Franklin County, Kentucky - Chapter 2, 1912

Franklin County, within its present boundary, was, to a great extent, protected from the Indian incursions and depredations, committed by them in other sections of the country known as Kentucky, on account of its central location and from the further fact that in the earliest settlement of the county forts were built in nearly every direction from it.

There was jMcClelland's fort, where Georgetown now stands, which was built in 1776; Harrodstown (Harrodsljurg) was built in 1774; Logan's Fort in 1775; Louisville in 1778; Booneborough in 1775; Bryan's Station, in Fayette county in 1779; Houston's (Paris) Station in 1776, Squire Boone's Station (Shelbyville) prior to 1780; Arnold's Station^ in Anderson County in 1783 ; Johnson's Station in Scott County in the same year. These Stations practically surrounded Franklin County and though they did not give absolute protection, the presence of Indians in the neighborhood of any of these Stations, as soon as detected, the news was sent to all sections of the country and only a few instances are recorded where death resulted from a conflict between the two races.

In the year 1780, Stephen Frank, Nick Tomlin, Wm. Bryant and others Avere on their way to Mann's Salt Lick in Jefferson County, and the}^ camped on the present site of Frankfort. In the early morning they were attacked by the Indians and Frank was killed and two other members of the party, Bryan and Tomlin Avere wounded, l:)ut they were able to make their escape. The fact that Frank was killed and the further fact that there was a fairly good ford on the Kentucky River nearly opposite to the entrance of Devil's Hollow gave to Frankfort the name Frank's ford which was contracted to Frankfort.

One of the earliest and most prosperous settlements was in Quinn's Bottom, about four miles from Frankfort on Elkhorn Creek. This settlement was made up of the Cook brothers, Louis Martin, Wm. Dunn and Wm. Bledsoe, with their families and several other families. In April, 1792, about one hundred Indians made a raid on this settlement. The first information the settlers had of their presence, was a volley fired at the two Cooks who were at the time engaged in shearing sheep. Both of the Cooks were killed, one of whom fell on the doorstep. The widows of the two men were all that were left to defend the cabin and their three small children; their courage, however, made them equal to the occasion. They immediately pulled the dead body of the murdered man into the room and barred the door. The Indians made a rush for the door and tried to beat it down ; one of the women secured a gun, but having no bullets, she split a piece of lead and rounded it to fit the rifle, and quickly loaded it; the Indians were still persisting in their efforts to break the door; she placed the muzzle of the gun through a small opening between the logs and took deliberate aim and fired at a very large Indian and shot him dead. They then abandoned the idea of breaking in the door and some of them climbed to the roof and set fire to it. One of the women went up to the loft, while the other handed to her some w^ater with which to put out flames as often as the torch was applied ; the water failing, she took a lot of eggs and put out the fire ; and as a last resort they used the blood soaked vest of the dead husband and smothered the fire with it. The brave defense made by these women prolonged the contest until the Indians became afraid that the rest of the settlement would be warned of their presence, they abandoned the assault ; they sunk the body of the dead Indian in Elkhorn Creek and the whole force moved on to attack the other settlers in that neighborhood. During the raid they killed, in addition to the two Cooks, Louis Martin, two sons of William Dunn and a negro man; and they captured and carried away with them two negro men. A company of about one hundred men were quickly collected from the forks of Elkhorn and other sections of the County who went in pursuit of the Indians and followed them to the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati and there abandoned further pursuit.

contc.'^t, the Indian who was killed by the Cook woman, floated down the creek and lodged against a large rock very close to where the camp is located. There are several families, of prominence, now living in Franklin County, (1907) who are direct descendants of the Cooks.

