The Flickr Kentuckyhistory Image Generatr

Title: Minuteman
Artist: James Muir
Material: bronze over quarried Kentucky limestone
Venue: In front of the Sons of the American Revolution national headquarters, Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky

(Although in 1775 minutemen were specifically members of New England's militia companies—e.g. Paul Revere—who were trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies to fight in the Revolutionary War at a minute's notice against the British, this generic minuteman statue looks like a gentle Kentucky nod to frontier and Revolutionary War hero Daniel Boone, who was not a minuteman but was a patriot. I see Boone hiking under tall Kentucky hardwood trees and a rising sun.😉 Handsome statue.)

We all know I'm not back in the Civil War taking digital photographs. I like photographing re-enactments with some sort of modern stamp in the image. Sometimes I'm more interested in the modern stamp than the reenactment.

But she still looks good. The old Greensburg train depot was renovated.

I make it a habit to take in a chapel scene from the perspective of where the Bible on the pulpit is turned to. Hmm, it is opened to a dark and bloody chapter:

"...The Lord has done what he announced through his servant Elijah. 11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor… 33 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel." – Bible, Old Testament, 2 Kings 10: 10-11, 33

Nice Bible picture on the left page.

The late Kentucky historian Thomas Clark listed eleven treasures in the Bluegrass State that he felt all Kentuckians should see in order to better appreciate their state and its history. One of a whopping three religious sites listed of the eleven treasures named was the Cane Ridge Meeting House.

The book Thomas Clark's 11 Kentucky treasures explains why. "Events at this log church in Bourbon County more than 200 years ago helped change the course of religion in America."

It continues, "The Cane Ridge Revival was part of a wave of religious fervor–called the Western Great Revival or the Second Great Awakening–that swept the American frontier in the early 1800s. The Cane Ridge Revival, the climactic event of the awakening, is still considered a watershed in American church history. Out of it came the creation of the Christian Church, the Church of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).”

Where there had been wilderness, log cabin homes, and isolation, churches and communities began to spring up and flourish.

A buddy of mine, who is a member of the Church of Christ, asked me, "Could you feel the holiness at the Cane Ridge Meeting House?" He elaborated, "I do every time I go." I appreciated him sharing that with me.

Kentucky's freedom of religion

A glimpse from the second floor onto the first floor of the Cane Ridge Meeting House. Constructed in 1791, this building was part of a famous Kentucky revival of 1801 that contributed to the Second Great Awakening in America. The book Dr. Thomas Clark's Kentucky Treasures points out, "Events at this log church in Bourbon County more than 200 years ago, helped change the course of religion in America."

Wikipedia describes this building and the importance of its 1801 revival as follows:

"The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Churches of Christ (non-instrumental), and the Christian Churches (independent) of the Stone-Campbell movement trace their origins here. This movement is often noted as the first one indigenous to American soil."

The Cane Ridge Meeting House is one of eleven Kentucky treasures that University of Kentucky historian Prof. emeritus Thomas Clark said that every Kentuckian should visit in order to better appreciate their state.

Displayed in the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park visitors center, this painting is a wall mural depicting Daniel Boone and his expedition into Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap.

There is a steep wall of mountains that stopped southern travelers from passing north into the lush Indian hunting grounds of Kentucky. Daniel Boone and his expedition found a narrow gap through that wall of mountains that settlers could pass. The trail into Kentucky that Boone blazed would be called "The Wilderness Trail."

Prayer recitals at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near New Haven, Kentucky

Thomas Merton, known in his Catholic faith as Father Louis Merton, died in Bangkok on December 10, 1968. The Encyclopedia Brittanica describes this Catholic monk as "one of the most important American Roman Catholic writers of the 20th century."

His gravesite is here at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky.

A black-eyed susan sees some Kentucky rain. These flowers skirt the Monk Cemetery of where renowned writer Thomas Merton and his fellow Trappist brothers have their graves.

Kentucky's freedom of religion and deep religious tolerance

Founded in 1848, this Catholic monastery, the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, is not only the first abbey of Trappist monks in Kentucky but also in America. Its first monks immigrated from Europe to found the abbey. It sits alone, surrounded by woodland, hills, and farms in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Why did Kentucky historian Thomas Clark put Nelson County's Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani as one of the state's top eleven treasures for Kentuckians to visit? Whether one is Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Taoist, Zoroastrian, atheist, agnostic, or something entirely else, Dr. Clark felt that all Kentuckians should visit and be familiar with the abbey in order to more deeply appreciate their state. But why?

One guide answered me that it is because this ground is such a holy place. I understand that Catholic believers would visit this site for that reason and would feel that slice of heaven here in Kentucky. But for the rest of us, is the answer that this place shows Kentucky's early and deep commitment to freedom of religion?!? Or maybe the answer is as simple as to have each Kentuckian appreciate its history of when there was a large influx of Catholic immigrants to the Bluegrass State. I don't know.

