USA > Kentucky > Fayette County > Lexington > History of Lexington, Kentucky : its early annals and recent progress, including biographical sketches and personal reminiscences of the pioneer settlers, notices of prominent citizens, etc., etc. > Part 13
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Among the ministers who succeeded him may be named George C. Light; the worthy and useful Spencer Cooper, who died in 1839, and the eccentric, widely-known, and now aged Peter Cartwright. The wonderfully eloquent Maffit conducted a revival in the church on Church street in 1834. Immense audiences were entranced by his glow- ing words, and many connected themselves with the church. Maffit preached in Lexington again in 1837.
The present church edifice on Hill street, between Upper and Mill, was commenced in 1841, and dedicated by the gifted bishop, Henry B. Bascom, in 1842. Bishop Bascom was born in New York, May 27, 1796. His boyhood life was a hard one, and his early manhood full of trials and dis- couragements, but surmounting every obstacle, he lived to gain from Henry Clay the eulogy, "He is the greatest nat- ural orator I ever heard." He was appointed chaplain to the House of Representatives in Congress in 1841, but soon resigned, and accepted, in 1842, the presidency of Tran- sylvania University, which position he held for seven years. In 1849, his volume of sermons was published. He died in Louisville, Kentucky, September 8, 1850.
On the division of the Methodist Church in the United
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LEXINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY.
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States, in 1844, the church in Lexington connected itself with the Southern Conference, and it had abundant pros- perity until 1856, at which time a dispute arose, concerning the power of the officers of the church, and ended in the secession of a large number of the members, under the leadership of Samuel Adams and Nicholas Headington. The seceders bought the old medical hall lot, on the corner of Church and Market streets; built the house now known as the City Library with subscriptions raised from the general public; organized an independent church, and made Samuel Adams their pastor. The church was called "Morris Chapel," after Bishop Morris, of Ohio. A disa- greement between the congregation and the officers of the new church resulted in the resignation of Mr. Adams and the calling of C. B. Parsons, who failed to give satisfaction, and at last, after existing independently for eight or nine years, most of the members returned to the "church on the hill," and deeded their property to the Church South.
The names of some of the ministers who labored for the Hill Street church before this secession are William Gunn, L. D. Huston, S. Adams, T. C. Shelman, J. H. Linn, E. P. Buckner, R. Heiner, W. C. Dandy, Mr. Spruell.
The Methodist Church, like the Baptist and Presbyterian, had its war troubles also, which grew worse and worse, until they culminated, in September, 1865, in an open rup- ture, when the party favoring the Northern Conference se- ceded, and formed what is now called the Centenary Meth- odist Church (see chapter on 1865). Since that time the Hill Street church has enjoyed the services of the following pastors, viz : H. P. Walker, B. M. Messick, R. K. Hargrove, S. X. Hall, H. A. M. Henderson, and W. S. Rand, the present untiring and acceptable minister. No church in Lexington has had more discouraging circumstances to con- tend with than the Hill Street church, but she has come out nobly from them all, and is now rapidly growing in strength and usefulness.
The Lexington Light Infantry, of glorious memory, and the oldest military company in Kentucky, and perhaps in
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
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this country, was organized in 1789 .* Its formation was due to a threatened Indian invasion, and to the martial passion of General James Wilkinson, who was chosen its first captain. Its first ensign was John Fowler, afterward postmaster of Lexington. Since that time a host of stirring associations have clustered about the simple name "Old Infantry," for it has been connected with victories and defeats, conflicts and massacres, and with some of the most brilliant military achievements recorded in the annals of Kentucky. It was led by Wilkinson in successful expeditions against the In- dians; shared in the disastrous defeats of Harmar and St. Clair ; bore a gallant part in the victorious campaign of " old Mad Anthony" Wayne against the Sciota and other Indians, t and, in 1792, escorted Governor Shelby into Lex- ington, then the capital of the state, and assisted in the ceremonies of his inauguration. These were the days when the " Old Infantry" delighted in flint-lock muskets, and in tinder-boxes and steel.
