John Bierly House, State Route 8, Vanceburg

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,68-VANC.V,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The John Bierly House is a fine, late-nineteenth century brick farmhouse located along the Ohio River. Exhibiting a combination of contemporary urban-inspired style and traditional local form, the house is evidence of how architecture is seldom entirely vernacular or entirely academic in inspiration. Almost identical in form to its neighbors, the Fred Carr and Thomas J. Bruce (Hazel Cook) Houses, the Bierly House was constructed more than thirty years after either of them. It features the same L-shape with a formal main block and service ell. It is also two stories in height and uses the same materials, brick and cut stone.

Its use of factory-produced porch elements, ceramic fireplace tiles, and Tiffany-inspired lighting fixtures indicates an awareness of architectural styles initiated in urban areas. The large house with its fine details and impressive array of substantial outbuildings has a prominent setting in the fertile valley along the Ohio River. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168(page 2) Built by John Bierly in the house can be associated with the period of prosperity in the late nineteenth century which saw the coalescence of the Carrs community. Occupied continuously by Bierly, his sons and daughters from the date of construction to the present, the character of the house reflects the importance of this family in the community.

Indica- tive not only of the tastes and preferences of the local elite, the house shows as well the influence of the Bierlys' more cosmopolitan outlook, which can be associated with their familial and economic ties beyond Carrs to Cincinnati and the Ohio River valley. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date of erection: The National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form provides a date of Miss Maude Bierly, present owner and occupant and daughter of John Bierly, states that her father built the house in from bricks made on their farm after their earlier home, a one-and-one-half brick and frame structure located nearer the river, was washed out in the flood of 2. Architect: unknown; "built by John Bierly" 3.

Original and subsequent owners: Since the Bierly family appears to have moved into Carrs prior to building the John Bierly House, the following partial chain of title begins with their first acquisition of real estate in this area in The property, known as "Home Farm", was held by John Bierly's wife Lena in partnership with their son, Charles. Deeds are filed at the Clerk's Office, Lewis County Courthouse, Vanceburg; a complete abstract of title was provided by Kentucky Power Company, Ashland, Kentucky. Deed August (sic), recorded August 24, in Volume X, Page 152 Jesse H. Stout To Lena Bierly and Charles W. Bierly JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168(page 3) Deed for one-half interest September 25, recorded October 5, in Volume X, Page 531 Charles W.

Bierly and Kate Bierly, his wife To Lena. Bierly Deed September 23, recorded December 30, in Volume Y, Page 445 John C. Bierly and Lena Bierly, his wife To Charles W. Bierly (one-half interest) Deed August 24, recorded May 1, in Volume 1, Page 121 Charles W. Bierly and Kate Bierly* his wife To Lena Bierly (one-half interest) Deed May 6, recorded May 14, in Volume 45, Page 105 Lena Bierly To Fred C. Bierly Affidavit of Descent, April 29, recorded May 13, 194 7 in Volume 72, Page 626 Fred C. Bierly died intestate February 6, property divided in equal shares among: Charles W. Bierly of Portsmouth, Ohio S. E. Bierly of Carrs Maude Bierly of Carrs Anne Bierly of Carrs Nell Bierly of Carrs Deed May 8, recorded May 13, in Volume 72, Page 627 Charles W. Bierly and Fannie Bierly, his wife To S. E.

Bierly Maude Bierly Anne Bierly Nell Bierly Deed May 12, recorded January 18, in Volume 79, Page 54 S. E. Bierly and Bessie L. Bierly, his wife To Helen Rose Applegate (one-fourth interest) JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. (page 4) Will April 15, recorded February 8, in Volume (Wills) J, Page 489 Anna Bierly To Maude and Nell Bierly (three-fourth interest) Deed February 18, recorded February 19, in Volume 82, Page 234 Maude and Nell Bierly To Maude and Nell Bierly (survivorship) Deed December 31, recorded January 3, in Volume Page 596 Maude Bierly and Nell Bierly To Maude Bierly arid Nell Bierly (tenants-in-common only) 4. Original plans and construction: Original drawings and architectural plans have not been located.

