech, in reference to the great loss which 
 had been sustained in the death of Mr. Clay. The question 
 was then taken, and the resolutions were unanimously 
 adopted. 
 
 During the meeting, initiatory steps were taken toward 
 the erection of a monument to Mr. Clay in the Lexington 
 Cemetery, and the following committee was appointed to 
 effect that object, viz : H. T. Duncan, M. T. Scott, Dr. E. 
 Warfield, Leslie Combs, H. B. Hill, John McMurtry, G. B. 
 Kinkead, Richard A. Buckner, J. R. Desha, Willa Viley, 
 John C. Breckinridge. 
 
 The committee appointed to repair to Washington and 
 accompany the body home was composed of George Rob- 
 ertson, H. T. Duncan, E. P. Johnson, R. Pindell, D. C. 
 Wicklifte, Henry Bell, James A. Grinstead, H. C. Payne, 
 Thomas S. Redd, Charles B. Thomas, C. C. Rogers, A. 
 Throckmorton, W. W. Worsley, and A. G. Hodges. 
 
 Messrs. B, Gratz, M. C. Johnson, E. W. Dowden, H. C. 
 Pindell, J. B. Tilford, J. O. Harrison, W. S. Chipley, S. D. 
 McCuUough, William A. Dudley, Thomas G. Randall, F. 
 K. Hunt, E. Oldham, and John R. Dunlap were appointed 
 a committee of arrangements for the reception and inter- 
 ment of the remains. 
 
 A resolution, offered by Major S. D. McCullough, request- 
 ing the ministers of the various religious congregations 
 in Lexington and Eayette county to deliver appropriate 
 addresses on the death of Mr. Clay, at their several places 
 of worship, on the following Sunday, was unanimously 
 
1852.] FUNERAL OF HENRY CLAr. 369 
 
 adopted, as was also a motioa by Dr. S. M. Letcher to 
 transmit the proceedings of the meeting to Mrs. Clay. The 
 meeting then adjourned. 
 
 The body of the illustrious orator was detained in all the 
 larger cities through which it passed, en route to Lexington, 
 that the highest honors might be paid it, and it was not 
 until the evening of Friday, the 9th of July, that it arrived 
 in Lexington, accompanied by the senatorial committee, 
 consisting of Messrs. Underwood, Jones, of Tennessee, 
 Cass, Fish, Houston, and Stockton. 
 
 Mr. Underwood, the chairman of the committee, after a 
 brief address, which was replied to by Chief Justice E,ob 
 ertson, delivered the body into the care of the Lexington 
 committee. A procession was then formed, headed by a 
 cavalcade of horsemen, preceding the hearse to Ashland. 
 The old home was reached, and the silent mourners moved 
 through the grounds, guided by torches, and they laid him 
 reverently under the roof of the dwelling whose name he 
 had made a household word. The Clay Guard, of Cincin- 
 nati, watched all the night through beside his remains. 
 
 Long before daylight on the memorable funeral day, 
 Saturday, July 10, 1852, crowds of people poured into 
 Lexington by every avenue to the city. All the roads 
 were opened free to the public, and every hospitality was 
 extended to strangers. Soon the largest crowd of people 
 ever assembled in Lexington was gathered together— so 
 immense, in fact, that it was estimated at one hundred 
 thousand souls.* 
 
 At nine o'clock A. M., the funeral escort, composed of 
 the committee of arrangements, committee of the senate 
 of the United States, conmiittees from other states accom- 
 panying the body, committee of the city of Lexington 
 sent to receive the body, the Masonic fraternity, and pall- 
 bearers, formed on Main street, opposite the court-house, 
 under the direction of Marshals John E. Allen, George W. 
 Brand, K. J. Spurr, and E. L. Dudley, and from thence 
 proceeded to Ashland, whe re a large crowd had already 
 
 *IiOuisville Journal. 
 
370 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1852. 
 
 ^ gathered. On the porch, in front of the door of the states- 
 man's old residence, and resting on a bier cushioned with 
 
 ■ fragrant and beautiful flowers, was the cofliri inclosing his 
 mortal remains, and all around it, and upon it, were the 
 floral and evergreen offerings of every place on the route, 
 from the capital of the nation to Lexington. The Rev. 
 Edward F. Berkley, then rector of Christ's Church (Epis- 
 copal), in Lexington, delivered the funeral oration. He was 
 equal to the occasion, and the effort was a splendid one. 
 He commenced his discourse with the following beautiful 
 words : "A nation's griefs are bursting forth at the fall of 
 one of her noblest sons. A mighty man in wisdom, in 
 intellect, in truth, lies in our presence to-day, inanimate 
 and cold, and the voice which was ever raised in behalf 
 of truth and liberty is silenced forever." After the sermon, 
 an address from the young men of Cincinnati was then 
 delivered by the chairman of the committee to Governor 
 Underwood, to be handed to Mrs. Clay. 
 
 The concourse was then dismissed with a benediction, 
 and the body was placed in a hearse beautifully decorated 
 with black cloth and crape, surmounted with a silver urn 
 and eagle, and drawn by six white horses. The funeral 
 escort was formed under the direction of the chief marshal, 
 General Peter Dudley, and it, together with the relatives 
 of Mr. Clay, the officiating clergyman, and the assembled 
 multitude, returned to the city, and took their places in the 
 grand funeral procession, which was formed on Main street 
 by the chief marshal, assisted by his aids, H. C. Pindell 
 and W. J. Talbot, and moved to the Lexington Cemetery 
 in the following order, viz:* 
 
 Marshals J. R. Dunlap and O. P. Beard. 
 
 Military in sections of six, in advance of the procession 
 
 with reversed arms, muffled drums, colors 
 
 furled, and draped in mourning. 
 
 Officers of the Army and ITavy of the United States. 
 
 Chief Marshal and Aids. 
 
 ♦Observer and Keporter. 
 
1852.] FUNERAL OF HENRY CLAT. 371 
 
 Committee of Arrangements. 
 
 Marshal Postlethwaite. 
 
 Committee of the Senate of the United States. 
 
 Committees from other States accompanying the body. 
 
 Committee of the city of Lexington sent to receive the 
 
 body. 
 
 Marshal C.W.Kennedy. 
 
 Masonic Fraternity. 
 
 OOKPSE AND PALL-BEARERS. 
 
 Pall-bearers. 
 , B. "W. Dudley, Benjamin Gratz, '^ 
 
 M. T. Scott, D. Vertner, 
 
 George Robertson, Chilton Allan, 
 E. Warfield, R. Hawes, 
 
 Charles Carr, Garrett Davis, / 
 
 Roger Quarles, C. S. Morehead. 
 
 Family of Deceased, and officiating Clergyman. 
 Reverend Clergy of all denominations. 
 Marshal C. W. Dudley. 
 Governor and Heads of Departments of the State of 
 Kentucky. 
 Committee of cities, towns, and counties of the State of 
 Kentucky. 
 Marshal S. D. Bruce. 
 Mayor and Council of the city of Lexington. 
 President and Directors of Lexington Cemetery Company. 
 Trustees and Faculty of Transylvania University. 
 Marshal C. D. Carr. 
 Judges, Members of the Bar, and Oflicers of the Fayette 
 9 Circuit Court. 
 
 Judges of the Superior and Interior Courts of Kentucky 
 
 and Officers. 
 
 Judges of the United States Courts and Officers. 
 
 Members and ex-Members of the Congress of the United 
 
 States. 
 
 Marshal Silas Kenney. 
 
 Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, in sections of six. 
 
 Sons of Temperance, in sections of six. 
 
 Marshals R. W. Bush and M. B. Gratz. 
 
372 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1852. 
 
 Fire Companies, in sections of six. 
 
 Members of the Senate and House of Eepresentatives of 
 
 the State of Kentucky. 
 
 Teachers of Schools. 
 
 Marshal Isaac Shelby. 
 
 Citizens on foot, in sections of six. 
 
 Marshals Clifton Weir and E. Todhunter. 
 
 Citizens and Strangers in carriages, two abreast. 
 
 Marshals Robert Bullock and J. Shropshire. 
 
 Citizens and Strangers on horseback, iu sections of four. 
 
 The procession was one of extraordinary proportions and 
 impressiveness. Every drum, flag, banner, and emblem 
 was draped in mourning. The marshals wore white scarfs 
 and a black rosette, and a streamer of crape floated from 
 each hat. The sables of woe were exhibited everywhere, 
 but the decorations were particularly elaborate and beau- 
 tiful upon Cheapside and Main streets. Every business 
 house was closed, festooned and garlanded with black. 
 Across Main street, at the intersection of Mill, an immense 
 golden eagle, tastefully draped, was swung high in the air, 
 and mourning banners and garlands floated down almost 
 to the heads of passers-by, and waved gently and sadly in 
 the breeze. The streets, windows, house-tops, and every 
 available place of observation were densely packed with 
 spectatots, but good order and a decorous silence prevailed 
 while the honors were being paid to the illustrious dead. 
 The firing of minute guns and the tolling of bells signaled 
 that the procession was put in motion. It moved slowly 
 through the silent street to the sound of beautiful but 
 mouroful music; sable plumes nodded, a myriad of bayo- 
 nets and ornaments glittered in the sunlight, and thus, with 
 tens of thousands of his sorrowing friends about him, was 
 Henry Clay borne to his rest. On the arrival of the pro- 
 cession at the Lexington Cemetery, the exquisite and im- 
 pressive burial service of the Episcopal Church, of which 
 the great orator was a member, was read, after which the 
 Masonic fraternity took charge of the body, and deposited 
 it in the public vault, in accordance with the ancient forms 
 
1852.] FUNERAL OF HENRT CLAY. 373 
 
 and touching ceremonies of their order. During all of 
 these last solemn rites, the tears of family and friends and 
 mourning multitudes were falling, and the soft tolling of 
 bells, and the sad booming of minute guns, sounded in the 
 distance. When the mortal remains of the Sage of Ash- 
 land were hidden from sight, the procession returned to the 
 shroudted city in its original order, and after reaching the 
 court-house, each committee and company filed ofi", and 
 quietly dispersed. Thirty-one guns, fired at the setting of 
 the sun, completed the obsequies. 
 
374 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1853-56. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXI. 
 
 City Lighted with Gas — Sayre Institute — "Old King Sol- 
 omon" — "Know Nothings." 
 
 Aftek several years discussion, gas works were at last 
 established in Lexington, and, in 1853, the city took $10,000 
 worth of stock in the company. The city was lighted with 
 gas, for the first time, on the night of Wednesday, July 
 27, 1853, and lard-oil lamps went out of use, greatly to the 
 joy of the citizens, in general, and the policemen, in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 The Sayre Female Institute, on Limestone street, estab- 
 lished by David A. Sayre, was organized ISTovember 1, 1854, 
 under Eev. H. V. D. Nevius. Subsequently, that accom- 
 plished educator, the beloved and lamented Prof. S. R. Will- 
 iams, became principal, and retained the position, with in- 
 creasing reputation, for many years. It is at present in 
 charge of Prof. H. B. McClellan, a scholar well fitted for the 
 position. 
 
 "Old King Solomon," one of the kindliest souls, and one 
 of the quaintest and most noted of Lexington institutions, 
 died November 27, 1854, and not a few were saddened when 
 they heard that he was gone. William Solomon, to call 
 him by his proper name, was born in Virginia, in 1775, and 
 always boasted that he and " Henry," as he familiarly called 
 the Sage of Ashland, had been boys together. He ad- 
 mitted, though, that "Henry" had risen somewhat higher 
 than he — the "King" was, a cellar-digger. ISTobody knew 
 when " King Solomon " came to Lexington — he seemed to 
 have always been here ; and no one ever saw him with new 
 clothes — his " rig," as he called his clothes, appeared to have 
 been old from the start. His same old hat always had the 
 same old mashed look, and his pants were about as close- 
 fitting as the hide on a rhinoceros. He was never known 
 
1853-56.] " OLD KING SOLOMON." 375 
 
 to catch cold from washing his face ; his hair managed itself, 
 aiid the button and button-hole of his shirt collar never met 
 long enough to make the slightest acquaintance. " Old King 
 Solomon" was never so happy as when, half-seas over, 
 and provided with the stump of a cigar (he never had a 
 whole one), he was allowed to smoke in peace upon a com- 
 fortable rock-pile. But with all these eccentricities of 
 genius, "Old Solomon" was none the less honest, upright, 
 and industrious ; and he had a stout and pitying heart 
 withal, for many a grave he dug during the awful cholera 
 days of 1833, when many a more boastful and better- dressed 
 man had fled in terror from the city. 
 
 A more everlasting, incorruptible, and Jackson-defying 
 Whig than " Old King Solomon" never lived; he clung to 
 "Henry" through thick and thin, and no one ever mourned 
 him more sincerely. He was one of the most independent 
 voters in Fayette. A candidate, on one occasion, gave him 
 some money and advised him to go and vote. Old Sol- 
 omon pocketed the money, and straightway did vote, but 
 voted against his benefactor, who was not of his party and 
 principles. 
 
 At one time — how it happened, we know not—" King 
 Solomon " was very strangely and unfortunately mistaken 
 for a vagrant, and was arrested and sold to an old negro 
 woman for eighteen cents. He proved to be a good invest- 
 ment, for he brought her in seventy-five cents per day. 
 
 How Solomon got to be a " King," happened in this wise : 
 One day, when he was not as sober as a judge, he was em- 
 ployed to trim a tree in the court-house yard. He got 
 astride of a big limb, and, while in a meditative mood, he 
 trimmed it so closely and so deeply between himself and 
 the trunk of the tree, that it snapped off, and landed him 
 suddenly and short of breath on the ground. The rare 
 wisdom he displayed as a trimmer gained for him at once 
 the title of "King Solomon," after the wisest man that ever 
 
 lived. 
 
 When the quaint old soul went to his rest, he was ten- 
 derly interred in the Lexington Cemetery. Fortunately, 
 
376 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1853-56. 
 
 while he was in the heyday of his attractions, an admirable 
 picture of him was painted by Colonel Price. He was in- 
 duced to sit for it by being provided with the wherewith to 
 make himself comfortable on his favorite seat — a rock-pile. 
 During the years 1855 and 1856, popular attention was 
 largely directed to the "Know l^Tothing," or American 
 party, which came into existence in 1853. The rise and fall 
 of the "Know jN'othings" was attended with great excite- 
 ment, during which such party names as " Bay Nichts," 
 " Dark Lanternites," and " Blood Tubs" prevailed. 
 
