Hi Shelia and All, I remember you were a little disappointed about the amount of news coverage we received at last years Fest? This year it's going to be a wee bit different. I just got through talking to Grag Kocher with the Lexington Leader. Grag will be covering some of the events this year. I know he wants to go to some of the old cemeteries with your all, and maybe the boat ride. He ask me all kinds of question this morning about the Fest. How did this all get started? Why are these people coming here, what do they hope to see and do when they get . I told him he was talking to the wrong person, and he should be talking to you all. He agreed. I told him I would e-mail you, and to be expecting a little mail. So, if you or anyone would like to write Grag, and make a few comment, here is his address. [email protected] I want Grag to see how far some of you will travel to come to Jessamine County, so don't forget to tell him where you live. I also wrote Chad Truelove this morning. You remember Chad, he is the young fellow that wrote that really nice story about the Fest last year. You will get to meet him this time. We think we have covered all the bases. But, if anyone can think of anything please let me know. Clyde Jessamine Co., KY ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

Per "Jessamine County, Ky, 1798 - 1993", submitted by Carrie J. Burton PAINT LICK COMMUNITY The Paint Lick Community, established in the late seventeen hundreds, was a thriving community for many years. Abe Buford was granted, by court order, right to operate a ferry across the Kentucky River at the mouth of Paint Lick Creek, connecting KY 39 running from Nicholasville to Lancaster. Horse and man, 6 pence (French Tipton Papers). In 1815, the Circuit Court of Garrard County, then granted Henry Reynolds the right to operate the ferry. Many people owned or operated the Paint Lick Ferry from it's beginning in 1789 till it closed after 1943. Some owner operators were : Abe Buford, Henry Reynolds, Lige Hurt, Wylie B. Fisk Burton, Hiram Teater, William Walker, Tom Burton, Hughie Burton and many others. Christine Walker Burton's grandfather, William Walker, was operating the ferry in 1862 when he was conscripted by the Union Army. Several showboats stopped at Paint Lick. The boats would go up the river passing out handbills at each stop and then as they came down river, they would stop and perform a play. Christine Burton remembers attending a play "Uncle Tom's Cabin," when she was 9 years old, in 1923. The Paint Lick Ferry was the center of the community. On Sunday, people would come from miles around, bringing a basket lunch. The men played games, marbles and horseshoe pitching, and the women visited with neighbors or went to preaching services. Preacher Joseph Henry Wright, husband of Mary "Polly" Murphy Walker, often held servie on the river bank. Sometimes preachers came from Asbury College to preach in Paint Lick School and sometimes Grandpa Sam Walker preached in the schoolhouse. The Paint Lick school began in 1927 with Lelia Carter as it's first teacher and ended in 1943 with Eliza Crutcher as it's last teacher. Among the early families living in this community were: Russell Teater, Lige Teater, Sam Brock, William Walker, Sam Walker, John Stinnett, Dick Blakeman, Lindsey Reynolds, Tom Burton, Mrs. Emmy Underwood and Sam Owens. The families still living in the Paint Lick community, who are descendants of the original families, are Burtons, Walkers and Lowrys.

JESSAMINE CO. HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MINUTES, APRIL 26, 2001 The montly meeting of the Jessamine Co. Historical Society met at 7:00 P.M., Thursday, April 26, 2001 at the Farmer’s Bank building. Ron Bryant, the Kentucky History and Genealogist Specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society, spoke first on the life of Jessamine Co. native, Bennett H. Young. Mr. Bryant related the colorful story of Col Young’s service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and his leadership of the St. Albans bank raids in Vermont in 1864. After a question and answer session the business meeting was called to order by Clyde Bunch, President. The minutes and treasurer’s report was dispensed with due to the time and importance of the Heritage Fest plans. Ernestine Hamm reported for the cemetery committee that the Hezekiah Russell gravesite had been restored but the question of Joseph Prewitt’s grave still remained. The Shannon Park graveyard has 16 stones so far with 22 names having been recorded. This site will be dedicated during Heritage Fest. Work on the Wilmore Cemetery will begin soon and the Morvian Cemetery will be cleaned during Heritage Fest. Ernestine will be working with any annex and/or subdivision projects to ensure protection of any newly discovered graves. Howard Teater reported that a weedeater was much needed by the committee. John Wooten moved that the weedeater be purchased using the cemetery account funds and June Lowry seconded the motion. The motion passed. Mildred Bunch gave an accounting of the aggenda for the Heritage Fest. as follows: Monday, May 21st - Blue Building 9 a.m. first gathering with coffee and donuts for a welcome by Sam Corman, Mayor and Co. Judge Neal Cassity. Representatives from the Historical Societies of Woodford, Garrad, and Mercer Counties along with a state historical society member will be on hand to answer questions. There will also be a table for Shakertown, Howard Fain, and John Wooten. We will need a guest book and podium. Ernestine Hamm volunteered for this. Howard and Mildred will introduce guests and coffee and donuts will be served. Kathy Hall offered to man the table for Jessamine Co. Sue Clark will have membership forms and will collect dues. Howard offered to see that we have spoons, small plates, napkins and sugar for coffee. Tues., May 22nd will be for research . The meeting room will be open from 9 a.m. till noon. Clyde will get people to help visitors at library, court- house and meeting room. Wed., May 23rd will be for cemetery cleaning. Everyone will meet at meeting room at 9 a.m. for coffee. Sheila has a speaker coming with information on gravestone cleaning. At 1 p.m. we will dedicate the Welch cemetery (behind Ky Bank). The meeting room will need to stay open till 3 p.m. and Bill Lowry volunteered to do that. Thurs., May 24th - Patty Friend of the Friends of Main Street suggested the city walking tour. She also said the Girl Scout Museum would be available for a tour and that the Girl Scouts wanted to help and provide refreshments. The regular monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Fri., May 25th - Meeting room will be open from 9-3. Kathy Hall and Howard Teater will staff the room. Sat., May 26th - we will meet at High Bridge at 10 a.m. for speakers with a noon picnic. There will be a band and cloggers. At 3 p.m. Margaret Morgan will have a tour of Wilmore. At 6 p.m. the Dixie Belle will take about 100 passengers for a river boat ride. They hope to load at Lock 7 on the Jessamine Co side. Clyde has offered the first 75 seats to the visitors and wants about 25 of us. Howard has asked the Moron Brothers to entertain. We discussed the food for the picnic and Charlie Cox will be checking into the cattleman’s association beef hamburgers. Side dishes will be needed and desserts are already spoken for. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Kathy Hall, Secretary