About the year 1788, Stephen Arnold and a companion were hunting wild turkeys. They had reached a point i],ear the present Frankfort and Lawrenceburg road, a few hundred yards north of where the Blakemore Distillery now stands. While passing around the top of a fallen tree, they came within twenty paces of five Indians; as soon as they saw the Indians, Arnold directed his companion to fire and at the same time fired his own gun at the closest Indian; two of them being in line the same bullet killed both of them. Arnold's friend stood as though paralyzed with fear and was captured without firing a shot, one of the Indians remained with the captive and the other two pursued Arnold; his enemies were between him and the fort, wdiich Avas about three miles away; he made a wide circuit, Avith them in hot pursuit. He attempted to reload his rifle as he ran but in attempting to shove the bullet down, his ram rod caught on a bush and was knocked out of his hand and his enemies were so close to him that he did not have time to recover it, - then, indeed, there was a race for life; there had been some recent rains, the ground was soft, his mocassins were wet and heavy with mud. He could see that his enemies were gaining on him. He had lost his gun. He took his hunting knife from his belt and cut the strings of his mocassins a»s he ran and continued his flight barefooted; the race continued until they got in sight of Arnold's Station, when the Indians gave up the pursuit and returned to their captive, whom they took north with them and afterwards sold him to some white man who returned him to his Kentucky home.

^ ''The Palladium" a literary weekly paper, published in Frankfort in the year 1798 and for several years thereafter, published the fact that a white man was killed by the Indians on the waters of Benson Creek, near the falls, at Conway's

In the year 1793 a party of hunters was pursued within five miles of Frankfort, but none of the party was killed. In 1794 a party of seven Indians came across from what is now Owen County. Crossing into the county at Indian Gap (from which fact the place took its name), two of these Indians made an attack on a man by the name of Stafford at the mouth of Pond's branch. After a desperate fight, Stafford killed one of the Indians and the other one made his escape and joined his other companions, who undertook to return the way they came, but they were followed by a body of white men who succeeded in killing all of them before they could recross the Ohio river. *

Marshall's History of Kentucky states that Leestown was named for Willis Lee who was killed by the Indians while camping there, but other authorities say that it was named for Handcock Lee, (a cousin of Handcock Taylor) who owned a large tract of land on a part of which the town was located. The records of the county show that Handcock Lee owned the land on which the town was established.

The Palladium gives the following items, to-wit: Frankfort, June 20, 1799: ''La>it Saturday week a little girl, daughter of Mr. William Bourn on Benson, was lost from the Plantation and was found on Monday following on I^eech Creek, having traveled about fifteen miles, - when found, was still stout and able to travel."

Frankfort, Kentucky, Aug. 7, 1800. - "Yesterday a man by the name of Brown residing in the neighborhood of this place, to decide a wager of one hundred dollars, walked from the Capital to Lexington and returned in eleven hours; he was allowed sun rise to sun set, but performed the journey with apparent ease, two hours under the time."

About the year 1798 a man by the name of Mack Sutton, challenged James Arnold to fight a duel, Arnold accepted and named the conditions, which were : that the weapons should be rifles, the time, on a day named between sun rise and sun set ; the place, a heavy woodland of some ten or twelve acres, located nearly opposite the mouth of Glenn's Creek; both of the parties were familiar with these woods; there was a large hollow tree, which stood near the center of the woods, and as Arnold expected, Sutton went out very early in the morning and concealed himself in this hollow tree ; Arnold came upon the reverse side and held him there until after sun set and then gave him permission to come out. Ever after that the two men were good friends.

The anniversary of American Independence was celebrated on Thursday, July 4, 1799, by the citizens of Frankfort ; after dinner a number of suitable patriotic toasts were drunk and the utmost good humor prevailed on that occasion.

The following notice shows how the news of that day was received: ''Frankfort, Ky., Aug. 8, 1799. Just as this day's paper was going to press we were favored with Brown's Philadelphia Gazette of the 19th of July, containing some interesting intelligence from Europe."

