Kentucky "Pioneers," In Memoriam

Over the span of 50 years, on this day, Kentucky lost 3 of its pioneers; its founders; its visionaries - in every sense of the word. Today, we remember Dr. Thomas Walker (1715-1794), Robert Patterson (1753-1827), and Rev. Barton Warren Stone (1772-1844).

Dr.Thomas Walker (1715-1794)
Dr. Thomas Walker was a Virginia physician, living next door to Thomas Jefferson's father (for awhile, he was even Jefferson's guardian!). But he will likely be best remembered as a member of the Loyal Land Company, and leading the first organized English expedition into KY. This trek took place in 1750, and although it did not quite make it into the Bluegrass Region (he turned back after climbing a tree & only seeing more rough terrain ahead, even though he was only a couple days away), it resulted in a journal that assisted in future expeditions, as well as the alleged first house in KY (near Barbourville). It also resulted in the naming of the "Cumberland Gap" (in Southeast KY), for the Duke of Cumberland at the time. Walker did not technically name the Gap, but the River below it; throughout time, the surrounding features adopted the name "Cumberland" to match the River.

Later, in 1779-80, Walker surveyed the boundary between KY & TN, which was called "Walker's Line." Surveying techniques at the time meant there were a number of deviations, which assorted people accounted for & fixed over the next 100 years or so, but his basic boundary (at least to the Jackson Purchase region) is still the basis for the KY/TN border. Dr. Thomas Walker died on November 9, 1794. Years later, he was remembered as "Prof. Robertson" periodically wrote to the 1910 Berea Citizen, recording his travels "In Old Ferginny" (as he called it). This excerpt describes a bit of Walker's history, as "Prof. Robertson" recalls it in his August 4, 1901 column. (*Note: This is ONLY an excerpt! And also not in the original format! I have reformatted the columns for easier viewing. Please refer to the hyperlink above for the original newspaper format)


Robert Patterson (1753-1827)
Robert Patterson was another Pioneer & KY founder, as well as visionary, through his efforts in TRULY building the Commonwealth. He came to the state in 1775 with 6 other men and helped build what eventually became Georgetown. Then, he moved on to Harrodsburg and, a year later, returned to Fort Pitt (PA) to attain ammo to defend Bryan's Station during a siege! Three years later (1779), he headed the 25-man team that built the first blockhouse, which became the basis for Lexington. Aside from laying out Lexington, Patterson was elected a city trustee for 7 terms from 1781-1791, then every year between 1796 to 1806. He also participated in the 3rd KY Constitutional Convention, and ultimately became a state representative for Fayette County in the KY General Assembly, serving for 8 years. Aside from his political career, he served alongside George Rogers Clark, John Bowman, & Benjamin Logan in various battles, campaigns & skirmishes against domestic and foreign threats - most notably British & Native American - ultimately rising to the rank of Colonel. He died on November 9, 1827. According to this 1901 announcement in the Bourbon News, his log cabin was eventually moved (and presumably preserved) to Ohio.


Rev. Barton Warren Stone (1772-1844)
Barton Warren Stone was born in Maryland in 1772, and received his first pastorates in Kentucky & Tennessee during the beginnings of what would become the Great Revival. He helped organize the first significant camp-meeting at Cane Ridge, KY, which lasted nearly a week. It attracted thousands of people from all over to listen to sermons, and debate theological & social issues. Some people became so moved they began "speaking in tongues" or experienced "holy jerks."

In 1803, Stone left the KY Presbytery and over the next 21 years, traveled through Kentucky & Tennessee advocating for Christian unity. In 1824, he met Alexander Campbell, who supported a similar movement. Within 8 years, with the help of John Smith, they co-founded 3 new Christian denominations - the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Church, and the Church of Christ. Rev.

Barton Warren Stone died on November 9, 1844, but his religious legacy lived on in many ways, perhaps most controversially through his grandson Charles Chilton Moore, who published the KY religious newspaper the Bluegrass Blade, out of Lexington (most of its short run is available in digital copies are available on KDL). Moore's controversial views & publications involved him in many debates, much like his grandfather, though they also landed Moore in jail. Nevertheless, both Moore & Stone are at the very least nationally known KY trailblazers. This 1902 "Letter to the Editor" from the Bluegrass Blade shows the level of respect attained by Rev. Barton Warren Stone, as a New Yorker opts to name their child in his honor.

Paul Sawyier, in memoriam

Today we remember the passing of one of Kentucky's greatest artists - Paul Sawyier.

Born into a family of amateur artists (though his sister became a professional painter, as well) in 1865, the Sawyier family moved to Frankfort (where his parents had been raised) when Paul was 5 years old. His father immediately employed Elizabeth Hutchins - an artist from Cincinnati - to provide private art lessons to his children.