Hello, Sorry for the trouble...but could you please send me info regarding the daily events. Need to see which days to come down. Thank you so much, Carole

Morning Shelia & All, The other day I went into the Jessamine County Courthouse to do a little research. I walked into the County Clerks office, only to find some of the early Deed Books were gone. After looking a bit closer, I also found some of the Court Order Books were missing. Needless to say, I panic. After inquiring about, I discovered the old books had been sent to Frankfort to be laminated and rebound. This is good. We have had a lot mixed emotions about these old books. We loved all the attention you and the others had shown to Jessamine County and it's old records. But, on the other hand, we knew they would not withstand a lot of handling. Some of this paper in these old books is over 200 years old. It was made in an old paper mill, not far from where I live. Our taught and concerns about these old books were expressed to Eva McDaniel, our County Clerk. She went before Jessamine Co., Fiscal Court and ask for the funding for this project. Her request was granted, and the work has started. I keep asking you to thank to folks here for all there work. I feel it very important they know we see what they are doing. We are ever so quick to jump our elected officials when they do thing wrong. But, we very seldom thank them when they do things right. I wonder why? People like Eva, and the members of Fiscal Court are going beyond the call of duty to help us. You all played a big part in this being done, so less follow up on this and e-mail these folk and tell them what we think of the work they are doing. Address your e-mail to George Deen. He will see that it gets to the proper place. You can request your e-mail to be sent to Eva McDaniel, or the Fiscal Court. George's address is: [email protected] I have ask Kathy Hall our Secretary to post the minutes from our last meeting. I will also post the final agenda for the Fest in a few days. See you in a few weeks. Clyde ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

Newslist members, Well, the time is drawing near for our gathering in Jessamine Co. and I promise that this will be the last roll-call. I know that some have waited until the time gets closer before actually deciding whether they can attend or not. In order for the Historical Society and the wonderful citizens of Jessamine Co. who have volunteered to assist us, to be properly prepared, I would like to be able to give them a fairly accurate list of how many to plan for. I have already heard from many of you, but I would appreciate another confirmation from each of you and, if possible, which days you will be there and I will send that info on to Clyde. It is still not too late for any of you who have not responded before and we would love to include anyone who is interested. As the folks who attended last year can attest, it will be an experience you will never forget. It's just too bad that the citizens of Jessamine County can't be cloned and spread out across the country, teaching others the meaning of hospitality. Of course, the genes of all those early ancestors of ours are being carried on through those very folks, as well as through yourselves. I look forward to meeting all you new friends and revisiting with the old ones, from last year. I would like to see some e-mail dialogue begin here with those of you who will be attending, allowing some pre-fest sharing of ideas and information. Perhaps there is someone else attending who is researching the same family as you. If possible, could you reply via the newslist? Best wishes, Shelia

NEALTON COMMUNITY, submitted to "Jessamine Co., Ky 1798-1993" by Lyde Simpson Nealton, a small community on US 68, between KY 169, Keene road, extended to the Catnip Hill Road. Several Neal families lived there in early days. The "Riney-B" railroad ran through the middle of Nealton. The three Webb boys and I used to play in box cars at the railroad siding. People in Nealton rode the train to Nicholasville. I remember Mother putting me on it when I was five years old, sending me into town to spend the day with Aunt Eliza (Mrs. James) Simpson. She met me at the station, where City hall is now. It was a big experience for me. My brother Paul used to sit atop the ice house and watch the cars being switched. He loved trains. Nealton also had a country store and post office. (The post office was abandoned when rural delivery started.) Reuben and May Webb bought the store in 1922 and sold everything a family would need: groceries, candy ,soda crackers from a barrel, rounds of cheese, Honey Crust bread, (we usually had biscuits and cornbread), and it had a pump and sold gasoline. For a penny one could buy all-day and bat suckers and jawbreakers. They also had Bit-O-Honey candy bars and for a nickel one could buy a whole sack of candy. In the mid-30's, the Webbs sold the store to George LaFrance and his family who lived there a while. Later it was a night club for a short time. Both my grandfather and great-grandfather (both named William Simpson) lived just north of the store. My father lived on the other side of the railroad track. He owned the old Goods Farm which had belonged to William and Nancy Neal Lowry. Nancy was a daughter of Elijah and Mary Knight Neal. Other families in the Nealton area; Robert and Norma Simpson, who lived in my grandfather's house; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rhineheimer, across the road on the Cleveland Simpson farm; the Pleas Mathews family on Mathews' Lane; Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Lee, who ran a blacksmith shop and grist mill; Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Baker and family; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Young and family; Mr. and Mrs. Tom Parks and family lived down Parks Lane; and Mr. and Mrs. F. D. (Dixie) Knight whose land was an original Revolutionary War land grant. Nealton School, a one-room school, was on the Knight farm, about 1,500 feet from the Knight house. I attended that school for eight years. My brothers William D., James, and Paul, as did my father, also attended (then it was called Greenwood).