1857.] LEXINGTON RIFLES, ETC. 377 
 
 CHAPTEE LXXII. 
 
 Lexington Rifles— Eosa's Poems— Ceremonies Incident to Laying 
 the Corner-stone of the Clay Monument — Description of the 
 Monument. 
 
 The "Lexington Rifles," organized in 1857, was the first 
 military company in Kentucky to report to the governor 
 as a part of the state guard in 1860. The armory of the 
 "Rifles" was in an upper story of the building lately replaced 
 by the bank, on the corner of Main and Upper. The first 
 officers of the company were : John H. Morgan, captain ; 
 Chas. H. Brutton, first lieutenant; J. H. Shropshire, second 
 lieutenant ; Joseph R. Gross, third lieutenant ; Richard Cox, 
 ensign ; C. "W". Kennedy, first sergeant ; R. C. Morgan, sec- 
 ond sergeant; Hiram Reece, third sergeant; Harry Browne, 
 fourth sergeant ; Wm. M. Yates, first corporal ; Jas. Dud- 
 ley, second corporal ; C. H. Dobyns, third corporal ; H. A. 
 Saxton, fourth corporal ; Thos. Wilson, quartermaster. 
 
 A volume of poems of much beauty, tenderness, and 
 power was published, in 1857, by Mrs. Rosa 7. Jefi"rey. 
 In 1870, her "Daisy Dare," appeared. Mrs. Jeflfrey was 
 born at Natchez, Miss., but has spent the most of her Ufe 
 in Lexington. 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1857, the corner-stone of the Clay 
 monument, in the Lexington Cemetery, was laid with im- 
 posing ceremonies under the auspices of the Monumental 
 Association, which consisted of James 0. Harrison, H. T. 
 Duncan, Henry Bell, Benjamin Gratz, and H. B. Hill. The 
 day was beautiful, business was suspended, the city was 
 crowded with spectators, and the houses leading to the 
 cemetery were adorned with flowers, evergreens, flags, 
 streamers, and banners. 
 
378 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1857. 
 
 The procession moved from headquarters, opposite the 
 Phoenix Hotel, amid the thunder of artillery and the en- 
 livening music of four splendid bands.* The Masonic fra- 
 ternity, to whom the ceremonies were intrusted, and the 
 Odd Fellows were out in full dress regalia. The Union and 
 Lafayette fire companies of Louisville, together with all 
 the Lexington companies, w^ere present. The military or- 
 ganizations in the procession were the Guthrie Grays and 
 Continentals, of Cincinnati; an artillery company from 
 Frankfort; the Falls City Guards, of Louisville; llTational 
 Guards, of St. Louis; Independent National Guards, of In- 
 dianapolis ; City Guards, of Baltimore, and the Madison 
 Guards, of Kichmond, Ky. 
 
 The family carriage, presented to Mr. Clay, in 1833, by 
 the citizens of Newark, 'S. J., which was the only one ad- 
 mitted into the cemetery grounds, was ornamented with 
 white funeral plumes and wreaths of flowers and ever- 
 greens. It was occupied by Aaron Dupuy, an old negro* 
 servant of Mr. Clay, who had been in his service for many 
 years. In the back seat was a bust of Mr. Clay and an 
 engraving of his leave-taking in the senate. 
 
 Long before the procession arrived at the cemetery, a 
 large concourse had assembled to witness the interesting 
 ceremonies. 
 
 Upon the platform, near the foundation of the monu- 
 ment, were the members of Mr. Clay's family, consisting 
 of Ttios. H. Clay and James B. Clay and their families, 
 Isaac Shelby and familj', and others. 
 
 The following distinguished gentlemen were observed on 
 and in the vicinity of the platform : John C. Breckinridge, 
 Vice-President of the United States ; Governor Morehead, 
 Senator Crittenden, Hon. James Guthrie, Hon. Garrett 
 Davis; Ex-Gov. Trimble, of Ohio; Chief Justices Geo. 
 Kobertson and T. A. Marshall ; J. B. Huston, Speaker of 
 the House of Representatives of Kentucky; Hon. James 
 Harlan, Attorney-General; Hon. Richard Hawes; Dr. Green, 
 of the Normal School ; President Bartlett, of the American 
 
 •Association Pamphlet. 
 
1857.] CLAV MONUMENT. 379 
 
 Council of the United ; States Hon. Oscar F. Moore, of 
 Ohio; Roger W. Hanson, Esq.; Zophar Mills, Esq., of l^ew 
 York, and the president and directors of the Claj' Monu- 
 ment Association. 
 
 The Masonic fraternity occupied the inclosure where the 
 ceremonies were performed, while the military, firemen, 
 and the rest of the procession, selected such positions in 
 different portions of the grounds as they preferred. 
 
 The president of the association assigned to the M. "W". 
 Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Mr. T. IT. 
 Wise, the duty of laying the corner-stone. 
 
 In the stone was placed a box hermetically sealed; in a 
 glass jar, a history of the occasion, with the names of the 
 president and vice-president of the United States, the gov- 
 ernor of Kentucky, the names of the officers of the Grand 
 Lodge of Kentucky, and of the president and directors of 
 the Clay Monumental Association ; a copy of each of the 
 papers of the city of Lexington ; a picture of Cincinnati 
 in 1802, published in the Cincinnati Gazette ; also a parch- 
 ment prepared by the Cincinnati Guthrie Grays, in testi- 
 mony of their appreciation of the man who preferred to be 
 right rather than to be president of the United States; a 
 medallion in copper, struck from the die of the Clay gold 
 medal, presented by the Clay Festival Association of New 
 York, with a copy of all the festive songs and odes sung 
 and read before that association for the last twelve years, 
 and giving a history of that association ; also a beautiful 
 medallion likeness of Mr. Clay, by C. Younglove Haynes, 
 Esq., of Philadelphia, together with copies of Philadelphia 
 papers from the same gentleman, with coins of the present 
 day (American), in gold, silver, and copper; a Bible, and 
 other articles. 
 
 The stone was laid to its place, and pronounced by the 
 grand master well formed, true, and trusty, when corn, 
 wine, and oil were poured upon it, and the ceremonies con- 
 cluded by prayer. During and preceding the ceremonies, 
 the lifewport United States band discoursed the sweetest 
 music, and salutes were fired. 
 
38T) BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1857. 
 
 After laying the corner-stone, the procession was re- 
 formed and proceeded to the fair grounds, whose vast am- 
 phitheater was soon filled to repletion with the gathered 
 beauty, intellect, and worth of Kentucky. 
 
 After prayer by Rev. E. F. Berkley, of the Episcopal 
 Church, Dr. R. J. Breckinridge, orator of the day, deliv- 
 ered an address in every way worthy its great subject and 
 the occasion. Dinners and picnics in the beautiful groves 
 followed, and at four o'clock there was a grand review of 
 the military by Governor Morehead, the Newport band 
 discoursing beautiful music, and the regular proceedings 
 of the day closed. 
 
 The Clay monument,* some 120 feet in height, is built 
 of the magnesian limestone of this state, which resembles 
 very much the famed Caen stone of IN'ormandy, and is a 
 column modeled after the Corinthian style of architecture, 
 consisting of a stereobate, pedestal base, shaft and capital, 
 the whole surmounted by a statue of the statesman. 
 
 The stereobate, or subbase, some 20 feet in height, and 
 40 feet square, is in the Egyptian style, plain and massive, 
 and has its appropriate cornice of very simple character 
 throughout its whole circuit, broken on each side around a 
 projecting facade in the same style, but of more elaborate 
 finish. In the center of the southern face is an entrance 
 to a vaulted chamber, of the dimensions 12 by 24 feet, and 
 16 feet high in the center, lighted from above by heavy 
 plate glass fixed in bronze frames in such manner as to be 
 unseen from without. The chamber is of polished marble 
 of Kentucky, appropriately finished as a receptacle for 
 sarcophagi, and, if desirable, a life-size statue. The open- 
 ing is closed by a screen of bronze. The remaining space 
 within the subbase is a closed vault, access to which is had 
 by means of a doorway, ordinarily closed with masonry. 
 
 Above the stereobate or subbase is the pedestal of the 
 column, divided horizontally into two members, each with 
 its base and cornice. The lower one is SJ feet in height, 
 and the upper 14 feet in height. The faces of both mem- 
 
 *Do3cription from Association Pamphlet. 
 
1857.] CLAY MONUMENT. 381 
 
 bers of the pedestal are in suak panel, to be filled ulti- 
 mately with bas reliefs in bronze, if desirable. 
 
 Above the pedestal rises the shaft, which, with the base 
 and capital, is 69 feet in height ; the lower diameter being 
 6 feet 8 inches, and the upper 5 feet 10 inches, built solid. 
 The shaft, instead of the ordinary 24 flutes, with their in- 
 termediate fillets, is composed of a cluster of thirteen 
 spears (one for each of the "Old Thirteen"), the heads of 
 which, of bronze, interlaced and grouped with corn leaves 
 and appropriate national emblems, form the capital of the 
 column, conformable, in outline and proportion, to the best 
 examples of the order. On the abacus of the capital rests 
 an acroter of bronze, of a parabolic contour, and formed 
 of ash and ivy leaves, serving as a pedestal to the statue. 
 
382 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1858-59. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIII. 
 
 Sons of Malta — M. T. Scott— Change in City Government — 
 Robert WicMiffe, Sen. 
 
 Helmet Lodge, 'Ho. 1, Sons of Malta, was organized in 
 Lexington, April 3, 1858, and held its meetings in an upper 
 story of the building, on the corner of Main and Mill 
 streets, known as Whitney & Co.'s drug store. 
 
 Matthew T. Scott, who filled for many years the posi- 
 tion of president of the l^orthern Bank of Kentucky, died 
 in Lexington, in the seventy-second year of his age, Au- 
 gust 21, 1858. He was a man of rare financial sagacity and 
 of irreproachable integrity, and had been identified with 
 the banking interests of Kentucky for more than forty years. 
 
 In 1859, the Democrats obtained control of the city 
 government of Lexington, after it had been in the hands 
 of their variously-named opponents for nearly a quarter of 
 a century. 
 
 Kobert Wickliffe, Sen., died at his residence in Lexington, 
 September 1, 1859, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. Mr. 
 Wickliffe came from Virginia at an early day, and by his 
 energy, persistent labor, and ability, gained a conspicuous 
 position at the bar. He repeatedly represented Fayette in 
 the legislature, was chairman of the board of trustees of 
 Transylvania University, filled other important public 
 offices, and was for half a century one of the leading 
 spirits in state politics. Mr. "Wicklifie was one of the 
 shrewdest and ablest land lawyers in Kentucky, and as 
 such made himself rich. He w&a twice married. His 
 first wife was Margaretta Howard, and his last, Mary O. 
 Russell. He was buried at " Howard's Grove," Fayette 
 county, Kentucky. Mr. Wickliffe resided on the corner 
 of Second and Jefferson streets, where General William 
 Preston now lives. 
 
I860.] POPULATION— PARTIES, ETC. , 383 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIV. 
 
 Population — Forties — St. John's Academy — Lexington Chas- 
 seurs — List of Officers and Privates. 
 
 The population of Lexington, in 1860, was nine thou- 
 sand live hundred and twenty-one, and that of Fayette 
 county, twenty-two thousand five hundred and ninety-nine. 
 
 The political parties which acted so prominent a part on 
 the eve of the great struggle between the North and the 
 South, were the Douglas Democrats, Breckinridge Demo- 
 crats, the Bell and Everett, or Union party, and the Kepub- 
 lican or A bolitio n party. 
 
 St. John's Academy, a Catholic parochial school con- 
 nected with St. Catharine's Academy, on Limestone street, 
 was established in 1860, mainly through the efforts of 
 Father McGuire. 
 
 The Lexington Chasseurs, one of the most noted of the 
 military companies ever raised in Lexington, was organ- 
 ized May 9, 1860, in the grand jury room of the present 
 court-house, and in a very short time was fully equipped. 
 On the 4th of July, 1860, in the presence of the largest 
 crowd ever assembled on the old fair grounds (now the 
 city park), Miss Abby Stewart, in behalf of the ladies of 
 Lexington, presented the Chasseurs with a beautiful flag. 
 The reply to the presentation address was made by Mr. O. 
 L. Bradley, in behalf of the company. The reading of 
 the declaration of independence by D. C. Wicklifte, an 
 oration by E. W. Cooper, and a handsome barbecue given 
 by the Chasseurs and their many friends concluded the ex- 
 ercises of the day. 
 
 The brilliant uniform and splendid evolutions of the 
 Chasseurs now constitute one of the most charming me- 
 
384 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [I860. 
 
 moirs of the days "just before the war." The Chasseurs were 
 the favorites of everybody, and the company rarely had a 
 parade that it was not invited to partake of the hospital- 
 ities of some private residence. la 1861, a silver canteen 
 was presented to the company, to be the prize of that mem- 
 ber of the Chasseurs who should prove himself the best 
 rifle shot, and to be retained by him until won by another. 
 On one side is the inscription : 
 
 Lexington Chasseurs, 
 
 Organized 
 
 May 9, 1860. 
 
 Non nobis sed patriffl. 
 
 The other side bears the name of the giver, and also those 
 of the winners of the prize, viz : 
 
 Presented February 22, 1861, by John G. Kiser, Esq. 
 
 Private R. T. Anderson. 
 
 Corporal L. P. Milward, July 26, 1861. 
 
 Private David Prewett, June 16, 1868. 
 
 The hiatus from 1861 to 1868 represents a period too well 
 and too sadly remembered to need explanation. 
 
 The Chasseurs were not simply peace soldiers. At the 
 beginning of the late terrible war, a large majority of this 
 favorite company volunteered and served gallantly in one 
 or the other of the contending armies. The members of 
 the old Chasseurs fought bravely on many a bloody field; 
 not a few attained an enviable distinction, while others 
 " sleep their last sleep" from wounds inflicted or diseases 
 contracted in that desperate struggle. 
 
 The following is a list of the first ofiicers elected by the 
 Chasseurs, and the names of all the privates who have ever 
 belonged to the company : 
 
 Captain, S. D. Bruce; first lieutenant, J. C. Cochran; 
 second lieutenant, W. P. Matheny; third lieutenant, C. H. 
 Harney ; first sergeant, James Dudley; second sergeant, L. 
 W. Ealier; third sergeant, T. D. Carr; fourth sergeant, 
 Charles Swift ; fifth sergeant, T. J. Nicholas ; first corporal, 
 John B. Castleman ; second corporal, J. M. Yates ; third 
 corporal, L. P. Milward ; fourth corporal, T. J. Bush ; sur- 
 geon, Dudley Bush; clerk, G. R. Letcher; bugler, C. H. 
 
