Scott County, Kentucky - The whole text, 1905 (part 2 of 10)

Printer Went To War

Among those who went forth to the field of battle from * Georgetown was Charley Mansfield, a printer in the Telegraph : office, who never returned to chronicle the brilliant victory of j the Thames- He was a volunteer in Capt. West's company, Scott's regiment.

Manufactured Powder

In 1809 Messrs. Wolfe & Henderson removed from Pitts- : burg to Georgetown and settled here. They carried on the manufacture of powder. Mr. .1. Wolfe removed to the country and Mr- Henderson died a short time afterward; his widow was a useful and important character in the town and county for more than a fourth of a century; she was a most excellent ' nurse and widwife, and stood well in the community as a true ( Ihristian woman- She married for her second husband John Beatty, and was left a widow again in a few years- She was a kind, attentive nurse, and rendered good service in the cholera of 1833- She died about 1854, leaving three daughters - Mary, who married Judge B- T. Thompson; Adeline, who married 1 John Chaham, and Betty Beatty.

First Child Born In Georgetown

Mr. William Tompkins Shepard was born in Georgetown in 1793, perhaps the first child born in the place, oldest son of Samuel Shepard; he was for many years Clerk of the Board of Trustees; studied law with his father; volunteered in the war of 1812; was at the battle of the Thames; returned to Georgetown and died January, 1858.

Fine Physician

Mr- Charles Frazier settled in Georgetown in 1811, and practiced medicine for three or four years He was an excellent physician and very highly esteemed in community.

Rowland Hannah removed to Georgetown in 1807; he was a widower with two daughters - Sail ie, afterward Mrs. Greenup Keene. the mother of S- Y- Keene: and Nancy, afterward Mrs. William Emison, still living a widow in the northern part of the county.

A Merchant

I Mr- Hannna was an Irishman by birth, and came to Kentucky at an early day. He was a merchant and sold goods many years under the old Court House. It was the custom then for merchants to pack their specie on horseback. They would meet at Maysville or some other point from the neigh- ( boring towns, and go in a body for mutual protection to r Philadelphia. Mr- Hannah rode the same horse nine years in j succession across the mountains, carrying his gold and silver : for the purchase of goods. He was a successful merchant and j retired in his old age from business in comfortable circum- ' stances- He married a second wife, Miss Mattie Emison, of ! Scott county, who survived her husband several years, and died in 1854, leaving four daughters - Mrs. James H. Davies, Mrs. Irene Hibbard. Miss Margaret and Miss Lizzie, who still reside in Georgetown.

Oldest Man Born In Georgetown

Capt. Lewis West was born in Georgetown in 1800 - the oldest living man born in the town - the son of Lynn West, with whom he worked at the gunsn ith's business. He became skillful in the manufacture of rifles and pistols, and, after he embarked in the business for himself, had orders for more than he could furnish, employing several hands in his shop. He built a house on the east side of Hamilton street, corner of Washington, where Mr. Judson Stiffee now lives, and his 1 shop occupied the opposite corner. He lived in this house and conducted the gunsmith business from his boyhood until i he was seventy-nine years of age, and is now in fine health at j eightv-two. He married Miss Sarah Mahoney, daughter of i Capt. James H. Mahoney, in 1823, and, after half a century of married life, she died in 1874, and left five childrent SADDLE AND HARNESS MAKER. ij

, town in the year 1802. Received his early education from his mother, Mrs. Sarah Tomlinson- He was apprenticed to his brother-in-law in his twelfth year, to learn the trade of saddle and harness making. After a few years he became clerk and business manager of the large establishment. All his leisure ;[ moments were devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and / the former, now owned by Capt. J, T. Sinclair. His shop stood on the lot occupied by the. coalyard attached to this property. He aided materially in building the first Presbyterian Church. He' married Mrs. Adams, of Fayette, before removing to this place.

Merchandise Business

George Douglass Brown left Ireland in 1807, and came to Georgetown the same year.. He worked with his brother William, several years, and afterward carried on the business alone many years, when he engaged in merchandising. He built and owned the brick house on the north side of Main street, just west of the Corner Hotel, Which was destroyed by fire.

Manufacture Of Furs

John Adams, born in 1777. "in Hagerstown, Md., moved to Georgetown about the year 1801. and settled on the hill in the Southern part of the town, and occupied hy his daughter, Mrs. Priscilla White. He carried on for many years an extensive establishment for the manufacture of fur and wool- hats- He employed as many as ten or twelve hands in his. business. After supplying the home demand, he had an extensive trade with the .neighboring towns and counties. He traded for young mules and other stock, which lie reared on his farm near town. A number employed by him wefe heads of familiee, among whom Mr- John Strong, Maj. John Felty. a brave and distinguished soldier of the war of 1812; Mr. Frederick Zimmerman and others. Mr- Adams married Miss Mary Downing, of Fayette county, and raised eleven children, four of whom are living. He lived. to an old age; died' March 10, 1837; his wife survived him many years.

Hat Maker

Frederick Zimmerman was born in Lancaster, Penn., where he served an apprenticeship to the hatting business. He came to Lexington where he married Miss Mary Haggard, daughter of Mr. John Haggard, an early settler of that city. He removed to Georgetown in 1806, and settled in the southern part of the town, in a house that stood on the east side of Main Cross street, dn the corner occupied by Clark's carriage shop. He worked in the establishment of Mr, John Adams many years. He died at an advanced age, leaving two sons and two daughters - John F. Zimmerman, a journalist and publisher of Danville, and David Zimmerman, for many years a merchant in Lexington-

Had A Big Commission Business

Josiah Pitts came from Virginia to Kentucky and settled about the year 1806 or 1807- He married Miss Lucy Craig, daughter of Elijah Craig, and lived on the hill west of town, in the house lately occupied by A. Keene Richards. Perhaps no citizen of Georgetown contributed more to the material interests of the town and county during his business-career than did Josiah Pitts. He embarked largely in trade, purchasing all the tobacco, wheat and flour, hemp bagging cordage, bacon and whisky produced, not only in this county, but in the neighboring regions. This produce he shipped hy flat boats from Frankfort and the mouth of Salt River below Louisville where it was hauled by wagon, and once in the year, at the proper stage of water, it was carried to Natchez and New Orleans, and exchanged for gold and silver and hills on the East. For many years Mr- Pitts conducted a very lucrative trade. He employed many of the young and active men of the county, who would conduct this flotilla of boats, dispose of the produce and pack the specie back on their, persons or on Indian ponies. Many young men started in .this way and the farmers received pay for their surplus prqduce. Tobacco was the staple then. The old Virginia farmers bringing with them from the old State the tendency to like agricultural pursuits, large quantities of tobacco were raised in the county. Hemp was also raised in very early times; when it was brought to Kentucky, we have been unable to learn. It was not specially a product of Virginia. There were three hemp factories in operation in the town and neighborhood at that early day.

Mr- Pitts contributed largely to the facilities for the trade of the place, lie had large means and he used it for the benefit of others as well as himself. He was fond of fine blood horses and indulged his Old Virginia fondness for racing.

The depression that followed the war of 1812overtook him, and greatly reduced his circumstances- He died in 1815, preceded a short time by his wife, They left five children, all of whom are dead.

Tailoring Establishment

Applegate & McPhatridge were conducting a tailoring establishment in Georgetown in 1805-6. John Applegate was the son of Mrs. Osborn, by her first husband. William Applegate (killed by the Indians) was born in Scott county; carried on a large tailoring establishment for many years, and died in 1866. He married Miss Ford, daughter of Hezekiah Ford, one of the first settlers of the place. She was an excellent and pious lady. She died in 1860 and left three children, one daughter, Mrs. C. West, and two sons, William IT. Applegate, of Louisville, and .1. E. Applegate, of this place- In 1807 Georgetown had quite an accession to her population from the City of New York - James Betts and wife, who came from England. They settled in Georgetown in 1807. Mr. Betts was a butcher and supplied the town for several years: he finally settled on a farm near town, on Elkhorn Cieek, now occupied by his daughter, Miss Sarah Betts.

A Tallow Chandler

William Hewitt and wife were from England, -and settled in Georgetown in 1807. They came from the city of New York. He followed the business of tailoring for many years; he was one of the constituent members of the Baptist Church. He lived on the north-east corner of Main and Water streets, near the bridge. He died in 1817, his wife having preceded him some years. His son-in-law, Mr. James Chalk, came to Kentucky with him, and settled in Georgetown. He was a tallow chandler and furnished light for tbegood citizens of the place. Mr. Chalk was an excellent man, a Deacon and leading member of the Babtist Church- He owned and occupied the house on the south side of Limestone street, now occupied by William Offutt. His widow survived him several years. One son, James, and three daughters are living, one, Mrs. T. T Burns, a citizen of this place. William Hutchings and wife, English people, came to Kentucky at the same time with the above, and settled here, but soon after removed to a farm near town.

A Physician

Dr. William H. Richardson removed to Georgetown from Fayette countv in 1806. He occupied a house that stood on the south side of Main street, on the site of the Farmers' Branch Bank. He practised his profession successfully up to the war of 1812, when he volunteered and served as surgeon of Col. R. M. Johnson's regiment of mounted men.

After the war he moved to Lexington. He was professor of Obstetrics in the medical department of Transylvania University. He practiced his profession successfully for many years, and in 1831 removed to a farm in Fayette county.