LOGANA, submitted to "Jessamine Co., Ky, 1798 - 1993", by Mary Alice Boggs At one time Logana was a thriving little village. It got its name from the Logan family, large landowners, who gave land for the school. The village had a railroad station, ticket agent, post office and general store. The store sold everything, including: lamp chimneys, coal oil, shoes, piece goods and staples, such as coffee, salt, sugar, lard, cheese, crackers, candy, etc. There was no pre-packaging then, all had to be weighed, measured, counted, sacked or wrapped. Logana also had a blacksmith shop, a mill to grind all types of grain, a fix-it shop, coal yard and a large scale for weighing coal. Wheat was bought, weighed, and shipped to Zaring's Mill in Richmond. The "Riney-B" Railroad ran two daily passenger trains in each direction. They ran from Irvine to Versailles, where they connected with Louisville Southern. We rode the train to school in Nicholasville. Traffic, lack of business, more automobiles and better road, plus a heavy rain that washed out the tracks, caused the abandonment of a section of the railroad. The ICC gave permission and the last run was made Sept. 30, 1932. The store stayed in business until 1941, when Kroger and automobiles took over. MT. LEBANON, submitted by Gertrude Cobb Mulcahy Mt. Lebanon is a small community 6 miles east of Nicholasville; a church is the center on a hill at the forks of the road, which goes on to Pollard. At different times four stores at different locations operated. Lafayette English operated one just beyond the church which burned years ago. Merritt Cobb operated one behind the trading post at the top of the hill and later it was used for a dwelling place and several families have lived there. A store at the foot of the church at one time operated by Arch Moberly, Nelson Hughes, and C. D. Hughes, which I remember being a place to buy groceries and just sit around and talk and learn all about the happenings in the community. All these people are deceased now, and the store building was used for a dwelling house. A few years ago, A. J. Hager lived there and the building caught fire from a skillet of hot grease and was totally destroyed. At present a block house has been built there and the McCarty family lives there. Just around the road at the top of the hill, Bob Hager built and operated a store for several years, but at the present time no one has a store of any kind. This is a community to live in. When I was a child, everyone knew everyone and would visit and go at night and stay until bed time, but now you don't know who lives very far away. A one room school was in the community with all eight grades taught by one teacher. One of the teachers was Clarence Cobb, who died at an early age from food poisoning. I don't remember him; he died long before I was born; everyone who knew him made mention of what a good person he was. I wish I could have seen him since he was my half brother. Some of the teachers I remember being there were Virginia Reynolds, Mae Florence Hager, Mary Alice Boggs, and Dallas Johns. There are fond memories of the school and the closeness of each one who attended the school. I believe more was taught and leaned in those times rather than today. Reading, writing and arithmetic were our main courses. We didn't have all the sports then. We walked to school because there weren't school buses. We also carried our lunch since no lunchrooms were available. When weather permitted, we would eat in the yard under a tree and trade our lunch with something someone else had brought. After eating, we would have a ballgame or play Andy-over-the-schoolhouse, a game choosing sides and throwing a ball over the house. On rainy days, games were played inside during play time such as Clap In and Clap Out or Fruit Basket Upset. When time for classes to begin, the first bell would ring and the students would line up forming two lines at each porch post and then march in very quietly. The school building has been sold and is a dwelling house at the present time, but we that went to school there will always cherish our memories. A blacksmith shop also was in operation in the community, operated by Arthur (Pap) Hager and several different people worked for him. There have been a lot of good things happened and also many sad things.