In 1803, the company was called out by President Jeffer- son to go to Louisiana, but the purchase of that state by the government superseded the necessity. It was about this time that the well-known and historic uniform suit of the company was adopted. It consisted of a blue cloth coat, with cuffs, breast, and collar faced with red and ornamented with bell-buttons. The pantaloons were of blue cloth, the hat black, and the plume red. The favorite parade ground of the company, at this time, was a beautiful level spot back of, and belonging to the property of Mrs. John Carty, on Broadway. Subsequently, the Maxwell Spring grounds were used. A "turn-out" of the Old Infantry in early days was a grand event in Lexington, and was always wit- nessed by a large and admiring crowd of natives of all ages, sexes, colors, and conditions.
The Lexington Light Infantry was one of the first com- panies to volunteer in the war of 1812, it having organized for the campaign on the 11th of May of that year, with N. S. G. Hart as captain. The "silk-stocking boys," as
*Old Journals.
TGazette, and Ob. and Rep.
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the members of the company were then often called, were attached to the Fifth Regiment of Kentucky Volunteer Militia, commanded by Colonel William Lewis, and marched for the Northwestern army in August, 1812. On the march to Fort Wayne an incident occurred, which, amusing as it may appear, speaks volumes for the principles which ac -- tuated the men. A member of the company having stood manfully up under the severe fatigues of the march until the last day, at length sank on the grass of the prairie through which the company was marching, and, whilst his comrades were passing rapidly on, he shed bitter tears at his condition. An officer* approached him, in company with one or two others, to aid him to one of the few wagons that attended the march, and on inquiring the cause of his tears, he earnestly exclaimed, " What will they say in Lexing- ton when they hear that James Huston GAVE OUT ?"
The glorious share which the "Old Infantry" had in the terrible battle and sickening massacre at Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, in this campaign, is told in our chapter on the year 1812. At that river of death, the heroic band lost half its members in killed, wounded, and prisoners; the brilliancy of their uniform causing the men to be readily picked off by the enemy. The gallant captain of the com- pany, who was wounded and disabled in the battle, was barbarously murdered by the savages after having trusted himself to the protection of his pretended friend, Captain Elliott, of the British army, who infamously abandoned him to the mercy of the Indians.t
The heroic death of Charles Searles, another gallant mem- ber of the Light Infantry, wounded in the battle of the 18th, should never be forgotten .; On the morning of the 23d, by strong exertion, he was able to walk, and so to con- ceal his wound, that he was allowed to accompany his cap- tors unmolested, until they stopped for the night. No doubt the fatigue, aided by the sufferings from his wound, at length revealed to the savages his disabled condition, and marked him out as a victim. He, with several other prison-
*Gen. J. M. McCalla. +Western Annals.
#McCalla's Address.
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ers, was seated on the ground, partaking of some food, when one of the savages rose up, and drawing his toma- hawk, approached Searles from behind.
The prisoner marked the movement, and apprehending his intention, watched the descending blow, and tried to catch it in his hand, but only partially succeeded, the weapon inflicting a deep wound in the shoulder. Rising to his feet, he seized his antagonist, who was unprepared for such a bold resistance, and snatching the tomahawk from his hand, was about to inflict a deserved vengeance on his cruel as- sailant, when Dr. Bower, of the regiment, told him that if he struck the Indian all the prisoners would be murdered, and his death, now inevitable, would not be prevented. As soon as he found that he might endanger his comrades by resisting, he dropped the uplifted arm, let fall the weapon, and, without a murmur or a complaint, waited until the as- tonished savage picked up the tomahawk, and coolly and deliberately dispatched his victim.
Can Roman or Grecian annals display a more sublime in- stance of manly generosity and magnanimity than this ?