Paul continued his art education under another famous Kentucky artist - Thomas S. Noble - at the Cincinnati Art Academy, from 1884-85. In the following 2 years, his crayon portraits were his lifeline. He briefly returned to Frankfort to work at a hemp mill, at his father's request, but left by 1887 to return to his artistic pursuits. Between 1887 and 1888, he created river scenes and landscapes around the capital, as well as his well-known Old Covered Bridge series - 6 copperplate etchings of a Frankfort bridge that closed soonafter.

Over the next few years, he moved between NYC & KY, studying with various artists, including another KY painter Frank Duveneck. He truly began focusing on landscapes and river views in various media (particularly watercolor - probably his favorite and best-known works) in 1891. Finally, in 1908, he simply bought a houseboat, and traveled the Kentucky River, making a living with his passion for 5 years before moving to Brooklyn (though his seeming restless spirit kept him moving around NY state). He died November 5, 1917, and was initially buried in Fleischmann, NY; in June 1923, his remains were moved to the Frankfort Cemetery.

His beloved paintings were possibly best-known in Kentucky, and are still popular today in prints. Though his paintings & etchings are rarely signed or dated, and he kept no diary, many of his more popular prints - and his style - are UNDENIABLY Paul Sawyier. Paul Sawyier originals are quite valuable, and rare, today. Although, as you can see below, in this November 3, 1909 ad from the Richmond Climax, some of his works also appeared in what today might be called an "interior decorating" store of sorts.


*Note: C.F. Brower & Co. was more closely related to furniture. However, in this (and other ads), Sawyier and other artists are listed under the "Art Department." I could find very little about "Brower's," but would love to know more, if anyone has further information regarding this particular store!

A story for the season

Seeing as how this is the start of not only the season of cold weather (despite all of which we already seen!), and the season of sharing, giving, and the best of humankind, it seems only appropriate to offer something that covers all this and more! Something that reminds us of both physical and spiritual warmth, as well as offering hope for potential of human existence.

Isaac Wolfe Bernheim was born today, in 1848, in Schmieheim, Germany. At 19, he immigrated to the US with $4 in his pocket, hoping to make a life for himself in NYC. When that company when bankrupt, he worked as a peddler in PA, but was forced to stop after his horse died. He settled in Paducah, where he found work as a bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor company. He soon earned enough to pay his brother, Bernard's way to America. Soonafter (1872), with a silent partner, they founded their own distillery - Bernard Brothers and Company. Seven years later, they acquired the trademarked "I W Harper" - a bourbon whisky.

I W Harper became very well-known and popular. It earned a number of domestic and national awards, including a gold medal at the 1903 Chicago World's Fair. It was one of the few brands allowed to continue as a medicinal bourbon. The name - "I W Harper" was never fully explained until shortly before I.W. Bernheim's death, in a 1944 letter. While the I W is self-explanatory, he writes that "Harper" came from a man named Harper who had a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Three years (1882) after the intro of their trademark bourbon, the Bernheim Brothers moved, expanding their distilleries to Louisville. This is a 1901 ad for their Louisville Distillery, from the Kentucky Irish American:



Though the bourbon business proved profitable, the brothers invested in other ventures, such as mining & real estate. They likely lived quite comfortably for their time, but they also invested back into their Kentucky communities. One such example began in 1882 Paducah, after a terrible winter flood left many poor and needy. The Bernheim brothers started a yearly tradition (outlined in this article from page 1 of the December 20, 1909 Paducah Evening Sun) of indiscriminately donating coal to the poor and needy in the city.


I.W. Bernheim also financed, donated & commissioned a great deal of statuary to, and in honor of Kentucky. Many of his donations can still be seen today, including the Abraham Lincoln bust in Frankfort's Old Capitol dome (1910), the Abraham Lincoln that still stands in front of the Louisville Free Public Library (1922), and the only 2 sculptures representing Kentucky (Henry Clay & Ephraim McDowell) in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. He & Bernard also donated the Thomas Jefferson statue that stands in front of the Jefferson County courthouse. Commissioned in 1899, it was not unveiled until November 1901, due to assorted mishaps. Read these excerpts (respectively: 5/12/1900 KY Irish American, 6/8/1900 Bourbon News, 6/26/1900 Mt. Sterling Advocate, & 11/12/1901 Hopkinsville Kentuckian) below to learn about its rocky journey from Germany to Kentucky.