LITTLE HICKMAN NEIGHBORHOOD, submitted to "Jessamine County, Ky 1798-1993", by Dorothy Dean Hager In the late 1800's and early 1900's a post office known as Little Hickman was located on the Sugar Creek Pike in the store owned and operated by John W. Overstreet. He was the postmaster there. Mr. Overstreet's father, Capt. Samuel R. Overstreet, had the store there after buying it from Hardin Knight, who operated a store there earlier. John W. Overstreet, who was also a carpenter, was known as the "coffin maker" since he made pine boxes which were used for coffins. This store building is still standing but is closed. It was operated as a store in the 1920's by Ernest May who sold it to Forest Canter. Mr. Canter operated it as a store for many years before selling it to Elgan Bruner who later sold it to Ira and Lotella Bruner, who also operated the store for several years. Mrs. Bruner sold it after her husband's death and it ceased to be a store. Other store owners unknown. There were two one-room country schools in the neighborhood, namely, Oak Hill and Sweet Home, both on the Sugar Creek Road. Sweet Home was about 1 1/2 miles south of Oak Hill on Cream Ridge. These schools operated for many years until they were consolidated with other county schools. Sageser's Mill, known earlier as Potts Mill, was located about a mile north of the Little Hickman Post Office and was on "Big Hickman Creek". William N. Potts operated the mill in the early 1800s and later Greenberry Sageser operated it. The Greenberry Sageser family lived in the house across the Sugar Creek Road from the mill. The A.G. Canter family now own and live in the house. An old covered bridge crossed the creek at the mill until Aug. 1932, when it washed away along with the old mill building during a severe flood. There were several churches in the Little HIckman neighborhood. A Baptist church is listed on the 1861 Jessamine County map on the ground where the old Oak Hill School was located. Little is known about this church. Mt. Zion Methodist Church was located south of the Baptist Church, a short distance and following the Civil War, it was a Southern Methodist Church. A very short distance farther south, Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, a northern church, was organized and in 1922, Wesley Chapel bought the Mt. Zion Church property. Mt. Zion no longer existed and only Wesley Chapel Church was active. Services are still held at Wesley Chapel today. For several years after Wesley Chapel was organized, it was a Northern Methodist Church. An election was held in the LIttle Hickman precinct at the house of S. R. Overstreet, former residence of David Foster, on the first Monday and Tuesday in May, 1850, to vote on the constitution. Judges were Andrew Hamilton and William Mays and clerk was Aaron Blakeman. There was another country store located about 1/2 mile north of the Overstreet's store. Earlier owners and operators unknown. Theodore Bruner had this store about 1917 and Ullie Jennette later operated it for many years. According to a story passed down, Abraham Grant, a resident of the community, was a Confederate sympathizer during the Civil War. As he was sitting by the window of his home in front of the fireplace one night, someone shot him through the window and killed him. His murderer was never found, but it was believed a Union sympathizer committed this act. This story was told to the writer of this article by her aunt, Mrs. Arkie Dean Carter, who lived and owned for many years later, the house where Abraham was killed. This community is heavily populated and has many good roads.

Hi All, I was in the Withers Library yesterday. I had not much more made it in the door, when one of the Liberians came up to me and told me about all the great e-mail they were getting. They said they were getting e-mail from all over the United States about the new book they acquired. I want to thank you for taking your time to write them. I got a feeling they are going to buy some more research book for Jessamine County. Thanks again. Clyde ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

The rest of the story........... Per "Jessamine County, Ky 1798-1993" After the Civil War, traffic on the old Shawnee Run Road declined. With the collapse of the resort industry, there was an abundance of property for sale and many newly freed slaves were in need of a place to live. The Black community dates from this time, with much of its life centering around the still thriving Macedonia Baptist Church. In the final third of the 19th century, the village became the agricultural and trading center for northwest Jessamine County. Later in the century, the coming of the railroad to Keene opened a new link to the outside. The R.N.I. & B. line crossed about 3/4 of a mile north of the village at a spot still called "The Depot." Just across from the depot, a grain elevator and steam-powered mill was built around the turn of the 20th century and was operated by Mr. Joe and Mr. Wallace Wharton. In 1895, F. S. Wilson sold his business to his son, Ben Wilson, who operated it for the next 40 years. During this time the two main retail businesses in Keene were his store and Sandusky's, which was located in the two-story brick building that once stood at the main intersection. In the 20th century, Keene has seen times of prosperity and depression. The mechanization of farming reduced the need for abundant labor, and many Keene inhabitants left to find work in cities of the North. This trend has been somewhat slowed in recent years. In a time when many of our region's towns and surrounding countryside are losing their identity as the pursuit of "growth" dominates all else, Keene has retained the qualities that make a true community. Submitted by James R. (Bob) Wilson, Jr Next installment - LITTLE HICKMAN NEIGHBORHOOD Shelia

HISTORY OF KEENE, part 1 Submitted by James R. (Bob) Wilson, Jr to "History of Jessamaine County, 1798-1993" Pioneers George Cleveland and Manoah Singleton explored here in the late 1780's and decided to claim land near the site of Keene By 1794 Manoah Singleton had built a stone grist mill on Cave Spring Fork of Clear Creek. The buffalo trace became known as the Shawnee Run Road, the most direct route between Lexington and Harrodsburg. By the early years of the 19th century the growing traffic on the Nicholasville and Versailles Road made the crossroads there an increasingly busy spot. In 1813 a town was laid out and received the name Liberty, later, North Liberty. At one time or another, Keene possessed several general stores, blacksmith shops, churches, a hatmaker, a bowling alley, tailor's shops, a millinery store, doctor's offices, a hemp factory, rope walk, a tanyard, various saloons and taverns, a harness maker, a grist mill, and hotels. One of the early business leaders of Liberty, Harvey Huggins, who prospered as proprietor of a store and acted as a banker for local people in the days when banks were neither easily accessible nor always to be trusted. Other early residents were Thomas Jones, a hatmaker and Ephraim Carter, the first Postmaster and also one of the organizers of Clear Creek Presbyterian Church in 1828. After a post office was established, the name of the village was changed to Keene. In 1844 the town was incorporated by an act of the State Legislature and a plat of 100 lots filed in the County Clerk's office. The decade which saw the incorporation of Keene, was the period when it became known for its mineral waters. Visitors came to Keene seeking the health-giving benefits of the waters, and also the entertainment and the social and business contact offered. Accommodations in Keene could be obtained at Sea House or Bronhaugh's. but the largest inn was the Keene Springs Hotel. The proprietor was Mason Singleton, grandson of the pioneer Manoah Singleton. In 1841, Singleton purchased property from William Cleveland that included the hotel site. He advertised in the Lexington Observer and Reporter in 1849 and again in 1850 mentioning the enlargement of his former facilities. This addition included a ballroom and a banquet hall which no longer stand. Singleton promised entertainment such as a 'Grand Masquerade Ball", and the renowned Capt. G. L. Postlethwait was engaged to manage the establishment. Professor Peter of Transylvania University analyzed the mineral water; it was concluded to be 'incomparably the best MEDICAL WATER on this continent.. eminently adapted to the cure of every species of Indigestion, Liver Complaint, Dropsy, Scrofula, Cutaneous Affections, Mercurial Diseases, a variety of Nervous Diseases and nearly all diseases that are usually denominated chronic." Another appeal was the freedom of Keene from Cholera during the epidemic of 1849. However, in 1857 Singleton and Dean became insolvent, and a commissioner's deed transferred the Keene Springs Hotel to Alfred McTyre, who operated the hotel for 10 years. In 1867, Fielding S. Wilson bought the hotel from McTyre, but, by then, the resort days in Keene were over. Wilson kept boarders, opened a general store in the building, and also a saloon until liquor was voted out. I will send the second part of this submission tomorrow. Shelia Bruner-Ramos