It was at the battle of Frenchtown that a member of the " Old Infantry" company, James Higgins,* astonished even the boldest of his comrades by his daring contempt of death. Vain efforts had been made to dislodge a large number of Indians from a barn, into which they had crowded, and from which they were pouring a destructive fire into Colonel Lewis's command. The soldier we have mentioned asked permission to "smoke 'um out." It was granted. He then coolly picked up a large blazing " chunk " from a camp fire, deliberately walked up to the barn in the very face of a hail storm of bullets, and applied the " chunk." The barn was soon one mass of flames, and the brave infantryman quickly had the satisfaction of seeing all the Indians, " smoked out." The most remarkable feature of the case was that the man had always been regarded at home as ridiculously timid, and had often been imposed upon, both by his neighbors and comrades in arms. But after this bold deed, the past
*General S. L. Williams and T. P. Dudley.
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was forgotten, and it was not safe for any one to say any- thing in the presence of the "Old Infantry" against the man "who smoked out the Indians." James Higgins, the hero of this glorious incident, was born near Side View, Montgomery county, Kentucky, but removed to Lexington, and was one of her citizens when he enlisted in the Old Infantry. This gallant man died many years ago.
A few names of the killed of this company have been preserved, viz : N. S. G. Hart, Charles Searles, J. E. Blythe (son of President Blythe, of Transylvania University), Jesse Cock, Alexander Crawford, Samuel Elder, William Davis, Jesse Riley, Armston Stewart, George Shindlebower, Sam- uel Cox, and Charles Bradford.
On the 11th of September, 1839, the Light Infantry cele- brated in Lexington its fiftieth anniversary. At eleven o'clock A. M., a procession, consisting of the Louisville Guards, Captain Anderson ; the Volunteer Artillery, Cap- tain Trotter; the Mechanics Infantry, Captain Forbes ; and the "Old Infantry," under Captain G. L. Postlethwaite, marched to the beautiful woodlands of John Love (now J. H. Mulligan's, adjoining the Maxwell Spring grounds), where an exceedingly appropriate and interesting address was delivered by General John M. McCalla, after which came a banquet, and then the survivors of the war of 1812 reviewed their hardships and dangers, and fought their bat- tles over again.
At the commencement of the war with Mexico, the Light Infantry again took the field, under the command of Captain Cassius M. Clay, and was known in the army by the remark- able name of the "Lexington Old Infantry Cavalry." In that war, the Kentucky cavalry used as its regimental flag the colors which the ladies of Lexington had presented to the " Old Infantry," some years before, on an anniversary of the battle of the Raisin.
In times of peace, the company amused itself with target shooting at Maxwell's spring. On one of these occasions, Captain Richard Parker, then commanding the Old Infan- try, but now one of our oldest citizens, was accidentally
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
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shot in the hip, and he still suffers from the wound then received.
In 1860, the Old Infantry took its stand in the Kentucky State Guard, with the following officers, viz: Captain, Samuel D. McCullough ; First Lieutenant, George W. Did- lake; Second Lieutenant, S. W. Price; Third Lieutenant, J. B. Norton; Ensign, R. H. Prewett; Surgeon, Dr. G. W. McMillin; Right Guide, Charles Dobyns; Left Guide, W. W. Dowden; Third Sergeant, B. W. Blincoe; Fourth Ser- geant, Charles Schultz; Fifth Sergeant, M. Hogarty.
In the memorable summer of 1861, just before Kentucky was drawn into the gigantic civil contest then waging, the Old Infantry held a reunion in the densely crowded Odd Fellows' Hall, on the corner of Main and Broadway. The company was conducted to the hall by those two noted or- ganizations, the "Lexington Rifles " and the " Chasseurs," headed by the splendid Newport band. An opening address was delivered by Judge L. L. Todd, of Indianapolis, a former captain of the Old Infantry, after which a new flag was pre- sented to the company by General Combs, in behalf of the donor, Mr. David A. Sayre. The old flag of the Old In- fantry, which had gone through the leaden storm of Buena Vista, was then unfurled, a roll of all the captains called, and the Star Spangled Banner sung, after which the meeting adjourned.
