Lexington, Kentucky - History (part 3 of 8)

The alarm occasioned by the wild cat's attack upon Mc- Kinney was the last one that ever brought the garrison tosrether in arms within the fort. The block-house remained standing for several years after this, however, as the settlers never knew at what time they might need the protection of its friendly walls. At last, the only vestige of the " Old Lexington Fort " went down before the power of advancing civilization, but the memory of the trials and sufferings endured within it, recollections of Boone, Kenton, Harrod, G. Rogers Clark, Patterson, Todd, and many

Others it had sheltered, and remembrances of the days of grief and anguish that hung like a pall over all its inmates after the bloody ambuscade at the Blue Licks, consecrated it till death in the hearts of the pioneers of Lexington.

In this year (1783), the trustees reserved three lots " where the garrison stands," for public use, and other lots were disposed of to the following persons,* viz : Humphrey Marshall, Benjamin I^etherland, Caleb Williams, Robert Todd, John Carty, Martin Dickinson, Samuel January, Christopher Greenup, Wm. Anderson, John Sharp, Thomas Marshall, Patrick Owens, Robert Parker, Valentine Dickinson, Widow McDonald, Christopher Kirtner, George Shepherd, John Mikins, Archibald Dickinson, Andrew Steele, John McDowell, William Steele, Stoffre Zunwalt, James Mitchell, Benjamin Haydon, Jane Todd, David Blanch ard. Widow Kirtner, Amor Batterton, John Brooke, Matthew Patterson, William Galloway, Adam Zunwalt, Jacob Zunwalt.

The names of many of these lot owners are linked with the history of the state. Christopher Greenup, who had been a soldier in the war of the Revolution, settled in Kentucky, together with many of his comrades in arms, at the close of that struggle. When he located in Lexington, he had just been sworn in as an attorney at lawin the old district court. He was elected governor of Kentucky in 1804, and died in ISlS.f

Humphrey Marshall, eminent in his day as a land lawyer, represented Fayette in the Danville convention of 1787, and in the Virginia convention which ratified the constitution of the United States. His duel with Mr. Clay is well known. He subsequently removed to Franklin county, and was long one of its most distinguished citizens. After having served as Uuited States Senator, he published a well-known and greatly esteemed, though rather partisan history of Kentucky. He died at the residence of his son, Thomas A. Marshall, in Lexington.J owners, who had made himself noted by his gallant conduct at the Blue Licks battle, was born in Powhatan county, Virginia, on the 27th day of February, 1755. During the war of the Revolution he volunteered his services as a private soldier in the army of the South, under General Lincoln, and was taken a prisoner of war at the siege of Savannah, where he was kept in close confinement for ten months. At the end of this time he made Kis escape, but was retaken again as a prisoner of war, and confined at San Augustine, a British post in Florida. Whilst the American army was in full retreat from Savannah, he again attempted to make his escape, and was successful. He joined the army at Beaufort, in South Carolina. After he had served twelve months as a private soldier, he was promoted to a lieutenancy. He came to Kentucky in 1781, settled at Lexington station, and became a prominent actor in all the Indian wars that for so long a time deluged Kentucky in blood. He finally removed to Jessamine county, where he died, in October, 1838, and was buried with the honors of war.*

John Sharp, whose son was afterward jailer of Fayette county, was one of the Lexington militia ambuscaded at Bryant's station. He was pursued by several Indians, but managed to keep them at bay with his rifle, until he escaped in a cane thicket.

Robert Todd was senator from Fayette in the first session of the legislature; was for a long time circuit judge, and held other important positions.

John Carty, Sen., was born in 1764,t in Burlington, New Jersey, of which place his parents were old citizens. His young school-days were interrupted by the bloody struggle of the colonists for independence, and while yet a boy, at the age of seventeen, he assisted at the repulse of the British at Springfield, in his native state, and shortly after shared in the campaign which ended in the defeat and surrender of Cornwallis. At the close of the war he joined the host of westward bound emigrants, and settled perma-

The freaks of fortune are marvelous. Shortly after his arrival, the young settler was offered a large tract of land comprising several " out-lots," then thickly covered with cane and forest trees, in exchange for his well-worn old fashioned "bull's eye" watch; but, as the ancient timepiece had been his father's, and as he had already one lot to improve, he refused to exchange it for " cheap canebrakes."* Much of the best part of Hill street now occupies the refused " canebrakes," and is valued at several hundred thousand dollars.

John Carty, Sen., was one of the organizers of the "Society of the Cincinnati," established at a very early day in Lexington, by citizens who had participated in the Revolutionary war;t and he and the elegant and amiable Waldemarde Mentelle, Sen., introduced into Kentucky the manufacture of earthenware.J which, in that day of slab tables, wooden spoons, and horn cups, was welcomed with gratitude by the pioneers, and soon became an important branch of trade. John Carty, Sen., was with General Anthony Wayne in his celebrated Indian campaign oi 1794, and participated in the decisive victory of August 20, near the river Miami of the lakes. During that war, he was sergeant of a company of which the afterward " General" Harrison was then lieutenant. Mr. Carty lived to see an elegant and flourishing city take the place of the canebrakes and the old fort. He died at his residence in Lexington, November 25, 1845, at the green old age of eighty-one, and was buried in the family lot in the Episcopal Cemetery. He was mourned by a multitude of friends, by whom he had long been greatly beloved and respected. One of his sons, Henry Carty, died a glorious death on the . bloody field of Buena "Vista, and now sleeps under the shadow of the state military monument at Frankfort.

Benjamin Howard, a native of Goochland county, Virginia, was another soldier of the Revolution, who settled in Fayette about the year 1783. He received five wounds at the battle of Guilford Court-house. One of his daughters was the first wife of Robert Wickliff'e, Sen., and his only son, Benjamin, was governor of Missouri. This venerable pioneer died at the extraordinary age of one hundred and three years, in Lexington, at the residence of Major Woolley (who married a grand-daughter), after having been a member of the Presbyterian Church for upward of eighty years.*

Colonel William Dudley, of Spottsylvania county, Vir- - ginia, emigrated to Kentucky when quite young, and settled at an early date in Fayette. His tragic fate is well known. He served under General Harrison in the campaign of 1813, as colonel of Kentucky militia. On the 5th of May in that year, he was sent with some raw troops to silence a British battery opposite Fort Meigs. He succeeded in spiking the guns, and then, in a moment of rash gallantry, attacked some troops in the vicinity, was surrounded by the Indians, and terribly defeated. Weak and disabled by wounds. Colonel Dudley defended himself desperately against a swarm of savages who closed in upon him. He fell at last, and his body was mutilated in a most barbarous manner.f The disastrous fate of this brave man and his command will cause "Dudley's defeat" to be long remembered by Kentuckians.

Colonel William Russell, one of the most distinguished of the settlers of Fayette county, arrived in 1783. ' He was a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and was born in 1758. He served his country well in the revolutionary struggle, and bore a valiant part in the glorious and decisive victory of King's Mountain. After removing to Kentucky, he successively held posts of danger and honor under Scott, Wilkinson, and Wayne, in their expeditions against the Indians; was made colonel in the regular army ; was a prominent actor on the bloody field of Tippecanoe; was assigned the command of the frontier of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, and led several successful expeditions against the Indians. He represented Fayette repeatedly in the legislature, and was always one of her most useful and honored citizens. Russell county, in this state, was, with great propriety, named in his honor.* Colonel Kussell died, July 3, 1825, at his old home in the county he had served so well.

Chapter Xi

The Village of Lexington - First Dry Goods Store - A Disciple of Tom Paine - The First General Election - James Wilkinson - John Coburn - First Presbyterian Church - The Rankin Schism - Pastors - Church Edifices - Incidents.

By this time (1784), Lexington had assumed the appearance of a frontier village. The few cabins which existed, were all log ones, and very much scattered ; Main street was extended a short distance through and beyond the fort, in the direction of the present Lexington Cemetery, but it was sadly obstructed by roots and stumps, and in bad weather was almost impassable ; the favorite paths of the settlers were "traces" made as hard as modern roads, by the wild animals which had traveled over them for centuries. There was a one-story log school-house, but no church building, and most of the present city was then occupied by groves, corn-fields, cow pastures, and patches of cane. But the coming and going of emigrants made the village look lively in spite of disadvantages, and as the emigrants frequently brought with them articles much needed by the settlers, and as game was abundant, and the soil was being successfully cultivated, the inhabitants began to live better, and they even found time for amusements. Trials of skill with the rifle, horse and foot races, and dancing were the pastimes, as most of them are yet, in modern Lexington; "bouse raisings" are not to be forgotten, nor "fives," nor " long bullets," a game iu which the sturdy settlers vied with each other, in eftbrts to jerk a cannon ball to the greatest distance. Much to the delight of the inhabitants, particularly the female portion, that extraordinary and welcome novelty, a dry goods store, was opened in the vil- lage by General James Wilkinson, in the spring of 1784* It was the second one of the kind opened in Kentucky, and the gaudy calico and other " store finery," gave immense satisfaction. The goods came from Philadelphia to Pittsburg by wagon, from thence by flat-boat to " Limestone," now Maysville, and from thence to Lexington on pack horses, which traveled slowly in single file over the narrow " trace " which connected the two settlements.