I860.] LEXINGTON CSASSEURS. 385 
 
 Brutton ; color bearer, J. Munos. Privates — R. T. Ander- 
 son, J. "W. Alexander, O. L. Bradley, E. Brennan, B. W. 
 Blincoe, H. C. Brennan, F. "W. Brodie, John Bryan, L. 
 Brechus, J. Bright, L. C. Bruce, G. E. Bell, W. Bright, D. 
 M. Craig, J. Cochran, A. B. Chinn, C. Coleman, A. Clark, 
 E. "W". Cooper, B. T. Castleman, J. Clark, E. Cropper, G. 
 Castleman, H. G. Craig, J. Cooper, H. Castleman, S. Dudley, 
 E. S. Duncanson, H. C. Dunlap, J. G. Dudley, G. A. Doll, 
 J. Dillon, J. Dill, G. Dozier, H. T. Duncan, Jr., J. W. Dil- 
 lard, T. P. Dudley, Jr., C. Ely, "W". Ferguson, E. Eergnson, 
 N. Ferguson, E. Foley, W. F. Fulton, J. L. Gilraore, S. C. 
 Graves, W. D. Gilmore, C. Goodloe, F. Gilmore, D. S. 
 Goodloe, Jr., Z. Gibbons, H. B. Hill, Jr., J. O. Hill, F. X. 
 Hollerger, D. M. Hav/kins, F. A. Hanson, P. B. Hunt, P. 
 C. Hartnell, J. Hayes, T. Hawkins, L. Harris, S. Hawkins, 
 J. A. Harper, M. Hebrati, C. C. Johnson, Jas. Johnson, 
 John Johnson, B. H. Johnson, E. Keene, T. J. Kelly, D. 
 Kastle, J. Keene, G. Kinnear, J. G. Keiser, B. Letcher, S. 
 Letcher, H. Luther, J. W. Lee, S. Lawless, J. P. Lawless, 
 Linzen, E. Lewis, G. L. Lancaster, P. Lampher, W. Lock- 
 hart, E. McCann, J. Munos, W. M. Matthews, E. Maguire, 
 H. MeManus, C. Milward, T. W. McCann, H. McOann, B. 
 J. McCabe, T. D. Mitchell, T. McCaw, J. McKeal, W. 
 McCracken, Monks, W. Montmollin, K H. McClelland, G. 
 McMurtry, F. Matthews, J. C. Morris, J. Montmollin, H. 
 McKee, W. Maglone, J. E. Morton, S. Mahone, W. B. 
 Mclntire, L. C. Nicholas, J. C. Newcomb, J. Nemelly, M. 
 Offutt, H. Cots, G. L. Postlethwaite, W. Postlethwaite, E. 
 Payne, A. B. Pull urn, W. Perkins, J. E. Price, J. C. Pierce, 
 M Eeed, J. Eeed, T. A. Eussell, E. C. Scott, E. Swift, S. 
 Swift, G. Sprague, J. P. Shaw, W. Spencer, J. Sellier, 
 C H Swift, J. B. Steve8,W. T. Scott, D. Scott, T. Scott, 0. 
 Saxton, L. Spurr, H. C. Stewart, C. Spillman J. Shaw, J. 
 SeoT) J F. Thompson, B. F. Thompson, A. W. Trabien, E. 
 Un'd^rwood, W. I Yarty, J. A. Vaughn K J Was, P. 
 Wilging D. V. WooUey, L. Warfield, C. Warheld, E. War- 
 field, N. Williams, L. K Walton, W. Wood. 
 
386 HISTORV OF LEXINGTON. [1861-62. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXV. 
 
 Fair Amphitheater Burnt — PruderCs Statue of Clay — Ethel- 
 bert Dudley — S. D. McCullough. 
 
 On the night of December 18, 1861, the handsome am- 
 phitheater on the magnificent fair grounds of the Kentucky 
 Agricultural and Mechanical Association, near Maxwell's 
 spring, in Lexington, was destroyed by fire, a calamity 
 still deeply regretted. 
 
 In 1861, Mr. M. Pruden, whose talents as a sculptor are 
 well known, executed a fine statue of Henry Clay, which 
 is still in his possession. Several years before this, his ex- 
 cellent busts of Mr. Clay and Judge Eobertson were made. 
 Mr. Pruden is a native of Pennsylvania, but has spent the 
 most of his life in Lexington. 
 
 Dr. Ethelbert L. Dudley, son of Ambrose Dudley, died 
 at the age of forty-five, of typhoid fever, at Columbia, 
 Kentucky, February 20, 1862. At the time of his death, 
 he was Colonel of the Twenty-first Kentucky (Federal) 
 Infantry. Dr. Dudley was born near Lexington; was edu- 
 cated at Harvard University, and graduated at the Tran- 
 sylvania Medical College, in which he was afterward pro- 
 fessor of the principles and practice of surgery. He was 
 a physician by nature, talents, and education, and before 
 the commencement of the late war, he had attained a 
 prominence consistent with his rare abilities and skill. He 
 seemed destined to take the first place in his profession in 
 Kentucky. Dr. Dudley was not more admired as a phy- 
 sician than he was beloved as a man. To the strength of 
 his mind and character, there seemed added every knightly 
 attribute and grace. He was brave and generous, quick to 
 resent, and quick to forgive. He was big-hearted, kind, 
 
1861-62.] DUDLEY— McCVLLOVGH. 
 
 387 
 
 sympathetic, and gentle. Littleness and meanness he 
 despised unutterably, while his soul warmed instinctively 
 to every high and noble action. His heart went out to 
 his friends, and his multitude of friends clung to him with 
 a devotion that is as rare as it was beautiful. JSTo citizen 
 of Lexington was ever more deeply and universally beloved 
 than Dr. Dudley — perhaps none as much so. 
 
 The funeral services took place on Monday, the 24th of 
 February, in the Odd Fellows Hall,* on the corner of Main 
 and Broadway, which had been draped in mourning, and 
 throughout the entire sad exercises could be heard the sobs 
 of hundreds in the dense and sorrowing crowd. The re- 
 mains of the greatly beloved physician were borne to the 
 Lexington Cemetery, where they now sleep, followed by the 
 "Old Infantry," the Chasseurs, the various orders and pro- 
 fessions, and a multitude of other mourners of every rank 
 and condition of life. 
 
 »The handsome form, the eagle eye, and generous heart 
 of Dr. Ethelbert Dudley will long be remembered in Lex- 
 ington. 
 
 Samuel D. McCullough, now one of the oldest natives 
 of Lexington, was born June 26, 1803. His father, a native 
 of Maryland, was one of the early settlers of Lexington. 
 Major McCullough was graduated A. B., at Transylvania 
 University, in 1824, and a few years after received the de- 
 gree of A. M. In 1829, he married Miss Harriet "Wailis, a 
 great grand-daughter of Rev. Samuel Daviess, of Prince- 
 ton College. After conducting a female academy for four- 
 teen years, Major McCullough inherited the secret, and for 
 many years conducted the manufacture of Burrowes' world- 
 renowned Lexington mustard. His love for painting, local 
 history, and antiquities is well-known, but his particular 
 forte is astronomy. " McCullough's Almanacs," Map of 
 the Ilea vens, and Text-book on Astronomy have more than 
 a local reputation. The major has been one of the "lights" 
 of the Masonic fraternity since 1824. He is a quaint relic 
 
 *Observer and Reporter. 
 
388 
 
 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 [1861-62. 
 
 of the olden time of Lexington, and his warm heart and 
 well-stored head, and his praiseworthy desire and eflforts to 
 save from destruction the monuments and memoirs of 
 the past, justly entitled him to the name of " Old Mor- 
 tality." 
 
1863.] JVDQE WM. O. OOODLOE. 389 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVI. 
 
 Banking Souse of Grinstead ^ Bradley — Wm. C. Goodloe. 
 
 The banking house of Grinstead & Bradley, located on 
 Dpper, between Maine and Short streets, was established 
 in 1863. 
 
 Judge William C. Goodloe removed to Lexington in 
 1863. He was born in Madison county, Ky., October 7, 
 1805 ;* graduated at the Transylvania Law School in 1824; 
 commenced the practice of his profession in Kichmond, 
 and was soon after appointed commonwealth attorney by 
 Governor Metcalf. In 1826, he married Miss Almira, daugh- 
 ter of Governor "William Owsley. He was appointed circuit 
 judge in 1846, and served under the appointment until the 
 adoption of the state constitution of 1850, when he was 
 elected to the same office by the people. After that he was 
 twice re-elected and continued in office until 1868, having 
 been upon the bench for twenty-two consecutive years. At 
 the time of his death, which occurred in Lexington, Aug. 
 14 1870, he was a professor in the Law College of Ken- 
 tucky University. Judge Goodloe was a fine lawyer, and 
 possessed very extensive legal information. As a judge he 
 was quick to comprehend cases and arrive at conclusions, 
 and was exceedingly prompt and able in the dispatch and 
 transaction of the duties of his office. 
 
 ^Kentucky Statesman. 
 
390 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1864. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVII. 
 
 Jewish Church — James B. Clay — John H. Morgan. 
 
 The Jews, the most ancient people of the Most High, 
 are few in Lexington, and have no regular and established 
 organization, but the requirements of their faith are not 
 entirely ignored. In the year 1864, in their month of 
 Tishri, they assembled at the residence of one of their 
 brethren, and observed their Sabbath of Sabbaths, the 
 great Day of Atonement, with fasting, humiliation, and 
 prayer. Prom that time to the present, this, the most 
 solemn day of the whole Jewish year, has been annually 
 commemorated by the Israelites of Lexington. 
 
 James B. Clay, son of Henry Clay, died in February, 
 1864, in Canada, aged forty-seven. Mr. Clay was born in 
 Lexington, and was educated for the bar, where, in tiraei, 
 he made a good reputation. Mr. Clay was the only mem- 
 ber of the family that seemed to inherit any of the father's 
 oratorical talent — he was a fine stump speaker. After filling 
 the position of charge to Portugal, Mr. Clay ably represented 
 his district in Congress. In the late war, he warmly 
 espoused the cause of the Confederate States, and was on his 
 way to join the Southern army, when he was arrested and 
 exiled to Canada, where he died of consumption at the 
 time stated above. His remains are buried in the Lexing- 
 ton Cemetery. His residence was Ashland, which he pur- 
 chased after his father's death. 
 
 General John H. Morgan, the Marion of Kentucky, and 
 the most brilliant partisan leader of the late war, was killed 
 by treachery at Greenville, East Tennessee, September 4, 
 1864. He was born at Huntsville, Alabama, June 1, 1825, 
 and was a son of Calvin C. Morgan, and his wife, a daugh- 
 ter of John "W". Hunt, of Lexington, Kentucky. General 
 
1864.] JOHN H. MORGAN. 391 
 
 Morgan's parents removed to Lexington when he was a 
 small child, and nothing of special interest occurred in his 
 life until he arrived at the age of nineteen, when he en- 
 listed in the Mexican war. On his return, he married Miss 
 Bruce, and engaged regularly in business in Lexington. 
 
 At the beginning of the late war, he was captain of the 
 noted " Lexington Rifles," and, espousing the cause of the 
 South, escaped, by stratagem, with a number of that com- 
 pany, on the 20th of September, 1861, and arrived safely at 
 Green river. Shortly after, at Bowling Green, he was 
 elected captain of a cavalry company, which was duly en- 
 rolled in the Confederate service. From that time until the 
 day of his death, he figured in great events, which made 
 his name famous. As captain, colonel, and then brigadier- 
 general, he led his rangers on rapid and astounding " raids," 
 through the carnage of Shiloh, at the capture of Cynthi- 
 ana, and in many a desperate contest. After the death of 
 his wife, Morgan married again. His second wife waa Miss 
 Ready, of Tennessee. His daring raid through Ohio, his 
 capture, imprisonment, and romantic escape, are too fresh 
 in the public mind to need recapitulation. 
 
 This gallant leader and his famous band swept through 
 Kentucky, in 1864, for the last time, and on the 10th of 
 June were in possession of Lexington. In less than three 
 months from that time, his knightly career was ended. 
 His remains were buried first at Abingdon, Virginia, but in 
 a short time were deposited in a vault at Hollywood Cem- 
 etery, Richmond, where they remained until 1868. On the 
 17th of April of that year, his old comrades and soldiers, 
 in the presence of a host of mourners, laid him to rest in 
 the Lexington Cemetery, and gentle women of the South 
 wreathed, with flowers and evergreens, the grave of one of 
 the greatest partisan leaders named in the history of the 
 world. Up to the time of his first marriage. General Mor- 
 gan lived at his mother's residence, on the corner of Mill 
 and Second streets. Just before the late war, he lived on 
 the corner opposite his old home, in the house now occu- 
 pied by Mrs. Ryland. 
 
392 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1865. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVIII. 
 
 First National and City National Banks — Centenary Metho- 
 dist Church. 
 
 The First National Bank of Lexington was organized in 
 tlie spring of 1865, and commenced business in an office 
 on Jordan's RoW. Its first directors were Jacob Hughes, 
 W. R. Estill, 'William Warfield, S. F. Tebbs, and B. F. 
 Buckner; Jacob Hughes, president, and Thos. Mitchell, 
 cashier. The office of the bank is now on Short street, 
 between Upper and Market. 
 
 In the same year (1865), the City National Bank was 
 established. W. C. Goodioe, president ; A. M. Barnes, cash- 
 ier; directors, G. W. Norton, W. S. Downey, Persicles 
 Scott, J. B. "Wilgus, and D. F. "Wolf. Banking office loca- 
 ted on corner of Main and Cheapside. 
 
 The Centenary Methodist Church of Lexington was or- 
 ganized, in the fall of 1865, by a number of persons who 
 seceded from the Southern Methodist Church on Hill street, 
 for reasons intimated in the chapter on the latter named 
 church. Members of the families of Persicles Scott, Hiram 
 Shaw, L. P. and W. R. Milward, J. Gunn, J. W. Cannon, 
 Dr. Bright, and others, combined to organize the new 
 church, which met for a short time in the present city 
 library building, with Rev. H. P. Henderson, of Ohio, as 
 pastor. 
 