The Masonic Lodge

In 1807, a Masonic Lodge of A. Y. Masons was chartered and established in Georgetown. The following were among the earliest members: Cary L. Clarke, Samuel Shepard, Robt. Hunter, R. M. Gano, Dr. John Sites, Dr. Wm.H. Richardson, Col. It. M. Johnson, Joseph Dean, Wm. Warren, John Holroyd, John D. Craig, James Grant, Thomas W. Hawkins, Josiah Pitts, Wm. Sutton, Abraham S. Van DeGraff and others, many of whom were initiated previous to the war of 1812.

This was the beginning of old Mt- Vernon No. 14. She dwelt in many places before she finally settled down in her own temple, where she now holds her regular conclaves. The old lodge has a grand history, of her own, that would make a book full of interest. Many great and good men have gone from her hall to every department of life, to teach a better and higher manhood and a nobler charity.

The Market House

In 1809, the first market house was built in Georgetown. It was erected on the east side of the public square. It was built by John Shelters. Thomas Fisher and I- Pines, at a cost of §404.43. It was ol brick and well arranged.

Dry Goods Merchant

In 1807 John McFall, an Englishman, removed from New York to Georgetown, bringing a large stock of dry goods; he purchased the then new brick house on the corner of Main and Cross streets, now occupied by K. Stone- He died within the year and his widow, after a few years, returned to New York.

1 1 ie improvement of Lis mind. He united with the Methodist Church while very young, and in his seventeenth year, he was licensed to exercise his gifts as an exhorter. in 1820 and 1821 he was enabled to attend the Rittenhouse Academy, then under the care of M r- Charles O'Hara, a line scholar and -admirable teacher.

Although devoting a portion of his time to the bench and shop, he was so close a student as to keep up with his classes. He acquired a good knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages, and of Mathematics, in which he excelled. His mind was logical. Having prepared himself for college he was enabled, by the kind offices of Mr. Clay to enter Transylvania University as a beneficiary of the Morrison Fund.

A diligent student after four years' close application, he graduated in the class of 1825, He was elected to deliver the welcome address to LaFayette, on behalf of the University.

Very soon after he was elected to a professorship in Augusta College, Kentucky- Dr. Tomlinson was not a man to standstill. He was an indefatigable student, and in a few years he was elected to the Presidency of the institution, under the control of the Methodist denomination of Kentucky. He remained at the head of this institution until 1849, when the dissensions in the Kentucky conference, growing out of theslavery question, resulted in the withdrawal of its charter. He was soon after elected to and accepted a professorship in the Ohio University at Athens, and the year following elected its President, which he declined on account of his failing health.

Dr. Tomlinson was at times the subject of great nervous prostration and mental despondency. His mind had been too long and too heavily taxed, and mental alienation followed. He finished his course amid the bitter lamentations of the whole community. He died at Neville, Ohio, June 4, 1853.

Dr. Tomlinson was marritd three times. His first wife, Miss Eliza P. C. Light, daughter of Rev. George C, Light, of Lexington, he married in 1825; she was the mother of four children and died in 1842. II is second wife was Mrs. Campbell, daughter of John Armstrong, and his third wife was Mrs. Davis, of Ohio, who is still living-

Dr- Fletcher Tomlinson, brother of the above, was born in Georgetown in 1802, and received his early instruction from his excellent and pious mother; he likewise served an apprenticeship to the saddlery business in Mr. Stevenson's shop. He studied medicine and practiced his profession in Bracken county.

Ben IP Ford was born in Virginia, son of the Rev- Reuben Ford, a Baptist minister; removed to Kentucky in 1811, and settled in Georgetown. He taught a school in 1812 in the house on the west side of the Spring Branch, where the Df'sha monument now stands. He was a fine scholar, had a large school, :t lawyer by profession; he gave up his school and commenced the practice of the law in 181(1. He married Miss ('- Flournoy, daughter of David blournoy, Esq., of Scott county, in 1818; soon after removed to his farm in the county. A fter a few years he returned to town and was Clerk of the County Court from 1827 for many years, in 1837, the Clerk's office on the southwest corner of the public square was burned down, and the records and public papers were burned or bad ly mutilated. The Circuit Court office was kept in the same building and shared the same fate.

Mr. Ford was an early friend and patron of Georgetown College, a Trustee and Secretary of the Board from its organization until 18 111; a prominent member of the Baptist Cl lurch, hi mself and wife having united with the church in 1827- He died on his farm near town in 1853, his wife having preceded hi m a few years. They left two children, a son and daughter.

I ii 1811 he removed to Georgetown, and was merchandising with Abner Le Grand, of Lexington lie continued in business alone for several years; lie built and occupied the house on Main street, now occupied by Mrs. Jane Miller.

In 1813, Mr I Iarmoti StifTee removed to Georgetown with his family, lie was a harness ma Uer and worked many years in the large establishment of Squire Stevenson, lie died at an ad va need age in 1833, during the prevalence of the cholera.

I I is widow lived many years after and died, lea ving two sons - George and John - and several daughters. Mr George G. SM ffer> came with his father to ( Jeorgetown, and was. apprenticed to Job Stevenson in 1813. In 1825 in connection with Henry Clarke, carried on the business of saddle and harness making. A ffer a lew years Mr. Clarke died, and in 18.34 Mr. A liner Lyon; they conducted the same business for thirteen lie married Mrs. Susan Crocket t, daughter of ('apt. 1 ynn West, in 1812; they are both still living. Mr. Stiffen was a member of the Board of Trustees of Georgetown College for many years, and a deacon of the Baptist Church. - ( I a no-

The Merchants Of 1816 The Business Men Of 1816

TRANGE to say that the Rev. Elijah Craig, the proprietor of Georgetown, died in 1809 and yet the following clipping, taken from the Georgetown Patriot, shows that he, or his namesake, was a merchant of Georgetown in 1816 :

Has received from Philadelphia a handsome assortment of merchandise which, when added to his stock on hand, will make the assortment nearly complete for the present and approaching seasons - among which are silks of almost all descriptions, fancy goods, trimmings, etc. A general assortment of domestic goods of superior quality, all of which we bought with cash in Philadelphia at the most reduced prices. He will sell them as low as they can be for cash, or such country produce as will suit hint. He wishes to purchase a quantity of hog lard, and will furnish kegs to put the lard in, and pay a part cash. He also wants wheat delivered in Taylor & McConathy's or Chas. Thompson's mill, for which he will also pay a part cash. He earnestly requests all those who have accounts, notes or bonds standing four months or upward, to come forward and settle them as speedily as possible, as he has some early payments to make, which makes it absolutely necessary to make some collections to enable him to do so.

Thompson'S Mill

The likeness above is of Thompson's Mill, which is one of the oldest in Scott county, and its location is know n to every boy in Georgetowui. It is situated about one-quarter of a mile from the Frankfort pike, and is k«pt running daily, making the best flour that can be made. Mr. Wm Carley has the mill rented from Mrs. Worthington. This mill was erected possibly one hundred years ago by Mrs. Chas. Thompson, and is referred to in an advertisement of Elijah Craig, published in 1816, in the Patriot, a newspaper printed in Georgetown at that time.

The subscribers having purchased of Elijah Craig, the well known Merchant Mill on North Elkliorn, and put the same in complete repair, are now ready to receive a large quantity of merchantable wheat, for which three shillings per bushel will be given, one-half in hand, the other in three months.

A little over half a century ago Georgetown furnished nearly all the material used in the publication of the papers in the Western country, as Indiana and Kentucky were then called. At that time the paper mill at Great Crossings did a lively business. The Vincennes (Ind.) Sun was the first paper published west of the Miami and north of the Ohio rivers. 1 1 was started in 1804 and the materials from which it was printed were purchased in this place, the nearest point where they could be procured. They were carried from here to Vincennes on pack horses. Things have changed some since then.

First Corn Crop

The first crop of corn raised in Georgetown was that of John McClelland who settled near the head of Big Spring Branch where he erected a Station in 1776- McClelland erected this Station in 1775 which was attacked by the Indians in 17-76 as heretofore stated, and by reason of him locating there for more than two years he came in possession of this land. From the plat it would be surmized that this corn crop W'as raised in the bottom land where the Car House now stands near the end of Jackson street.

From the plat it would only be guess work as to the location of this land now where Wm. Hogan raised the first crop of corn in Scott county, His preemption was near North Elk horn.

In 1775 Daniel Boone and William Bryan built a cabin in Scott county and the land on which it wuis erected was on the north side of North Elkhorn, lying on the banks of Miller's Run- The cabin was built near a large sycamore tree on the land recently sold by Mrs. Owens, mother of W. COwens, to Mr. Charles Hall. This land lies on the new Oxford pike near Oxford and about five miles from Georgetown.

Mr. Hall says he has been told a number of times that it was the camping ground of Daniel Boone, but paid little or no attention to it until one day when his attention was called to the roots and stump of this old tree- He measured around and found it was twenty-eight feet in circumference, This tree grew rather peculiar, as a number of persons are now living who saw it before it rotted down. The tree had two bodies and appeared as two trees, hut such was not the case.