The two-story brick house is of L-shape with a single pile plan. The front section of the house contains two rooms per floor divided by a stair passage. The rear ell contains a dining room and kitchen on the first floor. Most of the outbuildings are contemporary with the main house. The shed to the east of the dwelling, which is presently used as a garage but was formerly their ice house, is built with bricks from the earlier house, which was washed out in the flood of The frame, detached kitchen and dining room, used in the summer, was built from the lumber formerly used in the earlier house. The bricks used to construct the house are said to have been made on the farm. 5. Alterations and additions: Alterations to the house have been remarkably insignificant.

A small bathroom was added under the stairs in the first floor passage, and the kitchen has been outfitted with some modern appliances. In addition to the lack of structural alteration, the house retains many of its original furnishings, with very little furniture introduced to the house after circa B. Historical Context: Although Lewis County is considered part of eastern Kentucky, it lacks the mineral resources for which this region is generally known. The county is hilly and historically depressed, except for the rich valleys of the Ohio River and JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 5) Kirmiconick and Cabin Creeks. In the its principal products were corn, wheat, rye, oats, horses, cattle and hogs.

In the middle and late nineteenth century, cultiva- tion of tobacco began to spread from the Bluegrass to other areas of the state. The enumeration of tobacco among the taxable wealth belonging to Fred Carr, who owned the farm immediately west of the Bierly farm, reflects the introduction of this crop to this area in the where it rapidly assumed prominence. The spur to coalescence of a community in this area resulted from the fortunate combination of arable land and good transpor- tation. Although the Carrs landings were not a regular stop for packets on the Ohio River, residents flagged a vessel when a shipment of tobacco and/or livestock was ready to ship to Cincinnati, and the boat tied up at one of the landings located in front of the houses.

In general, the community tended to orient itself toward the river and the small towns on the opposite side; the focus for this area was Cincinnati. Competition between the Maysville and Big Sandy Railroad in the and river traffic generally stimulated the growth of towns along the Ohio in this period. James Stout sold an easement to the Maysville and Big Sandy in and Carr sold a second easement to the railroad in when the line was finally extended through this area. The Chesapeake and Ohio bought out the Maysville and Big Sandy and converted it primarily to a coal/freight line to serve the burgeoning steel industry in eastern Ohio. Along this stretch of the river, however, access both to the river and to surface routes invited local commercial development.

Stout kept a store in this area in and Carr also kept a store and a post office in a frame building adjacent to his brick dwelling. The depot and post office near the Carr house were later moved to their location behind the John Bierly House after the track was widened. The Bierlys bought the Carr property and took the building down. The post office had been established by and the community at this point included the Peter Taylor Chapel and the first of three school houses. A railroad depot was constructed behind the Fred Carr House, later moved to a site further up the river behind the Bierly House, where it sat among small frame houses built for the section men.

A series of buildings housing a store and post office clustered among the dirt road, which bounded the original Bierly property on the east and ran down the river. Known as Carrs Lane and subsequently as Bierlys Lane, this route linked the railroad with the river. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 6) Construction of the John Bierly House is associated with this late nineteenth century growth based on tobacco and transporta- tion, which resulted in the coalescence of this community. Both John Bierly and his wife Lena had been born in Ohio of German parents, and their moving to this location suggests the wider regional identification with the Ohio River valley, which transcended individual state boundaries.

John Bierly is said to have moved to Carrs for his health; a businessman more than a farmer, his daughter Maude remembers him travelling frequently, leaving care of the farm to his sons. The Bierlys rapidly assumed a prominent role in the Carrs community, giving land for construction of a school house and selling land to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for construction of the Peter Taylor Chapel for the nominal fee of per acre in John Bierly is said to have brought the chapel's bell back from Cincinnati.