Many of the members of the company served gallantly on either side in the terrible war between the States, and fully maintained the ancient renown of the venerable or- ganization, which, for the credit of Lexington, should never be permanently abandoned.
From the year 1789 to the present time, the Lexington Light Infantry has been commanded by the following cap- tains, viz : General James Wilkinson, 1789; James Hughes and Samuel Weisiger, 1791; Cornelius Beatty, 1793; John Postlethwaite, 1797; Thomas Bodley, 1803; N. S. G. Hart, 1811-12; and since the last date by Daniel Bradford, J. G. Trotter, Adam Beatty, William Logan, Levi L. Todd, Robert Megowan, Richard Parker, G. L. Postlethwaite, T.
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LIST OF CAPTAINS.
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P. Hart, Thomas Smith, R. Morrison, John M. McCalla, Lawrence Daly, James O. Harrison, T. Monks, T. W. Lowry, W. Allison, Lewis Barbee, F. G. West, Joseph Hoppy, G. L. Postlethwaite, J. B. Clay, C. M. Clay, S. D. Mccullough, S. W. Price.
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CHAPTER XVII. Town Affairs-Harmar's Defeat-John Pope-The Jail- Fire Companies.
WHILE the actual population of Lexington, in 1790, was not large, the town was a place of some importance as a stopping point for traders, as it was on the line of com- munication between the East and the West. In this year, the trustees ordered a "canal " to be dug to carry the water of the " Branch " straight through town. They also made the announcement that "the town commons shall hereafter be known as Water street." Lexington's encour- agement of art in 1790 is exhibited in the eagerness of the citizens to obtain " black profile likenesses, taken by the physiognotrace."
In July of this year, the delegates from Fayette attended the eighth convention, held at Danville. At this convention, an act of separation, passed by the Virginia legislature, was finally accepted, and a ninth convention, to form a state constitution, was called for April, 1791.
Incursions and murders by the Indians had now become so frequent and unbearable that the new general govern- ment, which had just gone into operation, sent out a mili- tary force to protect the frontier. In the fall, Colonel Trotter, with some volunteers from Lexington, went to Fort Washington (Cincinnati), and joined the expedition of General Joseph Harmar against the Miami towns. The campaign ended disastrously.
That distinguished statesman, John Pope, came to Lex- ington in 1790, at which time he was about twenty years of age. He lived in this city for many years. Mr. Pope was born in Prince William county, Virginia, and emi-
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JOHN POPE-THE JAIL.
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grated to Kentucky while quite a boy .* He was a man of great ability and remarkable talents, and was one of the most formidable opponents Mr. Clay ever had; and, like Mr. Clay, he attained distinction by his own exertions. Mr. Pope was often a member of the Kentucky legislature, was for many years a representative in Congress, was United States Senator in 1807, and was for six years gov- ernor of the Territory of Arkansas. He died in Wash- ington county, Kentucky, in 1842, aged seventy-two. He built and resided in the house now occupied by Joseph Wolfolk, near the junction of Rose and Hill streets. When Mr. Pope ran against Mr. Clay, in the Lexington district, it was in the vigor of their days, when each one was able to do his best. It was Wagoner and Gray Eagle against each other. Mr. Clay was the winner, but did not, we believe, distance his competitor. The race was honor- able to both, and if Mr. Pope had had the same passionate determination, and the same fiery and never-relaxing anı- bition of Mr. Clay, there would have been two Clays in the state without room enough to hold them. An amus- ing incident occurred during this race .; Mr. Pope had but one arm. On the approach of the contest, Mr. Clay called upon an Irishman in Lexington, who had been his political friend heretofore, but now declared his intention to go for Pope. Mr. Clay wanted to know the reason. The answer was, "Och, Misther Clay, I have concluded to vote for the man who has but one arm to sthrust into the sthreasury."