A novel trial took place in the village of Lexington, in the latter part of May, 1784, caused by the appearance of a disciple of Tom Paine, named Galloway, who propagated the doctrine of his master, that Virginia had no right to the lands of Kentucky, which ought to be taken possession of by Congress. Encouraged by Galloway, several persons actually took preliminary steps toward appropriating their neighbors lands, under an act of Congress which he assured them would soon be passed. A great hubbub was the result, and Galloway was arrested; but upon what ground could he be punished, was the perplexing question. Fortunately, after much searching, an old law of Virginia was found, which inflicted a penalty in tobacco at the discretion of the court, upon the " propagation of false news, to the disturbance of the good people of the colony." Galloway was quickly fined a thousand pounds of tobacco, but as it was impossible to get so much tobacco at that time in Kentucky, he had a fine chance to spend some time in the stocks. At last he was let off on condition that he would leave the district, which he joyfully did without loss of time.f

During the summer, at the suggestion of prominent citizens of Kentucky, the militia companies of Fayette and of the other counties of the district each elected a delegate to meet in convention, at Danville, to consider the subject of self-defense,J as it was believed at that time that the Indians were preparing to again invade Kentucky. The election was accordingly held, and the convention met,

General James "Wilkinson, whom we have already mentioned as having settled in Lexington this year, was probably the most eminent of the many distinguished officers and soldiers of the Revolution, who had so much to do with the rapid advancement which Lexington made in refinement and intelligence. General "Wilkinson was born in Maryland, in 1757. He went into the American army at the very commencement of the Revolution, and was appointed captain when but eighteen. He served with Arnold in Canada, was on Gates' staff as lieutenant-colonel, was brevetted brigadier-general in 1777, was at the surrender of Burgoyne, and subsequently served in the legislature of Pennsylvania. "When he came to Lexington, at the clos5 of the war, he represented a large trading company formed in Philadelphia. From this time forward, he was one of the most energetic and influential of the leaders in the early civil and military conflicts of Kentucky. In 1784, he made a speech in Lexington, urging the immediate separation of Kentucky from Virginia, headed the "country" party which favored it, strongly opposed the "court" party led by Colonel Thomas Marshall, and was twice a delegate from Fayette to Danville conventions. His appearance at this time is thus described by one with whom he was by no means a favorite :*

" A person not quite tall enough to be perfectly elegant, was compensated by its symmetry and appearance of health and strength. A countenance open, mild, capacious, and beaming with intelligence; a gait firm, manly, and facile; manners bland, accommodating, and popular; an address easy, polite, and gracious, invited approach, gave access, assured attention, cordiality, and ease. By these fair forms he conciliated ; by these he captivated. The combined effect was greatly advantageous to the general on a first acquaintance which a further intercourse contributed to modify."

nated and opened up trade between Lexington and New Orleans. He subsequently commanded successful expeditions against the Indians, was made brigadier of regular infantry, and commanded the right wing of Wayne's army in the battle of the Maumee. In 1796, he was appointed general in chief of the northwestern army, and in 1806, governor of Louisiana Territory. It was while he occupied this last position, that he was charged with favoring Burr's designs to form a new empire, of which J^ew Orleans was to be the capital, but an investigation demanded by himself cleared him of these allegations.* In 1816, he wrote his voluminous "Memoirs," another example of his great physical and mental energies. This enterprising man and distinguished soldier, who did so much for the material welfare of Lexington, and reflected so much honor upon his adopted home, died near the city of Mexico, December 28, 1825. General Wilkinson's residence in Lexington was on the site of the house now standing on the corner of Main and the alley next the negro Baptist church, between Broadway and Jefferson.

The prospects of Lexington as a future mercantile point gave her another accession in 1784, in the person of Judge John Coburn, who afterward became an influential democratic politician, judge of the territory of Michigan, and one of the most efficient political writers of his time in this state. He was a citizen of Lexington for ten years, during which he married Miss Mary Moss, of Fayette. He finally settled in Mason county, and died there in 1823.f

The first Christian church established in Lexington was organized in 1784, by the Presbyterians,| who were more numerous in the village at that time than any other religious people. They secured a lot and erected a log house of worship, on the southeastern corner of Walnut and Short streets, where city school No. 1 now stands, and called to the pastorate of the church, the Rev. Adam Rankin, of Augusta county, Virginia, who arrived early in October of the same year (1784). The church was first

Mr. Rankin's call was the signal for strife. The Presbyterian churches at that time were convulsed with disputes upon Psalmody, one party strongly claiming that the literal version of the old Psalms of David should be used, and the others as stoutly demanding the version of Dr. Watts. Mr. Rankin was a declared enemy of the "Watts' version, and finding it in use in Mount Zion church on his arrival, labored earnestly for its expulsion. In course of time, two parties were formed, and the congregation was soon in the same distracted condition as many bodies of their brethren. Finally, in 1789, charges were preferred against Mr. Rankin, before the presbytery of Transylvania, one of them being, that he had " debarred from the table of the Lord, such persons as approved Watts' psalmody." Mr. Rankin made a trip to London about this time, and his case was not tried until April, 1792, when he protested against the proceedings of the presbytery, and withdrew from it, carrying with him a majority of his congregation which sustained and indorsed his action, and claimed and held the meeting-house, on the corner of Walnut and Short. In May, 1793, Mr. Rankin and adherants joined the Associate Reformed Church, and remained connected with it for twenty-five years, but at the end of that titae, broke off from it and became independent. After Mr. Rankin resigned the pastorate of Mount Zion, in 1825, the church rapidly declined, and after struggling on for some years, finally became extinct.

Mr. Rankin *w'as a nMive of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1755. He graduated at Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University), in 1780, and two years after married Margaret McPheeters, of Augusta county, Virginia. He was a talented, intolerant, eccentric, and pious man, and was greatly beloved by his congregation, which clung to him with a devoted attachment through all his fortunes. After leavino- Lexington, he set out on a tour to Jerusalem, but died on the way, in Philadelphia, liTovember 25, 1827.

psalms, and adhering to the presbytery, gave up Mount Zion church to the seceders, and took " the new meetinghouse," a half-finished frame building commenced some time before the church trouble had culminated. This edifice stood ou the corner of Short and Mill streets, fronted on Mill, and the lot on which it stood, which had been "granted to the Frisbyterians"* by the trustees of Lexington, extended back to the present Cheapside. The subscriptions for building this house were mostly paid in bacon, hemp, and corn.f By 1795, through the exertions of Robert Patterson, John Maxwell, James Trotter, Robert Megowan, Robert Steel, and other members of the church, the building was put in a comfortable condition, and the Rev. James Welsh, of Virginia, was called to fill its pulpit, and was ordained the succeeding year first pastorj of what is now called the First Presbyterian Church. Ministers of all churches were so poorly paid at that day, that most of them had to resort to other means than preaching to obtain a living. Mr. Welsh was no exception to the rule, and was obliged to practice medicine to support his family, and did so up to 1799, when he was appointed professor of languages in Transylvania University. In that year, also, the church edifice was farther improved, a gallery was made, a cupola raised, and a bell hung. Mr. Welsh continued in the pastorate of the church up to 1804^ after which the pulpit was temporarily filled by Dr. James Ely the, then president of Transylvania University ; Rev. Robert Stuart, nearly forty years pastor at Walnut Hill, and the faithful and earnest John Lyle, all of whom served at different times until the installation of the second regular pastor, the Rev. Robert M. Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, in 1807.

Just before Mr. Cunningham came, the church leased or sold its property on Mill and Short, and commenced the erection of a brick house of worship on the southwest corner of Broadway and Second streets. This house was opened and the pews rented in the summer of 1808.||

1822. He died in Alabama, in 1839. Mr. Cunningham's pulpit was frequently filled by Rev. William L. McCalla, then a young minister, and also by Dr. John Poage Campbell. Mr. McCalla was the son of that good man, Andrew McCalla, of Lexington, Kentucky. He was at one time chaplain to the navy of the Republic of Texas, and was noted for his powers as a debater. Dr. Campbell (whose father was one of the early settlers of Lexington) was born in Virginia in 1767, and lived to be one of the most brilliant and scholarly ministers of his church in Kentucky. Grifted as he was, he was compelled to eke out a living on a miserable salary, and at one time his family existed for six weeks on pumpkins only; but so proud and sensitive was he, that the fact did not become known until accidentally discovered by his neighbors.* He died in 1814, from disease contracted by exposure while preaching. In 1815, the Second Presbyterian Church was founded, and its history will be found under that date. In July, 1817, during the pastorate of Mr. Cunningham, while the congregation was at worship, the church was struck by lightning, and two ladies were killed.

The Rev. IN'athan Hall, of Garrard county, Kentucky, succeeded Mr. Cunningham in 1823. He was the initiator of the protracted meetings which resulted in the great revival of 1828, which gave the finishing blow to infidelity, which before that had been only too prevalent in Lexington. Mr. Hall was a powerful exhorter, and on one occasion, after several vigorous efforts, admitted over a hundred persons to the church. Mr. Hall was pastor of the church for twentythree years, during which time it greatly prospered ; but, unfortunately, just a little while before he resigned his charge, a number of his congregation became dissatisfied, seceded, and united with the McChord or Second Church. Mr. Hall died in Columbus, Missouri, June 22, 1858.

Dr. Robert J. Breckinridge, long the most prominent minister of the Presbyterian Church of Kentucky, followed Mr. Hall in 1847, and continued in the pastorate until 1853, when he removed to Danville, having been appointed professor in the Theological Seminary at that place. Dr. Breckinridge was a son of Hon. John Breckinridge, and was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, March 8, 1800, graduated at Union College in 1819, commenced the practice of law in Lexington in 1823, after which he repeatedly represented Fayette county la the Kentucky legislature. In 1828 he connected himself with the Second Presbyterian Church of Lexington, retired from political life, devoted himself to the study of theology, and in October, 1832, was ordained pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, where he became distinguished as a minister, and noted for his anti-slavery views and for his bold and uncompromising opposition to Roman Catholicism. During his pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, he wrote his work on the "Internal Evidences of Christianity," and a few years after, published his "Theology, Objectively and Subjectively Considered," which are considered his most able productions. At the beginning of the late war. Dr. Brecken ridge and others established the Danville Review, which strongly supported both the Federal Government and the General Assembly. Dr. B. died December 27, 1871, and was buried in the Lexington Cemetery.

The successor of Dr. Breckinridge was Rev. J. D. Matthews, whose ministry was so acceptable to the congregation that he was for many years retained as pastor, and much beloved and esteemed. In 1853 he succeeded Dr. Breckinridge as Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1857, while Dr. Matthews had charge of the church, the old house of worship, which had been used for fifty years, was torn down, and the building now owned and used by the Broadway Christian Church was built, and all went on harmoniously and prosperously until the beginning of the late war. All during the war, trouble was brewing from causes too recent to require mention, and resulted, at the close of that terrible struggle in an open rupture in both the First and Second Churches, and the formation of two congregations in each church. In the First Church, Dr.