The bodies grew up to about 14 feet high when they joined together in arch shape, and continued until the tree got its growth. Some of the persons who saw the tree says a wagon load of hay could be hauled through it. John Dobbins became the owner of this land as Boone's deposition shows. This information was found in Kentucky Reports on an Appeal from the Court of Quarter Sessions of Scott county and reversed at the May term, fn chancery, 179!t. in the case of J. and I). Bradford vs. Abraham McClland and others. The decisions wers as follows:

Abraham McClelland, as heir-in-law of John McClelland, deceased. on the 13th day of January, 1780, obtained from the commissioners the following cerlificate of his right to a settlement and jire-emption, to-wit :

"Abraham McClelland, heir-in-law to John McClelland, deceased, by Robert Patterson, this day claimed a settlement and pre-emption to atraet of land in the district of Kentucky, lying on the north fork of Elkhorn creek, adjoining the land of the said McClelland, whereon he had a station, by the said deceased raising a crop of corn in the country in the year 1776, and residing twelve months before the year 1778.

And a pre-emption warrant having been obtained, John Floyd, for and on behalf of the said Abraham, on the 12th day ot December, in the year 1782, made the following entry thereon, towit :

"John Floyd, assignee of Abraham McClelland, enters 1,000 acres of land upon a pre-emption warrant, No. 1,409, on the north ssde of the north fork of Elkhorn, opposite to the mouth of the Royal Spring branch, and to extend up and down the north side of the creek, and northwardly for quantity."

Hogan, on the 28th day of January, in the year 17S0, obtained from the commissioners the following certificate for a settlement and pre-emption, to-wit:

"William Hogan by James Hogan, Jr., this day claimed a settlement and pre-emption to a tract of land in the district of Kentucky, on account of raising a crop of corn in the country in the year 1776, lying adjoining on the lower side of the land claimed by James Hogan, Sr.

"John Bradford and Daniel Bradford, assignees, enter a preemption warrant of 1,000 acres adjoining William Hogan's settlement on the lower side, and to run down the creek for quantity." James Hogan's Claim Neat Forbe's Camp.

"January 28, 1780. James Hogan, Sr., this day claimed a settlement and pre-emption by James Hogan, Jr., in the district of Kentucky, on account of raising a crop of corn in the year 1776* lying on the north side of Elkhorn creek, on the first big fork below Dobbins' claim, including a cabin on the west side of the said fork at James Forbes' camp.

"February 7, 1780. James Hogan, Sr., enters 400 acres by certificate, etc , lying on the north fork of Elkhorn, on the first big creek below Dobbins' claim, including a cabin on the west side of the south fork at James Forbes' camp."

"January it, 1780. John Dobbins, by John Smith, this day claimed a pre-emption of 1,000 acres of land, at the state price, in the district of Kentucky, lying on a creek running into the north fork of Elkhorn, about five or six miles up the creek, including an old camp made by Daniel Boone and William Bryan, by marking and improving the same in the year 1775.

And the deposition of Daniel Boone was read, in which he stated that he located a pre-emption of 1,000 acres for John Dobbins, to include a camp made by himself and William Bryan. That the said camp lay on the first big run or creek that enters in on the north side of North Elkhorn, below the little fork of Elkhorn, and that there w ere one or tw o big runs or creeks below, between that run or creek and Dry Run.

The runs to which Boone referred were Miller's Run which passes through the places of R. F. Offutt, Harry Blackburn, Lon Ferguson, Chas. Ilall and others. The other one was that of Cherry Run which runs through 11 e plate sold by Tlios. Sliuffon the Bourbon, Scott at d Harrison county lines. The plat gives this and the names of these runs so there can be no mistake

The Court of Quarter sessions of Scott county, at the November term of said court, in the year 1797, pronounced the following decree, to-wit:

The court are of opinion that the pre-emption under which the complainants claim, ought to have been surveyed as follow's, to-wit : To lie on he north side of Elkhorn, and to run so far up and down the creek an equal distance from the nearest point to the Royal Spring branch, as will make 400 poles east and west, and from each end of that line to run north so far that a line east and west from the terminations of the last mentioned line shall include the quanti y. It is therefore decreed and ordered by the court, that the complainants to recover of the defendant all the land which will be included in the said pre-emption survey, when run agreeably to the foregoing opinion. And itis further ordered and decreed that the surveyor of this county do go on the lands next fair day, and lay off, circumscribe, and mark by certain metes and bounds the aforesaid lands agreeably to the above decree, and make report thereof to the first day of the next court of quarter sessions for this county, in order to enable the court to make a final decree therein.

By the Court - We are of opinion that the court of quarter sessions have erred in construing the entry of the appellee, inasmuch as no regard was paid to the course of North Elkhorn called for therein ; whereas it seems to us from the expressions used in the entry, that the survey made thereon should not only lie on the northwardly side of the creek and bind on the same, but that it should be as near a square as the nature of the case will permit, and the back line thereof be parallel to the general course of the creek so far as it binds thereon; also, that the upper and lower lines, when indefinitely extended, should be at equal distances from the mouth of the Royal Spring branch. Therefore it is decreed and ordered, that the decree aforesaid be reversed, annulled, and set aside, and that the suit t e remanded to the aforesaid court of quarter sessions, who are directed to have the appellees' preemption surveyed agreeably to the foregoing opinion and directions of this court. And it is further decreed and ordered, that the appellants recover of tha appellees their costs in this behalf expended, which is ordered to be certified to the said court of quarter sessions.

The Heirs Of Rev. Elijah Craig

IN publishing this 'history it was not the aim of flitpublisher to enter into a discussion of the -ownership's and holdings of anyone, but the City of Georgetown has spent thousands of dollars to defend her rights and title to this Spring. The Spring, has a rock wall along the west side of it. from its head at College street to Jefferson street, extending north for one-fifth of a mile; on the east, a rock wall extending north for one-tenth of a mile from its head to the culverts over which is West Main street, or the Frankfort pike. These are culverts large enough for wagons and carts to pass through. The road is about eighty feet wide. Fnm the center bed of the spring to the road is about sixty feet high. On either side of the road is a thick rock wall supported by enormous rock abutments. It is doubtful now whether or 'hot the walls and this rock bridge could be erected for less than $8,000. The perches of rock in them would have to be counted by the thousands. Now in all' of these litigations the attorneys have failed to find or produce when and by whom the walls and culverts were built. >

On pages 228 and 229 of this history show that the County Court in 1795 appointed Commissioners - composed of Robert Johnson, Bartlett Collins' and John Hawkins - to draw a plan for the bridge over the Royal Spring. These Commissioners made their report of the plan on October 27th, 1795. A committee - composed of John Payne, James Lemon and Elijah C.raig - was appointed ,to let the contract to the lowest bidder and awarded it to Rhodes Smith. Commissioners were ai>- pointed by the County Court in 1800^com posed of Carry L; Clark, Win. Johnson and Will Story - to inspect the work and made their report December 4th, 1800- It required five years to complete the contract. The plan, the letter of con tract and the receiving of same are published just as the old records show as recopied. These old records were in the fire and it is supposed were re-copied from what was left of them. As has been stated, there arose some feeling between Elijah Craig and Robert Johnson over this Spring and the Great Crossing church. Johnson erected the church. Rev. Craig became a bit jealous and claimed the Spring. This was prior to the time the county was formated in 1792. It was a question then between them as to whether or not Lebanon Static n or Buffalo Crossing should be the County Seat.

Colonel Johnson was the Representative in 1790 from Woodford, Fincastle county Virginia (now Woodford county, Ky.) and from which Scott county was made. It was through him that the Legislature of that year changed the name of Lebanon Station to Georgetown, The law of Virginia prevented any individual or individuals from owning a public spring or a spring that would he of a convenience to the public. That law alone is sufficient to show that the Spring could not have been in tlip preemption of land given to Colonel Floyd for his services as a Military Surveyor and Purchased by Rev. Elijah Craig, although the land was lying along the western hank of the Spring for one-tenth of a mile. Now there is no evidence as to the feeling existing between Colonel Johnson 'itiid Rev. Craig, except that handed down by some of the pioneers.

In L792 Rev. Craig was awarded the, contract for t lie erection of a bridge- over this Spring by the County Court, lie built a wooden bridge, wliich stood unjtil' 1795. Now if the Spring, or tiny part of the Spring, belonged to Rev. Craig why did the county hire him to build a bridge over liis own property, and why did the county let the contract for walling and building a rock wall along Mr. Craig's land? If the Spring belonged, or even half of the Spring belonged, to Mr. Craig, why didn't he build this wall or fence along this Spring? People in those days had to fence their land just as they do now days. The town was laid off into thirty-nine lots by Mr. Craig in 1793.

The town was surveyed in 1801 and no claim was made to the Spring then by Rev- Craig, "but how things do change" then just like they do now. Rev. Craig died in 1809. says the "Kentucky Baptist," yet a newspaper clipping shows that he was a merchant of Georgetown in 1816, which is of course a mistake.

Col. Robin Johnson died in 1815. The records, which were partly burned and so miserably juggled in being re-copied, that it is impossible to even ascertain the correct date as to the time an administrator was appointed. It is a well established fact, however, that Rev. Craig died prior to or in the year of 1816. The records show the following orders :

At a session of the County Court in 1816 the following order was made. ''The last will and testament of Elijah Craig deceased, was this day produced in court by the executors then named and proved by the oaths of Alexander Henderson ar.d ordered to be recorded."

At the next session of the court in the same year this order was made. Order made at the last term, directing the Sheriff to take charge of all the property belonging to the estate of Elijah Craig and that this order remains in force for another month.

At a session of the court held in 1817 a settlement with Joel Craig administrator of Elijah Craig, deceased, in part was this day returned to court, by the commissioners and on motion of Elijah Grant ordered that the same be admitted to record.