 On the 4th of January, 1866, the congregation engaged 
 the city council room in Hunt's Row, and conducted wor- 
 ship there for several years, under the ministry of Rev. 
 Duke Slavin and his successor. Rev. J. R. Eads. Ably as- 
 sisted by their next pastor, the Rev. Daniel Stevenson, 
 formerly superintendent of public instruction for Kentucky, 
 and a scholarly gentleman, the congregation, with great 
 
1865.] CENTENARY METHODIST CHVRCH. 393 
 
 zeal, set to work to build a church, and on Sunday, July 
 24, 1870, the present elegant edifice on the corner of Broad- 
 way and Church streets was dedicated. The dedicatory ex- 
 ercises were conducted by the Rev. C. H. Fowler, assisted 
 by the pastor, Mr. Stevenson. The Rev. George Strow- 
 bridge, the present pastor, who is an exceedingly entertain- 
 ing speaker, succeeded Mr. Stevenson. The aflairs of the 
 Centenary Church have been conducted with great energy 
 and zeal ; it has met with encouraging success, and is now 
 in a most prosperous condition. 
 
394 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1866-67. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIX. 
 
 Kentucky Gazette — Red Men — Aaron Dupee — Kentucky States- 
 man — Farmers' Home Journal — Poems by the Misses Wil- 
 son — Good Templars — Fayette Farmers' Club — John Carty. 
 
 The first number of the present Kentucky Gazette, H. 
 H. Gratz, editor, appeared June 23, 1866. 
 
 Oceola Tribe, No. 8, Improved Order of Red Men, was 
 constituted in Lexington, August 29, 1866, with the follow- 
 ing officers, viz : James Chrystal, Sachem ; T. A. Hornsey, 
 
 B. 8.; B. P. Watkins, J. S.; D. A. King, P.; A. W. Tra- 
 bein, 0. E.; V. 'N. Gardner, K. W. The tribe was organ- 
 ized in the third story of Viley & Co.'s drug store, on the 
 corner of Mill and Short streets. It now uses the hall in 
 Kastle's block, on Main street. 
 
 Aaron Dupee, well-known as the faithful negro servant 
 of Henry Clay, died in February, 1866, at the age of eighty. 
 He was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery, and a neat 
 headstone, with an inscription embodying these facts, marks 
 his grave. 
 
 The first number of the present Kentucky Statesman 
 appeared January 1, 1867, William Cassius Goodloe and W. 
 Owsley Goodloe being editors and proprietors; office on 
 Short street, near the corner of Limestone, where it still 
 remains. Subsequently, "W". O. Goodloe became sole editor 
 and proprietor. In January, 1871, he sold to Messrs. W. 
 
 C. Goodloe and L. P. Tarleton. At the present time, the 
 establishment is owned by a company, and the paper is 
 ably edited by Mr. Samuel E. Smith. The Statesman is 
 Eepublican, or Eadical, in politics. 
 
 The Farmers' Home Journal was established in May, 
 1867, by J. J. Miller and J. E. Marrs, on Market street, 
 
1866-67.] FAYETTE FARMERS CLUB. 
 
 395 
 
 near the Episcopal Church. It is now owned by Messrs. 
 H. T. Duncan, Jr., and Hart Gibson; and Mr. J. A. Rey- 
 nolds, who has been so long and so favorably connected with 
 the Kentucky press, is its editor. 
 
 Miss Susie Wilson and Miss Belle Wilson, sisters, and 
 both natives of Lexington, published in the newspapers, 
 about this time (1867), as they have frequently since, poems 
 of great sweetness, tender eloquence, and acknowledged 
 merit. 
 
 The order of Good Templars originated in Lexington, 
 with the organization of Arlington Lodge, N'ovember 22, 
 1867, in the building used by City School No. 2. Ashland 
 Lodge of Good Templars was organized December 8, 1868. 
 Both lodges now use the hall in Kastle's building, on Main, 
 between Mill and Broadway. 
 
 On Saturday, the 19th of January, 1867, a meeting of 
 farmers was held in the wareroom of J. M. Tipton, on Short 
 street, between Limestone and Upper, to take steps toward 
 organizing a Farmers' Club. General William Bryan was 
 called to the chair, and E. C. Bryan was made secretary, 
 A number of speeches were made, strongly in favor of the 
 project, and the following committee was appointed to draft 
 a constitution and by-laws for the proposed club, viz: W. 
 B. Kinkead, J. J. Hayden, D. S. Coleman, S. Chew, stnd 
 E. Allen. At a meeting held at the same place the suc- 
 ceeding Saturday, January 26, the constitution and by-laws 
 reported by the coinmittee were adopted, the organization 
 named " The Farmers' Club," and the following officers were 
 elected : President, W. R. Estill ; vice-president, J. J. Hay- 
 den; corresponding secretary, William Warfield ; treasurer, 
 D. S. Coleman ; recording secretary, J. M. Tipton. Those 
 who subscribed to the constitution, at this meeting, were 
 William Bryan, Samuel H. Chew, W. B. Kinkead, J. J. 
 Hayden, W. R. Estill, W. Halley Smith, Edward Allen, D. 
 S. Coleman, C. C. Gibson, Joseph S. Frazer, William War- 
 field, David Frewitt, James W. Berry, Granville Smith, S. 
 P. Kennedy, R. J. Spurr, William Cassius Goodloe, E. C. 
 Bryan, Elisha Smith, John Clark, William D. SutherlanJ, 
 
396 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1866-67. 
 
 J. M. Tipton, John L. Cassell, A. K. Marshall, S. M. Hibler, 
 David Harp, and W. G. Anderson. 
 
 The club was established to advance the general interests 
 of agriculture in this portion of Kentucky; to spread in- 
 telligence of the markets for stocks and other products 
 throughout the farming community, and by mutual con- 
 sultation protect their interests against undue advantage 
 being taken of them; to bring together experience as to 
 the best method of cultivating the various crops ; of breed- 
 ing and raising stock of the various descriptions ; of the 
 best farming implements, and embracing also the interests 
 of horticulture, fruit raising, the dairies, etc. 
 
 The club has been in successful operation ever since its 
 establishment. Its weekly discussions and proceedings, 
 which have been exceedingly useful and interesting, have 
 been given to the public in a clear, graceful, and able man- 
 ner, by Mr. J. A. Reynolds, editor of the Farmers' Home 
 Journal, and the authorized reporter of the club. In j ustice 
 to itself and to the interests of agriculture in Kentucky, 
 the club should, by all means, gather and preserve these re- 
 ports in a durable volume. 
 
 John Carty, one of the most remarkable and successful 
 merchants that Lexington has ever produced, died at his 
 residence on Broadway, Monday, April 8, 1867, aged sixty- 
 one. His father, John Carty, a soldier in the Revolution 
 and in subsequent Indian wars, was one of the pioneer set- 
 tlers of Lexington. His grandfather, John Carty, was a 
 native of Burlington, New Jersey, and was of English de- 
 scent. After spending several sessions at the Transylvania 
 grammar school, Mr. Carty commenced life, at the early 
 age of fifteen, as deputy of that elegant old Virginia gen- 
 tleman. Captain John Fowler, then, and for many years 
 after, postmaster of Lexington. Mr. Carty left the post- 
 office to assist Mr. John McCauley, who, at an early day, 
 was one of the extensive grocery dealers of Lexington. 
 In this new capacity, his energy and business talents were 
 so marked, and he exhibited financial sagacity of such a 
 high order, that in a short time he was admitted as a full 
 partner in the establishment. Subsequently, he conducted 
 
1866-67.] JOHN GARTY. 397 
 
 the same kind of business with Mr. John Dudley and others, 
 but for many years, and up to the time of his death, he 
 was the sole proprietor of the leading grocery house in Lex- 
 ington, which had also become, under his skillful manage- 
 ment, one of the most extensive in Kentucky. 
 
 Mr. Carty was one of nature's noblemen, and the seal of 
 a true man was impressed upon all he did. His business 
 was conducted upon the highest principles of truth and 
 honor. Though a patron of learning and of every deserving 
 public enterprise, and the liberal benefactor of struggling 
 merit, yet all was hidden under an extraordinary modesty, 
 which was not the least beautiful of his characteristics. He 
 was a man of remarkable judgment ; he weighed every- 
 thing in his finely balanced mind, and his opinions were 
 rarely at fault and always influential. Mr. Carty was con- 
 stitutionally incapable of injustice, and his views on all 
 subjects were comprehensive, liberal, and charitable. His 
 most distinguishing mental trait was financial sagacity, and 
 in that respect, in particular, he was one of the most su- 
 perior men in Kentucky. His old associates will never for- 
 get his marvelously black, beautiful, and piercing eyes, the 
 windows of a soul as gentle as it was brave, and as rare as 
 it was exalted. His spotless life and admirable qualities 
 gained him a host of friends. He was universally esteemed 
 and beloved, and few men who have died in Lexington 
 were ever more generally and sincerely mourned. The fol- 
 lowing notice of his funeral, from a Lexington newspaper, 
 indicates the public feeling at his loss : 
 
 " The funeral cortege of Mr. John Carty, on Wednesday 
 last, was probably the largest which ever followed a private 
 citizen of this city to the grave. He was interred with Ma- 
 sonic honors, and the stores along Main street were closed 
 as the procession passed by. This was an unusual testi- 
 monial of respect to a private person ; but it shows how he 
 had won upon the respect and aflection of his fellow cit- 
 izens." 
 
898 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [^S6a. 
 
 CHAPTEK LXXX. 
 
 Christ Church Seminary^— Ba'ptist Female .College — W. S. 
 
 Downey. 
 
 Christ Church Seminary, Rev. Silas Totten, principal, 
 was established in 1868. 
 
 The first session of the Baptist Female College, on Broad- 
 way, between Hill and Maxwell streets, commenced in 
 February, 1868, under Prof. A, S. Worrell. The college 
 buildings are the same used by the Misses Jaqisson, who 
 for years conducted a female school noted for its fine 
 character and success. Bev. J. C. Freeman succeeded 
 Mr. Worrell. The present president of this flourishing 
 institution is Dr. Eobert Ryland, formerly of Richmond, 
 Virginia. 
 
 W. S. Downey died at the Phoenix Hotel, in Lexington, 
 January 31, 1868, aged forty-seven.* Major Downey was 
 born near Winchester, Kentucky, and having been bereft 
 of his father at an early age, he was not only thrown upon 
 his own resources, but was left in poverty, with a mother 
 and two sisters to support. He tested freely "the good 
 things that belong ■to adversity" in his early and youth- 
 ful struggles. He was educated at St. Mary's College, and 
 studied law with Hon. James Simpson. He was county 
 attorney of Clark county for several years and up to his 
 election as commonwealth's attorney for this judicial dis- 
 trict, in 1856, which office he held, by successive elections, 
 at the time of his death. 
 
 Major Downey was a self-made man, and rose to position 
 by his own talents and industry. He was distinguished for 
 ^correct taste and polite accomplishments in literature. His 
 
 ♦Observer and Keporter. 
 
1868] 
 
 W. S. DOWNEY. 
 
 899 
 
 fine command of language, arising from an intimate ac- 
 quaintance with the classics, active, quick, perceptive, and 
 incisive cast of intellect, gave him the power of a formid- 
 able and eloquent opponent at the bar. 
 
400 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1869. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXI. 
 
 Apostolic Times — Hacker School — I^he Great Eclipse of the 
 Sun — S. S. Nicholas — Farmer Dewees. 
 
 The Apostolic Times, R. Graham and others editors, was 
 established in April, 1869; first office on Main, between 
 Mill and Oheapside. 
 
 The Hocker Female School, on Broadway, opened in 
 September, 1869, with Robert Graham as president. The 
 school owes its establishment to donations and loans from 
 liberal citizens. 
 
 On Saturday, August 7, 1869, occurred the great eclipse 
 of the sun, and Lexington, being a most favorable point of 
 observation, was visited by many strangers. The crowds, 
 which commenced to gather on the streets at an early hour 
 in the afternoon, grew larger and larger as the momentous 
 period approched, and by the time the great celestial won- 
 der began its sublime, visible work, it seemed that all living 
 Lexington had abandoned shelter and emptied itself out into 
 the main thoroughfares. 
 
 The weather all day was beautiful and clear, but cool, 
 becoming even chilly as eclipse time neared. By four o'clock 
 most of the best points had been secured. Every hand 
 held a piece of smoked glass with which to take observa- 
 tions. The first indications to the naked eye of the eclipse 
 was the appearance of a little concave " gap " in the sun, 
 a visible change began to take place in the color of things, 
 and the atmosphere was the least bit hazy. Time passed, 
 and the air took on a coal-smoky hue, the darkening sha- 
 dows deepened, and our beautiful trees assumed a deeper 
 and deeper green. In a little while only about four digits 
 of the sun's face was yet uncovered, and from this time the 
 circling birds, the domestic fowls and animals, showed most 
 
1869.] THE QREAT ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 401 
 
 evident signs of uneasiness. The moon moved majestically 
 onward, leaving only two digits \inchanged, and the gath- 
 ering darkness settled in ghastly shadows upon all men 
 and things. The ladies drew their wrappings closer, the 
 edges of the sun glowed strangely with fire, the excitement 
 ran high, and at each advance made by the moon's shadow 
 the intensity increased. 
 
 At 5:25 the silence and the darkness awed the expectant 
 multitudes by their strange and mysterious influence. 
 Every eye was upon the sun, the horns of^ the crescent di- 
 minished rapidly, and at last the crescent itself became dis- 
 solved into a ball of fire. Rapidly it also diminished in 
 size, and at last disappeared suddenly, like a candle blown 
 out. Still, on the margin of the shadow lingered specks — 
 little globules — two or three, or perhaps five of them, on 
 the moon's northeast edge, like dazzling drops of dew. 
 Suddenly they went out, and the merest golden edge re- 
 mained a second and fiashed out of sight, dropping a sud- 
 den darkness on ►the earth. The stars flashed into the 
 heavens as if they had but that moment been created. On 
 the right was Mercury, on the left Venus, and still further 
 left was Mars or perhaps Saturn. 
 
 Time, 5:30. The moment had arrived — such as will not 
 occur again for a lifetime — the sun was eclipsed. And 
 there was something indescribably awful and solemn in 
 this vailing of his face in darkness. 
 
