Kentucky Historical Marker #2385
St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church. In 1886, Bishop McCloskey purchased Steller’s Woods at Cavewood Ave. (now Clifton) & Payne St. for a new parish. Named for Francesca Romana (1384-1440, canonized 1608, feast day Mar. 9), who inspired women to pray, care for sick, & feed hungry. Dedicated Oct. 2, 1887, Fr. Thos. White was first pastor. Windows and organ from St. Mary's, 1937. Organ built in 1884 by Louis Van Dinter. (Reverse) Catholic & Clifton History- Catholic diocese moved from Bardstown to Louisville 1841. 1st bishop, Rev. Joseph Flaget. Cathedral 1852. Nearby churches: St Martin du Tours 1853; St Joseph’s 1866; Holy Trinity 1882; St Francis Assisi 1886; Holy Spirit 1937. Clifton chartered 1876 and named after estate of Joshua Bowles at Vernon and Sycamore St. Early bldgs.: Toll House 1830; Ky. School Blind 1853; Workhouse 1850.
122 S. Clifton Ave., Louisville, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2386
Willis Russell House. Willis Russell, a well-educated & emancipated slave of Rev. War captain Robert Craddock, relocated from Warren Co., Ky. to Danville around April 1838. He taught black children in this pre-1795 log home that he inherited when Capt. Craddock died in 1837. Over (Reverse) Craddock and Tardiveau- Russell was educated at the home of Robert Craddock by French Rev. War soldier Peter Tardiveau, who spoke seven languages & interpreted political matters for Gen. George Rogers Clark. Both Craddock and Tardiveau were members of the Political Club that petitioned for Kentucky statehood. Over
204 E. Walnut St., Danville, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2387
Pine Mountain Settlement School. Realizing the need for better education in the area, William Creech donated land for the school. Katherine Pettit, founder of the Hindman Settlement School, and Ethel De Long Zande opened the school in 1913. It has a tradition of progressive education methods and preserving regional folk arts. (Reverse) A Community School- A boarding school in its early years, it became a community day school in 1949, later changing to environmental education in 1972. Architect Mary Rockwell Hook designed the major buildings. The school is a recognized leader in regional reform. It is also home to a state nature preserve and is a National Historic Landmark.
36 Highway 510, 15 miles NW of Harlan, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2388
First USCT Recruits at Camp Nelson. May 23, 1864, nearly 250 black men, most of them slaves, left Boyle Co. to march to Camp Nelson in Jessamine Co. to enlist in the Union army. On the way, some Danville citizens threw stones and shot pistols at the recruits. When they reached camp, Union Col. Andrew Clark initially refused to accept them because no policy allowed for the recruitment of slaves. (Reverse) Although a few local slave owners tried to reclaim some of the men, the recruits were accepted into the army, causing a Union policy change that allowed able-bodied African American men, including slaves, to enlist. Over 5,000 U.S. Colored Troops were eventually recruited at Camp Nelson, with some of the first coming From Boyle County.
Constitution Square, Danville, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2389
Naval Ordinance Plant. Commissioned on Oct. 1, 1941. Operated by Westinghouse Electric to manufacture gun mounts and ordnance for the Navy during WWII. The 135 acre inland site afforded protection from enemy air attacks. Peak employment reached 4200. The Navy took over operation in 1946. In the post-war years employment declined to less than 100. (Reverse) Naval Ordinance Station, "Gunsmith to the Navy"- Re-activated in 1950, NOSL became a major facility. In 1966 it was designated an ordnance station and assigned to provide design, repair, overhaul, and engineering for all shipboard gun systems. In 1996, the operation returned to private contractors with engineering support being retained by the Navy until 2011.
5601 Southside Dr., Louisville, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2390
Mary Boone Bryan. Born in Pa. in 1736, she was the daughter of Squire & Sarah Morgan Boone and younger sister of Daniel Boone. Family moved to N.C. when she was 14. There she met, and in 1755, married William Bryan. With 10 children, they migrated to Ky. via the Cumberland Gap in fall of 1779 & settled Bryan Station. Lost three sons & husband that winter. (Reverse) Mary took her children back to her home in N.C. in 1780. After the Rev. War, they returned to Ky. She was living in Campbell Co. by 1795. In 1813, paid her brother Daniel’s acct. debt to John Grant. She died in 1819 and was buried on son Samuel’s farm at Grant’s Lick; her remains were moved to Oakland Cemetery in 1929.