Matthews was the pastor of the Southern Assembly party, and Eev. R. Valentine pastor of that of the General Assembly. In May, 1869, the difficulty was adjusted, and the church property distributed. The pastors of the several churches resigned. The two congregations adhering to the Southern Assembly united, and the other two adhering to the General Assembly did the same, forming two churches out of four. The property of the churches was valued and divided in proportion to membership. The Broadway property fell to the Southern Assembly party, now known as the First Church, and the Market street house to the General Assembly adherents, or the present Second Church. In March, 1870, Eev. William Dinwiddle, of Virginia, the present efficient and beloved pastor of the First Church, commenced his ministerial labors in Lexington. In May of the same year, the church on the corner of Second and Broadway was sold to the Christian congregation, and a new, large, and handsome edifice was commenced on Mill street, between Church and Second, and completed in the spring of 1872.

Chapter Xii

The state of aflFairs in Lexington, in the year 1785, may be inferred from a number of things. " Main Cross street," now Broadway, was opened. The trustees ordered " all cabins, cow-pens, and hog-pens to be removed from the streets."* Notice was given that all vacant lots would be reclaimed, " if not improved in one year by the erection of a good hewed log-house on the same."t Robert Parker was appointed the first surveyor of the town, and clerk of the trustees, and allowed four shillings and sixpence for every deed by him drawn."! Boys were prohibited from obstructing the "gangway" over Town Fork, when fishing in that stream, which was then of quite a respectable size, in fact, frequently when there was a " rise," it would cover the entire width of the present Vine and Water streets.

The first tavern of which Lexington could boast, was opened about this time. It stood on West Main street, " between Main Cross (Broadway), and the graveyard" (Baptist churchyard). A little swinging sign in front of the comfortable size log-house bore the coat of arms of Virginia, and the ambitious announcement, " Entertainment for man and beast, by James Bray."

The early taverns of Lexington were veritable old English " Inns," with quaint signs, smiling bonifaces, and everything to match. Robert Megowan's tavern, sign of the " Sheaf of Wheat," was the second one built. It was a two- story log-house, stood on Main street, between Upper and Limestone, occupying the site of the hnilding now used by Thomas Bradley. In 1792, the first State Treasurer's office was temporarily in this tavern. These taverns were succeeded by " The Buffalo," kept by John MclSTair, on Main street, opposite the present court-house, and Kiser's " Indian Queen," which stood on the corner of Hill and Broadway, on part of the lot now owned by Mr. John T. Miller. This "house of entertainment" was kept by the grandfather of our highly respected fellow-citizen, Mr. Ben. Kiser, now probably the oldest native resident of Lexington. Ayers' tavern, sign of the " Cross Keys," was on the corner of Spring and Main. Satterwhite's "Eagle" tavern was on Short, back of the court-house. Usher's "Don't Give up the Ship," stood on Short, near the Lusby house, and the noted old Brent tavern was on Jordan's Row, near the corner of Upper and Main. The PhcEuix Hotel is the oldest house of entertainment now in existence in Lexington. It was first known about the year 1800, as " Postlethwaite's tavern," and then as "Wilson's." The famous Aaron Burr was its guest at one time during Wilson's proprietorship. His presence was first detected by a young boy,* who saw him as he entered town on horseback, followed by his white manservant, and recognized him by a wonderfully faithful representation he had seen of him in a collection of wax works exhibited in Lexington, a short time before. The tavern was next known as " Keene's," and then as "Postlethwaite's and Brennan's," since which time it has been kept by Messrs. John Brennan, Chiles, Worley, Robinson, and others, and under the name of " Phoenix Hotel," has for many years been known far and wide.

We might mention here, that Mill street, which was not opened for some time after "Main Cross," received its name from a cow-path which led out to a wind-mill, which stood near the present work-house. Limestone street was opened still later, and was so called from the fact that it was part of the road leading to " Limestone," now Mays-

A new county was created by Virginia, in 1785, out of the immense territory of Fayette, and given the name of Bourbon. Two elections were also held in Fayette this year, to choose delegates to the second and third Danville conventions, which assembled in May and August respectively. The delegates elected to the second convention were : Eobert Todd, James Trotter, Levi Todd, and Caleb Wallace. Those elected to the third one were: James Wilkinson, Levi Todd, Caleb Wallace, and Eobert Patterson.

The first white woman born in the savage wilds of Kentucky lived for many years in Lexington. Here she died, and here she sleeps. Many now living still remember the venerable Mrs. Rhoda Vaughn, the first born of the wilderness. She was the daughter of that Captain John Holder, spoken of by Boone in his narrative, as the man who pursued the Indians who had attacked Hoy's station in August, 1782. Captain Holder was one of the old pioneer's earliest companions. He assisted in building and defending Boonesborough fort ; and within the palisades of that noted stronghold, and about the year 1776, his daughter, afterward Mrs. Vaughn, was born. Her earliest recollections were of savages, suft'erings, alarms, and bloodshed ; and she passed her infant years in the midst of memorable sieges and desperate conflicts. When she grew to womanhood, and was married, her father started her in life with a home and servants, but she lost both in a few years, by her husband's mismanagement, and after his death, times with her grew worse and worse.

At a very early day, she settled in Fayette county, and subsequently made Lexington her home, and here she remained and raised her children. One of her sons was the gallant adjutant, Edward M. Vaughn, a Lexington volunteer, who fell upon the bravely contested field of Buena Vista, in 1847. His blood-soaked gauntlets were carried reverently to his mother, and they told at once, to her stricken heart, the same tragic and eloquent story that the armless and battered shield expressed to the Spartan mother in the classic days of old. Other afflictions and misfortunes followed; and destitute and desolate, the brave old lady struggled on through a life, not unfrequently made brighter by kind and sympathetic friends. Mrs. Yaughn lived for some time in the residence lately occupied by Kev. J. D. Matthews, on Winchester street, between Limestone and Walnut. She died, however, at the residence of Mrs. Susan Craig, on the south side of Short street, between G-eorgetown and Jefferson street, in the month of June, 1863, aged about eighty-seven years, and was buried in the Whaley lot, in the Episcopal Cemetery, where her remains still repose.

The only relic of the venerable heroine known to be in existence is a patch-work quilt which she made with her own hands, and gave to a sympathetic lady of Lexington, who was a friend to her in her days of sorrow and affliction.

That Mrs. Vaughn was the first white woman born in Kentucky, there can not be the slightest doubt ; the fact is placed beyond dispute by the frequent declarations of many of the earliest settlers of this state to persons still living. Mrs. Vaughn, herself, always declared that she had never heard a statement to the contrary.

Mrs. Vaughn was a woman of excellent mind, warm heart, and sincere piety; and neither her true pride, nor the beautiful characteristics of her christian life, were abated by her poverty and misfortunes. How strange were her experiences. The fate-star of sorrow, which beamed upon her birth, seemed ever to follow her with its saddening influence. She was born when the tomahawk and the torch were busiest; the hope of her declining years died upon a field of battle, and she breathed out her own life in the midst of a terrible civil war. Her parents helped to reclaim and settle an empire; their daughter died without a foot of land that she could call her own. Will justice, even now, be done to her memory? Will the state appropriately mark the spot where rest the mortal remains of the first white womau born in the now great Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Chapter Xiii

The Baptists were the pioneers of religion in Kentucky, and were the most numerous body of Christians in the early settlement of the state ; but, as we have seen, they were not the first to found a church in Lexington. But they were not far behind, for a little baud of them were meeting, from house to house, as early as 1786,* and were frequently preached to by Elder Lewis Craig, who, in 1783, had organized, in Fayette eounty, on South Elkhorn, the first worshiping assembly in the state.f This valiant soldier of the cross was born in Spottsylvania county, Virginia, and was several times imprisoned, in the Old Dominion, for preaching contrary to law. He was greatly gifted as an exhorter, and his constant theme was, " practical godliness and everyday Christianity." He died in 1827, aged eighty-seven years, sixty of which he spent in the ministry. In 1787, Elder John Gano, of E'ew York city, settled in Central Keutucky,J and, in conjunction with Elder Payne, aided greatly to build up the church in Lexington. In 1789, the congregation erected a log meeting-house on the>same lob where the present church stands, in the "old Baptist graveyard," and Rev. John Gano became its first pastor. Mr. Gano, who was born at Hopewell, N". J., July 22, 1727, had been a chaplain in the American army during the Revolutionary war, was one of the most eminent, eccentric, and successful ministers of his day, and was personally known almost throughout the United States. Elder Gano, after being connected with the Lexington church for many years,

The Baptist Church in Lexington had its troubles, too, and early in its history. In 1799, Arianism crept into the flock, and created some dissention, but finally died out under the vigorous blows of Elder Gano, who, upon one occasion (while a cripple from a fall), was held up in the arms of his friends to. preach against it. But the Arian trouble had hardly died out before another one came up. In 1804, the " Emancipators," who claimed that no fellowship should be extended to slaveholders, commenced to distract the church with their zealous efforts, and the mischief grew into a mountain in 1807, when the notorious difficulty about a negro trade took place between Jacob Creath, Sen., and Thomas Lewis ; and great party strife and injury to the church ensued. At last peace came with the secession of the " Emancipators," who formed a separate association, long ago extinct, but the church was greatly weakened. It languished on with decreasing numbers until 1817, when prosperous times dawned upon it. In that year, on the 4th of January, a number of its best scattered members assembled and reorganized the church, with the assistance of Elders Toler, Jacob Creath, Sen., ^nd Jeremiah Vardeman ; Berry Stout being moderator, and Samuel Ayers, clerk. On the church list of members about that time, we find, among others, the names of James Trotter, R. Higgins, William C. Warfield, Walter Warfield, W. H. Richardson, William Stone, Matthew Elder, William Payne, Edward Payne, J. H. Morton, J. C. Richardson, Gabriel Tandy, Thomas Lewis, and William Poindexter.