Josiali Pitts, who was a son-in-law of Rev. Craig, came in possession of this land along the Spring from the head to the culverts. He placed a cross wall, dividing the Spring and the head, making a straight wall running along his land to the culverts, which is shown in pictures of the Spring in the fore part of this history. The likeness of the Spring after the cross-wall which divided its head was taken out, can be seen on page 230,

Justice Called To Arbitrate

The Legislature in 1816 ordered the Trustees of Georgetown to bring suit, making all the heirs of Elijah Craig defendants, to establish the boundaries of the town. Rev. Craig, who had owned this land along the Spring, had made no claim to the stream or any portion of :it after 1792, and Col. Robin Johnson, who was a member of the Trustees, and who was one of the Commissioners to draw the plans for these walls and culverts, were both dead.

Boundaries Of The Town

That the Trustees of Georgetown, and their successors, shall be, and are hereby authorized, to commence suit in chancery, in the Circuit Court of Scott county, for the PUi" pose of establishing the boundaries of said town ; in which suit all the heirs of Elijah Craig, deceased, (the original proprietor of said town) and all persons owning lands adjoining thereto, shall be made defendants- the same were laid off previous to the 15th of December, 1804 , and the said court shall cause an accurate survey of said town to be made by the Surveyor of Scott county. Suit not to abate.

That when the Circuit Court shall have pronounced a final decree, fixing the boundaries of said town, the boundaries as fixed shall be considered the true boundaries of Georgetown; and the said trustees shall cause a fair plat of said town, as approved by the said Court, to be recorded in the office of the Clerk of the County Court of Scott; certified copies of which shall be admitted as evidence, in any firture contest respecting the boundaries of said town or any part thereof. The said Trustees shall also cause a fair copy of said plat and decree, to be recorded among the records and proceeeings of their Board.

That when the boundaries of said town are thus established, if it should be found that there is within said boundaries any ground that has not been laid off into lots, streets or alleys; or that being so laid off into lots, shall not have been regularly laid- down and numbered on the plat of said town, it shall be lawful for said Trustees to lay off said ground into lots, or to preserve the same for commons, as to them shall seem best.

That when the Trustees of said town shall agree to pave the one-lnilf of any street adjoining the public ground, so far as the public ground shall extend, the County Court of Scott shall cause the half of said street adjoining the public ground, and including the sidewalk, to be paved in like manner: and levy the expense thereof on the tithables of their county.

That the Trustees of said town shall have the power to raise, by w'ay of lottery, in one or more classes, if to them it should seem advisable, any sum of money, not exceeding two thousand dollars, to be appropriated to the purchasing of a fire engine, and to the paving the streets in said town.

Tliat the Trustees of said town shall have the power to compel the owners of houses and lots in said town, to procure each, one or more suitable fire-buckets, according to the value of their respective houses and lots ; and to make such regulations for the preservation and safe and convenient deposit of said fire-buckets, as to them shall seem just; and on such owners, or any of them, failing or refusing to furnish such fire bucket or buckets, sai(] Trustees shall have the power to procure the same, at the expense of such owner or owners of houses and lots ; which expense shall be levied and collected from such owner or owners, so failing or refusing, in like manner, as other monies may, or can he by law levied and collected from 'the inhabitants of said town, for any other purpose.

The Result Of The Suit

JUST what dis >osition was made of this case in 1816 could not be ascertained- Mr. Pitts sold the land to Dr- Keene for $5,000. Mr- Pitts died in 1815. The town was surveyed in 1818 and in 182.', and in 1835 a map was ordered to be made. The map of 1835 was the one made to the "middle of the branch to the middle of the head/' which allowed the owner of the land half of the head, as the cross-wall placed there by Mr. Pitts indicated- The old house, the property of Mr. William Kelly, at the corner of College and Water streets, was made a point of the survey.

The Old House Corner Of College And Water

The survey was made from the corner of this old house to the middle of the branch to the middle of the head, as indicated by a hole bored in a rock in the Spring. The hole could not be found. The corner of this old house shows a perfect straight line down Water street to the very place where the cross-wall joined to the original wall. There was some litigation then over the ownership of the branch, as Governor Robinson was employed as an attorney for the town and allowed a fee of $250 for his services. In 1895 the town paid the late A- K. Lair $1,500 for removing a dam at his mill. The mill was built in the same place where Elijah Craig had his paper mill. Since the erection of the Water Works in 1887 the town has had to defend a great many suits as to the ownership of the Spring.

And A Place For Stock Water Made Below

In 1890 the land in question belonged to William Payne, and the Trustees agreed to furnish him a place a few hundred yards below the head of the Spring for his stock to get water if lie would grant permission of the cross-wall to be taken out. which he did. Mr. J. D- Grover purchased the land from Payne and sold it in 1893 to Mrs. H. P Montgomery for 814,000. Mr H. P- Montgomery and others received the Water Works and the town has been put to a great expense in defending the suits. I u 1902 the case went to the Court of Appeals and a. decision was handed down that the City of Georgetown was the owner of the Spring.

The Cold Year A Year Without A Summer

HLMOST every one has heard of the terrible dark year in the early part of the present century. The year 1816, known as the "Year Without a Summer." Few persons now living can recollect it; but it was the coldest ever known throughout Europe and America. The following is a brief abstract of the weather during the year :

May was more remarkable for frowns than her smiles. Buds and flowers were frozen ; ice formed half an inch thick ; corn was killed, and the fields were again and again planted until deemed too late.

June was the coldest ever known in this latitude. Frost, ice and snow were common. Almost every green thing was killed. Fruit was nearly all destroyed.

August was more cheerless, if possible, than the summer months already passed. Ice was formed an inch thick. Corn was so frozen that the greater part of it was cut down and cured for fjdder. Almost everything green was destroyed. Papers stated that it would be remembered by the present generation that the year of 1816 was a year in which there was no summer. Very lit le corn ripened. Farmers supplied themselves from the corn produced in 1815 for the seed of the spring of 1817. It sold at from $4.00 to $5.00 per bushel.

September furnished about two weeks of the mildest weather of the season. Soon after the middle it became very cold and frosty and ice formed a quarter of an inch thick.

HUGUST 31, i86r. there was a killing frost, which did much damage. This damage to crops was not as great, however, as the one of September 17, 1868, when all the tobacco was killed. It was this year that the farmers first experimented with the Virginia broad leaf and the acreage was the largest ever known in this State up to that time. There was a heavy frost September 13, 1895 ; September 18. 1893, slight frost ; September 24. 1895, heavy frost, which damaged the tobaeco crop, and a light frost September 21, 1897.

HE earliest snow storm in the last forty years was on & I October 23, 1863. Four inches covered the earth and it was the coldest winter of many years. The following is the list of the early snowfalls and the number of inches for the last twenty-five years: November 13th, 18S0, 13 inches; November 6th, 188S, 4 inches; November 9th, 1892, 4 !4 inches; November 3rd, 1899, inches; November 8th, 1900, 1 1-5 inches ; November 24th, 1903, 4 inches.

N May 28th, 1843," Collins' History says, "a desolating 1 \\ 1 whirlwind passed over parts of Franklin, S.ott, Fayette and Bath counties, its track being about forty miles long and four miles wide, over which many houses and nearly all the trees and fencing were torn down and a large number of horses, cattle and other stock killed. At Mount Zoar meeting house, four miles from Lexington on the Russell's road, while the congregation (Sunday afternoon) were at worship the house was unroofed and three of the walls leveled with the ground, but not a human being received injury. Several persons near Owingsville were injured. After the whirlwind passed, the rain and hail did immense damage to the growing crops.

Beautiful Snow

Over the housetops;, over the street. Over the heads of the people you meet Dancing, flirting, skimming along, Beautiful show, it can do no wrong. Trying to kiss a fair lady's cheek, Clinging to lips in frolicsome freak ; Beautiful snow from heaven above, Pure as an angel, gentle as love !

West Main Street Of Georgetown

Dec. 1, 1828. - Rain falls every day for over three, months, up to March, 1828. In forty days prior to January 9th there were but four days of sun. High water in the Ohio river, about five feet lower than the highest known.

June 25, 1841. - Great hail storm in Central Kentucky, remarkable for its direction and extent, passing from south to north and from two to five miles wide; hemp destroyed and other crops greatly damaged.

Town Became Enterprising Georgetown Began To Push Forward

fT WAS not until the year of 1816 before Georgetown began to push forward, and this was no doubt due to the protest of many of the older citizens who desired to have it remain as a quiet little place of comfort and rest. The grand old pioneer who laid off the town and sold the lot for the Court House - Elijah Craighad passed away. The war of 1812 had been fought and you might say, won by the sons of Scott county, one especially - Col. Richard Johnson. The little frame Court House, surrounded by a post and rail fence, had been sold by the County Court to the Trustees of the Rittenhouse Academy and was soon to be moved to "Science Hill," now the College campus. The bunch of tailors, Lemons, Applegates and others, who had their shop where the Fitzgerald's drug store now stands.

The large sink hole on Main street, just in front of Watts' hardware store, of which every boy raised in Georgetown has been told about, as the information has been handed down from generation to generation.

The little frame hotel built by Captain Mahoney was being torn away and a two-story brick, running the full length of Court street, which was known as Pratt's hotel, was being erected.