Ky. 1936 & US 27, Grants Lick, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2391
Kirkland Home. Near here was the home of Charles King and Caroline Purdom Kirkland. To escape the Battle of Perryville, they traveled with their 3 young children 10 miles south to the home of Caroline’s father in Forkland. When they returned a few days later, they found their home had been used as a hospital and much of their property destroyed. Over. (Reverse) Their blood-stained dining room table was used for operations and their clothes torn for bandages. Furniture, fences, & outbuildings were burned for fuel and farm animals killed for food. Soldiers were buried poorly in the yard; after a rain their limbs protruded from the soil. With these horrific conditions, the family moved, sold the farm, and never returned.
1470 Battlefield Rd., Perryville, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2392
Class Competitions. On American campuses in the 1900s, freshman and sophomore classes had a variety of competitions. The University of Kentucky was no exception. An early rivalry was the annual flag rush in which one class would defend their flag from being captured by a rush of competitors. Replacing the annual flag rush in 1913 was the tug of war across Clifton Pond. Class of 2012 (Reverse) Tug of War- Students were granted a half-day holiday for the annual drenching, and crowds could reach more than 2,000 for the event. The freshman class was usually victorious in the battle until teams of equal size were established in 1923. Seniors supervised to ensure fair play, and the victors would storm downtown in celebration. Class of 2012
UK campus, William T. Young Library, Lexington, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2393
Anderson Ferry/ 1937 Flood. Anderson Ferry- Founded in early 1800s & purchased by George Anderson in 1817, serves as a link between Boone Co. and southwestern Ohio. It was powered by horses on treadmills until steam power was introduced in 1867. In 1930s diesel-powered sidewheelers were added. Stone inn & tavern once stood at ferry landing. National Register of Historic Places, 1982. 1937 Flood at Constance- The Ohio River reached its peak on Jan. 26 at 79.9 ft., surpassing the 1884 record. Constance was the hardest hit town in Boone Co. but there were no fatalities. Route 8 between Constance & Taylorsport was almost completely covered by water. Many houses were totally destroyed. Displaced residents were sheltered in the town school.
4030 River Rd., Constance, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2394
John Hunt Morgan Escape Route. On Nov. 28, 1863, after escaping from Ohio Penitentiary & taking a train to Cincinnati, CSA Gen. John Hunt Morgan & Capt. Thomas Hines crossed the Ohio River to Ludlow. Sympathetic Boone County residents, as well as Big Bone Baptist Church, gave them food, shelter & supplies. They rode into Gallatin Co. the following night. See map over (Reverse) This map shows the route taken by Gen. Morgan and Capt. Hines from North to South through Boone County on Nov. 28 & 29, 1863. Also shown are the contacts and stops they made along the way.
8850 Hwy. 42, Union, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2395
Pioneer Outpost & Spring. 100 yds. south of here stood Fort Baker, 1 of 36 pioneer outposts critical to settlement of Clark, Montgomery, & Bath counties. Est. spring 1790 by John Baker, station covered 20 acres. Fort evacuated after nighttime attack on June 29 by four Native Americans. Samuel Dickerson severely wounded & died; Baker’s brother, Isaac, shot. Over. (Reverse) Although outpost was abandoned, several men returned at season’s end to harvest the corn crop they had planted. In 1793, John Baker gave 66 acres of his land & founded the town of Winchester, which was named after his hometown in Va. The oval spring & well, just north of the station, was visited by Pres. Andrew Jackson on October 2, 1832
4510 Winchester Rd., Mt. Sterling, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2396
Shelby Park Neighborhood. In 1847, the German working class first populated the area bounded by Kentucky, Preston, Bergman, & Logan Streets. In 1907, Mayor Paul Barth personally purchased part of the land that made up the 17-acre park. Designed by the Olmsted firm, it was named for the 1st governor of Kentucky, Isaac Shelby. It serves the recreational needs of the area. (Reverse) Shelby Park Branch Library- In 1906, neighbors each donated $2 to purchase land for a library. The Second Renaissance Revival-styled library, designed by Arthur Loomis, opened in 1911. It was listed on the National Register in 1980. It is one of seven Carnegie-endowed libraries in Louisville & serves the social and educational interests of the area.