I do know that the 1850s were the heyday for the Know Nothing Party in Kentucky, whose members thought Catholics were conspiring to overturn the U.S. government and to follow the Pope. During all of that, the foreign Trappists were welcome to immigrate, settle, and establish a monastery in Central Kentucky. The monastery thrived while the Know Nothing Party faded into oblivion.

The book Dr. Thomas Clark's Kentucky Treasures points out why Nelson County seemed like a good place for the immigrating Trappists, especially after an initial attempt at an abbey in Marion County in 1804 did not succeed. But their second attempt looked solid. "Their chances for success seemed good. Nelson County already was a center of Roman Catholic settlement, the nation's first inland Catholic diocese having been established at Bardstown in 1808. Indeed, the Abbey of Gethsemani has flourished since its founding."

Kentucky's freedom of religion and deep religious tolerance

This is a bronze statue of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th Century founding Trappist abbot from Burgundy, France. The statue stands outside the gift shop of the Abbey of Gethsemani. Founded in 1848, this Catholic monastery, the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, is not only the first abbey of Trappist monks in Kentucky but also in America. Its first monks immigrated from Europe to found the abbey. It sits alone, surrounded by woodland, hills, and farms in rural Nelson County, Kentucky.

Why did Kentucky historian Thomas Clark put Nelson County's Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani as one of the state's top eleven treasures? Whether one is Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Zoroastrian, atheist, agnostic, or something entirely else, Dr. Clark felt that all Kentuckians should visit and be familiar with the abbey in order to more deeply appreciate their state. But why?

One guide told me that it is because this ground is such a holy place. No, that cannot be the answer. What about the rest of us who are not Catholic? Is the answer that this place shows Kentucky's early and deep commitment to freedom of religion?!? Or maybe the answer is as simple as to have each Kentuckian appreciate its history of when there was a large influx of Catholic immigrants to the Bluegrass State. I don't know. I do know that the 1850s were the heyday for the Know Nothing Party in Kentucky, whose members thought Catholics were conspiring to overturn the U.S. government and to follow the Pope. During all of that, the foreign Trappists were welcome to immigrate, settle, and establish a monastery in Central Kentucky. They thrived while the Know Nothing Party faded away.

The book Dr. Thomas Clark's Kentucky Treasures points out why Nelson County seemed like a good place for the European immigrating Trappists, especially after an initial attempt at an abbey in Marion County in 1804 did not succeed. But their second attempt looked solid. "Their chances for success seemed good. Nelson County already was a center of Roman Catholic settlement, the nation's first inland Catholic diocese having been established at Bardstown in 1808. Indeed, the Abbey of Gethsemani has flourished since its founding."

– excerpt quoting Barton W. Stone, an American protestant evangelist who led a huge revival in Kentucky, the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801, attracting some 20,000 people. Stone's focus was on a Restoration Movement, restoring the original church of Christ. His efforts are recognized to be a part of what is called the Second Great Awakening.

Displayed outside the Cane Ridge Meetinghouse, the above image taken by me is a bust of Barton W. Stone.

The Stone quote in the title is from the book Barton W. Stone, An Address to the Christian Churches in Kentucky, Tennessee & Ohio on Several Important Doctrines of Religion, Address to the Christian Churches, 2nd edition, Lexington, Kentucky, Printed by I. T. Cavins, & Co., 1821

Just a few days after the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted on July 4, 1776, Jemima Boone and two daughters of Colonel Richard Calloway, Elizabeth and Frances, were on a leisure ride on the Kentucky River near the safety of Fort Boonesborough when Shawnee and Cherokee kidnapped them.

Daniel Boone (Jemima's father) and his rescue party saved the teenage girls. [Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the incident.]

After a bit of research, I once hiked to the opposite shore of the unmarked spot where the girls were described to have been kidnapped.
___

Artist: Jean Francois Millet (1814-1875)
Title: Rescue of the Boone and Calloway girls by Daniel Boone (painted circa 1855)
Material: Oil on canvas

The Florence Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on February 6, 1989. It was deemed significant under criterion A as a good example of local everyday commercial activity, specifically hotel keeping, in the period 1870-1930. Of the 21 commercial buildings identified in the county at that time, four served as hotels/inns; the other three serving as hotels/inns predate this period of significance. This property is the only extant illustration of hotel service to transients during this period in Florence, whose economic success in this period of time was largely based on its location on a principal transportation corridor, the Ohio River. An 1883 Atlas referred to this building as the Florence Hotel. The only other hotel in town, according to the Atlas, was the Southern Hotel, located immediately across Main Street, that has since been demolished. The Florence Post Office was also located in this building for a time.