The little frame house in which Jimmie Kelly opened the first grocery was torn away and the twostory brick known as the "Bull's-Eye" had been erected.

A fire engine had been purchased, also a number of rubber buckets and several wells dug in the streets in various portions of the town for the purpose of protecting property against the flames.

Notwithstanding the fact that other counties were constantly being formed and the State rapidly increasing in population, especially the County Seats, Georgetown was not to be outdone, for from 1816 to 1830 she had trebled her population. Georgetown continued the increasing of population until now - 1906 - when she is reported as having over 5,000. The following shows this to be a fact:

Year Copula

Mrs. Eliza Tnompson, who is among the oldest native born residents of Georgetown, gives a very interesting sketch of the place eighty years ago. She has a remarkable memory and her writing is almost like that of re-print. She differs somewhat from others in her account of events, but the sketch is pretty close to being correct:

/"|| HE BIG SPRING was given to the town by JoSiah Pitts. He V£r reserved the part on the Keene Richards side for his stock water. The town was a great manufacturing place at this time. Lewis Rucker made lasts to make shoes. The Court House stood on the corner of Mrs. Jas. E. Cantrili'syard on Main street. It was on old one-story frame building, with very small windows, and had been painted red. Mr. Charley Cullen used the building as a cooper shop, and also manufactured oil. Where the Wellington now stands, Mr. Richardson manufactured tobacco and cigars. Oliver Gaines and John Ford were contractors and carpenters. Mr. George Allgaire made all the tinware'and sold groceries.

Jack Thompson and Jesse Cannon made all the boots and shoes for the Southern people and negroes. Michael White and John Applegate were the tailors. William Nash and Job Stevenson were the saddlers. John Adams and Billy Brown made all the hats. Lewis Bittner was the wheelwright. Lynn West was the gunsmith. John Boston made furniture. Mr. Douglas was the undertaker and used a one-horse hearse. Jas. Deering was the blacksmith. Jas. Crawford kept the jail. Mr. Steadman manufactured linsy and ran a grist mill. George Prentice had a paper mill on the Big Spring Branch, and furnished Cincinnati with paper. Dr. Satterwhite was the first physician, then Dr. Bower and Dr. Ferris. A free negro made all the ginger cakes and rusks; his name was Ned Black. John Whitney was the grocery keeper. He was a devout member of Barton Stone's church. Every person he spoke to was his brother or sister. Whether black or white, he called them "brother" or "sister." It made no difference how busy he was, if there was preaching at his church, he would close his grocery and attend church.

When he died he wanted to be buried under the church. His request was granted, as the floor was taken up and he was buried under it. John McMeekin was the confectioner. Old Mr. John Herring was the market master. Nick Falkner was the tavern keeper. He was the father of Andy Falkner, who composed the song "Arkansas Traveler."

There was a carding factory, a nail factory, a tan yard and a rope walk on the East side of North Broadway, between Amanda Redd's house and Thurman's grocery. This was first the Main street of Georgetown. After the name was changed to Main Cross it was called "Rat Row," and is now Broadway.

Barton Stone was the teacher of a school then known as the Ritten House Academy on Science Hill, where the old college now stands. The graveyard was East of where the monument

B. W. Stone was the founder of the Christian church; gave the ground to the church where the Christian church now stands. Jimmie Black preached for the Baptists, down by the Big Spring Branch. The Christian church at that time was called Stone's church.

John T. Johnson was Circuit Clerk; Ben Ford, County Clerk; Judge Warren was Judge; Samuel Shepard was a lawyer; Thomas Theobald was Sheriff. Nimrod Finnell edited the Georgetown Sentinel. The first time the Clerk's office was burned, it was set on fire the night of an election, to destroy the poll books. Learned to Parse in "Paradise Lost."

The children read in "The Pleasing Companion," a book that was endorsed by Thomas Jefferson; used the blue-back spelling book; learned to parse in "Paradise Lost."

Such a thing as a drug store was not known. There were a few patent medicines kept in the grocery stores. Mrs. Doctor | Feris owned the first cooking stove. All the neighbors sent theirj cake to be baked in her stove. Mrs. Emily Hewitt taught thei girls to draw and paint, also to make wax fruit and flowers. Mr. Roland Hanna and Mr. Phil Price were the leading merchants.

Blackberries and tomatoes were considered very poisonous. The tomatoes grew wild, and were not larger than bird's eggs. There were no cultivated tomatoes until '41.

One Hundred Years Ago

are persons now living who have been eye witnesses of the changes indicated in the following table of things man could do one hundred years ago:

He never had a bank to go to deposit his money or to make a note. So from 1816 to the present day Georgetown has pushed forward and the majority of the things that a man never seen then can be seen now within the town limits. Men do not go securities on notes as banks have been started and such business is transacted in them. Below will be found a notice on a note.

"CAUTION - In the latter part of the winter of 1817. I gave a note to Jacob Lyebrook for $14 The note has been paid, hut Mr. Lyebrook refuses to return the note. All persons arc autioned against taking an assignment on said note, as I am determined not tooav it the second time.

An editor of a Southern paper makes this notice of ten dollar bills being counterfeited. The date or the name could not be found on the clipping.

In this county a large business is doing in the way of counterfeiting money, both in gold and paper. The counterfeits on the Planter's Bank of Tennessee are so well executed that they have been put on the best judges of money. The ten dollar bills may be known, however, by a large X on the top corner of the left hand end of the bill - I mean the tens. It is believed from the discoveries now made that this company of counterfeiters extends through Greene and Washington counties. They will yet be ferreted out. Let all honest men be on the watch. There is no such plate as the one on the Planter's Bank with the X at the top corner. Let this not be forgotten, because the signatures on the counterfeit bills are as perfect as the originals.

The First Bank Established

For weeks efforts were made to secure some information concerning the bank established in George Town in 1818. Nearly every aged citizen in the county was called upon - from Mr. Samuel Keene to Mr. Garrett Powell - but none could give any information at all. The old check which appears on page 260 is so worn with age that when placed under a magnifying glass the names of the President and Cashier cannot be read.

In what portion of the town th s bank was located is a question yet to be solved. From hear-say some of the old citizens say that they have heard their parents speak of a bank being located in a small room that stood on the ground where K. Stone owns' now and conducts a grocery.

After a search of several days through old papers and records success crowned our efforts, as we found an order made at a session of the Scott County Court in March, 1818, appointing tiie following Commissioners:

"The General Assembly of Kentucky having provided an act for forty-six independent banks to he chartered, among them being the Bank of George Town, it is ordered that James Johnson, Job Stevenson, Samuel Theobald, Philimon D. Price and Wm. B. Keene be and are hereby appointed Commissioners to solicit 2,000 shares at $io,o per share. Capital stock, #200,000."

The Farmers' Bank of Kentucky was the second one established in Georgetown. It was a branch bank of the Farmers' Bank of Frankfort, established in 1850, and the house now owned by Mr. Geo. Fitzgerald and occupied as a residence on Hamilton street was its first location, and where it was successfully conducted for nine years. The large, heavy doors and big windows of the house are curiosities. A likeness of the house appears on page 292. In 1859 the bank erected a large two-story brick building on the corner of Main and Hamilton streets, in which this institution conducted its business for thirty-five years. A likeness of this building will be found below:

The Old Building

This building was erected in 1859 at a cost of $12,500, and torn down in 1895 and the Wellington Hotel erected in its place. It looked like too good a building to be torn down, but it had served its purpose.

The Money Question

What to use for money was a vexing question. Tf e old En glish money was the first used, but the scarcity of coin in 177^ compelled the printing of 20-shilling bills, a likeness (actual size of which appears below.

For a number of years in olden times, a man owing money had to pay or he was sent to jail and kept, even if his family suffered. Kobt. Morris, a member of Congress, and one who signed the Declaration of Independence, saved lives as well as country. In the Revolution would have come to a standstill if £50,000 in gold had not been raised for the starving soldiers. Morris raised the amount on his own personal security, and secured other amounts. The War might have been different, had it not, been for him. Years after when this grand man had become old and poverty stricken, he was arrested and put in prison for debt, he could not pay. A few days before he died he wrote to a friend that he did not have money to buy bread for his family.

The Trials, Troubles And Tribulations Of Money

Since our last report, on this subject, there have been some changes worthy of notice; for the ingenuity of man never had greater scope than that which has been afforded by the situation of our "money affairs," during a year or two past.

Specie has become more plenty than formerly, but a great part, of it, comes in such a "questionable shape," that, we are puzzled to ascertain its value, without the use of scales and weights. We can make every fraction of a dollar, from the fragments into which round coin has been mangled. Of all instruments for making money, a strong pair of shears is most convenient; and some unknown gentlemen, to replenish their own pockets, and to wear out those of their neighbors, have rerorted to a practice at once mean and dishonest. A dollar, under their operations, is increased in value one-eighth, and sometimes one-fourth. A t wenty cent piece, quartered, becomes the value of a quarter dollar, and with a little hammering can be clipped so as to pass for thirty-one cents; and so of other silver pieces.

Buttons - To increase the quantity of specie, pewter but tons have been put in circulation, and sometimes serve very well, among other t. umpery, to make change.

Tickets - The "two penny tickets" of individuals, which were scattered in profusion among us sometime ago, have become scarce. Thousands of them, however, will never be redeemed, as it, was intended t hey never should be when they were put afloat. All respectable banks are collecting their small notes as fast as possible.