600 E. Oak St., Louisville, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2397
Nettie B. C. Depp (1874-1932). The first female public official in Barren Co., she was elected in 1913, seven years before women were allowed to vote. She was Barren Co. schools superintendent from 1914-1917. Instrumental in unifying local schools to create county’s first 4-year high school, housed in former Liberty College, Glasgow. (Reverse) During her time as superintendent, she introduced a uniform curricula for all schools, improved & repaired local one-room schools, and built seven new school houses. She was later principal at Cave City School until 1923. She was asked to run for re-election as superintendent, but declined. Taught school in Scottsville from 1923-31. Presented by Glasgow B&PW Club
Barren County Courthouse lawn, Glasgow, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2398
Willa Brown Chappell (1906-1992). This Glasgow native was the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license in the U.S., 1937. That year, she also earned masters degree from Northwestern Univ. She was first African American officer in Civil Air Patrol(1941) & first American woman to hold both a mechanic’s license & commercial pilot’s license (1943). (Reverse) Co-founder of National Airmen’s Association of America, which worked to get African Americans into U.S. Air Force. In 1940, she co-founded the Coffey School of Aeronautics which trained black pilots. Some of these pilots became part of the Tuskegee Airmen. She was influential in the integration of the U.S. military in 1948. Presented by the Glasgow B&PW Club
Barren County Courthouse lawn, Glasgow, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2399
Site of First Rural Electric Co-Op Substation in County. W. H. Rogers, president of Inter-County R.E.C.C., threw the switch at the Perryville substation on June 10, 1938, to energize 56 miles of line to 115 homes. In 2013, on the 75th anniversary of this event, Inter-County Energy served more than 25,000 members/ owners within 12 counties, over more than 3,700 miles of line.
590 Harrodsburg Rd., Perryville, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2400
Major Andrew Graff Hamilton. Hamilton, a leader of one of most incredible prison escapes of the Civil War, was born in Pa., Jan. 9, 1835. A Woodbury resident before the war, he joined Co. A of the 12th Ky. (Union) Cavalry, Aug. 12, 1862. Captured at Jonesboro, Tn., Aug. 1863; sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. Along with Col. Thos. Rose, he led a mass prison escape. (Reverse) On Feb. 9, 1864, he led 109 Federal officers from Libby Prison. 48 were recaptured, including Col. Rose. Hamilton was the guest of honor at Libby Prison Nat’l War Museum, at the World’s Fair in Chicago, in 1893. He was murdered on April 2, 1895 by Sam Spencer in Morgantown and is buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Reedyville, Ky.
117 N. Main St., Morgantown, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2402
Alexander Majors. Cofounder of the Pony Express, he was born near this site on Oct. 4, 1814. Five years later, his family moved to Mo. Territory. In 1849, he formed a freighting business from Mo. to Santa Fe. In 1854, became partners with Wm. Russell and Wm. Waddell hauling military & civilian freight. By 1859, had 3500 wagons, 40,000 oxen, 4000 men, 1000 mules. Presented by the Simpson Co. Historical Society (Reverse) Started the Pony Express in 1860. Mail was carried on horseback from Mo. to Ca. in 10 days. Ended when overland telegraph completed, 1861. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who had worked for Majors as a youth, found him writing memoirs. Cody later paid to publish them & gave Majors profits. Died in 1900; buried with wife, Katherine, in Union Cemetery, Kansas City, Mo.
Kenny Perry Dr., Franklin, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2403
Pleasant Point Missionary Baptist Church. Six emancipated slaves formed this congregation in 1871. Three years later it was fully organized; the church erected in 1878. Membership grew as African Americans searched for religious & cultural experiences. Tradition holds that Dr. George Washington Carver spoke to local farmers here in 1909. First site of the area’s Rosenwald School. (Reverse) Pleasant Point Missionary Baptist Cemetery- Oldest marked grave is from 1873, although there may be earlier unmarked graves in the cemetery. Among those buried here are veterans who served from the Civil War through Desert Storm. The church has played a vital role in shaping the community of Pleasant Ridge & the lives of its citizens.
3723 Hwy. 764, Utica, ,
Kentucky Historical Marker #2404
Woodland School. Former site of a Rosenwald School for African Americans in Massac, New Hope and Hills Chapel. In this one-room wooden structure, one teacher taught 25-30 students from grades 1-8. Many of the students were children and grandchildren of former slaves. Woodland School opened in the 1920s and closed in 1963, due to the integration of Kentucky schools. (Reverse) Rosenwald Schools- From 1912-1932, Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and CEO of Sears, Roebuck, & Co., collaborated with Booker T. Washington, preeminent African American educator, to build 5357 new one-room schools to serve African Americans across the south and southwest. Their goal was to improve the quality of education for children in rural areas.
5740 Hocker Rd., Paducah, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2405
St. John the Evangelist Church and School. Roots of the first Catholic parish in McCracken Co. go back to German immigrants who settled in this area about 1839. Fr. Elisha Durbin said Mass in homes until log church was built in 1849. A frame church was built in 1869 & used until the present church was dedicated in 1933. Extensive renovation was completed in 2006. (Reverse) First school on site was called “Spring School” and was used to prepare children for sacraments, with students being taught by priests and lay persons. Sisters of Charity operated the grade school from 1900-12 and Sisters of Mercy serving from 1913-92. High school curriculum offered from 1938-65. Grade school closed in 2008.
6705 Old Highway 45 S., Paducah, KY, United States