Although the family moved to this area shortly after the Civil War, references to members of the family in the Sunday School Book belonging to the Peter Taylor Chapel begin in Bierly appears in the Federal census near Frederick Carr together with his wife, three daughters and three sons; by this time, his son Charles had apparently moved away. Ten years later, his household included two sons, two daughters and a boarder, Russel Dickerson. His son Samuel E. Bierly, who later bought and occupied the neighboring Fred Carr House, rented land near his father's in The census that year noted a railroad depot, general store, nearby lumber mill, millinery shop and school in the community defined by Stout's Lane (or Carrs Lane) and the turnpike.

Residents of the community voted in a small town across the ridge on Quick's Run. Carrs appears on a geological map of the county as a railroad station surrounded by a cluster of buildings. It also appears on a state map as a cluster of buildings with a store, railroad depot, church, cemetery and school. A Works Projects Administration description of the area in noted that the communities along the Ohio River "are tiny and cluster beside the highway or along the railroad tracks". As such, Carrs can be seen to illustrate a typical settlement pattern for this part of the state in the late- nineteenth through early twentieth centuries, in which the Bierlys represent a prominent local family with ties that extended beyond the immediate environs.

Members of the Bierly family have continued to live in the house. Miss Maude Bierly, who was born in still occupies the dwelling together with her niece, Helen Rose Applegate Kimble, who grew up in the adjacent Fred Carr House. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. (page 7) C. Sources of Information: 1. Map s: Geological map of Lewis County, Kentucky. Surveyed by E. S. Perry. Kentucky Geological Survey, Frankfort, Kentucky. Scale: mile. Traffic flow map, Lewis County, Kentucky. Prepared by the Kentucky Department of Highways in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Public Roads. Scale: 1/2 miles. 2. Unpublished and published sources: Bowman, Mary Jean and W. Warren Haynes Resources and people of east Kentucky; problems and potentials of a lagging economy.

Resources for the Future by Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Collins, Richard and Lewis Collins History of Kentucky. 2 vols. Collins & Co., Covington, Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky. Hathaway, Beverly West Inventory of county records of Kentucky. Accelerated Indexing System Inc., Bountiful, Utah. Larrance, Isaac Post office feey^or Kentucky map by figures with a key to space. Isaac Larrance, Plainville, Ohio. Mead, H.E. Kentucky and Tennessee; a complete guide to their railroad stations and their distance, connections north and south. Their rivers, their landings and distances. H. E. Mead, Louisville, Kentucky. Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Peter Taylor Chapel Register. Manuscript in possession of Inez Barnhardt, Vanceburg, Kentucky. Sunday School Book.

Manuscript in possession of Inez Barnhardt, Vanceburg, Kentucky. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 8) National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Historic Resources of Carrs River Community, Lewis County, Kentucky. Compiled by Claudia Watson, Soil Systems, Inc. On file at the National Register of Historic Places, Washington, Piatt, G. Sam Power plant will replace former way of life. Ashland Daily Independent, February 25, Copy of article supplied by Kentucky Power Company, Ashland, Kentucky. Kentucky, State of Tax lists, Lewis County (manuscript). Microfilm of originals on file at the Lewis County Public Library, Vanceburg, Kentucky. Talley, William M.

Talley's northeastern Kentucky papers American Reference Publishers, Fort Worth, Texas. University of Kentucky, Works Projects Administration Kentucky; a guide to the bluegrass state. Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York. U.S., Bureau of Census Population schedules of the Eighth Census of the United States: Kentucky, Lewis County, Free Inhabitants. Microfilm of original on file at the National Archives, Washington, Population Schedules of the Eighth Census of the United States: Kentucky, Lewis County, Slave Schedules. Microfilm of original on file at the Nat ional Archives, Washington, Population Schedules of the Ninth Census of the United States: Kentucky, Lewis County, Vol. 20, Vanceburg Precinct.

