Bluegrass Culture, Commentary, & News
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Bluegrass Culture, Commentary, & News
Why are so many Bluegrass roads “mills”?
The Bluegrass, rich in flowing water, was once studded with historic mills. Today, many modern thoroughfares bear the names of these once essential hearts of commerce.
Most of the region’s mills were grist mills, used to process corn. The corn was then used for cooking, animal feed, or preserved through distillation […]
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October 11, 2024
Thomas Metcalfe “Old Stone Hammer” | Building the Bluegrass
10th Kentucky Governor Thomas Metcalfe made an impressive mark on the Commonwealth both politically and architecturally. Metcalfe’s beginnings as a humble stonemason and later as a fierce politician left him with a well-earned nickname, “Old Stone Hammer.”
Raised in modest settings in Kentucky and his native Virginia, Metcalfe was apprenticed to […]
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September 25, 2024
Summer 2024 Farm Market Analysis
FAYETTE COUNTY
On average, an acre of land sold for $27,769 a 21% increase over the summer of 2023. The average per-acre price for farmland nationally is just over $5K (and $4K statewide).
55% of closed properties were cash transactions.
40515 was the most active zip code, followed by 40516 and 40509.
82% of […]
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September 10, 2024
Newland “Hicks” Harbut | Building the Bluegrass
If you’ve lived in Lexington for any length of time, you’ve probably felt the work of craftsman “Hicks” Harbut beneath your feet. Newland “Hicks” Harbut was one of twelve children born to Will Harbut, famed groom of Man O’ War. Harbut grew up in historic Maddoxtown on Huffman Mill. He […]
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September 10, 2024
Morris L. Levy | Building the Bluegrass
Lexington, Kentucky developer, builder, & realtor Morris Levy was a significant shaper of the Bluegrass landscape.
Born in Kiev before the turn of the century, Levy immigrated to Cincinnati before finding work in Lexington as a tailor. By the 1920s, he was immersed in Bluegrass real estate. In 1949, his company, […]
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July 18, 2024
Magdalen Harvey McDowell | Bluegrass Architects to Know
“In a day woman’s sphere was thought to be confined to the drawing room, the kitchen and the nursery, [she] sought an outlet for her genius in painting, architecture, kindred activities.” Obituary, The Lexington Herald
As a young woman in Louisville
Born in Fincastle, Virginia in 1829, Magdalen Harvey McDowell was a […]
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July 9, 2024
Why are so many Bluegrass roads “pikes”?
Many of our favorite rural listings can be found on old turnpikes. From Iron Works and Newtown to Pisgah and Greenwich, the Bluegrass is bursting with “pikes.” The origins of early Kentucky travel remains imprinted through the many roads bearing the names of these historic turnpikes.
As the Bluegrass became more […]
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June 11, 2024
Keene, Kentucky | Historic Bluegrass Hamlet
This small hamlet in Jessamine County was first known as “North Liberty.” It was later renamed “Keene” when several Keene, New Hampshire residents moved there. The vibrant community quickly grew to include a grist mill, hemp factory & rope walks, tailor, hatter & more.
19th century Business Directory Map of Keene, […]
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May 14, 2024
Herman L. Rowe | Bluegrass Architects to Know
1839-1913
Herman Rau was born in Genoa but educated in his homeland, Germany. After completing his degree in Stuttgart, he made his way to Chicago, anglicizing his name to “Rowe” and meeting his wife, Nellie.
Rowe was invited to supervise the building of “Old Main” at what is now the University of […]
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May 9, 2024