The following was included in the Jessamine History and is an excerpt from a 3,000 word story written by the late Mary Pearl Sallee. FROM LIBERTY TO KEENE The little town of Liberty lay in a curve on the crossing trails. The Shawnee Run led north and south; the road from east to west was called Sublett's Ferry Road, now called Munday's Landing. Many homes were in Liberty, surrounded by farms with substantial homes. Romance ripened fast. Side saddles, long skirts, small velvet hats were the mode of dress for ladies on their horses. The Stauntons lived on Mrs. Fannie Cleveland's farm. At the back of the old home stood a hemp factory where bagging was woven and ropes twisted. A similar factory was on a hill above Liberty. Cotton was also grown in the area. George Cleveland made a rope walk across the creek. William Sallee also made rope for his plowlines and bedstead. Across the road from Ben Wilson's store, Manoah Singleton had a mill, turned by a water wheel or by horses when water was low. A Mr. Drysdale gained ownership of the mill and sold an interest to Richard Woods, who had Mr. Drysdale's life insured so he could get his money back in case Drysdale died suddenly. Drysdale moved to California and wrote back to Wilson that at the age of 80, he had his second eyesight, third set of natural teeth, and a new wife. Morton Woods bought the mill and policy and later sold it to F. S. Wilson. The mill was finally paid off. Three men moved in from Keene, New Hampshire; Thomas Jones, a hatter who also made boots, harness saddles, and shoes from leather tanned in John Mosely's tanyard, Harvey Higgins, surveyor, and Ephraim Carter, first postmaster, were the other two. It was found that there was another Liberty in the state and Carter suggested the name Keene for his hometown. The first mail carrier was a Mr. Russell. Keene had its share of inventors. Richard Woods invented a clover stripper drawn by a horse. Mr. Grow invented a reaper, which was pushed, not pulled, by a team of horses. Another Keene citizen, William Lyne, was a noted mathematician. Many slaves lived in Keene in those days, among whom was Hannah Broke, who refused to leave when her husband, Ben, decided to join the "Yankee" army. When asked if he were going to fight against their master's two sons and he admitted he was, she told him never to come back there. He didn't. In the 1860's, the Civil War brought many changes to Keene. With their freedom, the former slaves were able to buy lots when one owner decided to divide his land into lots. The war also had another effect on the area. There were no more dances in the ballroom at Bronaugh's Tavern, opposite Mr. Drakeford's. McTyre's Tavern owned by Ben Wilson, and Dr. Jean's Sea House were also forced to close. Hatters, shoemakers, and harness makers all left Keene for better opportunities elsewhere. In the big kitchens, mothers, daughters, and perhaps aunts, patiently wove carpets for their floors or bent over frames running fine stitches over peiced quilts. Sheep were sheared for their wool for blankets or cloth for warm garments. A plot of cotton grown near the house was picked, carded and made into thread for sewing. Blue-flowered flax furnished thread for fine linens for hope chests. What had been beautiful woodlands was turned into tobacco patches. Sugar maple trees were cut. Ambrose Collins once had a "sugar camp;" now it was gone. Ladies and gentlemen no longer rode their shining saddles on blooded horses in a carefree spirit. Now automobiles rush back and forth where those horses once trod, but pride in Keene still remains.

