Every historic building has a story to tell
Around 1913, a farm “lying and being about 2.5 miles from Lexington on what is known as the Leestown Turnpike Road,” was in a beautiful and rural spot. Sadly, any bucolic charm of the early 20th century is now in short supply – save for the occasional historic house – like the Willmott House at (read more)
Categories: Demolition, Fayette County
Tags: demolition, George F. Wilmott, H.F. Hillenmeyer, Leestown Pike
Whenever I visit a new place, I walk. I walk, and walk, and walk – exploring, gawking, and getting to know a place as far as my feet will carry me. Public footpaths and trails in England make this very easy and the paths along the Thames River provide the perfect mix of town and (read more)
Category: England
Tags: canals, Iffley Lock, River Thames
Let’s talk about water. It’s been on my mind a great deal over the few days, as we saw the water in our cellar rise and the rain gauge overflow at six inches plus of precipitation in 24 hours. But besides my rain barrel (and the basement, sadly), we weren’t collecting any of that water, (read more)
Categories: Kentucky architecture, Outbuildings
Tags: cisterns, pump houses, springhouses, wells
Traffic along Leestown Road continues to grow each year – but at certain times of day, the drive between Lexington and Frankfort can be magical – especially once you leave the thicket of 20th century development behind, and pockets of farmland appear on either side of the road. Having lived and worked in Frankfort at (read more)
Categories: Abandoned houses, Scott County
Tags: Leestown Road, Lewis Nuckols House, National Register of Historic Places
When I am asked to talk about Kentucky architecture, I always stress the importance of recognizing style versus type or plan. Stylistic architectural details can be applied much later than the date of construction of a house – a “keeping up with the Jones” in architecture. But the type or plan of a house is (read more)
Categories: Abandoned houses, West Virginia
Tags: #westvirginia, Farmhouse
Something has happened to the wildly reseeding Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) bushes of my youth. This old garden favorite, also referred to as “privy bush”(at least in my family) for a common location for the woody, tough, and long-lived shrub, has experienced a comeback of sorts – and I am empty-handed. When I moved this (read more)
Category: Kentucky Gardens
Tags: Hibiscus syriacus, Rose of Sharon
I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last two weeks, from Harlan County to McCracken County – and my blog has suffered as a result. Most of my posts require some bit of research, and even if I am able to accomplish that online, the time required to write something that satisfies (read more)
Categories: Kentucky architecture, Kentucky history
Tags: #kentuckyarchitecture, #topomaps, #USGS, #USGStopographicmaps
I appreciate architecture – that much should be evident to any visitor to this site. However, I strive to constantly be aware of what the façade hides – what the ornamentation may disguise – or how the dilapidated appearance of a building may mislead the passerby as to its story. Stories, of course, are the (read more)
Categories: Garrard County, Greek Revival Style, Virginia history
Tags: #antebellumhouse, #enslaved, #garrardcounty, #monticello, #thomasjefferson
The earliest architectural style most commonly encountered in Kentucky is the Federal style. Classified as ranging from 1780 to 1820 nationally, it persisted in the Commonwealth until around 1840. Compared with the Greek Revival style, which succeeded the Federal in popularity, characteristics of the latter style can seem…severe. Restraint is one of the hallmarks of (read more)
Category: Kentucky architecture
In 1924, a group of local businessman in Vanceburg, Kentucky, pooled their resources and had a two-story factory building constructed as an inducement to a Cincinnati-based shoe manufacturer. Their ploy succeeded, and for almost 25 years, L.V. Marks and Sons Company operated a shoe factory in the Ohio River town. The building eventually fell prey (read more)
Category: Lewis County
Tags: factories, LV Marks Shoes, Vanceburg KY
Interested in a specific topic? Check out some popular categories below, or enter your search terms in the box.