 Another has truly said of this moment: 
 
 "With the flash of darkness flashed out lines of golden 
 clouds in the southwest and northwest of indescribable 
 beauty. No night clouds, no clouds by twilight, no clouds 
 at sunset, no clouds by day, ever resembled those. The 
 relations of earth and air in color and light had changed 
 night on the earth, twilight in the distant mid-air, and a 
 daylight in the further upper air where the clouds were 
 marshaled. Golden, orange, gray, crimson, lavender, and 
 the tenderest hues of olive were seen mottled and pure in 
 their coloring. They lay in ledges, the lower stratum 
 resting on a bank of rich orange mist that deepened and 
 deepened in color till it reached and disappeared beneath 
 
402 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1869. 
 
 the horizon. In tone these clouds were unlike all other 
 clouds one sees. Rich in color, beyond description of 
 tongue, pen, or pencil, they were not ablaze as are the 
 clouds of day, and appearing and disappearing like the pic- 
 tures of a phantasmagoria." 
 
 Even while the entranced gazers are looking with 
 wrapped eyes and with hearts moved to their deepest depths 
 by the glory of the grandest work of the Omnipotent 
 Creator, there comes a flash and a blinding, dazzling, over- 
 whelming light. It is like nothing else than the breaking 
 loose of great reservoirs that had long been dammed — 
 grateful, warm, genial, blessed light, it came streaming 
 forth, giving life and health and peace. It seemed like a 
 resurrection. It seemed as if the habiliments of the grave 
 had been thrown aside, and in the garments of youth the 
 earth had been decked. The shadow fled away before the 
 sudden burst, the old moon became the new, and once more 
 it began its solemn movement around the earth, and with 
 the earth around the sun. The eclipse was over. 
 
 Judge S. S. Nicholas, noted as a profound jurist and 
 publicist, died in Danville, Kentucky, at the age of seventy- 
 three, on Saturday, November 27, 1869. He was born in 
 Lexington, on the' corner of Short and Mill streets, read 
 law with K. Wickliffe, Sen., practiced in Louisville, and 
 rose rapidly to a high position. He served in the legis- 
 lature, upon the appellate bench, and in preparing the re- 
 vised code of Kentucky. He became particularly celebra- 
 ted for his able essays on constitutional law. His father, 
 Hon. George Nicholas, was one of the ablest men that ever 
 lived in Kentucky, and was the leading member of the 
 Lexington bar for a number of years. 
 
 Farmer Dewees, whose face had been familiar to Lex- 
 ington for so many years, died at his residence, on Main 
 street, July 28, 1869.* Mr. Dewees was born near Mid- 
 way, Kentucky, September 15, 1792, but settled in Lexing- 
 ton in early life, and was identified with her banking 
 institutions for nearly half a century. He was teller, at 
 
 •Kentucky Gazette. 
 
1869.] FARMER DEWEE8. 403 
 
 one time, in the old branch of the United States Bank, 
 and was subsequently the first teller of the Northern Bank, 
 with which institution he remained connected until old age 
 crept upon him. Mr. Dewees was distinguished for his 
 gentle manners, amiable deportment, and quiet charity. 
 He filled his allotted part in life with fidelity, and died 
 with the Christian's hopes bright upon him. 
 
404 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [18T0. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXII. 
 
 Population — Charter Amendment — Irish Benevolent Associa- 
 tion — Fayette National Bank — Lexington Daily Press — 
 David A. Sayre — Fayette Historical Society. 
 
 The census report, and the report of the city assessor of 
 the population of Lexington for 1870, conflict, owing, in 
 part, to the unsettled condition of the negroes. A well- 
 informed citizen estimated the population at seventeen 
 thousand five hundred, which is believed to be about cor- 
 rect. The population of the entire county was twenty-six 
 thousand six hundred and fifty-six. 
 
 In January, 1870, the charter of the city of Lexington was 
 so amended as to require elections of municipal officers to 
 take place on the last Thursday in January, 1870, and 
 every third year thereafter. 
 
 About the first of March, in this year, the banking office 
 of Headley & Anderson, on Short street, was established. 
 
 The Irish National Benevolent Association of Lexington 
 was organized May 13, 1870, with the following officers, 
 viz: J. H. Mulligan, president; J. A. Geary, first vice- 
 president ; M. Clark, second vice-president ; T. J. Brogan, 
 recording secretary; J. Dowling, corresponding secretary; 
 A. J. Hogarty, treasurer. The objects of the association 
 are to promote the cause of Ireland's independence, to 
 assist distressed Irishmen in Lexington, and to honor the 
 memory of Saint Patrick by a proper celebration of his 
 anniversary. We may mention here, that the first observ- 
 ance of Saint Patrick's day in this city was the occasion 
 of a dinner at Megowan's tavern, in 1790. 
 
 The Fayette National Bank, corner of Short and Upper 
 streets, was organized September 8, 1870, by the election 
 of the following directors, viz: R. R. Stone, J. S. "Wool- 
 
IS'^C] DAVID A. HAYRE. 
 
 405 
 
 folk, Horace Craig, J. M. Tipton, S. Bassett, J. Hooker, 
 E. McMiehael, and J. B. Morton. 
 
 The Lexington Daily Press, the first newspaper printed 
 in this city by steam, was established in October, 1870, 
 Messrs. Hart Gibson, H. T. Duncan, Jr., and J. J. Miller, 
 being proprietors. Office on the corner of Short and Mar- 
 ket streets. It is now owned by Gibson and Duncan only. 
 
 David A. Sayre died in Lexington on the 12th of Sep- 
 tember, 1870. Mr. Sayre was born in Madison, New Jer- 
 sey, March 12, 1793. He was a child of poverty, and the 
 hard labor of his youth left him little time for education. 
 He came to Lexington in 1811, a silver-plater's apprentice, 
 walking barefoot all the way from Maysville to this place, 
 with a meager pack upon his back, and only a half dollar 
 in his pocket. The young mechanic was thrifty and shrewd, 
 and while he labored he also saved and watched his oppor- 
 tunities. In 1823, while yet a journeyman, he concluded 
 to add the broker's calling to his regular business, and by 
 dint of close and careful dealing, he achieved great success 
 in amassing money, and in 1829, was enabled to open a 
 banking-office on the corner of Mill and Short streets. He 
 succeeded in his business, and long before his death was 
 known for his wealth; a considerable part of which was 
 devoted to public institutions connected with the Presby- 
 terian Church, of which he was a member, and to the bene- 
 fiting of his relatives, some of whom he raised from hum- 
 ble life to prosperity and wealth. " Uncle Davy," and his 
 faithful help-mate, " Aunt Abby," sleep side by side in the 
 beautiful Lexington Cemetery. Mr. Sayre was no ordi- 
 nary man ; he did great good, and the record of his life is 
 full of encouragement to ambitious strugglers with poverty. 
 
 The Historical Society of Fayette county was organized 
 in the Lexington Library building, June 7, 1870. The 
 object of the society is to procure and preserve whatever 
 may relate to the history of Fayette county, Kentucky, 
 viz : books, relics, and memorials, and also to collect and 
 publish manuscripts concerning the history of the county 
 and state. The first officers of the society were : President, 
 George liobertson; vice-presidents, James 0. Harrison and 
 
406 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1870. 
 
 Robert Peter ; recording secretary, George "W. Ranck ; cor- 
 responding secretary, Joseph D. Pickett ; treasurer, John 
 S, Wilson, and librarian, J. B. Cooper. Messrs. Leslie 
 Combs, Benjamin Gratz, S. D. McCullough, Benjamin 
 Kiser, "William Swift, Richard Marsh, T. P. Dudley, and 
 others are members of this society. 
 
 The writer returns his thanks to the officers and mem- 
 bers of the Payette Historical Society, and to Richard H. 
 Collins, of Covington, (who is now revising and enlarging 
 his father's history of Kentucky,) for the valuable assist- 
 ance they rendered him in the preparation of this volume. 
 
1871.] MISSION CHURCH, ETC. 407 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXIII. 
 
 Mission Church — Dollar Press — Broadway Christian Church 
 — Second Church of Christ— Meeting Places and Pastors — 
 Sugh McKee — Knights of Pythias. 
 
 The Mission Church on Boliver street, devoted to the 
 religious improvement of the unfortunate, was dedicated 
 Sunday, January, 1871. 
 
 The first number of the Dollar Weekly Press, published 
 by Duncan & Gibson, on the corner of Short and Market 
 streets, made its appearance January 21, 1871. 
 
 The Broadway Christian Church was organized, and 
 became independent of the Main Street Christian Church, 
 in July, 1871. (See Christian Church, 1825.) J. W. Mc- 
 Garvey was first regular pastor of the church. 
 
 The Second Church of Christ was established in the 
 spring of 1871, by a number of persons who desired free- 
 dom and rest from the intolerance and illiberality of cer- 
 tain leaders of the " Main Street Church," with which 
 they had been connected. (See Christian Church, 1825.) 
 The first regular meeting preliminary to organization was 
 held on the afternoon of March 19, 1871, in the upper 
 room of the library building, on the corner of Church and 
 Market streets. Present, Elder G. W. EUey, chairman; J. 
 S. Wolfolk, D. S. Goodloe, J. H. E"eville, J. B. Bowman, 
 G. W. Eanck> and others. In addition to these persons, 
 the following were among the earliest movers in the for- 
 mation of the new church, viz : J. D. Pickett, Mary E. Carty, 
 John . Shackelford, A. M. Barnes, Lulie Mays, Marcus 
 Downing and family, Helen C. llanck, John Curd, Sen., 
 E. D. Luxon, "W". S. Lipscomb, N. Prall, John Curd, Jr., 
 Mary D. Bowman, Joseph Wasson and family, Jas. Sulli- 
 van and family, B. E. Smith, S. D. Pinkerton, and others. 
 
408 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1871. 
 
 The establishment of the church was duly perfected, and 
 on Sunday, April 2, the opening sermon was preached in 
 the library building, by Elder Elley. 
 
 The first pastors of the church were Elders J. D. Pickett 
 and John Shackelford, who acted jointly. After worship- 
 ing in the library building for some months, the congre- 
 gation fitted up a chapel on the second floor of the Carty 
 building, on the corner of Main and Mill streets. Services 
 were held in this chapel, for the first time, on the morning 
 of Sunday, February 4, 1872, the sermon being preached 
 by Elder R. C. Ricketts, of Harrodsburg. The congrega- 
 tion still worship in the Carty building. The pastor of the 
 church at this time is Elder John Shackelford, a native of 
 Mason county, Kentucky, a graduate of Bethany college, 
 and now a professor in the Agricultural College of Ken- 
 tucky University. This faithful and earnest minister ably 
 represents the charitable feelings and liberal opinions of 
 his little flock. 
 
 The gallant Hugh McKee, who was killed in the at- 
 tack made by the United States naval forces upon the forts 
 of Corea, Asia, June 11, 1871, was born in Lexington, on 
 the 23d of April, 1844, and graduated at Annapolis, in 
 1866. He was the first man to reach the fort, within which 
 he died as bravely as did his father, Colonel W. E. McKee, 
 upon the battle-field of Buena Vista. Admiral Rogers, in 
 his report of the fight said : " The citadel has been named 
 Fort McKee, in honor of that gallant officer who led the 
 assault upon it, and gave his life for the honor of his fiag." 
 This noble son of a noble sire sleeps in the Lexington 
 Cemetery. 
 
 Lodge No. 15, Knights of Pythias, was organized 
 in Lexington, October 25, 1871, with the following officers, 
 namely : J. T. Uppington, W, C. ; O. S. Wood, V. C. ; 
 Thomas Forman, R. 8.; G. C. Snyder, F. S. ; C. H. ISTor- 
 ris, "W. B. The order is a charitable one; its objects, ac- 
 cording to its constitution, being to "alleviate suflFering, 
 succor the afflicted and unfortunate, and care for the 
 widow and the orphan." 
 
1872.] SOUTHERN RAILROAD, ETC. 409 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXIV- 
 
 Southern Railroad — J. B. Wilgus ^ Go's Bank — Sons of 
 Temperance — B. Gratz Brown — Business Statement — County 
 and City Officers. 
 
 In the latter part of January, 1872, the Kentucky leg- 
 islature granted the right of way through this state to the 
 Southern Eailroad, destined to extend from Cincinnati to 
 Chattanooga. -The event was celebrated with great enthu- 
 siasm by the citizens of Lexington, who regard the road 
 (which is now on the eve of being commenced) as another 
 great means of advancing the growth and prosperity of 
 their city. This important enterprise is not new in its 
 general outlines. Thirty-five years ago, a road from Cin- 
 cinnati to Knoxville, and thence to Charleston, South Car- 
 olina, was projected, and the right of way given by the 
 Kentucky legislature. From that time to the present, the 
 project has always been regarded with favor by Cincinnati 
 and Central Kentucky. 
 
 The banking house of J. B. Wilgus & Co. was established 
 February 7, 1872, and commenced business in Hoeing's 
 building, on Main street. The bank now uses an office in 
 the Wilgus building, on Main street, between Mill and 
 Broadway. 
 
 Lexington Division, I^o. 35, Sons of Temperance, was 
 organized on the night of Monday, July 29, 1872, in Kas- 
 tle's building, on Main street, where the division still meets 
 
 regularly. 
 
 Governor Benjamin Gratz Brown, of Missouri, and now 
 the Liberal Republican nominee for vice-president of the 
 United States, was born on the 28th of May, 1826, in Lex- 
 ino-ton, at the residence of his grandfather. Judge Bledsoe, 
 who lived at that time on Short street, between Walnut 
 
410 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1872. 
 
 and Dewees streets, in the house now occupied hy Mr. Arm- 
 strong, and next to the residence of Mrs. Waters. Gov- 
 ernor Brown's father, Hon. Mason Brown, was a citizen 
 of Frankfort, and Mrs. Brown was on a visit to her parents 
 at the time of her son's birth. 
 