A log jail succeeded the pillory and the stocks in Lex- ington in 1790, and stood near the first court-house on Main, not far from the corner of Broadway .; In these early days, when imprisonment for debt was in vogue, the "jail bounds," or the precincts within which a debt pros- oner could walk, was marked on the pavements and the houses near the jail by a broad stripe of black paint. A larger jail was erected in 1797, on the same ground where the present jail stands, was destroyed by fire in 1819, and another one was completed the next year. The building
*Collins. tCorrespondence Cincinnati Gazette. #Old Gazette.
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of the present prison commenced in 1850. The fol- lowing is an incomplete list of those who have filled the office of jailer, viz: Innis B. Brent, - Clark, - Bar- ker, Wm. Bobbs, Nathaniel Prentiss, Richard Sharp, Joseph R. Megowan, T. B. Megowan, - White, Ben. Blincoe, W. H. Lusby, and Thos. B. Megowan. Including all the terms he has served, Mr. T. B. Megowan has been a jailer for nearly forty years.
Lexington's first regular fire company was organized at Brent's tavern in 1790, with John Bradford as secretary. It was styled the Union Fire Company, and used buckets only. Before this, in case of a fire, each citizen was re- quired, when the alarm was given, to attend with a bucket filled from his own well. The Union company's " bucket- house " was a building on Main, near Scott's block. Later, it was on Water street, and was finally converted into an engine house. In 1805, the officers of the " Union" were : Captains-Dan'l Bradford, Christopher Keiser; Directors- William Macbean, George Anderson, John Jones, Alex- ander Frazer, Thomas Hart, Jr., John Jordan, Jr., Thomas Bodley, Alex. Parker, Charles Wilkins, Lewis Sanders, William Ross, Thomas Whitney, Maddox Fisher. The trustees passed a resolution in 1812, authorizing a committee "to procure four additional ladders, four fire-hooks, three rope-ladders, and three tubs to put under the pumps, all to be marked with the name of the company, etc., and a fine of ten dollars imposed on any person who will use them, un- less in case of fire." In 1818, two little " newly-invented" engines were bought by the town authorities. They at- tracted great attention and admiration.
The fire department was organized in 1832, when the city was incorporated. In 1840, the city could boast of the "Kentuckian," "Lyon," and "Resolution " hand-engines, and others were added from time to time. The period in- cluded betwee .. 1850 and 1860 was the golden age of the fire companies in Lexington. Then the Fourth of July was the day of their glory, and the old Lyon, Clay, Kentuckian, and other engines, with their hose carriages, were resplen- dent with beautiful decorations fashioned by the ladies of the
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FIRE COMPANIES.
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city. Three hundred firemen have been known to turn out in procession on such occasions, presenting a splendid ap- pearance with their brilliant uniforms and gay trappings. But these are memories of an age which ended with the purchase of the first steam fire engine, in March, 1864. The "Lyon" engine house was on Limestone street, near the corner of Hill; the "Clay," on Broadway, between Short and Second, now known as Pruden's marble works; the "Union," on Short, between Upper and Limestone, is now the headquarters of the steam fire department.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
Survey of Lexington-Expeditions of Scott and Wilkinson- St. Clair's Defeat-Delegates to the Ninth Convention.