CHRISMAN MILL This community took its name from the old mill once owned by the Chrisman family. The mill was built around 1790 by the Hunter family and sold to Hugh Chrisman in 1803. The last owner was Herman "Hiram Watts, grandfather of Letcher A. and Clay Watts. The creek ran behind the mill. I can remember when people in the area grew wheat, threshed it, and took the grains to the mill, where Mr. Watts ground them into flour. The mill was powered by water from the dam in the creek. Corn was also grown in the area, put into corncribs for cattle feed. We kids had to shell some of the corn that Grandfather put into a sack which was put on the back of the horse he rode. At the mill, the corn was ground into meal. The people had flour and meal for winter food. I can remember when we got to the mill with the corn, that it was so hot we went inside the old mill. It was cool there and smelled musky. Across the road from the mill there was a one-room rock house, where some of the slaves were kept. The Chrismans also owned a big stone house on the hill above the mill. There was another one-room house in the yard. They kept slaves there also. In the front yard of the Chrisman home there was a large rock. Slaves stood upon this rock to be auctined off to rich landowners to work on their farms. Another farm in the community was called Poor House Farm. Slaves were also kept there. Some are buried at the back of the house and their tombstones are still there. That house is now the home of Mrs. Maude Cobb. It is on Water Works Road. Up the road from the mill there was a one-room school in which a lot of good teachers taught. In later years, it was torn down and a new Chrisman Mill School, brick and two-rooms with basement, was built. Finally it was closed and pupils were transported to Nicholasville. The school is now a residence, owned by Stephanie Maloy. On Aug. 3, 1932, Jessamine Creek flooded. I can remember our parents taking us down at the end of Logana Road to see the water. Water was over the tall red bridge. A barn had washed away. Houses were flooded, furniture, logs, etc. washed down the creek. Above the bridge was a deep pool of water off to the side on the main creek, called the Mill Dam. People swam in it, and many were baptized in it. Farmers lost crops by flooding. One family had an old rooster who flew onto a bale of hay that was floating down the creek. The bale began to get wet and when it got near the cliff, the rooster flew up into the cliff. Who knows--he may still be there. Following are some of the families who have lived and are living in this community: Browning, Brumfield, Bibb, House, Quinn, Hager, Watts, Lowry, Johns, Lane, Cobb, Miller, Hughes, Silvers, Hay, Taylor, Wilhoite, Mackey, Parks, Brock, Walker, Marion, Warner, Ethington. "Jessamine County, Kentucky, 1798-1993" Submitted by Loretta C. Burton HIGH BRIDGE High Bridge was quite a tourist attraction in the late 1890's and early 1900's. It linked the Southern States with the Northern States. The bridge, built in 1876-77 over the Kentucky River was 276 feet above the river bed. At one time it was the highest bridge on the continent and was called a marvel of ingenuity. My grandfather, J.D. Hughes, operated a lumber mill along the banks of the river until his death in 1918. He floated the logs down the river from Eastern Kentucky, from the counties of Perry, Owsley, and Leslie. He employed lots of men from High Bridge to work in the lumber yard, the Rues, Alcorns, McKees, Isons and many others. There was a park in the area that contained picnic grounds, a restaurant and riding stables. A popular assembly grounds for holding of cultural and religious meetings, Chautauquas, camp meetings with such celebrities as William Jennings Bryan, Billy Sunday, and Sam Jones were also a part of the area. High Bridge Park was equipped with picnic tables and benches, rustic shelter houses for adults and swings for children. The central pavilion served as a dining facility and on Saturday nights as a dance floor. People came by train and river boats. Steps were built down the face of the palisades, 271 of them to the river valley. The United States Post Office was established there June 27, 1877, under the name of North Tower, Kentucky. In July of 1888 that name was dropped in favor of High Bridge. It continued as a post office until March 26, 1976. The Southern Railway ran excursions from Cincinnati, Lexington, and Nicholasville for the day and crowds came. "Jessamine County, Ky 1798-1993" Submitted by Lyde Simpson NOTE: A replica of the original pavilion at High Bridge has been built and is used, just as the original was, for social gatherings of all kinds. The Jessamine County Historical Society hosted a picnic for us during the first Heritage Fest in 2000 and it was an experience that none of us will ever forget, especially since we were lucky enough to be in that pavilion as a train crossed the bridge. Beyond description!!! Shelia