The congregation met at this time in the chapel of Transylvania University, but immediate steps were taken to build a new house of worship. It was completed and occupied in October, 1819,* and was located on North Mill street, opposite the college lawn. It was a substantial two-story brick, provided with galleries, and is noted as being the building in which the first general Baptist Convention of

Kentucky was organized. Immediately after the reorganization of the church, Dr. James Fishback, who had just been ordained to the Baptist ministry, was called to the pastorate, at a salary of four hundred dollars per year, a sum considered at that time quite extraordinary for a preacher's services. A quaint feature of the day was the custom, kept up for a long time in the Mill Street church, of giving out hymns line after line.

In 1826 the influence of the religious movement headed by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell caused the introduction of a resolution into the Pirst Baptist Church, to change its name to "the Church of Christ,"* which was advocated and opposed by the two parties which had then formed in the church. After a prolonged discussion, the party favoring the resolution " swarmed out," under the the leadership of Dr. Fishback, and organized " the Church of Christ," and worshiped in the building now known as the Statesman office, on Short street, between Upper and Limestone. This church was eventually dissolved. Many of the congregation went back to the First Baptist Church, and the remainder connected themselves with the body now called the " Christian Church."

When Dr. Fishback left the First Baptist Church, Eev. Jeremiah Vardeman was called to the pastorate. Mr. Vardeman was born in Wythe county, Virginia, July 8, 1775, and came to Kentucky in 1794. He was a faithful and laborious minister of the gospel, and in the pulpit was clear, earnest, fervid, and convincing.-}- He was often assisted by Elders W. C. Breck and J. B. Smith. Mr. Vardeman was pastor up to 1831.

Eev. R. T. Dillard was the next incumbent. Mr. Dillard was born in Caroline county, Virginia, November 17, 1797, served in the war of 1812, came to Kentucky, and settled at Winchester in 1818, and began the practice of law, which he abandoned in 1825, when he was licensed to preach. He came to Fayette in 1828, and was for very many years pastor of David's Fork and East Hickman Baptist Churches.

111 1838 he traveled in Europe for his health. Ho was subsequently Superintendent of Public Instruction, lias married six hundred and seventy couples, and is at present a resident of Lexington.

Rev. Silas M. N'oel* succeeded Mr. Dillard, in October, 1835. Dr. Noel was born August 12, 1783, in Essex county, Virginia, and was educated for the bar. He came to Kentucky in 1806, and practiced law until 1811, when, after much study of the subject of religion, he united with the Baptist Church, and was ordained to the ministry in 1813. Being poorly paid, like all the Western preachers of that day, he accepted, in 1818, the position of circuit judge in the Fourth Indiana district, without relinquishing his superior office. Mr. Noel was the originator of the Baptist Educational Society of Kentucky. He was a man of much more than ordinary powers, and as a speaker was noted for his fluency, chasteness, and elegance. He died May 5, 1839, and was buried near Frankfort, Kentucky.

Mr. Noel's successor was Eev. "W. F. Broadus, who was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, about the year 1802. He was descended from a preaching family, and was himself a laborious pastor and excellent preacher. He filled the pulpit in this city until 1845, after which he became president of a female college, in Shelbyville. He is now one of the prominent Baptist ministers of Virginia.

The church called Rev. "William M. Pratt, of New York, in 1845. During his administration the congregation worked together with harmony, its eflbrts were attended with great success, and in 1854, the old church opposite the college lawn was sold, and a handsome new one erected on Mill, between the present new First Presbyterian house of worship and Church street. It was dedicated the 19th of November, 1855, the regular pastor, Mr. Pratt, being assisted by Rev. R. T. Dillard and Dr. S. W. Lynd, then president of the Theological Seminary at Georgetown. This house was unfortunately destroyed by fire, January 1,-1859, but in the May following the erection of another one was commenced in the old churchyard, on Main, the site of the pioneer Baptist Church of Lexington. "While digging the foundation many relics of the old settlers and citizens were exhumed, and all not identified were buried in a vault under the church. This house was dedicated January 1, 1860. President Campbell, of Georgetown, Eev. G. 0. Lorrimer, and the pastor officiating.

In 1863, after having been pastor for seventeen years, Mr. Pratt resigned, and the Rev. "W. H. Felix, a native of Woodford county and graduate of Georgetown College, was called. Some months after Mr. Felix came the church was again burned, but mainly through his efibrts another one was built on the same spot, and dedicated August 20, 1865, only to be visited by fire again in February, 1867. The untiring congregation set to work once more, and the present building was completed in a short time after the disaster. Even at this late date the war feeling had not entirely died out. A little while after the last fire, Mr. Pratt, "W". E. Bosworth, and others asked and were given letters of dismission, and they proceeded to organize a "Second Baptist Church." The little congregation met for some time in the City Library building, but is now disbanded, most of the members having returned to the First Church. Mr. Felix resigned his charge in April, 1869, and was succeeded the June following by Rev. George Hunt, the present faithful pastor, a native of Fayette county. The Baptist Church has exhibited great energy under many misfortunes, and is now enjoying the abundant prosperity it so well deserves.

Chapter Xiv

Paint Lick Expedition - Delegates to Conventions - Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge - Old Kentucky Gazette - The First Western Newsjpaper - Lexington Racing Clubs - Kentucky Association - Fo under s - Incidents - Officers - Great Horses - Lnprovements - Turfmen - Breeders - The Great " Lexington,"

The events of the year 1787, if not of great importance, were of more than ordinary interest. The Indians continued to show great restlessness and dissatisfaction. On information given by some friendly Shawanese that a party of Cherokees, at Paint Lick, were meditating a prefatory raid, Colonel Robert Todd made an expedition against them and dispersed them, killing three, and taking seven prisoners, who escaped the next day after capture.*

Fayette sent two delegates to the Virginia convention, which in this year ratified the constitution of the United States. The delegates were Humphrey Marshall and John Fowler.f

Another convention, the fifth, met at Danville, in Septemtember, 1787, and Fayette was represented by Levi Todd, Caleb "Wallace, Humphrey Marshall, John Fowler, and William Ward.J

A number of gentlemen, alive to the interests and advancement of the district, assembled in the month of December, 1787,11 and arranged for the establishment of the " Kentucky Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge." At least half of the members of the society were citizens of Lexington, and many of them were afterward counted among the most eminent men of the state. We give the names of all the members. They were: Christopher Greenup, Humphrey Marshall, J. Brown, Isaac Shelby, James Garrard, Charles Scott, George Muter, Samuel McDowell, Harry Jones, James Speed, "Wm. McDowell, Willis Green, Thos. Todd, Thos. Speed, G. J. Johnson, Joshua Barbee, Stephen Armsby, J. Overton, Jr., John Jewett, Thos. Allen, Robert Todd, Joseph Crockett, Ebenezer Brooks, T. Hall, Caleb Wallace, Wm. Irvine, James Parker, Alex. Parker, John Fowler, John Coburn, George Gordon, A. D. Orr, Robert Barr,. Horace Turpin, Robert Johnson, John Craig, David Leitch.

The first newspaper ever published west of the Alleghany mountains was established in Lexington, in 1787, by John Bradford. It was then called the Kentucke Gazette, but the final e of Kentucky was afterward changed to y, in consequence of the Virginia legislature requiring certain advertisements to be inserted in the Kentuckt/ Gazette. This paper was born of the necessities of the times. The want of a government independent of Virginia was then universally felt, and the second convention that met in Danville, in 1785, to discuss that subject, resolved, "That to insure unanimity in the opinion of the people respecting the propriety of separating the district of Kentucky from Virginia and forming a separate state government, and to give publicity to the proceedings of the convention, it is deemed essential to the interests of the country to have a printing press." A committee was then appointed to carry out the design of the convention ; but all their eftbrts had failed, when John Bradford called on General Wilkinson, one of the committee, and informed' him that he would establish a paper if the convention would guarantee to him the public patronage. To this the convention acceded, and in 1786 Bradford sent to Philadelphia for the necessary materials. He had already received every encouragement from the citizens of Lexington, and at a mectiijg of the trustees in July, it was ordered "that the use of a public lot- be granted to John Bradford free, on condition that he establish a printing press in Lexington ; the lot to be free to him as long as the press is in town." Mr. Bradford's first office was in a log cabin, on the corner of Main and Broadway, now known as " Cleary's," but then known as " opposite the court-house." He subsequently used a building on Main, between Mill and Broadway, about where Scott's iron front building stands.

At last, after being months on the route, the precious printing material arrived, and on August 18, 1787, appeared the first number of the first newspaper ever published in the then western wilderness. It was a quaint httle brown thing, about the size of a half sheet of common letter paper, " subscription price 3 8 shillings per annum, advertisements of moderate length 3 shillings." It was printed in the old style - / being used for s. The first number is without a heading, and contains one advertisement, two short original articles, and the following apology from the editor :

"My customers will excuse this, my first publication, as I am much hurried to get an impression by the time appointed. A great part of the types fell into pi in the carriage of them from Limestone (Maysville) to this office, and miy partner, which is the only assistant I have, through an indisposition of the body, has been incapable of rendering the smallest assistance for ten days past.