DURING the spring of 1791, the trustees of Lexington made war on " wooden chimneys," the use of which, for the future, was prohibited. They also ordered "all the post and rail fences across Short street to be taken down." In the latter part of March, the following survey of the town was made, the report of which we give verbatim, with the drawing which accompanied it .*
"Surveyed by order of the trustees of the town of Lex- ington, 204 acres of land, including the court-house of Fayette county in the center, in a circular figure of two miles in diameter. Beginning at A, one mile southeast from the said court-house, at a post on the northeast side of the road, running thence south 56}, west 125 poles to a post crossing Tate's creek road at 85 poles ; thence south 782, west 125 poles to a post, thence north 782, west 125 poles to post ; thence north 564, west 125 poles to post crossing the Hickman road at 25 poles, thence north 332, west 125 poles to post crossing Craig's mill road at 45 poles; thence north 11}, west 125 poles to a stake in Hackney's field, about 40 poles southeastwardly from his house; thence north 11}, east 125 poles to post ; thence north 332, east 125 poles to post 15 poles northeast of the old Leestown road, crossing the head of McConnell's mill pond at 45 poles ; thence north 564, east 125 poles to post, passing and leaving out Eckle's and Brown's plantations ; thence north 782, east 125 poles to post, crossing John- ston's mill road at 35 poles ; thence south 782, east 125
*Trustees' Book.
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SURVEY OF LEXINGTON.
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poles to post, leaving out Irvine's house, 14 poles; thence south 564, east 125 poles to post crossing Russell's road at 75 poles; thence south 332, east 125 poles to post near Springle's house in the survey, and crossing Bryan's road at 25 poles; thence south 11}, east 125 poles to post; thence south 11}, west 125 poles to post near Captain Wil- son's house, leaving him in the survey ; thence south 332, west 125 poles to the beginning, leaving Javell 14 poles in the survey, and passing Masterson, and leaving him out."
RUSSELL
.BRYANTS R.
BUCKEYE R.
R
IRWINE
SAT'TERWHITE.
SPRINGLE.
---
JOHNSTON
MILL R.
COURT HOUSE.
CAP WILSON .
ECHOLS & BROWN.
LEESTOWN OLD R.
BRANCH. .
TATES |CREEK.R.
SCOTTS R
CRAIGS R.
R
HACKNEY'S.
HICKMAN.
The Indians, greatly emboldened by their success over Harmar, extended their incursions, and immigrants were killed by them even in the neighborhood of Lexington. In May, General Charles Scott organized an expedition of mounted volunteers to punish the Indians on the Wabash, and General James Wilkinson, who was appointed second
MAIN ST.
A
FRANKFORT.R
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in command, augumented the force with a number of men from Lexington. The troops began their march from Fort Washington, May 23, 1791, and early in the following June, destroyed three Kickapoo towns, killed thirty warriors, and took fifty-eight prisoners, without the loss of a man .* By the 18th of June, all the volunteers from Lexington had re- turned, highly elated at their success. It is a matter of great regret that only the following few namest of soldiers from this city have been preserved, viz: Thos. Allen, Jas. M'Dowell, Jas. Brown, Wm. M'Millin, John E. King, Sam'l Patterson, Jos. Jones, Rich'd Bartlett, John Peoples, John Arnold, Benj. Gibbs.
In July, General Wilkinson was appointed by Governor St. Clair to complete the work so successfully commenced by Scott. He organized his expedition in Lexington, and engaged the celebrated Indian-hunter, Bland Ballard, as his guide. He started for the Wabash country August 1st, and on the 7th, surprised and burned the town of Kathtippeca- munk, not far from the ruins of which afterward stood the celebrated Prophet's town destroyed by General Har- rison in 1811, killed six braves, and took thirty-four pris- oners, for all of which he was duly thanked by his country. Wilkinson's loss was two killed and one wounded. The prisoners taken justified their defeat by constantly declaring "Kentucky too much." Only the following names of the volunteers from Lexington and Fayette in this expedition are extant, viz :¿ James McDowell, Levi Todd, F. M'Murdie, Jos. Logsdon, Dav. Caldwell, W. M'Dowell, Wm. Lewis, Wm. Berry, Thos. Atkins, Rich. Bartlett, Moses Caldwell, Patrick Burk, Philip Phillips, John Arnold, Chas. Snedeger, Samuel Harrod, Wm. Clark, Thos. Bruer.
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