In January, 1818, forty-six independent banks were chartered, among which was the Bank of George Town, with a capital stock of §200,000. The likeness of a note on this bank for ten dollars, dated May 4, 1S1S, payable to W. T. Smith

The original was sent to Mr. J. R. Downing, cashier of the present Bank of Georgetown, by a banker in Amesbury, Mass , who secured it from a customer who found it in demolishing an old building in Acton, Me. The President of this bank was William Ward and the Cashier was Tilford Offutt, as may be seen by a .close study of the half-tone. The bank had a capital stock of §200,000, but went out of business before the oldest inhabitant's .memory begins.

The Present Bank Of Georgetown 261

The capital stock is $25,000, and in the seven and one-half years of its existence has accumulated a surplus fund of $15,000 and an undivided profit account of several thousand dollars, besides paying a dividend of six per cent every year since its organization.

Interior Of Bank Cashiers And Bookkeeper

The present directors and officers of the bank are A. L. Ferguson, President; M. H. Haggard, Vice President; T. K. Shuff, J. P. Jackson, W. T. Davis, Dr. R. L. Garrick and John R. Downing, Directors; J. R. Downing, Cashier; G. T. Hambrick, Assistant Cashier, and J. W. Thomason, Jr., Bookkeeper.

The deposits of this bank have increased from $46,000 in 1900 to more than $200,000 in 1905 and bid fair to continue to grow still more. Such an institution as the Bank of Georgetown, with a Board of Directors composed of such business men as it does, could not be successful. It is, nevertheless, a fact that a bank with such gentlemen as Mr. John R. Downing as its Cashier, Mr. George Hambrick, Assistant Cashier, and Willie Thomason as Bookkeeper, is sufficient evidence that the deposits of this bank will continue to increase. The hank is located at the corner of Main ;ind Hamilton streets in the building owned by Mrs. Nannie Craig.

HE Bank of Georgetown was organized in / J I August, 1897, by the late S. S. Wells, who was the first Cashier. It began business September 20th, 1897, with the following Board of Directors: C. L. Garth, President; A. L. Ferguson. Vice President; Dr. F. F. Bryan, Dan McMillan, Rev. F. J. Donnelly, Thos. L. Carrick, Wm. Kenney.

Those In The Picture

Reading from bottom to top appear likenesses of Chas. Davenport, Bookkeeper; A. H. Sinclair. Cashier; Reed Nutter, E. P. Ewing, Bookkeepers, and Frank Howard.

The bank building is situated on North Main street about midway of the block, bounded on east and west respectively by Hamilton and Court streets, of which a likeness appears elsewhere.

HE Farmers' Bank was established in 1850 as a branch of the Farmers* Bank of Franhfort. The Farmers* Bank of Kentucky went into liquidation in 1900, the Legislature having taken' away its charter. On May 1st, 1900, the new bank was organized under the.name of The Farmers' Bank of Georgetown, with a capital stock of $60,000. Its capital stock had been $800,000. The bank is located on the corner of Main and Hamilton streets, in the Wellington Hotel building. The Directors

HE Deposit Bank of Georgetown was chartered on ill February 13th. 1867. Its first meeting of stockholders was on April 1st, 1867, those present being Richard West, the noted trotting horse breeder, since dead, B. F. Elliott, Geo. E. Prewitt. 0. B. Moore, J- D. Grissim, S. R. Thomson. A-S. Bradley, 0,0. Kenney and James Y. Kelly. The officers elected at that meeting were L. L. Herndon, President: James Y. Kelly, Cashier, and C. 0, Moore. Clerk. The Board of Directors elected at the same meeting were L. L. Herndon. B. F. Elliott, J, I>. Grissim, A, S. Bradley and George E. Prewitt, All of these gentlemen held their positions in the bank until removed either by death or on account of having been called to more lucrative positions.

are H. S. Anderson, Buford Hal], J. A. Bell, John W. Hall, W. O. Carrick, Geo. V. Payne, Henry Craig, R. B. Thomas. Mr. E. Yates is the Cashier and the present Bookkeepers are Messrs. John S. Gaines, Robt Q. Ward and Willie Hall.

The First National Bank

HIS bank was organized in March, .1 883, and ill commenced business the following May. Its Vbt first Board of Directors was made up of such men as Hon. A. P. Grover, JudgeH. S. Rhoton, Dr. R. M. Dudley, Joseph Finley, W. N. Offutt, Warren Graves and H. P. Montgomery. H. P. Montgomery has been its President since its organization, until his death in 1905 and until the 1st of January, 1890, Capt. Noah Spears, now Vice-President of the Banker's & Merchant's National Bank, of Dallas, Texas, was its Cashier. The Dallas Bank was not a success and the Captain returned to Georgetown and engaged in the insurance and real estate business until his death. The First National Bank quickly took root in Scott County, and atthe presenttime its stock can not be bought at 100 per cent, premium. Almost all its stock is owned in Scott County, and is consequently very closely identified with the business interests of this city. Mr. W. G. Abbott has been its Cashier since the 1st of January, 1890, and under his

Control the bank continues to enjoy its wonted prosperity. The bookkeepers .are Mr. Asa Brown and Mr. R. A. Hamilton. Its present board of directors are made up of the following gentlemen : J. D.

Present Building The Market House 265

fN speaking of anything that is of a historical nature about Georgetown to an old resident of the place, the first thing he will mention is the old Market House. The Market House stood in the center of the street east of the Court House and is now called City Hall Square. The house was built in 1804 and was a frame structure. At this time the ground was leased by the county in connection with the town. At theexpiration of the lease, the town refused to continue the same and erected a large brick building. From the best information that could be gained was erected in 1810 and stood there until 1846 or 1847. The ground on which the house stood belonged to the county and in 1846 the Gentlemen Justices gave notice to the Trustees for its removal. The Justices did not give their reasons as to why they wanted the house removed, but it is supposed that they wanted possession of their property. The notice which was served is as follows :

"Ordered that the leave given hy the order of this Court to I tlie inhabitants of Georgetown to erect a Market House on j the southeast end of the public ground in said town be, and | and the same is, hereby rescinded, and that the Chairman and i Board of Trustees of said town be required to remove said ( Market House within twelve months from the time notice of this order is served upon them. Bal T. Thompson and Daniel Bradford, Esq., ars appointed a committee on behalf of this Court to give the notice herein provided for by delivering to the Chairman of said Board of Trustees a copy thereof.

A Display Of The Market In One Of The Stalls In The Early Morn

anything in Georgetown appreciated like the Market House. If there ever was a place that needed a Market House it is Georgetown. The citizens of the town petitioned the County Court to rescind the order, but the Justices refused. The petition was circulated and received avast number of signatures, and read as follows:

"Your petitioners would respectfully represent that by the location of the new Market House on one side of the town, remote from the business part thereof, is in every way inconvenient to a large majority of the citizens and that this was brought about in opposition to the expressed wish of a majority of the voters of said town, who petitioned the Board of Trustees for leave to say where said Market House should be1 located, which petition was rejected. For remedy whereof yoiir petitioners would respectfully ask your honorable body to rescind the order requiring the Board of Trustees to move the old Market House, and grant the next Board to alter and repair the same for the use and convenience of the citizens."

The Justices refused to rescind their order and the Trustees in 1847 moved tire Market House to the Big Spring and it stood where the old frame ice plant building stood until 1871. It was an out of the way place and the Market House soon became a thing of the past- The following laws governed the house :

There shall be a Market Master elected by the Board, whose duty it shall be to discharge all the duties required of .him by the ordinances of said Board. The stated market ijdays shall he Wednesday and Saturday in each week.

The Market Master shall have the Market House swept S every Tuesday and Friday and open the doors of the Market at three hours by sun on Tuesday and Friday evenings

Iand keep them open until sundown. He shall also open them by daybreak on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and shall keep ..them open until the sun shall be one hour high.

It shall be the duty of the Market Master to attend to the [measuring and weighing of all articles sold in said market, if [required by the purchaser or seller, and any person refusing to give full weight or measure according to the standard of 'this Commonwealth shall forfeit the article and the Market f Master shall sell the same at public sale for the benefit of the [Treasury of Georgetown.

Any person selling or buying, or trying to sell or buy, any article of provision in the Market House, or adjacent thereto, from the time of opening the gates in the evening preceding the market days until the market is regularly opened by the Market Master, shall forfeit and pay one dollar for each offense ; provided, that from the 1st day of September until the 1st day of May butchers and others may sell fresh meat on the evenings preceding market days.

That the regular market hours shall be from the time when the sun is three hours high on Tuesday and Friday until sundown, and from daybreak until the sun shall be one hour high on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, during which time all articles of marketing shall be sold at the Market House, and nowhere else in town, under the penalty of one dollar for each offense.

That no person shall buy in the Market House, during market hours, any article of provision in order to sell again at a higher price, during the same market, under a penalty of ten dollars for each offense-

That no person shall retail any beer, cider or spirituous liquors in the market house, or in any of the streets, alleys or public grounds under a penalty of five dollars.

' That the Market Master shall seize all provisions offered for sale at the Market House which are unwholesome or nqt fit for the market, and summon the citizens to inspect the same; and if by them decided to be unfit for market, the Market Master shall destroy the same at the expense of the owner.

!, That the Market Master shall examine butter and other ! articles offered for sale in proportions alleged to be of any I particular weight, and if found to be light he shall seize the [same and sell it to the highest bidder, and Ipay over the proiceeds to the Town Treasurer; and he shall also require the |i butchers and others to weigh their meat with scales instead of { steelyards.