ITo wonder " the types fell into pi," for they had to be carried from "Limestone" to Lexington on pack-horses, that had swollen streams to cross, fallen trees to jump, and many a terrible " scare " from the sudden crack of Indian rifles, for there was not a half mile between the two places unstained with blood. The Gazette of 1787 is the only indicator extant of the size and importance of Lexington, at that time. We are able to surmise some things, at least, after looking over the first volumes of the Gazette. They are adorned with rude cuts and ornaments gotten up by Bradford himself. It is well known that he cut out the larger letters from dog-wood. In these volumes we find advertised, among other things, knee-bnckles, hair-powder, spinning wheels, flints, buckskin for breeches, and saddlebag locks. "Persons who subscribe to the frame meetinghouse can pay in cattle or whisky." In another place the editor condemns the common practice of " taming bears," and also that of "lighting fires with rifles." Proceedings of the district convention are published, l^o. 5, of volume 1, contains the constitution of the United States just framed by the " grand convention " then in session. Notice is given to the public not to tamper with corn or potatoes at a certain place, as they had been poisoned to trap some vegetable stealing Indians. In another number, "notice is given that a company will meet at Crab Orchard next Monday, for an early start through the wilderness; most of the delegates to the State Convention at Kichmond (to adopt constitution of United States), v^ill go with them." Chas. Bland advertises, "I will not pay a note given to Wm. Turner for three second-rate cows till he returns a rifle, blanket, and tomahawk I loaned him." Later, the names of Simon Kenton and 'Squire Boone appear. The columns of the Gazette are enriched with able and well-written articles, full of that mental vigor and natural talent for which our pioneer fathers were so justly celebrated; bat "locals" are vexatiously scarce. Still the editor got up some. He often speaks of stealing, murdering, and kidnapping by Indians. At one time he speaks of a wonderful elephant on exhibition in a certain stable, an'd at another, "the people of the settlement are flocking in to see the dromedary" - quite a menagerie at that day. "We must remember, if we think his " items " scarce, that at that time steamboats didn't explode, nor cars run off the track, for none of these, or a thousand other modern item-making machines, were in existence.

Still the Gazette must have been read with the most intense interest ; in fact, a writer in one of its earliest numbers says : "Mr. Bradford, as I have signed the subscription for your press, and take your paper, my curiosity eggs me on to read everything in it." And no wonder, for all documents of public interest had up to this time been written,

often illegible, and one copy only was to be seen at each of the principal settlements. And then it was the only paper printed within five hundred miles of Lexington, and there was no post-ofiice in the whole district. It was published, too, at a time of unusual interest in politics, and while party spirit ran high. The old national government was crumbling to give place to the new ; the settlements were distracted by French and Spanish intrigues; the people were indignant and hot-blooded over the obstructed navigation of the Mississippi, and convention after convention was being held to urge on the work of separation from Virginia. What a treat the Gazette was to the pioneers ! Often when the post-rider arrived with it at a settlement, the whole population would crowd around the schoolmaster or " 'squire," who, mounted in state upon a stump, would read it, advertisements and all, to the deeply interested and impatient throng.

Bradford's editorial situation, contrasted with the magnificent surroundings and princely style of a New York journalist of the present day, was quite interesting. His steamboat, railroad, telegraph, and mail carrier was a pack mule. His office was a log cabin. His rude and unwieldy hand-press was of the old-fashioned style, that for centuries had not been improved, and, in addition, it was a secondhand one. He daubed on the ink by hand with two ancient dog-skin inking balls, and probably managed to get sixty or seventy copies printed on one side in an hour. If he wrote at night, it was by the light of a rousing fire, a bear-grease lamp, or a buflalo tallow candle; an editorial desk made of a smooth slab, supported by two pairs of cross legs ; a three-legged stool, ink horn, and a rifle composed the rest of the furniture of his office. The Gazette was, for some time, in its early history, printed on paper made near Lexington, at the mill of Craig, Parker & Co. This pioneer journal of the West existed for nearly threequarters of a century. There is no greater treasure in the Lexington library than the old files of the Kentucke Gazette.

John Bradford became a citizen of Lexington in 1786. This useful man, whose name is so closely linked with the early history of our city, was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, in 1749, and married Eliza, daughter of Captain Benj. James of the same county, in 1761. He took part in the Eevolutionary war, and was also in the battle with the Indians at Chillicothe. In 1785, he brought his family out from Virginia, and settled in Fayette county. He founded the Kentucke Gazette in 1787, and published the next year the Kentucke Almanac, the first pamphlet printed west of the mountains. Mr. Bradford was chairman of the Lexington Board of Trustees, which welcomed Governor Shelby, in 1792, to our city, which was then the capital of the state. He was the first state printer, and received from the legislature one hundred pounds sterling. He printed books as early as 1794, and some of them of that date are still to be seen in the Lexington library. He was at one time, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Transylvania University, and filled many places of trust and honor in Lexington. He was greatly respected, and after leading a life of much usefulness, went to his rest, sincerely mourned by all who knew him. His residence was on the corner of Mill and Second streets. It was built by Colonel Hart, and is the same one now occupied by Mrs. Ryland.

The center of "the garden spot of Kentucky," justly famous the world over for its magnificent blood stock, was devoted to the turf while Lexington was scarcely a village. As early as 1787, " the commons," as our present "Water street was then called, was a favorite resort of horsemen when their charming pastime of racing through Main street was interfered with by the troublesome trustees of the rising town.* The settlers pursued pleasures under difiiculties in those days, as the "red-skin varmints" had all by no means disappeared from the state. In August, 1789, the only newspaper published in Kentuckyf contained the following notice, which we give verbatim, viz : " A purserace will take place at Lexington, on 2d Thursday in Octo- ber next, free for any horse, mare, or gelding ; weight for age agreeable to the rules of New Market (three-mile heats), best two in three. Each subscriber to pay one guinea, and every person that enters a horse for the purse to pay two guineas, including his subscription. The horses to be entered the^ day before running with Mr. John Fowler, who will attend at Mr. Collins' tavern on that day. Subscriptions taken by Nicholas Lafon, Lexington." Races were pretty regularly kept up after this time. Simeon Buford and Colonel Abraham Buford owned the winning horses in 1795. In 1802, races were in full blast in Lexington, and in 1809, the Lexington Jockey Club was organized. It existed until 1823, and held its meetings near Ashland. The report made by the secretary, W". Q. Wilson, of its final October meeting, is as follows :*

" The first day's purse, for the four-mile heats, was taken by Mr. Burbridge's gelding. Tiger by Tiger, 5 years old, at two heats, beating Captain Harris' b. h. Paragon, by Whip, 4 years old, and Colonel W. Buford's s. m. Carolina, by Sir Archie, 4 years old. Paragon was drawn the second heat. Time of the first heat, 8:15; of the second heat, 8:25.

" The second day's purse, three-mile heats, was won by Mr. Watson's s. h. Sea Serpent, by Shylock, beating Mr. Blackburn's Sophy Winn, by Whip, at two heats. Time of the first heat, 6:7 ; of the second heat, 6:10.

" The third day's purse, two-mile heats, was won by Mr. Barnett's s. h. Diamond, by Brilliant, 3 years old, at three heats, beating Mr. W. Sanders' Stifler, by Ex-Emperor, and Mr. Harlan 8 gelding. Black Snake, by Sky Lark. The Black Snake won the first heat and was drawn the third heat. Time of the first heat, 4:2 ; of the second heat, 4:8 ; the third heat was won by Diamond with ease.

"The Handy Cap purse on Saturday, one mile heats, best three in five, was won by Captain Harris' Paragon, beating the Irishman and Virginia. Time of the first heat, 1:52 ; of the second heat, 1:51 ; of the third heat, 1:53 ; each heat was closely contested by the Irishman and Virginia."

The present noted Kentucky association was organized at Mrs. Keene's inn^ Lexington, July 29, 1826, by about fifty of the prominent turfmen of Central Kentucky, among whom were E. "Warfield, T. H. Pindell, Jas. K. Duke, Leslie Combs, J. Boswell, R. Downing, J. L. Downing, Geo. H. Bowman, John Bruce, John Tilford, B. W, Dudley, W. R. Morton, E. J. Breckinridge, Wm. Buford, John Brand, and Eobt. Wicklitfe.* The object of the association, to use the words of the original agreement, was " to improve the breed of horses by encouraging the sports of the turf." The first racing meeting held under the arrangement commenced October 19, 1826, on the old "Williams' track, which was on what is now known as the Lee property, near the Lexington Cemetery. The first race was for a purse of $300; four started; was won by Andrew Barnett's Diomed gelding, Sheriffe, in two straight heats. For the second day's purse of $200, three started. "Won by Ralph P. Tarlton's horse, Old Count. The third and last day's racing, for the purse of |100, was won by Ludwell Berkley's gelding. Sir Sidney. For this purse, five horses started. The time is not given. f

For the year 1827, the race for the first day was for a purse of $150, for two miles and repeat; the second day, a race of four miles and repeat, for a purse of $400, and the third day a race of three miles and repeat, for a purse of $250. The first was won by Willa "Vilfey's b. m. Mariah, in 4:15. The time of second heat not given. The four mile race was won by E. B. Tarlton's s. s. Old Count, in 8:17, 8:48. The three-mile race was won by Sidney Burbridge's b. m.. Limber. The heats were broken. The time as follows : 6:09, 6:07, 6:46, 6:18. A sweepstakes was opened for the following day, one mile, best three in five, which was won by Willa Viley's Mariah. Time, l:53i, l:52i, 1:511 i:5i, IjSI.j

The old "Williams' track was used by the association until 1828, when the present track, at the east end of Fifth street, was bought by John Postlethwaite. In 1834, a tract of land adjoining the course, was purchased from Jeremiah Murphy, and added to the original purchase. The association now own about sixty-five acres of land, all of which is inclosed with a high plank fence. In this year (1834), it was ordered that the wieghts heretofore adopted, be changed to conform to those established by the Central Course of Maryland. It was also ordered that Wm. Buford, W. Viley, J. K. Duke, A. K. WooUey, and Leslie Combs, be appointed a committee to apply to the legislature for a charter.*

A motion was adopted instructing the secretary to have a bulletin of the races published every morning, giving a description of horses and rider's dress, which is carried out to this day.

An early frequenterf of the course says of this period (1834) : " We can recollect when nothing but an old post and rail fence inclosed the track ; the judges' stand stood at the cow-pens, and the grand stand was an old*, rickety building, with high steps, which stood on top of the hill in the center of the course. Admittance to the course was free, to the stand twenty-five cents. John "Wirt was secretary. We recollect seeing Woodpecker, the sire of Gray Eagle, ran. We remember vividly the race between Dick Singleton and Collier, when the latter sulked, and John Alcock rode Collier and broke a beautiful ivory whip over the head of the obstinate beast.