Probably one of the greatest gifts I.W. Bernheim left to Kentucky was not bought until after Bernard died in 1925, and did not truly fall into place until after Isaac died in 1945 - the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Bullitt County. In 1928, he bought 14,000 acres of worn-out farmland, stripped for mining ore. A year later, he established it as an arboretum & research forest, over time creating lakes on the land & working with the Frederick Law Olmstead Firm to lay out a proper landscape & essentially "restore" it. Finally, in 1950 - 5 years after Isaac died - Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest opened to the public. Ultimately, he and his wife were buried there, exhumed from their initial resting places at Cave Hill Cemetery. Their graves are marked by George Bernard Grey's memorial sculpture "Let There Be Light."

And so it was, in this cold season, yet time of warmth in the human spirit - a German immigrant was born, came to America, and lived the American dream. He gave us something to warm ourselves on cold winter nights, but also gave us an inspirational story of the human spirit - sharing & spreading his wealth & legacy with the earth & with others.

Happy Birthday (again), Daniel Boone!

Today is Daniel Boone's 2nd birthday! Why does this frontiersman and one of Kentucky's greatest legends have two birthdays, might you ask? Well, that's what I'm here to tell you!

In 1734, Boone was actually born on October 22nd. When he was 18 years old (it's okay, you don't have to do the math - that would be in 1752!), what would become the Eastern US - but was still a British Colony - finally adopted the Gregorian Calendar. This threw off the "Old Style" by 11 days, now making his birthday on November 2nd.

Nevertheless, Boone continued to celebrate his birthday in October throughout his life. Many history books honor this, while some take on the Gregorian date, and still others note both dates or just the year. Part of Boone's Kentucky legacy - Fort Boonesboro, one of the first permanent settlements in the Commonwealth - celebrates the way Boone would have wanted it - in October; a full weekend of "living history" with re-enactors & fun for the whole family. For our purposes, though, I'm offering you a little flavor of both!

*Newspaper clippings: "Boone's Birthday" Bourbon News 5 October 1909, p8.

"Unveiling of Boone's Monument" Berea Citizen 10 October 1907, p. 1.

"Ancient" Victorian Fortune-Telling Rituals

Today is a little about letting the past speak for itself & a little about me being lazy (LOL). I'm going to let you read this article for yourself (you can get a closer look by clicking on the image or the hyperlink provided below).

Very simply, this writer from the Paducah Evening Sun has provided us with a brief (and somewhat relatively accurate, depending on perspective - but that's what history is all about, now isn't it?) history of Halloween. But the REAL fun comes in the second half of the article, with "ancient" fortune-telling rituals (of course, as true today as it was then, they generally involve love & luck) using candles, nuts, seeds, and mirrors.

Enjoy!

*Note: This is NOT the original layout of this column. To view this article in its original form. See page 7 of the October 26, 1905 edition of the Paducah Evening Sun.

Spirits & Superstitions in Kentucky

Fear and paranoia make people people do strange things, especially when it has to do with the unknown and "things that go bump in the night." From when we were children, we learned to beware what was unusual and what could not be explained. We learned the superstitions of our ancestors through traditions passed down through family.

One such Deputy Coroner took this advice into practice on Friday, November 13, 1908, when he traveling to Williamson to examine a miner, killed at work. He declared it an accident. His trip home - on a fare of 13 cents - took him all night (a trip that should have been much quicker) whence the power went out. He declared THIS triple combination of incidents "Triple Hoodoo," owing it to the fateful date and the fateful fare. Read the report below from the front page of the November 20, 1908 Hartford Republican.



Despite what our ancestors and tradition tells us, nature might offer a perfectly logical explanation. Two years earlier, a Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Welborn, of Munfordsville, were plagued with strange nightly noises. For all the searching, seeking, and rationalizing, they could find nothing to explain the sounds. The wife insisted their house was haunted! When they could take no more, Mr. Welborn finally removed a stone from their hearth to discover a nest of 42 rattlesnakes living beneath - "haunting" their house! Read their story, reported on the front page of February 16, 1906 Hartford Republican. Nearby Glasgow Junction experienced spooky goings-ons the next year, with a "mysterious rain" coming from a clear sky, and localized under a single tree. The "haunted tree" attracted quite a crowd, including a passing farmer. After listening to the story and looking at the tree, he provided the simple & not quite-so-exciting answer: bugs. Little insects infested this tree, puncturing the limbs, allowing the sap to fall like rain. Hopkinsville Kentuckian, 5 November 1907, p. 4.

Ultimately, whether inexplicable or perfectly natural & logical, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do! Sometimes, you must face your fears & combat the spirit world head on! Such is the suggestion of this clipping from an unknown author, who talks about getting rid of "old-time ghosts" using a popular style of the time - "local color," which uses an interpretive (and often stereotypical) language. In a brief, amusing story, the narrator describes how the ghosts dragged around heavy chains at night. Finally, deciding this must not only be quite a labor on the ghosts, but had also "gone out o' fashion," the narrator gives the ghosts tin rattles instead. Problem solved! Hickman Courier, 15 February 1907, p. 3.