It shall be the duty of the Market Master to take care of the scales, weights and measures placed in his care, and deliver them over to his isuccessor, or any such other person as the Board may direct.

The Market Master shall lay before the Board, yearly, an account of all monies collected by him for forfeitures or otherwise, and paid to the Treasurer; and also all notes taken for stall rent, and shall give notice to the Marshal of such persons as may remove any property from the Market House.

Market Master

That any person found guilty of feeding or hitching horses, oxen or any other animals in or about t he Market House, or on tlH pavement thereof, sTi all he fined one dollar for each offense. .

That any person who shaltbe guilty of any disorderly behavior in the Market House, or interrupts the Market Master in the discharge of his deities, shall forfeit and pay five dollars'.

It shall beithe duty of the Market Master upon application of any one wanting to rent a stall in the Market House to rent the same at not less than eiget dollars per year, to take bond with good security, payable to the Chairman and Board of Trustees, said bond to be placed in the hands of the Treasurer when executed.

That any person not a renter of a stall who shall sell beef or pork in any quantity more than fifty pounds shall pay at the rate of twelve and a half cents per hundred pounds. Any such persons selling sausage in any quantity more than twenty pounds shall pay a tax of one-fourth of a cent on eac-li pound of such excess.

That any person taking away from the Market House any of the weights or measures belonging to the said Market House shall for each offense, forfeit and pay one dollar, to be collected and accounted for as in section nine.

That the Market Master shall inform the Marshal of all persons offending against any section of this ordinance, and that all fines may be collected by warrant with costs of suit.

The Pioneer'S Staple Diet The Year Round

The staple diet consisted principally of beef, salted fish, pork, hominy and potatoes the whole year round. More fruit was eaten in those days by the pioneers than is used today.

The country was full of fruit and as fast as ground was cleared up orchards were made and great care was given to the trees. Some of the finest orchards in the State were to be found in Georgetown.

Tomatoes were first used in this country as an edible in the year 18111, by the late lion. Bailey Bartlett, of Havervill, but they did not come into general use in Kentucky until more than twenty years subsequent to that date. In a letter to Joseph Harrod, Esq., of Portland Me., Sheriff Bartlett said; "Cut up and dressed as you would a cucumber, the tomato makes very good salad."

There was all kinds of game in Scott county, the squirrels being as thick aw fleas on a dog's back. Mr. Sam Keene, the oldest native citizen of Georgetown, says that lie has seen his father kill a mess of squirrels on Main street of Georgetown before breakfast.

Early Settler Of Georgetown

I as well as promising, citizens. Although the death occurred JL when the subject of this notice was but three years of age. he had attained a position in the community to which but i few of that age and experience can ever hope to aspire. The subject of this sketch is no other than Pete, the famous talking crow. ; Pete was the property of Mr. Dave Adams, grandfather of Mrs. f Mr. and Mrs. John Herring and Mr. A. B. Barkley, of George-

Itown, and Messrs. John and George Barkley, of Lexington. Pete never had his tongue split, nor were any other measures taken by which nature should be assisted in giving him the power for | talking or other vocal accomplishments. He obtained his educa- I tion at Mr. Adams' hat factory, which was where Pieri now owns_ ' True Kentuckian that he was, Pete was not long in learning Jtliat one of the first duties of a gentleman was to attend the races. A 'Bus Load Out to the Track.

i AT first he was taken along to the West track, now called "Gano track." but after seeing one or two races he never missed a meeting. In the excitement of a start he cried out in a loud

He would sit and give the word to the horses as they passed ghim. Although Pete was able to give the word with all the dis- Stinctness and vim of a regular starter, he sometimes lacked ^judgment.

HE sent them many bad starts. He is quoted as the origin of the use of the bell, his words being mistaken for those of the jstarter and the horses sent away when the starter had no inten- |ition of doing so.

;1 Fishing likewise was one of Pete's weaknesses - he was fond jfof minnows. His first fishing expedition was to Bourbon bridge. eAn attempt to pull off a fishing expedition without the aid and - consent of Pete was considered by him as a gross insult. Pete (-always laid claim to the first fish caught, big or little, and were {She refused, scolded or driven off with a switch, he would fly ? (straight home to his master, where he wassure of better treatment.

( "As far back as I can remember there was a brick Market (House on the east of Court Square, extending from Main to (Court streets, in which country people had to sell their produce (and in which town people had to buy. The country people and (the butchers generally got in before daylight and the town people about daylight or soon after. I will relate an incident, which J think is not in history, connected with the old Market House, nd was related to me by William Adams, uncle of Dave Adams, s being true, about Pete, the talking crow. Pete was xceedingly fond of horse racing and always attended the aces on the track on Cincinnati turnpike, and is said to be the -aus.e [of the change from using the word 'Go' by the starter, to he bell as the crow would light on the stand and give the word Go' at the wrong time and make a false start. Col. Benj. 'ord, father-in-law of Mrs. Reuben F. Ford, was County Clerk, nd lived where W. H. Barbee now lives on Bourbon street. Ir. Wm. Adams told one, that he heard Col. Ford say, he was oing to market one morning with a large basket on his arm, nd when opposite the hatter's shop he heard some one say. Good Morning,' he looked around and it was the crow, and he idded, 'They haven't got as much as I could eat.' Adams says the crow attended the market regularly and sometimes the maret was very poor, this was several years before my recollection." A full and complete history of Pete written by Gen. T. C. lournoy is as follows :

Pete, The Talking Crow

Nearly forty-five years ago the late General T. C Flournoy, known prominently for his zeal in the temperance cause, wrote for the Georgetown paper an account of the wonderful crow Pete, whose history was still then only preserved by tradition. Every year or two since it has gone the rounds of the papers, and has again started afresh by the Turf, Field and Farm. Written so long ago it has many personal allusions which, though perfectly plain to the generation of that day, have become somewhat obscured by time. To make this intelligible to our modern readers, at our request a cotemporary of the learned Peter, who now resides in our midst, an honored citizen of venerable age, though still vigorous in mind and body, has prepared an introduction, which his modesty has caused him to frame as if written by us, to which our friend Stanton, the poet, has prefixed a prologue in verse.

Pete, The Wonderful Georgetown Crow

Our readers will enjoy the treat we furnish them to-day, in the following "history of Pete," by the late Gen. Thos. C. Flournoy, of Georgetown. It is a perfect gem of its kind, and, aside from the literary merit of the production, its special value consists in the strict truth of the incidents and facts narrated, notwithstanding the vein of inimitable humor which runs through it, and which might, upon a casual reading, be mistaken for exaggeration. Pete was no myth. He was a living, flying, talking reality - the wonder of his age. In the extent of his vocabulary and in clearness and distinctness of utterance, he was never even approached by any parrot that ever lived. Pete, it is true, flourished before our day, but we have derived our information from one of his contemporareis, an old Georgetown friend, who we have the highest authority for saying, was a pretty good fiddler in 1806. He knew all the persons mentioned in the history. All of them have followed Pete and his biographer to the grave, and none, with the exception perhaps of "Uncle Ned" Blackburn, Captain Burbridge and Mr. Benjamin Smith, are now remembered outside of Scott county; but each had his peculiar characteristics that gave him local fame.

John Felty, for example, was one of the journeymen of Mr. Adams, the owner of Pete, and was distinguished for his devotion to fishing, races and musters, and the recreations which then they were, and still are, incidental to these sports. On all such occasions Pete and Felty Were as inseparable friends as Barnaby Rudge and his raven. George Sawyer was also a journeyman in the same shop, and it was to his fidelity as an instructor that Pete was indebted for many of his accomplishments.

By Gen. Thos. C. Flournoy

Georgetown, Ky., is certainly the most remarkable place in the world for birds. Who has not heard of Pete, the illustrious crow, which was raised and owned by Mr. John Adams, of this town Pete - that everybody admired? This crow - without having had anything done to his tongue, and with no other advantage than that of being brought up in a hatter's shop among the boys and journeymen - could undoubtedly talk better than any parrot in the world ever talked.

But to begin with the history - Pete, "in his youth," was once taken to Bourbon bridge on a fishing party, where he got some very good minnows to eat, and always afterward, to the day of his death, he was a devoted fisherman. The moment Pete saw the fishing poles brought out he was as keen as a briar to go; and go he would, and he would help himself, too, to the very first fish that was caught, big or little. If you scolded at him or took up a switch and threatened to whip him he was off. He would fly straight to his master's house in Georgetown, where he knew he had friends, and where he was sure to be fed like a gentleman. Mr. Adams has feelingly told me "that if he had but one piece of bread in the world he would have shared it with Pete."

Among the earliest buddings of Pete's genious was his fondness for racing. He was taken to one or two races, in the first place; but after that he was sure to attend as a volunteer; until, at length, becoming very much excited on the field, he mounted the stand, and in a fit of inspiration he gave the word "Go," to the horses." And this was the first word ever spoken by Pete. The speech met with the most unbounded applause. The beating of Henry by Eclipse was a fool to it. From that moment Pete was a "made man." He was everywhere acknowledged as principal manager of the turf Pete knew everybody and everybody knew Pete. He was constantly seen in the thickest of the crowd "chief cook and bottle washer." He did not always know when to give the word "go," but he knew how to do it as well as Uncle Ned or Capt. Burbridge himself.