The Palladium gives a detailed account of the resolutions of 1798, which were passed by the Kentucky Legislature, the discussions by Mr. Breckenridge, ]\Ir. Johnson, Mr. Murray and others, but as this belongs to state history it has no part in the history of Franklin County. * * *

The Pioneer of Franklin County was unique in many respects; he was of necessity a man of courage and endurance. No man would select a home such as this county furnislied from 1780 to 1800, who was not brave enough to meet any danger or who did not have force of character and determination sufficient to overcome any difficulty ; many of their deeds denoting a noble manhood, have been left unrecorded and succeeding generations only know of them by tradition. In a general way the main evidence, the present generation has of the bravery, the endurance, the self-sacrifice, the determination to maintain the liberties of himself and his people, is shown more in the results upon the succeeding generations than in any other way. A history of the world, is to a great extent a detailed account of the individual actions of men, but in most cases, more credit has been "iveii to him who is termed the leader, than is his just proportion; a good soldier is as essential to a successful campaign as a good general, yet the general has the laurel wreath, while the ready hands and brave hearts which made his success possible find obscure graA'es. "Peace hath her victories no less renowned than those of war," but the renown is generally given to the official who by circumstances lias been elected to some executive, legislative or judicial office, and the hero, whose life has been sacrificed for loved ones, or for the liberty of his countrymen rests in an unmarked grave. The pioneers of this county did a noble work, but their grand children and their great grand children have not shown a proper appreciation for the labor performed, the dangers incurred, the hardships endured and the lives which were sacrificed by these brave men and women, guaranteeing to succeeding generations the peace, prosperity and happiness of this :

Some of the attorneys who were prominent practitioners at the Frankfort bar were Tsham Talbot, William Murray, William Blackburn, Samuel Irvin, Felix Grundy, Thos. Todd,

James Blair, James Crawford, Mathew Lodge, William Mc- Ilhenney, James Hughes, William Hunter, James Brown, John Allen and Wm. McDowell. There were some prominent attorneys from other sections of the state who practiced in all the courts at Frankfort, among whom were Henry Clay, Richard M. Johnson, Robert Breckinridge and Humphrey Marshall.

Franklin County is of the lower Silurian Age or formation; it is the age of invertebrates; it is called Silurian from Silures in Wales where the same kind of rocks are found. This age has two sub-divisions called the upper and lower Silurian. The lower Silurian age is divided into three periods; the primordial or Cambrian ; the Canadian and Trenton. Franklin County is of the Trenton period, this period takes its name from Trenton falls in New York: The life of this period was, a.s far as evidence shows wholly marine, no trace of a terrestial or fresh water species of plant or animal litis ever been found. The only plants were sea weeds ; the only animal life was of the lowest order, known as invertebrates, it consisted of invertebrates, mollusks and articulates. The principal fossils found are Petraia Corniculum, Orthis Testudinana and other Occidentals.

The ^'Birdseye" limestone, which is generally known in Kentucky, as the Kentucky river marble is found in large quantities, it is a most excellent building stone, the Capitol Hotel, the Farmer's Bank, the walls of the State Penitentiary at Frankfort and the old State Capitol, erected in 1829, are built of this marble. It is susceptible of a fine polish but the fact that it is so extremely hard and Hint like, it will never become popular as a building material, where a polished surface is required. It is called "Birdseye" because of the small specks which look like gkiss or bird eyes and which are found all through this stone, these bird eyes can be more readily seen when the stone is freshly broken.

This marble is destined to become very popular for building residence property ; it makes a beautiful structure without being polished and it will la>;t, practicallj-, for all time. In the year 190G United States Senator, Thos. II. Paynter built a residence of this marble on the corner of Shelby and Third Streets in South Frankfort, which is one of the most beautiful homes in the city, and in the following year Mr. Chas. Strausner built a residence of the same material on the corner of Shelby and Todd Streets, which is also an ornament to the city. This character of marble abounds in endless quantity along the banks of the Kentucky river, several quarries have been opened in different parts of the County and within the next few years it will likely become the County's chief commodity of export; but a thousand years will not exhaust the almost limitless supply.

The soil of the county is very fertile, the small particles of stone broken from the limestone rock, in cultivating the land forms a fertilizer which renews the productive power of the soil almost as rapidly as the continual cultivation of it in crops, exhaust it.

For more than a hundred years the farmers of the county have been growing tobacco and other crops from this soil, the recuperative powers of which are so great, that after it has seemingly become exhausted, if permitted to remain idle for a few years and briars and locust bushes are permitted to grow on it, the soil becomes as fertile and productive as virgin soil.