Microfilm of original on file at the National Archives, Washington, Population Schedules of the Tenth Census of the United States: Kentucky, Vol. 19, Lewis County, Vanceburg Precinct. Microfilm of original on file at the National Archives, Washington, JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 9) Twelfth Census of the United States: Schedule No. 1. Population, Kentucky, Lewis County, Martins Precinct. Microfilm of original on file at the National Archives, Washington, Thirteenth Census of the United States: Schedule No. 1. Population, Kentucky, Lewis County, Magisterial District No. 2, Martins Voting District. Microfilm of original on file at the National Archives, Washington, 3.

Materials provided by Kentucky Power Company, Ashland, Kentucky: Gray, Woods & Cooper Abstract of Title and Final Title Certificate, Option #3 Thomas J. Bruce (Hazel Cook) House. Abstract of title and Preliminary Title Certificate. Option #9 John Bierly (Maude Bierly) House. Abstract of Title and Preliminary Certificate of Title, Option (Fred Carr House). Continuation of Abstract of Title and Final Title Certificate, Option #6. Abstract of Title and Preliminary Title Certificate, Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 4. Oral History Interviews: Dickerson, Walter. Recollections of the Carrs Community. Lewis County, Kentucky Historic Documentation March 1, Interviewed by Amy Friedlander and Roger Wheeler. Tape and transcript on file at Soil Systems, '* Inc., Alexandria, Virginia.

Bierly, Maude and Helen Kimble. Recollections of the Carrs Community. Lewis County, Kentucky, Historic Documentation March 2, Interviewed by Amy Friedlander and Roger Wheeler. Tape and transcript on file at Soil Systems Inc., Alexandria, Virginia. Barnhardt, Inez. Recollections of the Peter Taylor Chapel and the Carrs Community. Lewis County, Kentucky, Historic Documentation March 2, Interviewed by Amy Friedlander and Roger Wheeler. Notes on file at Soil Systems Inc., Alexandria, Virginia. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. (page 10) McCann, Peggy. Recollections of Peter Taylor Chapel and the Carrs Community. Lewis County, Kentucky, Historic Documentation March 2, Interviewed by Amy Friedlander and Roger Wheeler.

Tape and transcript on file at Soil Systems, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: The form of the house suggests its Greek Revival and Romantic Revival period neighbors while the detailing suggests the Reform movements that characterized the end of the nineteenth century. In plan, the house represents a traditional local variation of a Georgian plan with a rear service ell added. In detail, the artistic impulse of the turn of the century is felt in the decorative ceramic fireplace tiles with figural and geometric designs, and in the treatment of the front door and central bay on the second floor with their small panes of colored glass surrounding a fixed central pane.

The full incorporation of the rear ell into the main house is seen here as opposed to its earlier neighbors^ the Fred Carr and Thomas J. Bruce (Hazel Cook) Houses. In these houses, the rear ell is semi-detached serving to clearly distinguish formal and service functions within a household. With the Bierly House, this distinction is made in a more subtle manner: in the way the decorative nature of the trim diminishes in the kitchen. 2. Condition of fabric: The John Bierly House is in an exceptionally good state of maintenance. In addition to being structurally sound and in good repair, the house has had relatively few alterations: these of a type not ..detrimental to its architectural character.

The addition of a bathroom under the first floor stairs in recent years is the major change that has occurred to the house since its construction in B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: The L-shaped house has a 44' facade with the main block 18' deep; the rear ell extends back 42' for a total depth of the rear ell is 18' wide. 2. Foundations: The foundation is of cut stone and the house has no basement. 3. Walls: The walls are of common bond brick which, according to the present owner, was fired on the farm. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 11) 4. Structural system: Brick load bearing and exterior walls. 5. Porches: The principal porch is that which extends from the three central bays of the five bay facade.