How do you deal with your superstitions & "things that go bump in the night?" What did your mother/father/grandparents/etc. warn you about & do you carry it on? Do you even realize it? How so?

The Grisly Murder of Poor Pearl Bryan

{A haunting suggestion by Kathryn Lybarger}

Betrayed by your beloved! A tragic way to go! Wouldn't you want to stick around & share your misery with the world? Pearl Bryan apparently did.

Pearl Bryan came from a wealthy farming family in Greencastle, Indiana, and was dating the son of a local Methodist minister, in 1896. Unbeknownst to her friends and family, her boyfriend, William Wood, had "seduced" her and she was pregnant. He convinced Pearl to get a secret abortion, to be performed by his friend, Scott Jackson and his roommate, Alonzo Walling. These young men were current students at the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati. Surely, they must have the appropriate medical skills! So, on February 1, a 5-month pregnant Pearl left her parents with a lie, and met up with Jackson and Walling in Cincinnati.

Jackson used assorted chemicals, including cocaine, to see to his task - all of which failed. The men carried on, trying dental tools to complete their duty; and failing again. This botched abortion left Pearl afraid and bleeding profusely. Walling, Jackson, and even Wood saw no other option than to "cover the evidence" of what was, at the time, not only one, but two sinful & shameful acts (an unwed pregnancy & an abortion) - they decided to murder Pearl Bryan!

Traveling to Fort Thomas, KY, they cut off her head in what would later be described as a "clean slice" with a dental instrument. Arranging the scene to make it appear as a rape of a prostitute, they abandoned her body behind what is now the YMCA. Her head was never found, though many people tried throughout the years, and there are any number of theories throughout the years as to what happened to it, from being abandoned in a nearby thicket to tossed in the river, and even thrown in the river. People were still "finding" Pearl's poor head over a decade after her murder! Check out these clippings below, from the 1900 Hopkinsville Kentuckian, February 1907 Paducah Sun, & March 1907 Mt. Sterling Advocate, for just a few examples:



Ultimately, Pearl was identified by her shoes - since her head was nowhere to be found. An autopsy revealed the chemicals in her system. Soon after her murder, her killers were arrested and brought to trial by that Spring. Jackson & Walling were found guilty of murder. The trial garnered so much attention, a Barclay & Co. published a book detailing Pearl's tragic death & the ongoing trial by the end of 1896 titled: Mysterious Murder of Pearl Bryan, or, The Headless Horror (digitally available in KDL books). They attempted an appeal, then escape. However, due to the national attention and the outrage felt by townspeople, KY Governor William O. Bradley brought more security to their cells (which foiled their escape attempt). About 13 months after Pearl Bryan's murder, Jackson & Walling were hanged; again, Gov. Bradley made sure to bring extra security.


But this is only the beginning of the story - at least what can be proven in the physical realm that humans can conceivably see & know, without a doubt. Some say, on the gallows, Walling - believing himself an innocent man - cursed everyone involved in the case. And though the newspapers do not directly support this "evil eye" curse, there is a strange coincidence that a large number of people involved in the case of Pearl Bryan's murder, and those who brought her killers to justice mysteriously and/or tragically died within 15 years of her death; else they were brought a string of bad luck. Reporters had a habit of bringing up her name when someone related to the case came ill, whether it mattered or not. This included such people as prominent as the judge (died of a "hemorrhage of the lungs" in 1903) to as overlooked as the African-American who carried her remains (fatally injured in a 1902 accident) to obscure figures, such as C.E. Walling - her murderer's brother - was noted as related to the case, when the Berea Citizen reported him as dying in 1910!



Of course, Pearl Bryan herself has supposedly caused some mischief (though it's not directly accredited to her in this August 10, 1904 Richmond Climax clipping from page 1, it's implied)



And she still allegedly does today, most notably in Bobby Mackey's Music World - a night club & former slaughterhouse in Wilder, KY, with its own sordid history embedded in the building, involving satanic rituals & occultists. One of these legends involves a ritual that placed a curse on the disembodied head of Pearl Bryan before it was tossed down a well in the basement of the building, which is why she haunts the place.

I'm not sure they ever ACTUALLY found poor Pearl's head. Perhaps we will never know, as one story alleges Walling & Jackson kept silent because they feared "the wrath of Satan" (other stories place them as Satanists, as well). Supposedly, when people visit her grave, they leave her pennies, so she can have a head at Resurrection.

What do you think happened to Pearl Bryan's head? Do you think there is a curse on those involved with her murder & the case - even those that brought her justice? What & where do you believe she haunts, if she still does? Do YOU believe?