"We can recollect when the judges' stand was placed where the timing stand is now, when Rodolph ran at Lexington, aim subsequently defeated the great Tennessee crack Angora, at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1836. The year the course was fenced in, about 1835, we witnessed the great sixteen-mile race between Sarah Miller, Jim Allen, and Gray foot; the great apd exciting struggle between May Dacre (afterward Belle Anderson, the dam of Zenith) and Susette, three-mile heats; the brilliant promise of Gray Eagle, as a three-year old, in 1838, and his subsequent defeat by the renowned ^ Wagner, at Louisville, in 1839.

The year 1840 was memorable at Lexington for the great three-mile heat race, in which nine stallions started, Blacknose, by Medoc, out of Lucy, by Orphan, won the first heat in 5:40, the fastest and first time 5:40 had been made in America. Ked Bill, another son, of Medoc, won the second and third heats in 5:48, 5:49. The following year, 1841, was no less memorable, when Jim Bell, by Frank, ran a second heat in 1:46, the fastest mile up to that time ever run in America. This time stood for many years before it was beaten. In 1842 the great match between Zenith and Miss Foote was made. Zenith broke down in training, and Miss Foote walked over. The last of the same meeting Miss Foote beat Argentile and Alice Carneal, the honored dam of the unapproachable Lexington, four mile heats, in 7:42, 7:40, the best time ever made in Kentucky before.*

In 1843, the Great Produce Stakes for three-year olds, seventy-two subscribers, at $500 each, $100 forfeit, with a gold cup valued at $500 added, was won by Ruffin, by imp. Hedgford, dam Duchess of Marlborough, by Sir Archy. This was one of the most valuable stakes ever run for in Kentucky.

In 1836, the date previously fixed to be taken in deciding the age of horses, was changed to the Ist of January. The months of May and September were decided upon in 1844, as the times for the spring and fall meetings, and have been adhered to ever since.

The fastest time for one and half miles is 2:38, which was made by Exchange in the spring of 1870. This time has never been beaten on any course except by Glenelg, who ran in 2:37f .

The following is the number of races run on the course since its organization up to 1871, for the different distances : Three-quarters of a mile, 4 races ; one mile, 213 races ; one and a fourth miles, 2 races ; one and a half miles, 3 races ; two miles, 141 races; two miles and a half, 2 races; three miles, 49 races ; four miles, 23 races ; hurdle races, 2.*

The following is a list of the presidents and secretaries of the association from the date of its organization, in 1826, to the present time, viz :

The Kentucky Association is the oldest living club in America, and General Combs is believed to be the only living representative of the original fifty subscribers who formed it.

That it is the fastest course in America can easily be demonstrated.! Fadladeen and Salina each ran a mile on this course in 1:43, in 1871. Frogtown ran one and onequarter miles in 2:09 J, in 1872. Exchange ran one mile and a half in 2:38, in 1871. Frogtown ran one mile and threequarters in 3:07, in 1872. Lyttleton ran two miles in 3:34J,

The time here given is the fastest and best on record. It is true that Glenelg ran two miles in 2:37| with 100 lbs,; but Exchange, carrying 110 lbs., ran the same distance on this course in 2:38, which makes his tjie best time. Hegira ran two miles on the Metairie course, carrying 71i lbs., in

This old course has been the scene of the debut and subsequent renown of the most noted horses that have figured on the American turf for the last thirty years. Here Jim and Josh. Bell, Sarah Morton, Rocket, Motto, Grey Medoc, Euffin, Ludu, Alaric, Darkness, Doubloon, Florin, Louis D'Or, Rube, Zampa, Star Davis, Sally Waters, Frankfort, Blonde, the renowned Lexington, Wild Irishman, Charley Ball, Dick Doty, Vandal, Balloon, Princeton, Daniel Boone, Ruric, Bonnie Lassie, JSTantura, Lavender, Satellite, Mollie Jackson, Lightning, Thunder, Asteroid, Lancaster,, Sherrod, Colton, Magenta, Solferino, Mammona, Bettie Ward, Goodwood, Li]Ia,Herzog, Versailles, Fadladeen, Littleton, Longfellow, Enquirer, and a host of others, first gave promise of their after fame and renown.

Extensive improvements were made by the association in the spring of 1872.* The track was regraded and widened to about double its former width. It is now just one mile and six inches long. The old stands have been torn down and new ones erected. The grand stand, which is built twenty-seven feet back from the track, is a model building of its kind, being one hundred and fifty by thirty feet, and about thirty-two feet high. The lower story is built of brick. Immediately in front of the grand stand, and just at the edge of the track, is the judges' stand, an octagon building, with a small room below, where the scales are placed to weigh the riders. Just across the track is the timers' stand. The old distance stand has also been removed, and a new one erected. Where the old stand M'as, there has been built a substantial frame building, which is intended to accommodate all those who formerly went to the field. The cooling ground has been changed from the rear to the front. There are eleven stables on the ground, in which more than seventy -five horses can be accommodated.

the United States. , Captain O. P. Beard, who directed and personally superintended these improvements, was presented with a fine timing watch, ordered from England, by his friends, as a token of their appreciation of his taste and untiring energy.

Nearly a hundred horses owned near Lexington were present at the last spring meeting of the association. The stables in attendance belonged to J. A. Grinstead, B. G. Thomas, H. P. McGrath,'^ohn Clay, Zeb. Ward," J. F. Robinson, A. Bufordj'^George Cadwallader, John Harperj'Daniel Swigert, J. W. Hunt Reynolds, "Warren Viley, A. K. Richards, Caleb Wallace, and others.

We may mention with propriety, in this connection, that in addition to the twenty-five or thirty regular breeding establishments in Fayette county, nearly every farmer in it is to some extent a breeder, and the whole county is one vast stock farm. Here was bred, by Dr. Elisha "WarfieM, the world-renowned " Lexington," and this county is the native place of the famous thorough-breds, " Grey Eagle," bred by H. T. Duncan, Sen. ; « Daniel Boone," " Kentucky," and " Gilroy," bred by John M. Clay ; " Herzog," bred by B. G. Thomas ; " Fadladeen," bred by Mr. McFadden ; and " Frogtown," bred by William Stanhope and H. A. Headley. At the head of the list of noted fast trotters that were bred in Fayette are Dunlap's "Lady Thorn," William Bradley's "John Morgan," Enoch Lewis' " Ericson," Andrew Steele's " Blackwood," and Dr. L. Herr's " Mambrino Bertie." The following is a list of the principal breeders and the names of the stallions at the head of each stud, viz :

Thoroughbreds John M. Clay, " Star Davis ;" J. A. Grinstead, " Lightning" and " Gilroy ;" H. P. McGrath, " Blarney Stone;" B. G. Thomas, ; J. R. Viley, ; Zeb.

The names of the professional trainers in Fayette are: Thomas Britton, C. B. Jeffreys, B. J. Tracy, R. Lowell, James Chrystal, W. E.. Brasiield, A. L. Bice, H. Lusby, and W. J. Bradley.

The history of the Kentucky Association, and also of Fayette county, " the breeder's paradise," would never be considered complete without a sketch of the pride of both, viz : the famous race-horse, " Lexington," the blind old Milton of the turf, and the king of coursers. "Lexington " was bred by Dr. Elisha Warfield, of Lexington, Kentucky, and was foaled in 1850, at his home, " The Meadows," which is about half a mile frorn the association grounds. "Lexington"* was by Boston, out of Alice Carneal, by Sarpedon, dam Rowena, by Sampler ; great granddam Lady Gray, by Robin Gray. Boston was by Timoleon out of Robin Brown's dam, own sister to Tuckahoe and Revenge, by Florizel. Alice Carneal, Lexington's dam, was foaled in Kentucky, in 1836, and although she ran second in the first heat of a four-mile race to Miss Foote in 7:42, being distanced in the second heat, she never won a race. Lexington was first known on the turf as Darley, and under that name won his first race, a three-year old stake, at the Lexington, Kentucky, May meeting, 1853, mile heats, beat' ing thirteen opponents. He was purchased on the evening after this race by Mr. Ten Broeck, and his name changed to Lexington. At the same meeting he won a two-mile heat race for three-year olds, and his owner soon after matched him to run a three-mile race against the four-year old filly, Sally Waters, by Glencoe, out of Maria Black, for $8,500 ; the backers of the filly staking $5,000 to $3,500 on Lexington. The race occurred on the Metairie course, 'Eew Orleans, December 2, 1853, and Lexington won, distancing Sally Waters in the second heat. The time was 6:23i and 6:24J, and the track very heavy. His next engagement was in the three-year old stake, at New Orleans,

January 7, 1854, two-mile heats, but being amiss, he paid forfeit to Conrad the Corsair, Argent, and Hornpipe. The following April, on the same course, he won for Kentucky the Great State Post Stake, for all ages, four-mile heats, beating Lecomte, the representative of Mississippi, second in both heats, Highlander, of Alabama, and Arrow, of Louisiana. Highlander was distanced in the second, and Arrow in the first heat ; time 8:081, 8:0-4, and track heavy. The next meeting of Lexington and Lecomte was on April 8, over the same track, for the Jockey Club purse of $2,000, four-mile heats, and here Lexington sustained his only, defeat, Lecomte winning two straight heats in the fastest time ever made up to that date, viz: 7:26, 7:38f. Lexington was second in both heats, and Eeube, third on the first, was distanced in the last heat, l^otwithstanding his horse's defeat, Ten Broeck oft'ered to run him against Lecomte's best time or against Lecomte himself for $20,000, four-mile heats. Eventually, a match was made for $20,000, Lexington to run against the fastest time, at four miles, that is^ Lecomte's 7:26, over the Metairie course, New Orleans. This memorable race occurred April 2, 1855, and Lexington, carrying 103 pounds - three pounds over- weight - and' ridden by Gilpatrick, won in 7:19f, which, for seventeen years, has never been equaled. The time was l:47i, 1:52J, l:51i, and l:48f ; total, 7:19|. Not satisfied with this. General "Wells started Lecomte against Lexington for the Jockey Club purse of $1,000, with an inside stake of $2,500 a side, four-mile heats, April 24, 1855, on the Metairie course, and this time Lexington obtained a decisive victory over his old conqueror, winning the first heat in 7:23|, and galloping over in the second heat, as Lecomte had been withdrawn.