Composed of elaborate factory turned and sawn elements, it shows evidence of East-lake influence. There are four turned posts supporting a low hipped roof covered with standing seam metal roofing. There is a frieze of spindles and sawn brackets just below the roof. There are two engaged posts at the outer sides of the second and fourth bays. A second porch is located at the junction of the rear ell and main block of the house. This porch is two stories with square posts having Italianate style brackets and a simple balustrade of square elements on the second floor level. 6. Chimneys: There are two interior end chimneys on the main block of the house. These chimneys have corbelled caps and bases.

A simple chimney is located at the interior of the rear ell between the kitchen and dining room on the first floor plan. It has been extended vertically about eighteen inches and is otherwise plain. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The principal door is that on the facade. It is the central of the five bays of the first floor. The door has a cut stone sill and lintel. The door is of wood with a multi-paned upper section with clear and colored glass. There is one horizontal panel with raised central field at the lower section of the dark stained door. Small panes of pink, blue, green, yellow, or clear glass surround the large fixed central pane of clear glass. There is a brass door knob and bell.

The front door opens into the center stair passage and there is a corresponding solid door at the rear of the passage. Three doors open to the east from the rear ell, one from each of three rooms. These have glazed upper sections with a single clear glass fixed pane each. At the extreme rear of the ell is an original frame section with a single exterior door of solid panelled wood. This room was designed as an enclosed porch. b. Windows: The facade has five bays with large one-over- one pane windows. The windows have stone sills and lintels. Over the central entrance is a paired window which lights the second floor stair passage. It has two narrow windows under a continuous lintel. The JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO.

KY- 168 (page 12) upper half of each of these paired windows has a clear central pane surrounded by multi-colored small panes as. with the door below. Windows at the sides and rear of the house are of the same type as those on the facade. The east gable end of the main block . is without fenestration. The west elevation has a three sided bay, one story in height at mid-point, serving the dining room. 8. Roof: The house has a low hipped roof clad in asphalt composition shingles. The original covering was probably standing seam metal roofing as is the case with the bay on the west elevation and the front porch. The roof has an architrave cornice supported by simple sawn bracket^ of Italianate influence. The brackets are arranged in conjunction with the fenestration on the facade (i.e.

they in effect frame the bays on the facade). The brackets are mounted on a plain frieze about eighteen inches in width. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor Plans: a. First floor: The first floor has two parlors, one located to either side of the central stair passage. The dining room is located in the central portion of the rear ell and is accessible via the west parlor or from the rear of the stair passage. To the south and rear of the dining room is a kitchen and small service room which includes a secondary, service stair. b.

Second floor: The second floor plan is basically identical to the first floor plan with the difference being the functional shift in the rooms and the insertion of a secondary passage allowing access to the rooms in the rear ell without necessitating passage through one room to another. The second floor secondary passage also opens to the second floor rear porch which may have doubled as a seasonal alternative to the bedrooms. 2. Stairways: The principal stair located in the center passage in the main block of the house has turned balusters and newel post of oak with twelve steps to the stair landing then four more to the second floor passage. The stair is. in an Eastlake inspired style with spool like turnings on quarter round moldings applied to a reeded square newel.

JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. (page 13) 3. Flooring: The flooring is of uniform width pine boards. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: The walls and ceilingrare finished with plaster applied to lath. Walls in some rooms have stylized floral designed wall paper dating to . the first quarter of this century. 5. Openings: a. Doors and doorways: Doors have four raised panels each. They are set within reeded moldings with bull's eye corner blocks. The major doors have transoms with original geometric stenciled designs in reds, blues, and browns. b. Windows: Windows have simple reeded moldings and, like the doors, are dark stained oak or pine. 6. Decorative Features and Trim: a. Chimneypieces: Chimneypieces are found in each of the principal rooms and vary from one to another.