 The character and importance of Lexington, at this time 
 (1872), may be judged by the following: 
 
 The city contains eighteen churches, twenty schools, four 
 colleges, one university, eight newspapers, one public 
 library, three railroads, thirty physicians, forty-five lawyers, 
 five hemp and bagging factories, nine carriage factories, 
 twenty livery stables, four planing mills, ten saddle and 
 harness manufactories, eight banking houses, ten hotels, 
 thirty-five drinking saloons, twenty-one boot and shoe 
 establishments, fifteen confectioneries, one hundred and 
 twenty-five groceries, eight sewing-machine offices, twenty- 
 two dry goods houses, sixteen millinery houses, ten drug 
 houses, six blacksmith shops, one woolen mill, four flour 
 mills, ten clothing houses, fifteen dress-making houses, one 
 foundry, one mustard factory, four wagon factories, one 
 soap and candle factory, four mattrass factories, one plaster 
 ornament factory, one hoop-skirt factory, one agricultural 
 implement factory, two pump factories, two broom factories, 
 two cigar factories, three hair ornament factories, five 
 furniture houses, six bakeries, eight restaurants, ten coal 
 yards, one gas company, four dental offices, five hardware 
 houses, two gas and steam-fitting houses, three leather 
 houses, five furniture houses, four agricultural implement 
 houses, ten barber shops, five paint shops, six tin, copper, 
 and stove shops, two machine shops, one cooper shop, three 
 gunsmith shops, two locksmith shops, four lumber yards, 
 one book-bindery, one brewery, three marble works, seven 
 watch and jewelry houses, eight merchant tailor houses, 
 one bath house, one dye house, three photograph galleries, 
 four book-stores, six meat houses, three rag houses, one 
 public laundry, six insurance offices, three nurseries, eight 
 auctioneers, one lottery office, one omnibus line, four build- 
 ers, four public halls, one sculptor, two portrait painters, four 
 architects, several hundred carpenters, brick-masons, plas- 
 
1872.] CITY AND COVNTT OFFICERS. 411 
 
 terers, and stone-cutters, two quadrille bands, one agricul- 
 tural and mechanical association, one racing association, one 
 park, one express office, two telegraph offices, one lunatic 
 asylum, one orphan asylum, one female benevolent society, 
 two Bible societies, one musical society, one theater, one 
 work-house, four Masonic lodges, three Odd-Fellow lodges, 
 two Good Templar lodges, one B-ed Men lodge, one Knights 
 of Pythias lodge, one Sons of Temperance lodge. 
 
 The officers of Fayette county at the present time are : 
 Judge of the Circuit Court, C. B. Thomas ; Common- 
 wealth's Attorney, J. L. Jones ; Circuit Court Clerk, J. B. 
 Eodes; Judge of County Court, B. F. Graves; County 
 Attorney, J. E.. Morton ; County Court Clerk, A. G. Hunt ; 
 Sheriff, R. S. Bullock; Jailer, T. B. Megowan; Assessor, 
 J. D. Sprake ; Surveyor, J. F. Slade ; Coroner, T. Logwood. 
 
 The city officers are: Mayor, J. T. Frazer. Councilmen 
 — Ward InTo. 1, M. C. Johnson, J. E.. Cleary, C. Randall ; 
 Ward Fo. 2, R. A. Gibney, T. W. Foster, J. Hoagland ; 
 "Ward Ifo. 3, H. Chiles, W. C. P. Breckinridge, J. Laude- 
 man ; Ward 'So. 4, Dennis Mulligan, J. F. Robinson, Jr., 
 Robert Stone. Recorder, J. H. Mulligan; Clerk, J. W. 
 Cochrane; Attorney, John Webster; Physician, J. W. 
 Bruce, M. D. ; Treasurer, B. T. Milton ; Collector, J. F. 
 Robinson; Assessor, Jesse Woodruff ; Marshal, Wm. Til- 
 lett; Chief of Police, K Hendricks. 
 
412 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1872. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXV. 
 
 Fayette County — Wealth, Population, and Fertility — Soil and 
 Stock — Lexington — Situation, Trade, and A'ppearance — 
 Characteristics and Geology. 
 
 Fayette county, the center of the "Blue Grass Region," 
 or "Garden of Kentucky," is situated in the middle of the 
 state, and lies on the waters of the Elkhorn and Kentucky. 
 It is bounded on the north by Scott county, on the south 
 by Madison and Jessamine, on the east by Bourbon, and on 
 the west by Woodford. It is twenty-five miles from north 
 to south, mean breadth eleven miles, and contains 275 
 square miles, or 176,000 acres. It is fair table land, gently 
 undulating; all the streams rise and flow from the center 
 of the county and empty into their common receptacle, the 
 Kentucky river. 
 
 The entire population of Fayette at present, including 
 Lexington, is estimated at nearly 30,000. The taxable 
 property of the county is valued at |1 4,790,457,* and is sec- 
 ond in amount only to Jefferson, including the city of 
 Louisville. The real value of all kinds of property in 
 Fayette, not including Lexington, is estimated at $25,000,- 
 000. The proverb, " as rich as Fayette county," is not 
 without point. 
 
 There is probably no richer or more productive soil on 
 earth than that of Fayette county. In pioneer days it was 
 a deep mass of rich, black, vegetable mold, the accumula- 
 tion of ages, which made it a perfect hot-bed for fertility. 
 This gradually changed after the original forests and cane- 
 brakes were cleared, and the heat of the sun and the full 
 influence of the atmospheric agencies were admitted to the 
 soil. But then came the rich and luxuriant blue grass, for 
 which this favored locality is noted the wide word over,* 
 
 *Auditor's Keport. 
 
1872.] FAYETTE COUNTY. 413 
 
 and we were still left a region "beautiful as the vale of 
 Tempe and fertile as Sicily, that granary of Europe." The 
 soil of Fayette county now varies from a rich dark brown 
 or mulatto color to a light yellowish or reddish brown in 
 the upper soil, and a light brownish or reddish yellow in the 
 subsoil. The following analysis* exhibits the chemical 
 composition of the soil of Fayette county, viz : 
 
 Composition in One Hundred Parts. — Organic and vola- 
 tile matters, 8.000; alumina, 4.181; proxide of iron, 6.170; 
 
 sesquioxide of manganese, ; carbonate of lime, .494 ; 
 
 magnesia, .420; phosphoric acid, .460; sulphuric acid, -; 
 
 potash, .205 ; soda, .062 ; land and insoluble silicates, 79.910 ; 
 total, 99.882. Moisture, driven off from the air-dried soil, 
 at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 4.44. 
 
 The wheat crop of Fayette is always an abundant one. 
 Of corn she averages more than a million bushels per year, 
 and her last crop of hemp reached the enormous amount 
 of 4,762,300t pounds, or very largely over one-third of the 
 amount produced by the entire state. 
 
 But with all this wonderful fertility, Fayette is properly 
 a stock-raising county. The soil and grasses are particu- 
 larly rich in the chemical elements necessary to the forma- 
 tion of bone and muscle, and has resulted in Fayettb's 
 becoming one immense aggregation of breeding establish- 
 ments. It is the native paddock not only of the peerless 
 "Lexington," that blind old Milton of the turf, whose 
 fame extends throughout Europe and America, but of a 
 multitude of other great and noted coursers. Her blood 
 horses and fine trotters are eagerly and constantly sought 
 after by appreciators of superior stock from every quarter. 
 Droves of mules and splendid herds of thorough-bred cattle 
 browse in her blue grass pastures, and Southdown and 
 Cotswold sheep, and Berkshire and Chestershire hogs, 
 abound upon her farms. It has been said of Fayette county, 
 and without exaggeration, that " the products of the tem- 
 perate zone and tropic climes here grow as if upon common 
 ground. From the stalk that forms the staple of Russia to 
 
 *Dr. Bobt. Peter in aeologioal f^urvey of Ky, tAuditor'a Report. 
 
414 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. [1872. 
 
 the vine that blooms in France and Italy, there is scarcely a 
 plant which does hot seem iudigeuous to the soil. From 
 the small grain and blood stock exported from England, 
 to the corn and tobacco leaf known only to tbe native ten- 
 ant of the West, there is scarcely an article which is neces- 
 sary to the subsistence, or which contributes to the comfort 
 of man, to which the soil and climate is not kind and 
 genial." 
 
 Lexington, the seat of government of Fayette county, 
 Kentucky, is situated on the headwaters of the town fork 
 of ^N'orth Elkhorn creek, 25 miles southeast of Frankfort, 
 the capital of the state ; 64 miles southwest of Maysville ; 
 77 southeast of Louisville; 85 south of Cincinnati, and 
 517 from "Washington city. Latitude 38° 6' north; longi- 
 tude 84° 18' west. 
 
 The city is located on the extensive table land, on which 
 Cincinnati is nearly centrally placed, formed by an uplift 
 of the lower silurian rock formation, and its elevation 
 taken at one of its lowest points, viz : the depot of the 
 Lexington and Louisville Railroad, is, according to the au- 
 thority of railroad engineers, 950 feet above the ocean level. 
 
 Although originally commenced immediately in what 
 Bancroft styles " the unrivaled valley of Elkhorn creek," 
 and on the springs in which it takes its rise, the city has 
 extended up both the ascending sides of this valley and 
 over a considerable portion of the level grounds above, the 
 natural drainage of the place into the fork of the Elkhorn 
 is therefore excellent. 
 
 The population of Lexington at present is believed to be 
 between 18,000 and 20,000. The principal trade of the 
 city, and the heaviest capital invested, is in hemp- manu- 
 facture, groceries, dry goods, whisky, and live stock. The 
 taxable property in Lexington amounts to $7,000,000 ; the 
 real value of all kinds ot property is estimated at 
 $15,000,000, and that of the city and county together at 
 $40,000,000. 
 
 Lexington for a long time presented more of the appear- 
 ance of an opulent, stagnant, and contented old English 
 town than the air of a live American city ; but this is now 
 
1872.] LEXINGTON. 415 
 
 changing. The railroads projected and in progress, the 
 growth of an enlightened public spirit, and the encourag- 
 ing prospects of Lexington have created a new era as well 
 as a new appearance for the city. Large and handsome 
 buildings are taking the place of small and dingy business 
 houses, modern, improvements are to be seen on all sides, 
 and the increase of mills and factories indicate the future 
 manufacturing importance of the place. The streets, which 
 are laid ofl' at right angles, are mainly well paved, and are 
 now in a better condition than they have ever been. Pine 
 macadamized roads extend through and from the city in 
 every direction, and constitute the trotting grounds of a 
 multitude of fleet and valuable horses, which are constantly 
 driven over them. Lexington can boast of alarge number 
 of exceedingly handsome private residences, beautified by 
 art and taste, and surrounded by extensive grounds luxu- 
 riant in flowers and shrubbery. She has long been justly 
 noted for the generous and refined hospitality of her citi- 
 zens, for her great educational advantages, the skill and 
 standing of her medical profession, and the learning and 
 ability of her pulpit. The Lexington bar, which has ever 
 been distinguished for its strength, is now not surpassed 
 and perhaps not equaled in this country, and there are few 
 places where the young members of the bar constitute a 
 body of such marked promise. 
 
 The pre-eminence which Lexington enjoys for elegant 
 society is due to the intelligence, culture, and refined beauty 
 of her women. The striking similarity of Lexington so- 
 ciety, in this respect, to that of a European capital, has 
 been more than once remarked by foreigners. 
 
 "Words can not be found too strong to express the rich- 
 ness and loveliness of the country about Lexington. The 
 landscape is soft, luxuriant, and picturesque ; the approaches 
 to the city are beautiful, and the rides and drives in every 
 direction are charming. Noble English-looking home- 
 steads, surrounded by evergreens and magnificent forest- 
 trees, 'dot velvet lawns of peerless blue grass and clover, 
 the emerald green of which covers every inch of ground, 
 save where the walks and carriage drives are cut through 
 
416 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1872. 
 
 the thick turf. Stone fences and osage orange hedges, or 
 high snow-white pailings, inclose breeding establishments 
 of fine stock on every road. Splendid blood horses and 
 herds of thorough-bred cattle browse in the shade. The 
 land teems with fatness, and the eye is constantly refreshed 
 with scenes of plenty, comfort, and loveliness. 
 
 The geology* of Lexington and vicinity is interesting, 
 and is well worthy of careful consideration. The lower 
 Silurian rock strata, which underlie the city, are mainly 
 composed of layers, varying in thickness from less than an 
 inch to about two feet, of a dark grayish blue, changing 
 . into yellowish gray, granular limestone, usually quite fossi- 
 liferous, called by the Ohio geologists the blue limestone, 
 the layers being often separated by seams of marl, generally 
 of a lighter color. This limestone is much used in the 
 construction of the admirable turnpikes and macadamized 
 streets of this locality and city, and is valuable for building 
 purposes, especially in stone boundary walls, foundations, 
 and even walls of houses; the hard light-gray granular 
 layers being quite durable and making quite a handsome 
 structure, even in the undressed state, when skillfully laid 
 up in the wall with good mortar. It also yields very good 
 lime for building purposes, and the more earthy layers, 
 containing much magnesia and silica, might be calcined into 
 hydraulic cement. 
 
 This limestone, however, is generally quite shelly and 
 fossiliferous, and hence it readily and continually disinte- 
 grates, in place, under the influefice of the atmospheric 
 agencies, giving to the celebrated "blue-grass" soil, which 
 it produces, the superior fertility which characterizes it, 
 and keeping up its productiveness under a thriftless cul- 
 ture, in a most remarkable manner. 
 
 For the same reason, the water which comes in contact 
 with it is rendered " hard," and deposits, when boiled, a 
 crust on the boiler composed of carbonates of lime and 
 magnesia, with some little phosphate of lime, oxide of iron, 
 etc. The water of all the wells and springs, hence, is more 
 
 *Aaalysi3 by the well-known geologist and chemist, Dr. Bobert Peter. 
 
1872.] OEOLOGT. 417 
 
 or less hard, causing the inhabitants to resort, very gener- 
 ally, to the use of rain-water collected in cisterns, lor culi- 
 nary and washing purposes as well as for drinking. 
 
 The very general use of t^iis hard limestone water is be- 
 lieved to have had something to do with the great preva- 
 lence of calculous disease here, in former times, during the 
 early surgical practice of the late distinguished surgeon of 
 Lexington, Prof. Benj. "W. Dudley, as the writer has at- 
 tempted to show, in his publication on the Urinary Calculi 
 of the Museum of Transylvania University ; and it may 
 also greatly aid, according to the theory of others, in the 
 very complete development of the bones and bodies of the 
 animals grown in this rich limestone county. 
 
 The waters of the deep springs and bored wells of this 
 geological region very frequently contain common salt and 
 other saline ingredients, as well as sulphureted hydrogen, 
 and carbanic acid gases, in greater or less quantity, vary- 
 ing from the celebrated salt-sulphur water of the "Blue 
 Lick" springs down to water containing a mere trace of 
 salts and having only a slight odor of sulphur, such as was 
 obtained by boring at MontmoUin's mill, on the town fork, 
 at the lower part of the city, which contains only one thou- 
 sandth of its weight of saline matters ; or that at the bored 
 well of the Lunatic Asylum, sunk one hundred and six feet 
 below the surface, and eighty-six feet through the solid 
 rock, the auger then dropping eighteen inches into a cavity, 
 and the water immediately rising fifty feet in the bore, a 
 soft, very weak, sulphur water, containing about one and 
 one-sixth grain of saline matters to the thousand of the 
 water. Most of the waters of bored wells have a smell of 
 petroleum at first, and in some cases, a considerable quan- 
 tity of combustible gas (light carbureted hydrogen) has 
 been given out from them for some time. 
 
 The irregular disintegration of the limestone layers has 
 caused the formation throughout the whole of -this region 
 of extensive caverns, and underground lakes and streams 
 of water, as well as numerous sink-holes. Such lakes and 
 streams doubtless exist under the valley of the town fork 
 of Elkhorn quite extensively, and more than one steam- 
 
418 HISTORY OF LEXINGTON. [1872. 
 
 engine is supplied at the lower part of the city, by tapping 
 them, one of which is the bagging factory of Z. Ward. 
 This gentleman, in boring, also, some eighty or ninety feet 
 for water at his residence, on the high ground, near the 
 trotting track, in the southeastern part of the city, obtained 
 water, which was found, on chemical examination, to be 
 quite impure, it containing not only carbonate of soda and 
 nitrates and other salts, but also a notable quantity of fatty 
 organic matter, smelling somewhat like soap, and becoming 
 quite offensive on exposure, as though he had penetrated 
 into a cavern or stream in the sub-strata into which some 
 of the drainage of the city found access. 
 
 Another remarkable instance of the kind, observed 
 by me, was that of the weFl bored in 1852, by Mr. John 
 S. "Wilson, in the cellar of his drug store, on Cheapside, 
 in this city. He obtained water at the depth of forty feet 
 below the level of the street, after boring twenty-six and 
 a half feet through solid limestone, containing hard masses 
 of iron pyrites, and the water was such a strong chaly- 
 beate water, sparkling with carbonic acid gas, depositing 
 oxide of iron on exposure to the air, and containing quite 
 a variety of saline ingredients (as detailed in the chem- 
 ical analysis of it, published ia the first volume of the re- 
 ports of the Kentucky Geological Survey), that it soon be- 
 came quite popular as a mineral water. Not a long time 
 elapsed, however, before the changed odor of the water 
 gave evidence of the admixture of impurities, and pres- 
 ently it became so offensive from the undoubted presence of 
 town drainage, that Mr. "Wilson was obliged to discontinue 
 its use for any purpose, and to plug up the well. 
 
 These facts are not at all wonderful, when we know that 
 the whole of the drainage from the extensive State Lunatic 
 Asylum, with its five hundred patients and attendants, situ- 
 ated on the northwestern part of the city, is discharged, 
 through a natural underground channel, probably into sub- 
 terranean cavities so extensive, under the city, that they 
 never fill up nor become obstructed, notwithstanding the 
 immense and filthy torrent which daily flows into them 
 
18T2.] GEOLOGY. 4I9 
 
 from the laundry, the water-closets, the culinary depart- 
 ment, the bath-rooms, etc., etc. 
 
 This may throw some light on the fact that every well 
 bored in the valley of the town fork, below the city, is a 
 saline sulphur water, for it is well known to chemists that, 
 the spontaneous fermentation of water containing impuri- 
 ties of the kind mentioned, produces, by their decomposi- 
 tion, sulphureted hydrogen, and carbonic acid gases and 
 nitrate. Hence is it important that the origin and source 
 of sulphur waters, found in the line of the drainage of 
 towns, should be carefully studied, more especially as it is 
 the result of experience that the habitual admixture of 
 even very small quantities of town drainage in the water 
 used for drinking is a fruitful source of disease, giving 
 rise to diarrhea, dysentery, and low fevers, and aggravating 
 the mortality of cholera and other epidemics. 
 
 A good exposure of the rock strata under the city may 
 be seen on the Elkhorn branch, just below its limits, espe- 
 cially at the old stone-quarry of Van Akin, and that higher 
 up, opposite the cemetery, near the Frankfort railroad. 
 At the first-named quarry, more than twenty feet perpen- 
 dicular of the rocks are exposed. The layers are from six 
 inches to one foot thick (thicker in the upper quarry). In 
 the lower beds some good specimens of that large trilobite, 
 the isotelus (asaphus) gigas, have been found ; and in those 
 above are to be seen those other characteristic fossils of 
 the lower silurian formation, the chatetes lycoperdon, leptcena, 
 alrypha, receptaculites ; also portions of small encrinital stems, 
 specimens of modiola, orthis, pleurotomaria, etc., etc. 
 
 In the quarries at the eastern end of the city, the 
 layers are usually thinner and more fossiliferous, containing 
 airypha, orthis, leptcena, etc., etc. 
 
 We append, in a tabular form, a statement of the chem- 
 ical composition of some few of the limestones of this re- 
 gion, as analyzed by Dr. Peter for the late Kentucky Geo- 
 logical Survey, and published in volume two of the reports 
 of that survey, as follows: 
 
 No. 507. Limestone— forming the thin, shelly upper layer 
 at Van Akin's quarry. 
 
420 
 
 BISTORT OF LEXINGTON. 
 
 [1872. 
 
 No. 508. Limestone — forming a thicker layer below, used 
 for curb-stones, etc., in the city, and containing fossils 
 characteristic of the Trenton limestone of the New York 
 geologists. 
 
 No. 511. Limestone — an upper layer live inches to one 
 foot thick, at Grimes' quarry, on the Kentucky river ; not 
 used for building purposes, but which would probably make 
 hydraulic cement. 
 
 N"o. 512. Magnesian Limestone — from Grimes' quarry. A 
 very good and durable building stone, used in the construc- 
 tion of the Clay monument in our cemetery. This mate- 
 rial, of a pleasant buff-gray color, was also used in the Clay 
 statue, placed on the top of the column. Its fine granular 
 structure, and its freedom from cracks and fossils, adapt it 
 very well to the chisel of the sculptor. 
 
 COMPOSITION, ETC. 
 
 Specific gravity 
 
 Carbonate of lime 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia 
 
 Alumina, and oxide of iron and manganese 
 
 Phosphoric acid 
 
 Sulphuric acid 
 
 Chlorine 
 
 Potash 
 
 Soda 
 
 Silica and insoluble silicates 
 
 Loss 
 
 r- 
 o 
 
 1£3 
 
 00 
 
 o 
 
 f-4 
 
 s 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 >25 
 
 o 
 
 2.660 
 
 2.711 
 
 2.716 
 
 92.73 
 
 77.63 
 
 51.57 
 
 .63 
 
 10.00 
 
 29.33 
 
 2.42 
 
 3.23 
 
 3.57 
 
 .86 
 
 .70 
 
 .37 
 
 .34 
 
 3.12 
 
 .34 
 
 .05 
 
 not 
 
 estima 
 
 .23 
 
 .32 
 
 .71 
 
 .28 
 
 .15 
 
 .82 
 
 2.28 
 
 4.98 
 
 11.58 
 
 .28 
 
 
 1.71 
 
 100.00 
 
 100.13 
 
 100.00 
 
 2.703 
 
 55.54 
 
 0.80 
 
 .96 
 
 not est 
 
 .02 
 
 ted. 
 
 .36 
 
 .22 
 
 2.79 
 
 "With these remarks, we close our history of Lexington, 
 the ancient metropolis of the mystic Alleghan ; the hunting- 
 ground of the Indian ; the first capital of Kentucky ; the 
 home of Clay; the center both of the blood-stock region 
 of America, and of the " Garden Spot of the World." 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Adventnre of MoConnell 65 
 
 " " James Morgan 94 
 
 Agricultural Societies !.'!.'.!!.'."."." 270 
 
 Agriculturalists of Payette '..'...'..'.'. 278 
 
 Agricultural and Mechanical College 60 
 
 Amusements, Early 105 
 
 Ancient Kemains,... 1 
 
 " Portifications 4 
 
 " Monuments in 1845 9 
 
 Anecdote of General Jackson 324 
 
 Apostolic Times 400 
 
 Artists 144 
 
 Ashland 60, 214 
 
 "Athens of the West" 303 
 
 A Virginia Town 181 
 
 Badin, Father 190 
 
 Bank, Pirst in Kentucky 222 
 
 Barry, W. T., Biography 226 
 
 " " " Monument 230 
 
 Battle of Prenchtown 253 
 
 Barlow, Thos. H 185, 319 
 
 Barracks 252, 269 
 
 Baptist Church 118 
 
 " Pemale College 398 
 
 Bascom, Bishop 54, 154 
 
 Battle of the Blue liicks 87-91 
 
 Barry and the Mountaineer 228 
 
 Benevolent Society, Female 280 
 
 Bekkers, Kev. J. H 192 
 
 Beck, J. B 62 
 
 Berkley, Rev. B. F 200 
 
 Bible Societies 299, 242 
 
 Bibb, G. M 223 
 
 Blood-stained Letter, incident 189 
 
 Bledsoe, Judge Jesse 217 
 
 Block House built 23 
 
 " " Great shot from 74 
 
 " " Abandoned 99 
 
 Blythe, President Jas 44 
 
 « B., Death of 258 
 
 Blue Licks, Battle of 87 
 
 Bourbon County created 116 
 
 Bowman, J. B 57 
 
 Boone, Daniel, discovers Kentucky - 1§ 
 
 " " at Blue Licks 85 
 
 » " Death of son 92 
 
 Boone's Creek Settlement 29' 
 
 Boyle, Judge John 337 
 
 Botanical Garden 304 
 
 Bryant's Expedition and disaster 68 
 
 " Station settled 28 
 
 « " described 77 
 
 " " Seige of. ''8 
 
 " " Heroic Women of 79 
 
 " " Site of. 85 
 
 (421) 
 
422 INDEX. 
 
 Bryant, Judge 235 
 
 Branch Bank of Kentucky 328 
 
 Brank, Eev. K. G 284 
 
 Brown, Dr. S 44 
 
 " James 151 
 
 B. Gratz 409 
 
 Brickbat War 301 
 
 Bradford, John 128, 171, 189 
 
 Breeders of Fayette 135 
 
 Breckinridge, John 182 
 
 " Rev. John 28.3 
 
 Jas. C 302 
 
 f John C 367 
 
 " Eev. R. J Ill 
 
 Buena Vista, Lexington Dead at 356-358 
 
 Buchanan, Dr. Joseph 45, 185, 224 
 
 Burr, Aaron 115, 226 
 
 Burrowes, N 185 
 
 Burial of Mexican Volunteers 358 
 
 Buel, J. H., (Artist) 148 
 
 " Dr. J. M 53 
 
 Burving Grounds, Early 38-40 
 
 Buokner, R. A 60 
 
 Byrd's Invasion 35 
 
 Catacomb, Ancient 2 
 
 Caldwell, Dr. Chas 47, 293 
 
 Carty, John, (Pioneer) 101, 102 
 
 " Building 24 
 
 " Henry 102, 356, 358 
 
 " John, (Merchant) 24, 396 
 
 Catholic Church 190 
 
 Carr, Charles, Sr 71 
 
 Capital removed to Frankfort 174, 181 
 
 Campbell, Rev. J. Poage Ill 
 
 Caledonian Society 217 
 
 Cemeteries 38-40 
 
 Cemetery, Lexington 260 
 
 Chapman, Eev. G. T 199 
 
 Church of Christ, Second 407 
 
 Chasseurs, Lexington, Officers and Privates .^ 383 
 
 Challen, Elder J 310 
 
 Cholera of 1833 325 
 
 Christian Church 307 
 
 " " Broadway 407 
 
 City Officers for 1872 411 
 
 " Schools 329 
 
 Circuit Judges 177 
 
 " Clerks 177 
 
 Cincinnati Settled.. 141 
 
 Clay, Henry, Biography 205-215 
 
 " " Law offices 215 
 
 " " and the Prisoner 2U 
 
 " " and the Irishman 163 
 
 " " Death of 212 
 
 " " Funeral 213, 367 
 
 " " Monument 377 
 
 " James B 390 
 
 " C. M 351 
 
 Clark, General G. Rogers 22, 36, 95 
 
 Clifford, J. D 295 
 
 Cloud, Dr. C. W 152 
 
INDEX. ^23 
 
 County OfScers in 1872 
 
 Coburn, Judge 't\\^ 
 
 County Clorks and Officers V, 2„ 
 
 Judges LVZ.V.V.VZV \ll 
 
 Coming of the White Man ■■.'.■.■.■.■■.■ ,* 
 
 Court Houses \"\ i^ 
 
 Coombs, Leslie '.!/.!!"""'.'.".'.".". oin 
 
 290 
 413 
 
 Crops of Payette., 
 
 Croghan, Major G !!.."...!.!"!!!!!!.!!!.'."." "" 269 
 
 Craig, Eev. Lewis ///.".'."...".".'.'.'.'... 118 
 
 " Elijah "/"/""/"""/""........ 79 
 
 Dancing School, First ,f. 
 