Lexington soon after broke down, and, being withdrawn from the turf, was purchased by the late R. A. Alexander, of "Woodburn, Woodford county, Kentucky. He is now blind, and has been so for some years. Mr. Alexander paid Mr. Ten Broeck $15,000 for "Lexington," and was ridiculed for giving so large an amount; but subsequent events justified his foresight. A few years later, Lexing- ton's son, "IsTorfolk," won the two stakes for three-jear olds at St. Louis, and was then sold for $15,000. Since then, another son, "Kentucky," sold for $40,000, and double that sum would not purchase " Harry Bassett," the greatest of bis progeny.

Chapter Xv

Mist Celebration of the Fourth of July - Convention Election - Woodford County Formed - Cincinnati Settled - Free Masonry in Lexington - Native and Resident Painters: West, Joueti, Frazer, Bush, Price, and others.

The first regular and formal celebratioa of Independence Day in Lexington took place in 1788. The 8cene then exhibited stands in striking contrast with modern usage, and the toasts and sentiments of the occasion not only show at once the native strength and clearness of the pioneer mind, but the condition and feelings of the people on the state of affairs in the then District of Kentucky.

At one p. M. on the day mentioned, a large company of ladies and gentlemen assembled at what was then known as Captain Thomas Young's tavern, where an elegant entertainment and feast of fat things had been prepared, and an hour was passed in festive enjoyment. After dinner an ode composed by a Lexington gentleman was sung to the tune of "Rule Britannia," the entire company joining in the chorus -

This unique production was a poetic embodiment of the; universal desire of the people for a separate state government, and was sung with the greatest spirit and enthusiasm.

" The Convention of Virginia." May wisdom, firmness, and a sacred regard for the fundamental principles of the revolution, guide her councils.

The above presents a perfect picture of affairs in Kentucky at that date, and at no subsequent period in her history up to the eve of the late war has our state been so strangely situated. While Kentucky was struggling for separate state sovereignty the ruins of the old confederation were lying all around her. The Virginia Convention to deliberate on the constitution of a new union was then in session, listening to the eloquent wisdom of Henry, Mason, Pendleton, Grayson, and its other great and sagacious statesmen, and Kentucky was watching with the most eager interest for its decision. Here, in the very infancy, or rather at the very birth of the republic, we see the Yankee at work. Louisiana was then a Spanish province, and Don Gardozni, Minister from Spain, was making every exertion to effect a political union between the West and Louisiana, and Kentucky was being tempted with the free navigation of the Mississippi; and to all this may be added the ravages of the Indians and the dissensions among her own citizens. Kentucky has never celebrated a much more momentous " Fourth."

A regular old " five days election " for delegates to tlie Seventh Danville Convention was held in Lexington and Fayette county this year, and was an unusually spirited one. Colonel Thomas Marshall, at the head of the "Court" party, and General Wilkinson, the leader of the " Country" party, labored with unusual zeal. The " Court" won, and sent Thomas Marshall, Caleb "Wallace, William Ward, and John Allen to the convention. General Wilkinson was the only one on the " Country" ticket elected.

The city of Cincinnati was settled by a company from Lexington ; two citizens of Lexington owned most of the ground on which it stands, and one of them gave it its original name, " Losantiville."* The following notice, which we give verbatim, was published in the old Kentucky Gazette, September 6, 1788 :

" !Cf OTiCE. - The subscribers, being proprietors of a tract of land opposite the mouth of the Licking river, on the northwest side of the Ohio, have determined to lay off a town upon that excellent situation. The local and natural advantages speak its future prosperity, being equal, if not superior to any on the bank of the Ohio between the Miamis. The in-lots to be each half an acre, the out-lots four acres ; thirty of each to be given to settlers, upon paying one dollar and fifty cents for the survey and deed of each lot. The 15th day of September is appointed for a large company to meet in Lexington, and mark a road from there to the mouth of the Licking, provided Judge Symmes arrives, being daily expected. When the town is laid off, lots will be given to such as may become residents before the first day of April next.

The road was marked, the present site of Cincinnati was duly visited, and a settlement was made there by Colonel Patterson's party, in December, 1788. In the following June the little village was strengthened and protected by the building of Fort Washington, by which name Cin- cinnati was long known to the pioneers of the West. After efl'ecting the settlement, Colonel Patterson returned to Lexington, where he continued to reside until 1804.

Freemasonry in Kentucky, and in all the region west of the Alleghany mountains, had its commencement in "Lodge ISTo. 25," established in Lexington, District of Kentucky, JSTovember 17, 1788, by the Grand Lodge of Virginia. "Masons' Hall," in Lexington, was at that time a small house of primitive style, located on the same lot where the present hall stands, on the corner of Walnut and Short streets. The ground on which it stood was donated to the lodge by William Murray, the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 1796, the ball was improved from funds realized from a lottery gotten up for the purpose, and the membership of the lodge had so increased by 1799, that St. John's day was celebrated with considerable display.* On the 8th of September, 1800,f a convention of delegates from all the lodges in Kentucky met at " Masons' Hall," to consider the propriety of separating from the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and forming a Grand Lodge in Kentucky. James Morrison, of "No. 25," was chairman. The delegates at this convention from "Lexington Lodge, No. 25," were Thomas Bodley, Alexander McGregor, and James Russell. Separation was determined upon, and was agreed to by the Virginia Grand Lodge ; and on Thursday, October 16, 1800, in Masons' Hall, in Lexington, the representatives of the lodges of Kentucky opened a Grand Lodge for the State of Kentucky, " the first on the great American roll of the nineteenth century." Nearly half the officers of the Grand Lodge were selected from "No. 25," viz: Alexander Mc- Gregor, Deputy Grand Master; James Russell, G. Secretary; John Bobbs, G. Tyler. At this first session, the seal of Lexington Lodge, No. 25, was adopted by the Grand Lodge, and used for some time. " No. 25 " was also placed first in the order of subordinate lodges, in deference to its priority of age, and then became " Lexington Lodge,

No. 1," by which title it has been known ever since that time.* Among the distinguished men who were members of Lodge No. 1 may be named Henry Clay, W. T. Barry, Joseph H. Daviess, Jesse Bledsoe, George M. Bibb, Felix Grundy, and B. W. Dudley. In 1806, Lodge No, 1 sent Daniel Bradford and John Bobb as delegates to the convention, which met in Lexington that year to frame a Grand Lodge constitution. At the meeting of the Grand Lodge, August 27, 1812, in Lexington, an imposing funeral ceremonial was performed in honor of the heroic Grand Master, Joseph H. Daviess, who fell at the battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811. The pall bearers were eight Master Masons of Lodge No. l.f

Daviess Lodge was erected this year (1812) by a number of the members of Lodge No. 1, and was duly chartered by the Grand Lodge. It was named in honor of the lamented hero, to whom funeral honors had just been paid, and formed the first instance, in Kentucky, of a lodge being named after an individual. David Castleman was first master, and John Pope, one of the first members, represented it at the next session of the Grand Lodge.J The sword of Colonel Daviess, incased in a casket made of the wood of the oak under which he was standing when he received his death wound, was presented to the Grand Lodge in October, 1858, by Levi L. Todd. Daviess Lodge ranks third in age among the lodges now in existence in Kentucky.

In 1813, the propriety of erecting a grand hall in Lexington was first discussed in the Grand Lodge; and in 1817, Lexington Lodge, No. 1, presented to the Grand Lodge its lot on Walnut street as a site on which to build the new temple, "No. 1" reserving to itself the privilege of meeting in said temple.§ The donation was accepted, but it was finally concluded to erect the hall on East Main street, west of Broadway, below what is now known as " Cleary's corner." The building was commenced in 1824, and was dedicated, with appropriate ceremonies, October 26, 1826. The hall was a handsome one, three stories high, and cost between |25,000 and $30,000. It was in this hall that

General Lafayette was received by the Masons of Lexington in 1825. Two Indians - one of them the celebrated Colonel Ross - were duly examined, introduced and welcomed to the Masons in this hall. They were the only full-blooded Indian Masons ever thus received in Lexington. The hall was used as a hospital during the terrible cholera season of 1833.

The question of removing the Grand Lodge from Lexington to Louisville was first agitated in 1830, and in 1833 , it was located in Louisville, after having existed in Lexington thirty-three years.

The Grand Hall on Main street was destroyed by fire in 1837. This event caused the question of the location of the Grand Lodge to be again agitated. The lot of No. 1 was again tendered to the Grand Lodge on the original terms, again accepted, and with the understanding that the sessions of the Grand Lodge would be permanently held in Lexington, another hall, the present one, costing $25,000, was erected upon the site of the first building devoted to masonic purposes in Kentucky. This hall was solemnly dedicated to masonry, according to the ancient form and usage, September 1, 1841, and the next day the Grand Lodge " ordered that its annual communication should be held in the city of Lexington."

The Grand Lodge was again removed from Lexington to Louisville in October, 1858, and its sessions are still held in that city. Lexington was the meeting-place of the Grand Lodge, including both times of its occupation, for sixty years.

The high character of the masonic lodges of Lexington is known everywhere, and is abundantly attested by the great number of officers they have furnished to the Grand Lodge. The lodges, at present, are fully up to the old standard of merit and prosperity.

"William West, who came to this city in 1788, was the first painter that ever settled in the vast region " this side the mountains." He was the son of the then rector of St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, and had studied under the celebrated Benjamin West, in London. His family was a talented one. His brother, Edward West, who had preceded him to Lexington three years before, was the wonderful mechanical genius who invented the steamboat in this city in 1793 (see chapter of that date), and his son, William E. West, is now remembered for the portrait he painted of Lord Byron, at Leghorn. William West painted but few pictures, and they were of only moderate merit. He is best known as " the first painter who came to the West." He died in New York.