They are all of dark stained oak and have brackets or columns to support mantle shelves. The parlors and dining room have overmantles with beveled mirrors. Each fireplace has highly glazed ceramic tiles around the opening; in some cases the tiles are molded in stylized floral designs. The overmantles have applied foliate moldings. b. Baseboard: The baseboard is of dark stained oak and has a single board with a molded cap. 7. Hardware: Doors are hung on cast-iron butt hinges. Door knobs are of white porcelain or simply designed brass with plain back plates. Windows have relatively plain locks of cast iron. 8. Mechanical Equipment: a. Heating: Floor mounted hot air registers serve as the principal means of heating the rooms with some of the fireplaces available for burning coal. b.

Lighting: An original hanging lamp remains in the first floor center passage. It has glass panels with acid etched designs. The dining room has an interesting chandelier with glass shades in stylized lily forms; the art glass is of the type popularized by Tiffany and is used in combination with bronze fixtures. A similar hanging lamp is found in the west parlor. Second floor lighting fixtures date to the JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 14) Plumbing: The original plumbing in the house consisted of a water pump mounted in the kitchen. This remains in use today and is served by a cistern. A bathroom was added on the second floor in the first quarter of this century, with a bathroom added to the first floor in recent years. D.

Site: 1- General setting and orientation: The Bierly House is located about feet to the south side of Kentucky State Rte. 8 in the Ohio River valley. The house faces north across gently sloping cultivated land to the Ohio River. The house is set in a large yard with domestic outbuildings clustered to the rear and farm buildings to the east. 2. Historic landscape design: The large trees in the front yard and some large flowering shrubs are remnants of early landscape plantings. An iron fence at the front of the house is contemporary with the construction date of The cattle barn chicken house and extension to the garage are the only outbuildings that are not part of the original landscape. The dirt lanes leading from Rte. 8 are probably original as well. 3.

Outbuildings: In the domestic yard, the summer kitchen, smoke house, and wash house are all original outbuildings. The wash house is the structure closest to the main house. It is of brick and is rectangular in form with an unusual gothic arched doorway. The summer kitchen is of frame and features a basement with bulkhead entrance. The smoke house is of brick construction. The cistern is protected by four brick piers dating to the or with lattice infilling and a gable roof with wide eaves. The chicken house is a frame, shed-like structure behind the 'wash house. A small frame pump house is located at the rear of the domestic yard. The farm yard includes the present garage (formerly the family's ice house), the cow barn, and the tobacco barn.

The large frame tobacco barn is situated about forty feet off Rte. 8 between the two dirt lanes. The cow barn is of frame and is located several hundred feet south of Rte. 8. Associated with the cow barn and located to the east gable end is a frame corn crib.. JOHN BIERLY HOUSE (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. KY- 168 (page 15)

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,68-VANC.V,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

PROJECT INFORMATION Federal Agency Involved: Environmental Protection Agency The American Electric Power Service Corporation (Canton, Ohio), through the Kentucky Power Company (Ashland, Kentucky) requested this documentation. They have proposed a power plant to be constructed on the site, which would impact the Thomas J. Bruce (Hazel Cook) House, the John Bierly (Maude Bierly) House, the Fred Carr House, and the Peter Taylor Chapel. The architectural and photographic components of this project were conducted in May with Elizabeth W. Anderson as Project Manager and Robert A. Warnock as Architectural Historian. Historical documentation, including oral history interviews and archival research and preparation of the final document were completed during March with Charles H.

LeeDecker as Project Manager and Amy Friedlander as Historian. Messrs. Russ Coburn and Roger Wheeler of Kentucky Power Company and Messrs. Frank Ferraro and Thomas Webb of American Electric Power Service Corporation were liasons for this project. John Bierly House (Maude Bierly House) HABS No. (page 16) Sketch Plan- First Floor i HABS No. (page 17 John Bierly House (Maude Bierly House) HABS NO. Exterior Door; North Front HABS No. (page 18) John Bierly House (Maude Bierly House) HABS No. Interior Detail; molding profiles: Baseboard (shown vertically) Door/Window Surrounds (shown horizontally)