Cereals of almost all kinds are raised in abundance and of fine quality. Corn, wheat, rye, oats, hemp, barley, and tobacco are the chief products of the farm. The soil is especially well adapted for raising white hurley tobacco.

During the years of 1904 to 1907 inclusive, alfalfa has been raised with marked success. Clover and timothy hay reach a high state of perfection and sorghum for molasses and as a winter food for cattle is a crop of growing importance to the farmer. Horticulture has received but slight attention, but the rapidly increasing population of the county is directing the attention of the farmers to that branch of industry. Dairy farming is also fast becoming a paying industry.

Fruits of various kinds were raised as early as 1790. Several vineyards were planted prior to 1800. Before the enactment of the present stringent revenue laws which are now in force, wine, apple brandy, peach brandy, and other drinks

The soil of the county is well adapted to raising small fruits and some sections of it seem to be especially well adapted to the growth of peaches; this is so with the hilly sections bordering both sides of the Kentucky river where the broken surface of the land is not susceptiljle of any other kind of cultivation.

In the early histor}' of the county vast areas of it were covered with cane which were called "cane breaks," other portions of it were covered with dense forests of different kinds of wood. The chief of which were beech, locust, cedar, sycamore, hackberry. poplar, elm, walnut, oaks of several kinds, linn, sugar tree, and many other smaller varieties of wood.

The pine is not a native of the county but it grows as well as it does in its native soil. During the latter part of the last century the demand for beech and walnut timljer became so great that nearly all of those two varieties were disposed of prior to 1900. Some species of oak have, to some extent, taken the place of walnut in the manufacture of fine furniture. At the commencement of the present century the best qualities of oak were selling from $40.00 to $80.00 per thousand feet.

Walnut and ash logs were commonly used by the pioneers in the construction of the log houses built in that day, some of which stood for more than a century. The la.st log structure torn down in the city of Frankfort was the old Page house on Ewing street. The logs were found to be walnut and a.sh, but they were so worm-eaten that they were worthies.^. Mr. T. L. Edelen's home now stands where this log Ijuilding formerly stood. The James Arnold residence opposite the mouth of Glenn's Creek was built of walnut logs with puncheon a.>^h floors. The chimney was built of the birds-eye limestone. It stood more than a hundred years and it was in good condition when it was torn away about the year 1890. Saltpeter has been found

About the year 1886 a large smelting establishment was built at Kissinger near the Scott county line and it has been in constant use since that time. Several mines have been worked in the Switzer and Peak's Mill sections of the county and the lead industry has caused the log cabins of those precincts to give way to neat cottages, and all of that part of the county has the appearance of thrift and prosperity which was unknown prior to 1890.

Lead has been lound near Jetts Station and in other parts of the county ; a considerable quantity of ore was obtained prior to 1857. Mineral waters are found in nearly all parts of the county. Several small streams of chalybeate water show themselves.

Faught's old sulphur spring on Benson Creek, not far from the Louisville and Nashville railroad, was in the early history of the county much resorted to.

Magnesia water was found at Steadman's mill on main Elkhorn Creek. The Scanlan springs which were also called Franklin springs, located about six miles from Frankfort on the Lawrenceburg road, at what was formerly known as the Kentucky Military Institute, and which is now known as The Stewart Home, was for many years prior to 1845 a place of summer resort for invalids. Valuable medical salts have been made from the water. The water from these springs resembles in its medical qualities that of the celebrated Cheltenham Springs in England and the exj)erience of more than a century proves its value in the cure of various forms of chronic diseases. Prior to 1845 these springs belonged to T. N. Lindsey & Co. and hundreds of people spent their summers there. In the year 1845 Col. R. T. P. Allen purchased this property and established there the famous Kentucky Military Institute. At the close of the last century Dr. J. Q. A. Stewart purchased the l)ro[)erty and established the Stewart home for the treatment of various kinds of nervous and mental troubles and for the train- ing of children of backward mental development. There is also a tine snlphur well within two hundred feet of this spring. The largest sulphur well in the county is only a few hundred feet below the city limits, located on the land of James Mvni-ay near the river and north of Frankfurt. Mr. Murray was boring for gas about the year 1884 when he struck a very large stream of black sulphur water, following which he built a large bath house on the corner of Washington and l>roadway streets and had the water piped to this bath house which for several years was very popular with the Frankfort people. Many residents of the city have continued to use the water for drinking purposes almost exclusively.