CAMP NELSON During the winter of 1770, Daniel Boone lived in a cave in what is now Camp Nelson., about eight miles south of Nicholasville, using it as a base from which to hunt and explore. There was a natural break in the palisades along the river and a fording place for travelers was soon quickly established. The Virginia Legislature opened a ferry, operated by James Hogan, across the river at the point years before Kentucky became a state. In 1798, the first commercial vineyard was started in the area by James F. DeFoure. It was not a success because the vines were not suited to the area and cimate. In 1791, William Orlando Butler was born here. He graduated from Transylvania in 1812. He ran for vice president on the Democrat ticket with Lewis Case in 1848. He was firmly for the preservation of the Union, calling himself a Union Democrat. Agricultural products of all kinds were stored here to be shipped to New Orleans, "when the tide came in." In 1817, the first steamboat to come down the river was built in and sailed from Camp Nelson. Camp Nelson got it's name from Major William Nelson, first commander of the camp during the Civil War. (This distinguished soldier was later killed in Louisville by Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, whom he had insulted). Camp Nelson was on the Jessamine side of the river as far as installations were concerned. A strategic area was Fort Bramlette, standing 932 feet above sea level, with rough terrain of a treacherous nature. It was ideally located for a defensive position, that of keeping the Confederates from crossing the river from the Garrard County side. Thoudands of slaves from Kentucky were brought to Camp Nelson to build railroads for the Union Army. When drafting of blacks began, it became the most important recruiting station and training camp for them. Hundreds of women and children followed them but were ordered from the camp. Ill clad, many of them died from exposure in the freezing weather. John Fee, founder of Berea College, son of slave-holding parents, waged a war against slavery and for social equality. He came to Camp Nelson, intent on doing something for the blacks. He founded a church, established Ariel College and a preparatory school for the dependents of black soldiers. Later he invited many blacks to settle in Berea. A permanent reminder of the War Between the States is the Camp Nelson National Cemetery in which approximately 5,000 Federal soldiers, as well as servicemen from World War I and II, the Korean War and the War in Vietnam are buried. Because of its unusual subterranean stream of water that surfaced at Camp Nelson--on the Jessamine side-the distilling of spirits became a profitable industry, flourishing until 1973. The Kentucky River Distillery, in time, gave way to Canada Dry and Old Fitzgerald. Camp Nelson's claim to fame practically ceased to exist by 1972, especially with the coming of the new bridge on US 27, which bypassed it. The final blow came when the river flooded, covering many buildings. By 1975, Father Ralph Beiting and the Christian Appalachian Project undertook to rebuild the area, buying much of the land that had once been the Civil War Camp area, and erecting buildings. CAP helped to set up many people in businesses. On the Jessamine side of the Kentucky River there were; Old Music Hall, Boone's Cave, Memorial Park, Fort Bramlette, Tack Shop at Boone's Lodge, Foster Home for Boys, and farming operations. Camp Nelson was booming. Then came another flood, a major one, and when waters finally receded, Camp Nelson was back where it was in 1972. The final blow came a few years later when the old stone distillery building, which could have become a museum or hotel, was burned, possibly by vagrants. Today Camp Nelson is once again a quiet community except for the US 27 traffic on the bridge above. No more does one have to travel down the winding, narrow old road around the cliffs to get to the other side. It is still used by people in the valley and those who go down it to "remember when." Submitted by Robin Fain to "Jessamine County, Ky, 1798-1993"

Several of you have already contacted me about the Jessamine History, 1798-1993 and I have the following information if you want a copy. I contacted Clyde and he says that there are still a number of copies left, but once those are gone, they will not be able to have another batch printed. It seems the publisher of the book went out of business and took the plates for the book with him. They would like to re-print it again in the future, but the quality of the actual original won't be the same. The current edition is leather bound and contains 220 pages, including an index of names. The cost for the book s $63.30, postage and handling included. I know it sounds a bit steep, but is worth every penny, especially if your family has a long history in Jessamine county. It can be ordered from : Howard Teater 504 W. Maple Street Nicholasville, Ky 40356 E-mail: [email protected] Take care, Shelia