Asa Park, a Virginian, was the second painter who settled in Lexington. He was an intimate friend of William West, in whose family he lived, greatly beloved, for years. He died in the year 1827, and was buried by the West family on their lot, near the corner of Hill and Mill streets, opposite the present Letcher property. Though Mr. Park attempted portraits, his best productions were fruit and flower pieces. His pictures, like West's, owe their value mainly to the fact of his having been one of the pioneer painters of Lexington. One of the very few of Park's productions is still in existence, and in the possession of Mrs. Kanck. It is an oil portrait of her grandfather, Lewis Ellis.

Mr. Beck, erroneously mentioned in Dunlap's Arts of Design as "the first painter who penetrated beyond the AUeghanies," settled in Lexington about the year 1800. He belonged, at one time, to a company of scouts under General Anthony Wayne. He and his wife conducted a female seminary in this city for many years, in which painting was a prominent feature. Mr. and Mrs. Beck were both artists of some ability, and painted many pictures, principally landscapes. W. Mentelle, S. D. McCuUough, John Tilford, Mrs. Thomas Clay, and many others own pictures by Beck. Mr. Beck died in 1814. His wife survived until 1833.

In 1818, John ISTeagle, afterward known as the painter of "Pat Lyon, the Blacksmith," visited Lexington with the intention of settling, but he found Jouett so far his superior that he left and settled in Philadelphia. He came to this city again in 1844, at the instance of the Whigs of Philadelphia, to paint for them a full length portrait of Henry Clay, which he did, Mr. Clay sitting for him at the Phoenix Hotel. In November of that year, he presented to Daviess Lodge, of this city, a portrait of Colonel Joseph H. Daviess, from the original by Jouett. The picture is now owned by Major S. D. McCullough.

Chester Harding, a native of Montgomery county, Kentucky, and who afterward acquired a national reputation, painted some excellent portraits here in 1819. Mrs. H. J. Bodley, Mrs. Wm. Preston, Mrs. "Woodward, Mrs. A. H. Woolley, and others have pictures by him. Harding's studio was in " Higgins' Block."

Louis Morgan, a native of Pittsburg, settled in Lexington in 1880, and remained here for many years. He painted pictures which evinced a very high order of talent, and it was only the lack of energy that prevented him from bfecoming noted. His best eftbrt is his well-known portrait of Simon Kenton from life. He was gifted with exquisite taste and remarkable feeling for color. He died about the year 1860. Dr. Robert Peter owns some of his pictures.

The greatest painter that Kentucky has yet produced, and one whose name has shed no little lustre upon the art annals of America, was Matthew H. Jouett. He was born near Lexington, in 1783, and educated for the bar. After participating in the war of 1812, he returned to Lexington, where he attempted to practice law, but being devoted to art, and rendered dissatisfied by the aspirations of his genius, he abandoned his profession, and in 1817 went to Boston and studied under the noted Gilbert Stuart. In less than five years from that time, lie was celebrated as the best portrait painter west of the Alleghany mountains. His studio in Lexington, was first in a two-story brick building, which formerly stood on Short street, between the Northern Bank and the residence of the late D. A. Sayre.

Subsequently he used a room above the first National Bank on the same street. Among his best pictures are those of Henry Clay, Joseph H. Daviess, Dr. Holley, Major Morrison, Governor Letcher, John J. Crittenden, Isaac Shelby, and the full length portrait of the Marquis Lafayette, now owned by the State of Kentucky. Mr. Jouett died in Lexington, August 10, 1827, having just returned from a professional trip to the South. Mr. Jouett was tall and thin of form, gifted with great taste, rare humor, and splendid conversational powers, and his literary and social culture was only second to his great artistic genius. Nearly half a century has elapsed since Jouett's death, but his superior as a portrait painter has never yet arisen in the West.

Oliver Frazer, another artist-son of Lexington, was born February 4, 1808, and studied for sevei'al years under Jouett. After the death of his distinguished instructor, Mr. Frazer, in company with George P. Healy, went to Europe, where he remained for four years, studying the great works of the old masters. On his retun, he married Miss Martha, daughter of Dr. Alexander Mitchell, of Frankfort, and achieved flattering success as a portrait painter. He died, April 9, 1854, and was buried in the Lexington Cemetery. Unfortunately, his eyesight became injured some years before his death, which prevented him from being a prolific painter, but the few productions of his pencil are of rare merit. His portrait of Clay, and a family group in the possession of Mrs. Frazer, are considered among his best efforts. Mr. Clay spoke in the strongest terms of satisfaction of his portrait by Frazer, who received a number of orders for copies of it. Others of Mr. Frazer's pictures are owned by Major Lewinski, F. K. Hunt, Mrs. M. T. Scott, Wm. War&eld, Judge Robertson, Mrs. W. A. Dudley, J. S. Wilson, Mrs. A. K. Woolley, J. J. Hunter, and others, and are characterized by their delicate coloring and accurate delineation. Another has well said that Mr. Frazer was a true artist, aud loved his profession for its own sake. He was honest, kind, and true, and was devoted to the retirement of his happy home. He was greatly

Another artist, Joseph H. Bush, made Lexington his home for many years. Mr. Bush was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1794, and was the son of Philip and Elizabeth Bush. At the age of eighteen, he went to Philadelphia, under the care of Mr. Clay, and remained there three years, studying under the celebrated artist, Sully, after which he pursued his profession in New Orleans, Yicksburg, Louisville, and Lexington, and attained an enviable distinction. How skillfully he handled his pencil is evidenced in the reputation of his full-length picture of General Zachary Taylor, and the coloring and the beautiful effect of light and shade in his portraits of Dr. Ben. Dudley, Mrs. Fanny Bullitt, and the rest of his numerous productions. Mr. Bush died in Lexington, January 11, 1865, only a few mouths after the decease of his fellow-artist, Oliver Frazer.

Mr. Bush was a man of deep religious feelings, ana extensive reading and culture, and was most genial and companionable with those he knew well. His studio was in an upper room over Sayre's banking house, corner of Mill and Short,

In 1867, Mr. Alexander painted some fine pictures in Lexington, one of General John C. Breckinridge, and another of Judge W. B. Kiukead, being among the number.

Since Jouett's time, a number of artists have either sojourned in Lexington temporarily, or made it their home. John Grimes, who excelled in delicate forms and colors, painted here, for several years anterior to 1832, at which time he died in Lexington, and was buried in the Episcopal Cemetery. His studio was in the building on Main street, now occupied by Mr. Thomas Bradley. Several of his productions are in the possession of his aunt, Mrs. Thos. Grant, and Mrs. Fannie Dewees and J. J. Hunter each have one.

J. H. Beard, the American Laadseer, during a visit to Lexington, painted portraits of the late Eobert Alexander, Colonel W. S. Price, and one or two others.

William Ver Bryck, who has since attained much celebrity, executed some very fine portraits in this city, in 1868, one of Mrs. Dr. Whitney, one each of Mr. and Mrs. John Carty, and portraits of several members of Dr. H. M. Skillman, and Mr. Isaac Scott's families. No visiting artist ever met with as much success in Lexington as Mr. Ver Bryck. His studio was in the Phoenix Hotel. He come to Lexington from the city of New York.

Mr. B. F. Ehineheart, in 1869, had a temporary studio in the present Library building, and painted in very supe rior style, portraits of General John C. Breckinridge, General Jolin H. Morgan, Mrs. Basil Duke, Dr. and Mrs, Warren Frazer, Mr. Thos. Mitchell, and others. His chief excellences are fine modeling and coloring. Mr. Ehineheart is a native of Ohio.

Mr. E. Troye, who was born in England, but has long been a resident of New York, has painted a number of fine animal pictures. Some of his best eflbrts - pictures of blood horses - are in the possession of Messrs. J. A. Grinstead, A. K. Eichards, A. Buford, M. Alexander, of Woodford, and others. As an animal painter, Mr. Troye has no superior in this country. He has, as yet, attempted but few composition pictures, the " Dead Sea " being one of them.

General W. S. Price is one of the most promising resident painters Lexington has had since Jouett. He is a son of the late Daniel B. Price, of Mcholasville, Ky., and was a pupil of the lamented Oliver Frazer. His first effort, made at the age of seventeen, was a portrait of "Old King* Solomon," the unterrified grave-digger during the cholera of '33, and long one of the "institutions" of Lexington. This picture merits the celebrity it has attained. Another early picture is a fine portrait of Postmaster Ficklin. The portrait of President Fillmore, in the Phoenix Hotel diningroom, is by Price, and was painted in 1855. One of his most successful efforts is a large picture of General George

H. Thomas, which has become extensively known. Mr. Price has received letters highly complimenting his work from both Mr. Fillmore and General Thomas. A striking likeness of Judge Kobertson must not be forgotten. Latterly, General Price has attempted composition pictures, and with marked success. The "Night before the Battle of Chiekamauga," the "Young Artist," and "Caught Napping," indicate the latitude, as well as the superiority of his talents. He has reflected honor upon the art history of his state. His studio is in the second story of the Postoffice building, on the corner of Mill and Short streets.

Mrs. Eliza Brown, widow of Professor John Brown, of Transylvania University, who died in 1855, has painted a number of beautiful landscapes, the merit of which is heightened by the fact that Mrs. Brown commenced with the pencil at a time of life when art eflbrts generally cease. A Rhineland scene, the " Yosemito Valley," a Canadian landscape, and an exquisite bit of Minnesota rock and water, are worthy of special mention. Mrs. Brown, who is now nearly seventy, attempted a few months ago, and for the first time, portrait painting, and with extraordinary success, considering her age. Her residence and studio is on the corner of Short and Upper streets.

Mr. Stuart, a South Carolinian, but now a resident of St. Louis, painted some excellent portraits in this city last spring; one each of Mrs. Rosa Jeffrey, Mr. Cooper, city Librarian, and K. A Buckner, Sen., deceased.