Near Steadmantown, located about four miles east of Frankfort and about one mile from the Georgetown road, a well was bored one hundred and ten feet deep, the bore being four and one-half inches. Nearly the whole depth was through solid limestone, the last three feet being probably sandstone. Considerable gas escaped from the well at first. The water stands 25 feet from the top. It has the odor of petroleum, some little of which is found. The other ingredients are sodium chloride (common salt), carbonate of iron, lime, magnesia and sulphur. Natural gas ha.s been found in several sections of the county but in small quantities, the largest flows being at Steadman's mill on main Elkhorn creek about one mile below the Forks and at Frankfort.

About the year 1880 there was a well bored near the intersection of High and Montgomery streets in the city of Frankfort. A strong flow of natural gas was found and when it was ignited the blaze ran as high as twelve or fifteen feet and it continued to burn for several days. It was finally extinguished by the abutting property owners in order to prevent the cancellation of their fire insurance policies. Though the flow was in sufficient quantity for practical use, the well was i)lugged, and for somb unaccountable reason it has never been reopened.

A superior quality of potters clay is found on Holmes street near the city limit. This clay Wcis used for pottery i)urj)<ises for many years. A pottery was built near where the Mangan residence now stands which was in use as late as 1810. Several

The Kentucky river is a beautiful stream. Its average width wuthin the county and above lock number four is about four hundred feet, while below the lock it is not so wide. Its bed is some two or three hundred feet below the general surface of the country. It is walled in by immense cliffs of limestone rock, which in some places are as much as four hundred feet high. The topographical situation of Frankfort is higher than any other town of importance located on a river in the state. It is twenty feet higher than Catlettsburg and one hundred and twenty-eight feet higher than Louisville. Elkhorn creek is one of the most beautiful streams in the world and it runs through a valley as fertile as the Nile. It is well supplied with game fish, no finer bass stream can be found. In addition to the drainage by the Kentucky river and Elkhorn creek, the county is further drained by Glenns creek and on the west side of the river by Flat creek, Benson and Little Benson. Along the course of each of these streams is found some very fine farming land. This is especially so along the bottom land of the Kentucky river, a large part of this land is overflowed every winter or spring and these annual deposits make it impossible for the land to ever become impoverished by continued use. The same kind of a crop may be raised on this land year after year for all time.

The surface of the county is generally broken, but it is not so rough or hilly as to prevent nuich of it from being cultivated. The southern and eastern portions of the county are nearer level than other parts of it.

Franklin county is in what is called the "blue grass region of Kentucky," the soil being about the same as Woodford, Scott and Bourbon, the main difference being that the surface of Franklin is more broken.

Blue gra.s^, which <i,Tows only in limestone countries, is a native of Franklin county and it claims every foot of the county as its home. If the sod is taken up and carried away it will retake its former home in a short time. A field which has been cultivated for years, if left undisturbed for a few years, will again be covered with it. Blue grass has formed the muscle and bone of many fine horses, cattle and sheep. It is one of God's most beneficient gifts to man. There is no vegetation more beautiful and at the same time more useful to him than blue grass. It is true the "Roses of Sharon" were more regal in appearance, the liilies of the valley may be more beautifully clad, the crassula lactea of Africa, which is the only tyi)ical flower, is more regular, more symmetrical and more comi)lctc, but nothing in the vegetable world is or could be more iniassuniing in appearance or better adapted to fill the Divine mission of sustaining life and giving verdue and beauty to nature.

He who spake worlds into existence and "hung them upon nothing" has also changed blue grass into horn, hoof and hair, into body, muscle and bone of the ox, and then changed the meat of the ox into bone, muscle and brain of man, and thereby enabled him to reach a high state of physical and mental perfection and thus demonstrating that it is a divine agent sent upon a divine mission.