On the Road Again – Backroads to St. Louis Missouri (#3)

 …continuing on our journey following our lunch at the Esto Country Store and Café.  I diverted a little from my intended route, skipping past the town of Russell Springs Kentucky.  I’d designed our route to allow for shorter drive times if needed…

With my route change, the next town we came to was Edmonton Kentucky, the county seat of Adair County.  Adair County was formed in December of 1801.  Columbia was chosen as the county seat in 1802 and the first courthouse was completed in 1806.  This is the fourth courthouse to be built in the town square.  It was completed in 1885 and it’s still in use today.

This is one of the best preserved major late 19^th century Kentucky courthouses.  It is a late Victorian variation of earlier Kentucky courthouse designs.  Located on the central city block and approached by major streets from all sides, it is fittingly capped with that 4-sided clock tower.  Architecturally, it is difficult to describe.  Elements of High Victorian Gothic, Medieval, New Grecian, Romanesque and perhaps Second-Empire influences are evident.  The architect, William Henry Hudson, was so proud of his work that his portrait is carved in a capital at the top of a column on the porch.

The county, population ca. 19,000, was named in honor of John Adair, a veteran of both the Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War.  Later, he commanded Kentucky troops in the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812.  Adair was the eighth Governor of Kentucky.

Notes:

·       Adair County has some of the few surviving American chestnut trees to be found anywhere in the United States.

·       Adair County is one of the handful of completely ‘dry’ counties in Kentucky…no alcohol sold anywhere.

As we circled the courthouse and the town square, Laurie spotted a store that appealed to her.  This structure is part of the Columbia Commercial District, a cluster of 29 buildings that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  This particular building was constructed ca. 1895 and it is considered one of the most highly styled and intact buildings in the District.

Nanwood Market is a home décor store that has been in business in downtown Columbia for quite a few years now.  The building was renovated and it is full of items that really appeal to Laurie.  The home décor items in the store have been carefully curated and there even is a coffee bar for shopper’s enjoyment.  Laurie did make a modest purchase.  To learn more or to shop on line, go to https://www.nanwoodmarket.com/.

Notes:

         ·         For the first 100 years of Adair County’s existence, transportation was the biggest problem for residence and commerce.  As late as 1910, travelers would have to take a stagecoach to Campbellsville to reach the railroad.

         ·         On April 29, 1872, a gang of 5 men, believed to included Frank and Jesse James from Missouri, robbed the Bank of Columbia.  They got away with $600, killing the bank’s cashier in the process.

Moving along the road, the next town we came to was Edmonton Kentucky.  The first building of interest that I spotted was the old Metcalfe County Jail.  This historic jail was built ca. 1861 using 2 feet thick blocks of limestone.  This early Romanesque Revival-style structure has 3 rooms on the first floor.  One 14’ x 18’ room, referred to as the ‘dormitory’, contains 6 bunks and 4 other beds. 

Early in the history of the jail, the jailer lived in the 2 rooms upstairs in the jail.  Heating relied on stoves and 2 flues.  A pile of coal on the east side of the front door provided the fuel for the stoves and water came from a pump located on the west side of the door.  Prisoners were held here until the early 1980s when the state ordered that it had to be shut down

Then I spotted the old Metcalfe County Courthouse.  This small 2-story Italianate brick structure was completed in 1869.  It is described as “one of the oldest courthouses still standing in south central Kentucky’.  It actually serves as the unofficial symbol/logo for the county.  Note the bell positioned over the entrance.  Ahead of the times, two fire proof vaults were installed, one for the County Clerk and the other for the Court Clerk.

This old courthouse served Metcalfe County (population ca. 10,400) for over 148 years, was finally replaced with a new courthouse in 2017.  In 2022, the Metcalfe County Historical Society opened the Courthouse Museum in this old 154 year old building.  To learn more about the museum and to view some photos of the varied exhibits, just go to Metcalfe County Historical Society | Edmonton KY | Facebook.

Note: An earlier courthouse was burned down by Confederate guerrilla forces during the Civil War.  It is suspected that some members of this force burned it down to destroy all records pertaining to their previous criminal activity and convictions.