List members, In 1991, members of the Jessamine County Historical Society began the process of putting together a book of Jessamine County History, the first of it's kind to be written since the publication of Bennett Young's "A History of Jessamine County from it's Earliest Settlement to 1898". A call went out to the citizens of Jessamine County, encouraging them to submit their family histories and photos and the response was overwhelming, with 457 family stories being submitted and 177 subject histories. The result of this work is "Jessamine County, Kentucky, 1798-1993" as written by it's citizens and has been the backbone of my own search, providing me with so many links to those early families, most of whom still have descendants in Jessamine County and is a "must have", in order to really understand why our own ancestors loved the area and chose it for their home. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have tried to share some of the stories included in the book, just enough to entice you to purchase the book from the Historical Society. The sharing of those small bits from the book, hopefully, was instrumental in bringing many of you to Jessamine County last year for the first Heritage Fest. For those of you who are planning to attend this year and those of you who will not be able to be with us, I would like to again share a bit of the history of the county and it's pioneers. I would like to concentrate on the various communities in Jessamine County, perhaps bringing your attention to areas that your own ancestors may have settled or inhabitated, giving you a starting point for those of you not familiar with the area. As is the case with so many small towns and counties, the descendents of the founders of these communities still reside in many of them and are a gold mine of information. You may even find a few "cuzzins" in many of them. Again, I hope that the information that I am sharing with you will only whet your appetite for more and will encourage you to visit Jessamine County, perhaps purchasing your own copy and helping to support the Historical Society in it's endeavor to provide us with as much resource material as possible. The first two communities that I want to share with you are Bethel and Brooklyn. Some of the articles are fairly lengthy, so I will have to do this in a serial form, offering perhaps only one or two at a time. If you like what you see, stay tuned for more! Shelia Bruner-Ramos BETHEL (as submitted by Charles M. Bowman and Mildred Corman Hammond) The Bethel community at one time had a school-now a residence- a voting house, a small store, and a church. The school and store are gone today. The church was built in 1873 as a community church. The building is at the corner of Bethel Road and Phillips Lane. The present pastor is Tom Mefford. My father, Charles Leonard Bowman, attended Bethel School in 1901. At that time N. D. Thompson was teacher. Both my wife, the former Dorothy Anderson, and I attended the school. I started in 1932 when Miss Grace Duncan was the teacher. In 1937 Mrs. Bess Corman began teaching there and a second room had to be added. Later the school was discontinued, and the children were sent to Wilmore Elementary. There are two family cemeteries in the area, Corman and Rhorer. Bethel area is a combination of several roads and lanes: Phillips Lane, Corman Lane, Frankfort Ford Pike, Glass Mill Road and Bethel Road. Many of the families in the Bethel area were: Reid, Overstreet, Corman, Young, Rhorer, House, Baker, Payne, Johns, Baugh, White, Jacobs, Alcorn, Megee, Shanklin, Hagedorn, Duncan, Moody, Yates, Thompson, Bowman, Day, Clark, Hicks, Meads, Humphrey, Sears, Peel, Myers, Guy, Brooks, Fields, Gribbins, Sexton, Powell and others. BROOKLYN (as submitted by Era Wilder Peniston, Beulah Poor Braden, June Poor Lowry and William Edward Lowry) Todds Ferry was an early crossing of the Kentucky river where the pumping station for Wilmore waterworks is presently located. There was a house on the Mercer side of the river where the passengers would stay during the flood stage of the river. The stagecoach came up the Shanty Hill Lane and used the Harve Goforth house as a stopover in those days. It passed by the R.M. Poor property and changed horses at Pekin near the tollgate house on Highway 33 across from Pekin School. The new road from Jewell's corner to the Kentucky river was constructed in Jessamine County in 1927 by the Moynahan Construction Company. A tunnel had been drilled and blown out of rock near the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was built and completed in 1927. This wooden bridge was in operation until 1952, when it fell. A laundry truck was crossing the river near the Mercer side; however, no one lost his life. When the State Road Department built a new concrete bridge, it ordered the tunnel on the Jessamine side closed to traffic. The road was straightened so that traffic could move directly onto the new bridge. In 1925, Robert Mahin Peniston purchased the river bottom and some cliffs on the Mercer County side of the Kentucky River. The survey included the small cottage on the lower side of the river at the end of the bridge where Alphus and Annie Goforth lived, and continued up the river approximately two miles to the big curve on Highway 68. Penistons built a restaurant on the Mercer side of the river about 1/8 miles from the bridge. When the new road was opened, they were ready for business. Robert and his parents, Ernie and Price Peniston, ran the restaurant for many years. Scott Coghill owned a hill farm on the road leading to Shakertown, the historic settlement of Shakers in Mercer County. He was faithful in reporting each day for work at the restaurant during the Peniston years, 1926-1952. Other owners have been George and Jenny Ashcraft, Lexington Trailer Company, Murphy's at the River, and the present ownership by Chelsey's Landing. The old tollgate house on the Jessamine side had been occupied by Bill Grimes. Whe he died, Alphus and Annie Goforth moved from the Mercer side. Other fishermen who lived near the river were Tom and Virgie Houp, Noble Horn, Clay Horn, and Switzer brothers, Albert, Asa, George and Johnnie. During the flood of 1937, high water covered the floor in the main part of the Peniston Restaurant to the top of the counters. In the many times that high water was a problem, this was the highest up to that time. The Chinn Restaurant which was a hole in the cliff wall across the highway from the Peniston Park was also involved in the flooding experience. River water covered the highway there several feet, which made a congested situation in the traffic on highway 68. Also the supplies in the Chinn Restaurant were at risk.. George Chinn who lived above the top of the cliff on the Mercer side was the owner. He was involved in politics and spent his last years in Frankfort in the Firearms Department. The Palisades Development Corp. was founded in 1966. Approximately 50 lots were sold. R. M. Peniston was deceased in 1976. Era Wilder Peniston owns the top of cliff acreage. Galye and Carolyn Peniston Lawrence own nine lots in the Palisades. The waterworks of the Kentucky River, supplying water to the city of Wilmore and surrounding areas, passes through the William Reynolds. Heirs of the Reynolds farm on the Shanty Hill Road were J.P., Virginia, and Murray Price Reynolds, Ruth and Asa Switzer, Grace and Hansle Poor, and Rosaline and Henry Jackson.

Hi Cousins, My wife will be teaching the week of Heritage Fest, but we will try to get to Jessamine County a few weeks after the Fest. I have a question: Are there any places for RV parking in or around the County Seat? Have a good time. I hope to meet some of you in June. Russ Turner Great Great Grandma Alice A. Gaylord was born in Jessamine County.

Just thought you all might like to know that Ancestry.com has a free database available thru April 29. with Kentucky marriages 1851 - 1900, including Jessamine Co. The address is www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/inddbs/4428.htm Thank you, John Logan, for letting me know about it. Shelia

Folks, Bryce Stevens kindly gave me permission to share his letter to the Wither's library.  Bryce attended the fest last year, but is unable to be with us this year.  However, his words so aptly describe what the first fest meant to all of us last year, giving you a good indication of the help and hospitality that awaits you this year in Jessamine County. The purchase of the books by the Wither's library is a result of the interest that folks like you have shown in the history of Jessamine County and it's settlers.  We have come a long way toward helping to provide so many resources for future researchers, offering our disks, family trees, books and other records to the Historical Society. Keep'em coming! Till later, Shelia Dear Director, I had the pleasure of attending last year's History Festival in Jessamine County, and of being introduced to your library by Mr. Clyde Bunch.  He has just informed us that your library purchased a five volume set of Fayette County records. I was surprised at how much new family information I discovered at your library last year, using the resources you had previously acquired.  The addition of this new set of books will enhance what was already a thoughtfully assembled collection, and serve as a great convenience to those of us whose ancestors settled in that part of Fayette County which was destined to become Jessamine. I regret that the festival is being held while I am still obliged to be teaching this year, preventing me from re-living a memorable experience --- surely out-did any plain old "family" reunion I'd ever attended!  But I know that I have not finished my work in Jessamine, and look forward to visiting your library again and making use of the new books you have so kindly purchased on behalf of all we who descend from Jessamine stock. With sincere thanks, Bryce Stevens [email protected]