 Daviess, Colonel Joe H "'.'..."."."."..'.'....... 143 243 
 
 Davidson, Eev. E '.".'..'.'.'.'.'.'.'..".'.'.'...'.".'.'.'.'."....... 53* 283 
 
 Davis, Hon. Jefferson .".."..'............ ' 304 
 
 Delegates to Conventions 106, 109, UB,' 123,'l40,'i62'"l70r2V9 360 
 
 Democratic Society, The .' jg^ 
 
 Dewees, Farmer .."...".".."!" 241 
 
 Decline of Lexington Trade ....'.'.. 402 
 
 Dismarie, Father jg, 
 
 Dillard, Eev. E. T .\V.\V.".V.'.".".'.'.'."'.'..'.'.','.'.'.'.V. 120 
 
 Discoverers of Lexington _ jg 
 
 Dow, Lorenzo 223 
 
 Downey, W. S '.' '.'.'............... 398 
 
 Drake, Daniel . 39 45 
 
 B. P ."!..".'."!!'.".'.'.'.'.'.. ' 55 
 
 Dudley, Dr. Ben. W 45, 47^ 53^ 238 
 
 " Colonel Wm IO3, 262 
 
 « Eev. T. P ; 298 
 
 Dr. E.L 386 
 
 Dudley's Defeat 262 
 
 Eclipse of the Sun 400 
 
 Ellis, Captain Wm 29, 169 
 
 Elder, Eev. G. A 191 
 
 Episcopal Church igg 
 
 Fayette County formed and named 37 
 
 " » Court 64 
 
 " " described 31, 412 
 
 " National Bank 404 
 
 Farmers' Home Journal 394 
 
 " Club 395 
 
 Fertility of Fayette 412 
 
 Fire Companies 164 
 
 Fishback, Dr. James 45, 120, 309 
 
 Filson, John 96 
 
 Fii ancial Crises 292, 297 
 
 First Native of Lexington 28 
 
 " White Female Settler of 28 
 
 " Lot Owners of 73, 100 
 
 " Trustees of 64 
 
 " Brick House in 193 
 
 " Revolutionary Monument at 20 
 
 " Councilmen of 321 
 
 " Schools in 39 
 
 " Dry Goods Store in 105 
 
 " Session Kentucky Legislature in Lexington 170-174 
 
 " Fourth of July Celebration in 139 
 
 " White native of Kentucky 116 
 
 " Capital of " ITO 
 
 « Officers of " 173-175 
 
 » Baptist Covention in " 119 
 
424 INDEX. 
 
 First Methodist Station in Lexington 152 
 
 " Koad Macadamized in " 317 
 
 " Nail Factory in " 222 
 
 " Western Railroad 315 
 
 " " Lunatic Asylum 285 
 
 " " Newspaper 124 
 
 " Locomotive in United States 186, 319 
 
 " Steamboat ever Invented 183 
 
 Planetarium " " 185 
 
 Fowler, Captain John 345 
 
 Fort Washington 141 
 
 Fort at Lexington built «.25, 31 
 
 " " " Life in 33 
 
 " " « Food in 32,37 
 
 « " " Suffering in 36 
 
 «' " « Outside Cabins 97 
 
 " " " Last Alarm of 99 
 
 Freemasonry in Kentucky 142 
 
 Frazer, Oliver 147 
 
 Funeral of Jefferson, Adams, and Shelby 313 
 
 Game 30, 188 
 
 Gano, Rev. John 118 
 
 Gas, City lighted by 374 
 
 Gazette, Kentucky, (old) 124 
 
 " " (new) 394 
 
 Geology of Lexine:ton, and vicinity 416 
 
 Girty, Simon 7. 77, 83 
 
 Good Templars 395 
 
 Goodloe, Judge W. C 389 
 
 Grundy, Felix 232 
 
 Great Bain 315 
 
 Graves, Major Ben 260 
 
 " Judge B. F 363 
 
 Grant's Station '. 29, 36 
 
 " Colonel John 29 
 
 Great Prosperity of Lexington 240 
 
 Gri n stead & Bradley's Bank 389 
 
 Greene, Dr. Lewis y 55 
 
 Greenup, Gov ,. 100 
 
 Hard Winter, Tiie 36 
 
 Haggin, Judge 334 
 
 Hart, Captain N. S. G 156, 256, 260 
 
 " Joel T., (Sculptor) 331 
 
 Hall, Rev. N Ill 
 
 Harrison, James J 61, 330 
 
 Heroic Era 34 
 
 Headley & Anderson's Bank 404 
 
 Hemp Manufacture 184, 241 
 
 " Crop of Fayette... 413 
 
 Hinkston's Escape 35 
 
 Higgins, James, Gallant conduct of 158 
 
 Historical Society of Fayette 405 
 
 Hogan, James 68 
 
 Horses, Noted 134 
 
 Howard, Benj 103 
 
 Holly, Dr. Horace 46, 48, 49 
 
 Hunt, John W 346 
 
 " Charleton 321, 329, 338 
 
 " F. K 54 
 
 Humphreys, Charles 319 
 
 Huston, J. B 61 
 
INDEX. 425 
 
 Immigration Society 202 
 
 Inventions 183 
 
 Infantry, Lexington Light ^ 165, 204 
 
 Infidelity 193, 223 
 
 Incidents, Amusing 102, 15T 
 
 " Romantic 35, 37 
 
 Indian Fighters 168, 169 
 
 " Ravages in Kentucky , 21, 22 
 
 " Incursions to Lexington 35, 68, 74, 167 
 
 " Tragedies 34, 74 
 
 " The Great Invasion 77 
 
 " Steal Negroes 170 
 
 " Exterminate the AUeghan 14 
 
 Jackson's Visit 323 
 
 Jail and Jailers 163 
 
 Jewish Church 390 
 
 Jouett, Matt. H 146 
 
 Johnson, M. C 60 
 
 Kavanaugh, Bishop 154 
 
 Kendall, Amos '. 270 
 
 Kentucky Gazette (old) 124 
 
 11 11 (new) 394 
 
 " Racing Association 130 
 
 " Vineyard " 219 
 
 " University, Jlarly History of 57 
 
 II " Removal to Lexington 59 
 
 II " Donations 59, 61,62 
 
 II " Officers 59, 60, 62 
 
 « District of 37 
 
 " County Formed 22 
 
 " 1' Squaw," Amusing Incident 260 
 
 Kinkead, G. B 54 
 
 11 W. B 278 
 
 Know Nothings 376 
 
 Last Man Killed by Indians "0 
 
 Lafayette's Visit to Lexington 305 
 
 Letcher, Dr. S. M 55 
 
 Lexington Discovered r j^° 
 
 1' an Indian Camp -i 
 
 « Incorporated as a Town "5 
 
 11 " « City 321 
 
 Light Infantry '. 155 
 
 Lvceum 303 
 
 Library trt 
 
 " Orchan Asylum ^'° 
 
 Appearance of 19, 25, 30, 105, 202, 220, 285, 322 
 
 " in 1872 described *1* 
 
 .1 Character and Importance 4i0 
 
 II Daily Press ^"5 
 
 " Rifles " :■•■• f~7 
 
 " Lexington," The great Race Horse l^f, idT 
 
 Lindsays, The 33 
 
 Life in the Fort ^j3 
 
 Live Slock in Fayette _• ^jg 
 
 Liberty Poles..........— ••■■" jgg 
 
 Lincoln's, Mrs., Birthplace •■■••■• ^^° 
 
 Lunatic Asylum, B 285 
 
 Lutheran Church • '" 27 
 
 Masterson, James '..'.!'.'..".'..! 142 
 
 Masonic Lodges j^^ 
 
 Maffitt's Revivals 
 
426 INDEX. 
 
 Malta, Sons of 382 
 
 Marshall, Colonel Thos 96 
 
 " Humphrey 100 
 
 " Thos. A 339 
 
 " Thos. P 347 
 
 Mayors of Lexington 322 
 
 Mayes, Judge 351 
 
 Maxwell, John 26, 38 
 
 " Spring 27 
 
 " " Company 276 
 
 Market Houses 203 
 
 McGary's Rashness 88 
 
 McChord, Kev. James 282 
 
 McConnella, The 27 
 
 " Cabin 19 
 
 " Station 18, 28 
 
 McKinney, John 39 
 
 " and the Wildcat 97 
 
 MeCalla, General J. M 249 
 
 McCullough, S. D 387 
 
 McKee, Hugh 408 
 
 Mexican War 352, 355 
 
 '■ Volunteers from Lexington 352 
 
 Megowan, S. W 279 
 
 Mentelle, W 354 
 
 Medical Society 223 
 
 Methodist Church (First) 152 
 
 " " Centenary 185 
 
 " " Independent 153 
 
 " " Morris Chapel 155 
 
 Mennifee, E. H 342 
 
 Mission Church 407 
 
 Mound Builders, The 11 
 
 " Opened, and Contents 9, 
 
 Morrison, Colonel James 51 
 
 " Captain John 28 
 
 " Professorship 48 
 
 " College 48 
 
 Morgan, John H 399 
 
 " " "and the Officer 356 
 
 Moore, Eev. James 198 
 
 Netherland, Benj 90, 100 
 
 Negroes 289, 338 
 
 Nicholas, George 43 
 
 " S. S 402 
 
 Novel Trial, A 106 
 
 Noel, Eev. S. M 121 
 
 Northern Bank of Kentucky 331 
 
 " Old King Solomon " 374 
 
 Observer and Eeporter 233 
 
 Orphan Asylum 326 
 
 Odd Fellows Lodges 340 
 
 " Old and New Court" 300 
 
 Paint Lick Expedition 123 
 
 Patterson, Colonel Eobert, Settles Lexington 23 
 
 " " " Biography 26 
 
 " " " Anecdote of 91 
 
 Parker, Robert 114 
 
 " Eiohard 159 
 
 Peers, Eev. B. O ,.... 51 
 
 Peter, Dr. E 50, 53, 56 
 
INDEX. 427 
 
 Physicians of Lexington 32o 
 
 Pioneer Women of Lexington 93 
 
 Pinkerton, Dr. L. L ". 311 
 
 Planetarium 185 
 
 Plan of Lexington Adopted 73 
 
 Poythress, Father 152 
 
 Tortrails 145-150 
 
 Pope, John 1(32 
 
 Population of Lexington and Fayette, 220, 240, 295, 363, 414, 412, 383, 404 
 
 Post OflBce 188 
 
 '• Musters , 190 
 
 Presbyterian Church, (First) 108 
 
 " " (Second) 281 
 
 Preston, Wm 279 
 
 Price, S. W 149 
 
 Prosperity of Lexington 240, 344 
 
 Pruden, M 386 
 
 Public Spring 24 
 
 Pythias, Knights of 408 
 
 Kafinesque, Professor C. S 4,47 
 
 Baisin Massacre 255 
 
 Eankin, Kev. Adam 108 
 
 Eailroads 318, 365, 366, 409 
 
 Bacing Associations 128 
 
 Beynolds, Aaron 84, 91 
 
 "Belief and Anti-Relief" 297 
 
 Beligious Excitement 220 
 
 " Revival 328 
 
 Bepresentatives in Legislature » 177 
 
 " " Congress 180 
 
 Bepublicans, National, and Democrats 316 
 
 Bed Men 394 
 
 Bice, Kev. David 41 
 
 Bidgely, Dr. F 44 
 
 Boyal Spring 18 
 
 Bosa's Poems 377 
 
 Robertson, Judge George 334 
 
 Bussell, Colonel Wm 103 
 
 Bussell's Expedition 251 
 
 " Spring and Cave 295 
 
 Sac Legend of Kentucky 14 
 
 Sayre, D. A 300, 405 
 
 " Institute 374 
 
 Scott, M.T 382 
 
 Senators, United States, from Fayette 180 
 
 " State " " 1'^ 
 
 Searle, Charles, Heroic Death of 187, 259 
 
 Sheriffs, List of • " 
 
 Shackelford, Elder John 408 
 
 Sheep Excitement, Incident ^38 
 
 Shipman, Rev. J. S........ 201 
 
 Shelby's, Governor, Address m 
 
 Sinking Spring • .- ;; ^°° 
 
 Skillman's "Western Luminary 3U0 
 
 Smith, Bishop, B. B 19J 
 
 Sons of Temperance *"^ 
 
 Society for Useful Knowledge 1^3 
 
 St. Clair's Defeat..... 168 
 
 r^. /-i_iU„-:«/>'o AnoHfimv -J^o 
 
 245 
 
 216 
 
 St. Catharine's Academy 
 St. Tammany Society., 
 St. Andrews Society 
 
428 INDEX. 
 
 streets Opened and Named 64, 105, 219, 114, 115, 203 
 
 Statesman, Kentucky (old) 360 
 
 " " (new) 394 
 
 Stallions, Fayette...: 135 
 
 Survey of Lexington 166 
 
 Taverns, Early 114 
 
 Tartar Emetic Treat, The 301 
 
 Telegraph 360 
 
 " The Man who Smoked out the Indians 158 
 
 Theaters 203 
 
 Town laid oflF 65 
 
 Todd, Bev. John 41 
 
 " Colonel John...." 32, 40, 92 
 
 " Kobert 101 
 
 " Levi 32 
 
 Town Fork 114, 162, 219, 203, 242 
 
 Tomlinson, N 85 
 
 Trade and Wealth of Lexington and Fayette 412 
 
 Trotter, General George 26T. 280 
 
 " Expedition 252 
 
 True American, Bemoval of 351 
 
 Transylvania University, Origin of 40 
 
 " " Removal to Lexington 41 
 
 " " Donations to 47,53,54 
 
 " Library 47, 53 
 
 " Holly's Term 46-49 
 
 Turfmen of Fayette 135 
 
 United States Bank 289 
 
 Yardeman, Bev. J 120 
 
 Vaughn, Mrs. Ehoda 116 
 
 " Adjutant E. M 116 
 
 Ver Bryck, Wm. (Artist) 149 
 
 Visit of Monroe, Jackson, and Shelby 293 
 
 Ward, Bev. John....". 199 
 
 War 1812 Commenced 246 
 
 " «' Incident of • 189 
 
 " " Soldiers of 247, 261, 262, 270 
 
 " " Killed of 159, 252, 254, 261 
 
 Washington's Funeral 220 
 
 Warfleld, Dr. E 45 
 
 Wayne's Victory 188 
 
 Welsh, Bev. Jas 110 
 
 West, Wm. (Artist) 145 
 
 " Edward (Inventor) 183 
 
 Whigs and Democrats 320, 350 
 
 Wilkinson, General James 106, 107, 108, 156, 167 
 
 Wilson's, Misses, Poems 395 
 
 Wileus & Co.'s Bank 409 
 
 Wickliffe, Kobert, Sen , 382 
 
 " " Jr 364 
 
 " D. C 237 
 
 « B. N 235 
 
 Women of Lexington 93 
 
 Woods, Rev. Alva 150 
 
 Woolley, Judge A. K 36i 
 
 Young, Bev. J. C 283 
 
Sen. James B.Beck. 
 
 i.s3CiM«TOiir, Jtr.: 
 Friday MornlDK. m.ay Si, 1878. 
 
 Personal. 
 
 Mr. George Alfred Towcsend, who 
 is so well knoirn to our citizens 
 through his Washington City letters 
 to the Cir. jnati Enquirer, is on a 
 visit to Les gton, and is registered 
 at the Phot)/ix Hotel. 
 
\,'tM4i**teiHWHii«diAiiiuL r,