Before turning north toward Owensboro, our overnight destination, we came to the city of Glasgow.  The first structure that caught my eye was The Plaza Theater at 117 East Main Street.  This 2-story tan brick building was completed in 1934.  Like many theaters of the era, it was constructed in the Spanish Revival style.  The original marque and ‘Plaza Theater’ sign remain in place.  There is even a free-standing, octagonal Art Deco ticket booth.

In 1935, this theater began offering stage shows in addition to the movies.  Country music luminaries such as Minnie Pearl, Loretta Lynn, the Carter Family, Flatt and Scruggs, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton performed here.  Other big names included Dinah Shore, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

The city of Glasgow purchased the theater in 2001 and it has been totally and beautifully restored.  Today the theater has 1,020 seats and it features live performances by national, regional and local artists, plus touring groups and theatre productions.  To learn more and to see what the interior of the theater looks like today, go to Plaza Theatre | Glasgow KY | Facebook.

Wrong again!  This is the Barren County Courthouse in Glasgow Kentucky.  It looks old from a distance…but it isn’t!  This is the sixth Barren County Courthouse and it was completed in 1965.  The fifth courthouse was considered unsafe and it was torn town.  The cost for this handsome new structure was $470,000…over $4,500,000 in 2023 dollars.

Officially recognized as a town in 1809, Glasgow had operated as a residential and commercial community since Barren County was formed 10 years earlier.  Settlers chose to establish the town on the site of a spring, commonly called “The Big Spring”, which is still located adjacent to the downtown square.

The old First National Bank at 143 West Main Street, was built ca. 1869...or in 1876.  Different sources give different dates.  In any case, it is a fair representation of the late nineteenth century buildings on the square in Glasgow.  It still retains its original Victorian Italianate features…with pressed tin, corbels, a bracketed cornice and molded hoods.  The building didn’t start out as a bank but it became the First National Bank in 1892.  If you look closely, you can see the bank’s name up at the middle peak in the front.

The best news for this ornate survivor is that it is occupied as it approaches its sesquicentennial…its 150^th anniversary!  The Fine Arts Bistro features a coffee shop and a full service restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch.  A little earlier in its ‘non-banking life’, this old building served as a photo studio.  To learn more about the Fine Arts Bistro and to see its menu, just go to https://www.facebook.com/fineartsbistro/.  It has a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating on TripAdvisor.

In the early days of generally unregulated banking in the USA, banks could print and offer their own currency.  This $20 bill was issued by the First National Bank of Glasgow.

I really like the look of the Emmanuel Morris building on Glasgow’s town square.  It is the most significant nineteenth century commercial building in town…and the most intact.  It was built as a dry goods store ca. 1875 and it retains its original rare iron front and posts.

This handsome decorative Romanesque building looks great on the outside but apparently it needs major repairs somewhere.  At the moment, it’s for sale.  It has 6,900 square feet of space with 2 store fronts available.  The asking price is only $109,000 and it’s been on the market since early February.  To learn more about this real estate opportunity, just go to 100 S Public Square, Glasgow, KY 42141 - Special Purpose Property for Sale - 100 S Public Square (crexi.com).

Note: Barren County, like most of south-central Kentucky, was settled by Scottish and Irish immigrants.  That heritage is evident given the name of the county seat.  Named after Glasgow Scotland, the town stages an annual festival, the Glasgow Highland Games.  To learn more re: this celebration, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Highland_Games.

Actually, downtown Glasgow Kentucky features a 20 building historic commercial district, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  They are centered on Courthouse Square.  This particular building…currently unoccupied…was the Third National Bank Building and it was built in 1903.  This Victorian Italianate style structure, with its second-story turret above the entrance, was most recently home to a children’s clothing store.

Notes:

·       Barren County was named for the “Barrens”, the meadowlands that cover the northern third of the county…barrens even though the soil is fertile.

·        Seventy percent of the original settlers in the county came from Virginia and 80% of them were English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish.

·       With Barren County having been formed before Christmas in 1798 and with no fires wiping out the county’s records, the County Clerk has marriage records from 1799 and land records from 1798. 

That’s about it for this edition about our road trip from East Tennessee to St. Louis Missouri.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave