I see some Nicholas co names in here... J. <>< -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth Smith [mailto:lizsmith@setel.com] MT. STERLING, LITTLE MOUNTAIN TOWN, NOW THRIVING CITY SURVEYED BY SMITH IN 1793; NAMED BY PIONEER SCOTCHMAN Growth Has Been Steady and Today It Is Classed As the Best Town of Its Size in the South PIONEER DAY THRILLERS (Ed Sargent) The Mt. Sterling of today presents a striking contrast to "The Little Mountain Town" of two generations ago. A century ago a small isolated settlement, fifty years ago, a struggling village with less than fifty stores and business concerns and today a thriving city of the most modern type with almost ever line of business endeavor and a population of nearly five thousand-Mt. Sterling rightly claims the title of the "best city to the square foot of any city in the South." Situated on the C. & O. R. R., thirty-four miles east of Lexington and at, as we might say ithe end of the Bluegrass and the beginning of the mountains, "The Gateway City" has really been the developing point for Eastern Kentucky. The town of Mt. Sterling, first used thus, Mountsterling, was surveyed by Enoch Smith, Sr., in 1793. The greater part of the land was owned by Smith, while a man by the name of Hugh Forbes, owned considerably of the eastern section and the southern portion of the city was taken from land owned by Samuel Spurgeon. At first the town was generally called "Little Mountain Town" and bore this historical title for several years. SELECTING THE NAME Among the early settlers of the town was a Scotchman-Hugh Forbes. Early in 1793 at a meeting called for the purpose of selecting a suitable name for the village, Forbes presenting the argument that "Little Mountain Town" was a barbarous and outlandish cognomen, and suggested that the village be called Stirling after a pretty little town in Scotland where he spent his boyhood days. After considerable discussion a compromise was effected and the name "Mount Stirling" was adopted by the meeting. Later we find that the name was spelled as "Mountsterling" and still later it was brought to its' present style, Mt. Sterling. The past and early history of the city is of thrilling interest and many tales of the early days are still vivid in the minds of aged citizens still living. The stories of early Indian warfare int his vicinity and the excavation of mounds left by that almost forgotten race of people, the Mound Builders, have been passed down from generation to generation and if we were to undertake to recite them all in this publication it would be a task which we feel that we are not equal. At these spots, around which the romantic traditions of early days still cluster, the forefathers of Mt. Sterling, as if with propretic vision, saw fit to invest their capital on account of the many points of vantage it possessed as a commercial center and their efforts have been crowned with success in the present thriving city-the county seat of Montgomery county. Mt. Sterling is situated in the central part of the county and is a city of beautiful homes, highly rated schools, beautiful and God worthy churches, well conducted business houses and a happy contented citizenship-noted for its hospitality and real Kentucky neighborly spirit. On one hand we have the foothills of the mountains and on the other beautiful farm lands, noted for their crops of tobacco, wheat and corn and the raising of livestock; thousands of acres of green pastures, with lowing cattle and gentle sheep-the best saddle and harness horses in the State famed for thier kind-beuatiful women, scores of gentlemen, and still jugs of "Mountain Dew"-the all go to make Mt. Sterling and Montgomery county the Eden, its citizens take pride in calling home. The story of the early organizations of the churches and school are told in more detail elsewhere in this issue [will be posted to the list as time permits], but it will be well to mention here briefly the forerunners of the legal profession. James Crawford, from Pennsylvania, was said to be the first lawyer to practise [sic] in Montgomery county. Early resident lawyers were Asa Lewis, William Littell, James Trimble and David Trimble. Later came Amos Davis, Henry Daniel, Richard Menefee, Richard Apperson and Kenaz Farrow. In the early days of the county no bar was stronger than that of Montgomery county and at its courts came Henry Clay, Robert Trimble, Jesse Bledsoe, Colonel Nicholas, James Clark, Ishman G. Talbott, Robert Wickliffe, Samuel Hanson, Chilton Allen and James Simpson. The first doctor in Mt. Sterling was said to have been Dr. Delano, who was shortly followed by Dr. John Young, both of these pioneer physicians having come from Fayette county. Then, historians say Drs. Mills, McMurtry, Duke and Slavens joined the medical profession to help care for the sick and afflicted during the early days of the struggling community. The first tavern opened in Mt. Sterling was built of hewed logs with an old-fashioned porch that ran the entire length of the building. Joseph Simpson was the builder and the first landlord. Andrew Biggs soon set up a rival hotel and in an adjoining house to the Simpson tavern, Samuel and Peter Everett operated a general store. However the first mercantile establishment in the city was opened in1800 and was operated by a man named Goudy. At the old Turley corner George Howard conducted the most prominent of the "first" stores that did busines in the "Little Mountain Town." It was a frame building, painted a striking red and its picturesque color and design was the wonder of the times to our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers. Here one could purchase all the necessity in clothing and food as well as luxuries of the day. Calico and homespun cloth from which the early belles made their dresses was sold at $0 cents a yard and "good whiskey for 25 cents a gallon." THE COURT HOUSE The first court house for Montgomery county stood on Main street just a short distance east from present Presbyterian church. It was an "imposing" brick structure, one and a half stories high. The jury rooms were on the second floor and very small. The next was built on the site of the present one and was more convenient and commodious.. This was destroyed by fire, thought to have been accidental, in 1850, and was replaced by a better building which was destroyed during the Civil War in December, 1863. Another courthouse was built at the close of the war, being completed in in 1868. This served the county until 1890 when the present court house was erected. [This 1890 Courthouse has also been replaced.. Visit http://www.mtsterling.com/mtshist/courtoge.htm to see photos of three of Montgomery County's Courthouses.]