All information above was located in the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be found here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/b38793d8-e50a-4029-8ec...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Christian County in southwestern Kentucky was formed in 1797 with Hopkinsville being selected as the county seat. The county is named for Colonel William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He settled near Louisville, Kentucky in 1785, and was killed by Native Americans in southern Indiana in 1786. The building seen above is the 3rd version of the county courthouse and was built after the Confederates burned the 2nd version on December 12, 1864 because it was being used by the Union Army as their barracks. It was built in 1869 with architect J.K. Frick providing the design. This courthouse is included in the Hopkinsville Commercial Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on April 30, 1979. Information about the courthouse and all the other structures included in the historic district can be found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration located here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/730ad2cb-1f16-4532-899...

This photo was taken in 2013 during my previous Project 365…please visit my album for this “REMASTERED” Project 365 as I revisit each day of 2013 for additional photos to share!!

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Churchill Downs, which features the largest racing grandstand in North America, has attained significance primarily as the home, since 1875, of the annual Kentucky Derby, the internationally renowned race for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses, which serves as the first phase of the "Triple Crown", horse racing's "most sought after distinction". The track at Churchill Downs was constructed in 1874 by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, a prominent Louisville thoroughbred breeder and grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the namesake of Clark's partner in that great venture, in an attempt to stimulate the thoroughbred industry, which was then in a period of decline. It was modeled after Epsom Downs in England. The Derby rapidly acquired prominence in racing and has now for 147 years attracted racing's greatest horses, jockeys, and trainers. Churchill Downs is also the scene of other important races including the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (for 2-year-olds); the Clark Handicap-earlier known as the Clark Stakes (for 3-year-olds and over); and the Kentucky Oaks (for 3-year-old fillies).

Historically, the horse industry has always been vital to Kentucky's economy, first as the only means of transportation and then as a breeding business & sport. Organized racing took place in Kentucky as early as 1789. From then until 1874, when Churchill Downs was constructed, there were several tracks in the state. In 1873, however, horse racing in Kentucky was at a low ebb and many horse breeders were considering closing their stock farms, since they could not get good prices for their thoroughbred yearlings. Col. Clark established Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby in an attempt to alleviate this depressed situation. Clark called his track Churchill Downs, since it was built on land owned by his great-grandfather, Armstead Churchill. Continuing the emulation of English models, he chose to name his principal race the Kentucky Derby and modeled the Clark Handicap after the St. Leger Handicap. The first Kentucky Derby was run on Monday, May 17, 1875, over a distance of a mile and a half. (In 1896 the length was reduced to the present-day mile and a quarter.) The Derby is also now held on the first Saturday in May every year.

Churchill Downs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1978 and added as a National Historic Landmark on October 21, 1986. All the above information and much more can be found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP located here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/5452adfd-2630-42b4-9eb...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

The Old Amsden Bank Building is a large two-story brick Victorian structure with its entrance on the corner of Main & Court Streets. It was built in 1889 for J. Amsden & Company. The architect was Aldenberg & Scott and the builders, Naive & Dawson. It was first occupied by D.B. Rice Grocery Company and a banking concern. The building is on the site of the Old Watkins Tavern owned by the mother and step-father of Henry Clay (attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate & House of Representatives and was the 9th U.S. Secretary of State). The tavern was destroyed in the 1880s fire. It was a stone building, constructed under the supervision of Thomas Metcalfe, later governor of Kentucky. It was here Lafayette stopped for a banquet in 1825 and from its second story balcony addressed the gathered crowd. The Court Street side of the former Bank Building has three distinct sections, separated on the second story by stone quoins. The two sections on either end on the top story have large arched windows with a long stone bank linking the five windows in the mid-section on ground level. The Main Street facade has a similar large arched window with 6 smaller arched windows on the southern end. This building is one of many in the Downtown Versailles Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 2, 1975 that is characterized by a large number of late nineteenth-century storefronts and is similar to other downtown commercial areas in the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky dating from the same period of construction.

More information about this district like that above can be viewed on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=00816cc8-9484-...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Photographed with a drone, this is just outside of Harrodsburg in Central Kentucky. Below is some background of the Old Mud Church, which was built in 1800. It is from a book introduction on Amazon.com of The History of Low* Dutch Slavery from New Netherlands to Kentucky and Beyond by Judith Smith Cassidy, published in 2020.

"The Dutch West India Company, who [recte which] established the New Netherland Colony, later gave permission for colonists to acquire slaves, which [recte who] were imported [recte forced to immigrate to the U.S.] from Curacao...The number of slaves owned by individuals increased by the time families moved to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and later to Kentucky. Determined to buy a large area of land where they could retain their Dutch and Huguenot language and live as a congregation, they departed these areas settling in the areas of Mercer, Henry, and Shelby Counties, Kentucky ca. 1780-1783. While many settled near Harrodsburg in Mercer County, where the Salt River Congregation (Old Mud Church) was established, others settled the Low Dutch Tract in Shelby and Henry Counties which they divided into large tracts of land of 2,000 acres or more."

*Note: Low Dutch is Dutch and High Dutch is German.