It should be remembered, to the credit of Pete, that he was then the staunch advocate of temperance. Many a bottle of new whisky has Pete broken and many a quarrel has he had with Fetlty for doing it. And here it is proper to notice a charge which had been brought ,against Pete. It has been said that Pete was in the habit of drinking the whisky and breaking the bottle, by way of concealing the theft. Upon the principle that a house has often been burned down after it was robbed, in order to prevent discovery, but I do not believe a word of it.

1 consider the whole story, whether written or spoken, as base slander upon Pete's reputation. What, Pete drink whisky? Good, new whisky? The thing is impossible. Pete was possessed of too much intelligence and two much self respect. He was always sober as a Judge. And besides I do not believe that the sillest crow that ever croaked would be stupid enough to taste one drop of whisky, although it might roll in oceans at his feet. Had Pete been called on to drink he would have risen on tiptoe, and with his accustomed eloquence, lie would have replied, "No, gentlemen, no. Not one drop of whiskey will I drink. It is whisky and that alone which fills the poor house and the penitentiary, throughout Christendom, and from one extremity of the earth to the other. We are informed by Mr. Adams and two other gentlemen, that upon one occasion a stupid Wagoner who had about a quart of new whisky in him at the time, and whose name happened to be Bill, was terribly frightened by Pete. The fellow it seems, was driving his team through the streets of Georgetown, when Pete took a seat upon the top of his wagon and began to call out, "Bill, oh, Bill! oh, Bill!" The fellow looked up, and without waiting rolled off in the mud, flat on his back, and was very near run over by his own wagon.

The hero of our story had a perfect contempt for his wild brethren. He evidently avoided them, and upon one occasion, having been thrown into company with some of them, at a hog killing which he was very fond of attending, Pete actually retired to the inside of Mr. Barrack Offutt's porch to avoid what he considered company; they could not talk they were no company for Pete.

I have just been told that Pete is charged with | being a mongrel. Now 1 take upon myself as an ornithologist, and as the biographer of Pete, to say that the thing is false out and out. That Pete was as genuine a crow as ever was seen. That he had not 1 one drop of parrot blood in him ; that he was as much J superios to the parrot as a mocking bird is to a spar- $ row, "as Hyperion to a satyr."

As a distinguishing trait in the character of Pete, 1 it deserves to be mentioned that he had not the ; slightest aversion to gunpowder. On the contrary | he was particularly fond of military tactics; and j made it a point to attend all the musters in the neighborhood of Georgetown. Musters and races | were his favorite pastimes.

It has been long doubted whether Mr. Burke was fj greatest as a speaker or writer. But there is no | such doubt in relation to Pete. Oratory was unquestionably his strong suit; touch him on that and he j] was always at home. He could say "good morning" | with perfect distinctness, and this was his favorite | salutation; he would use it forty times a day, and at I all hours of the day. Mr. Ford informs me that he | met with Pete one morning at market, and that he | heard him say "a cold, frosty morning," as plain as I he ever heard him say anything in his life. But his 1. longest and best speech is, "Oh, Bill! oh, Bill, tell | George Sawyer to come here." This speech, long as | it is, was pronounced with the utmost distinctness, | twenty times a day, upon an average, and has been | witnessed by hundreds, and perhaps by thousands, j:j with the highest admiration. Gentlemen have been if known to visit Georgetown from a hundred miles, j expressly to witness the power of Pete's eloquence. | Pete's Morality Questioned. j<

As the writer of history, bound by all the sane- jj tion of the truth, I am compelled to say that Pete's jj morality was somewhat questionable. He had been | heard to swear repeatedly ; and, upon one occasion j; doubtless without reflection, he went so far as to j abuse a lady in her own house. Pete, it seems, was | on a vif-itand, in the course of the evening, he had jj amused himself by pulling out the feathers of a hat J which lay upon the bed in one of the chambers. Pete j| was at length detected in the very act; or, as a law- IS yer would say, "he taken with the mainor." The ] lady informed him she considered him an intruder, ; and that she would have him put out of her house. Pete's Irish was instantly up, and he told the lady to her fade, "Course your soul, I'll tell George Sawyer." Cursed a Lady.

The lady, of course, retired ; she could not possibly : stand such language as this, and Pete lorded it through the house for some time, and did exactly what he pleased. Now, this I admit, was all wrong and perfectly inexcusable; hut I would like to know what crow in creation or man either is without fault? And, besides it should be known to posterity that Pete's general character was good, and in so complete an assemblage of perfections it will not be matter of wonder if some alloy of frailty was found intermingled. My deliberate opinion is that the darkest shade in Pete's character was a tendency to

Pete lived to the age of about three years, and was clearly progressive up to the moment of his death, in his knowledge and accomplishments as a scholar and a gentleman. His lamented death took place in the ever memorable year 1832. That year so fatal to genius, the same year in w'hich more great souls de- E parted than in any other two years in all the annals f of history : Macintosh, Culver, Goethe, Crabbe,

The distinguished subject of our history was un- \ fortunately shot by a nephew of Mr. Ben. Smith, of ; Edge Hill, a stranger, who knew nothing of the | character and standing of Pete. He fell in the su- | burbs of Georgetown, Ky., on the branch of the Roy- | al Spring, near Mr. Crawford's house. Upon the I melancholy news of Pete's death, it was at once de-

II termined to bury him with the highest respect. His | remains were accordingly placed in a very handsome | coffin and interred on the classic ground, near the I college edifice. The funeral was attended by a large | procession of boys. The bell was regularly tolled.

Many a wet cheek was seen at the burial; and we are l told that the children of Mr. Adams were not the only ones that shed tears. How early might the life : of Pete have been saved if only moderate caution had | been observed by the citizens of Georgetown. Still j it was not the want of regard, but the excess of it | that was fatal in this instance. Nobody ever dream- | ed that Pete could be shot through mistake. Never | did the advantage of stars and garters and ribbons I and decorations strike me so forcibly before. For the want of some such badge of distinction, a crow I of genius lost his life.

The author of this story never saw Pete but once he was then on the top of Mr. George Brown's house, in Georgetown. The street below was full of gentlemen on horseback, and, Pete supposing it to be a race, was engaged in giving the word "go." It was Court Day, but it seems that nobody had informed Pete of the fact; so that he was evidently acting under a mistake at the time.

Of one thing the public may be assured that no fact stated has been exaggerated in the slightest degree; that in the whole of this memoir no single incident is given but upon the highest authority. The truth is that most of the facts contained in this history have been actually sworn to. Mike Algiare,upon telling the story in New Orleans, and finding that he was not believed, went before a Justice of the Peace and solemnly swore to every word he had stated. Af- | ter all the pains I have taken, there is very little doubt that the fate of Homer has been that of Pete, and that many of his best speeches have been lost to the world forever. T. C. F.

Moore Criticises Flournoy

Old General Flournoy wore a gold medal all his life, that good old Father Mathew, the great Irish Catholic temperance apostle, gave him. The General died a bachelor. He had a love affair in his young days, and wore green clothes all his life, winter and summer. Green means "forsaken." He died at a green old age, leaving more drunkards around him than he started with. He was the first crank that ever lived in Dog Fennell, and was the only member of the order here whose memory I feel constrained to doff my cap, as to a superior officer. He was the same kind of a man they used to burn for heretics.

Mr. (Jhtis. C. Moore died in 1906 at his home Quaker Acre, Fayette county. He was a grand-son of Rev. Rarton Stone. He was a scholar and had traveled a great deal. He entered in the vocation of life as a book-keeper in a bank, then he studied for the ministery and became a noted minister of the Christian Church. He gave up the minsitery and becamean infidel and published the Blue Grass Blade. He was a brilliant man, but was ecentric, but back to early history in 1817.

At a term of the County Court held in 1817, the followidg order was made: "On motion of Ben Taylor, Joe Taylor, James Wood, Thomas C. Leach, John C. Buckner, Cary L. Clark and Mathew Beatty that Elijah Craig, Abraham Stites and Samuel Shephard therein be appointed Commissioners pursuant to an act of many cases made and provided to convey to them certain lots of Georgetown agreeable to their certain bonds, given to them by Richard Gano, deceased." Order Book B, page 58.

N July 11th 1818 in Collin's Annals is found the following account of the Grand Metoric Explosion which caused considerable fear among the people at that time :

"Grand metoric explosion at 2:45 P. M. Seen and heard at Georgetown, Owingsville, Mayslick, and between Paris and Lexngton; "described as a great white ball, whiter than snow, very bright nearly as big as the sun, flying almost as swiftly as lightning, from where the sun was shining brightly towards the east, the noise was terrible, like a heavy cannon at a great distance."

Owned By Georgetown People

S early as 1823 a company composed of citizens , of Georgetown was organized for the purpose of building and operating a steamboat between New Orleans and Louisville. This company failed in its undertaking and a second company was organized of which Collins History gave this account.

A company was organized in Georgetown in 1826 and had a steamboat built, which was christened by the name of ''Lexington." She plied between Louisville and New Orleans and rode the waves then equally to a man o' war in midocean. On June 9th, 1827, she came from New Orleans to Louisville in eight days and twenty-one hours, the third quickest time made up to that date. The celebration in Georgetown over the record has never been equalled.

Whilst it is a great degree of pride to know the skill of the pioneers of Scott county in early days, but don't let it be forgotten that the first steamboat ever launched in the world was the work ot a Kentuckian - John Fitch.