Here’s a little secret: In addition to the 496 blog posts on this site, I have a folder of 78 drafts. Most of them have no title, or identifying notations from the preview window, so I must click on each “no title” entry to discover what on earth I saved eight years ago and never returned to develop into a story. This is one of those posts. In the spring of 2016, on a work trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky, I discovered an abandoned – and badly damaged – historic motor court along Louisville Rd (US 31W). I pulled over (of course!).
The office (originally a tavern) for the motel. Photograph March 2016.
I was several years too late to see the motor court, the first built along US 31W in Warren County, in all of its glory. A fire in 2014 ravaged the buildings, which has been abandoned for some time. The last time guests checked in was in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
One of the worst fates for a historic building is to be empty and not utilized. I find it especially tragic given that the Horse Shoe Court was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and a renovation could have been helped by historic tax credits. (I love staying in historic motor courts when I travel!)
A circa 2010 photograph of the motel. Photograph by John Perkins, on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/kyphotofile/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
The site first functioned as a tavern operated by Mr. and Mrs. James L. Cornwell. Soon, the increase in automobile traffic prompted the Cornwells to install some gas pumps and hire a local builder and stone mason, Bill Brannen, to construct four cottages for overnight guests. “Horse Shoe Camp,” as it was first known, was born.
Circa 1942 postcard of the Horse Shoe motor court. The first cottages stretched out behind the office at right in the image. Postcard from Special Collections Library, Western Kentucky University, Camilla Gerard Collection, Catalog No. 1977.51.924
In 1933, the American Automobile Association estimated that 30,000 “tourist cottage and camp establishments” lined the country’s road system. Four of the cottages at Horse Shoe Camp were built from with limestone from two local quarries, Whitestone and Keystone Quarries.
A site plan of the motel, from the 1997 NRHP nomination.
Eventually, nine buildings were located on the 3.5-acre property, arranged around a horse shoe shoe shaped driveway and a landscaped courtyard. Francis York, another local builder and stonemason, is also credited with construction of several of the cottages.
The distinctive cross gables of the cottages. This is Building “B,” constructed in two phases in the early 1930s. Photograph March 2016.
The cottages all had attached garages. Each room had “pine paneling, tile flooring, panel ray heating, sink, and shower… and were furnished with a double bed, luggage rack, little table lamp, a rocking chair and straight chair, a little dressing table with a mirror and a little stool.”*
Another historic postcard view of the complex. The garages can be seen in between the cross gables of the cottages.
Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell operated the business until 1952, when it was sold to P.L. and Kathryn Forrester. During their ownership, the tavern was converted into a packaged liquor store, but when a county dry vote passed in 1957, the building became a gift shop.
A circa 1997 photograph of the motel sign. Photograph by Janet L. Johnston, NRHP files.
The Interstate sounded the death knell of Horse Shoe Camp and many other motor courts. Now, while travel is certainly speedier, and accommodations more numerous – every Interstate exit looks the same. You could be in Alabama, Kentucky, New Jersey – perhaps the only clue as to your exact geographical location would be the accents you could hear around you.
The tavern/office/liquor store/gift shop. Photograph March 2016.
The tourist opportunities for Horse Shoe Camp today would have been tremendous, with so many travelers seeking unique and genuine experiences apart from chain motels and fast food restaurants. Still, there are a few that have survived, and I often give thanks that Wigwam Village No. 2 in nearby Cave City, Kentucky, is flourishing under expert and dedicated owners. If you appreciate historic architecture and the golden age of roadside architecture, make sure to frequent these establishments when you find them – that’s one of the best ways to ensure their future preservation.
*Janet L. Johnston, Horse Shoe Camp, Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, Section 7, page 2. Listed 1997.
