xt71zc7rng58 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt71zc7rng58/data/mets.xml McGee, Nora Lee. 19  books b92-159-29919409 English Bardstown Woman's Club : [Bardstown] : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Bardstown (Ky.) History Anecdotes. Nelson County (Ky.) History. Tales of old Bardstown  / compiled by Nora L. McGee. text Tales of old Bardstown  / compiled by Nora L. McGee. 19 2002 true xt71zc7rng58 section xt71zc7rng58 












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Tales of Old Bardstown



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Printed and Published under the auspices of the
BARDSTOWN WOMAN'S CLUB
  Compiled by Nora L. McGe, Historian.



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         Introduction

f AM bringing -you this afternoon, a his-
     tory of Old Bardstown which is a comn-
     munity unusually rich in traditions.
and a Mecca for tourists. These legends
are gatherer he e and there fron many
scuarces,-some are copied word for word
from old clippings, others are tales which
have been handed down through several
generations and retold to me. They are
only a few of the many that could bd told,
-the fund seems inexhaustible,-and a
complete history of romantic old Bards-
town would fill a large volume. Each day
discovers new data in my search, and I
have had to discard much of the material
gathered, for fear of making this paper too
lengthy.
  One thing I wish tr make cica.,-, can
not in all cases vouch for the ablsolute
tiuth of the stcries. Legends and tradition3
will become distorted through much 'repeti-
tion, and some of the accounts, I found to
be conflicting.

    "I know not how the truth may be,
    I tell the tale as 'twas told to me"-

and I have written them down as I rec!iv-
ed them, hoping they will give you some
of the pleasure they gave me.



 

















            Subjects

Earliest Settlers in the County and Fw)rts:
Founding of Bardstown:
Taverns:
Old Beall Residence:
Court House:
Churches:
St. Jo3eph's Catholic Church:
St. Joseph's College:
Nazareth:
Gethsemani:
Louis Phillipe:
John Fitch:
Historic Valley:
Old Water-Mill:
Potter Shop Hill:
Ben Hardin:
Federa'l Hill-"Old Kentucky Home":


 






Early Settlers in Nelson County and Forts



  Nelson County was named, for Thomas
Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of
IndependEnce. It was formed in 1784 by
the General Assembly of Virginia while
Patrick Henry was Governor. The old
records approving the act of the Assembly
in fornring the Count-y are on file at the
Court House-they are printed on rough
paper. in plain type, and bean, the historic
signature of Patrick Henry, and the Useal
and motto of Virginia.
  The first settlements in the county were
in 1775, when Co'. lsaac Cox settled on
Cox's Creek, Jonah Heatcn on Pottinger's
Creek, and John James Rogers in the Cedar
COeek neighborhood.
  A band under the leadership of Col. Isaac
Cox, early in 1775 floated down the Ohio
to the mouth of the Kentucky, left their
bests and pasa-cd into the wilderness. They
did not follow the traces of former settle-
ments but struck bravely into the unknown.
They reached Cox's Creek, stopped here in
the early summer of 1775 and. built the fort
called Cox's Station, located where the
residence of the late Mr. Barney King
stands, just above the mouth of Caney
Fork.
  When Col. Isaac Cox and his bands settle-
ed on Cox's Creek, in 1775, they decided
there was not enough seuitable land for
all, so pa't of them under the leadership of
Jonah Heaton started off toward the Rc11-
ing Fork, pas3ed over the present site of
Bardstown, crossed the Beech Fork, and
struck  the  headwaters  of   Pottinger's
Creek at Rohan's Knob. They called this
"Big Lick Knob" on accmint of the Buffalo
licks at its base. The fertile lani along the
creek att acted them, but in a few weeks
they returned to Cox's Station and the
permanent   Pottinger  Creek  settlement
was not made until 1778 when Gol. Samuel
Pottinger settled there. He built the first
b ick house in the county in 1778 twenty
miles sortheast of Goo'zwin's station. It
still stands well preserved.
  .;n 1776 a brother of Isaac Cox, Proctor
Ballard a brother of the famous scout
Bland Ballard, John Simpzon and David
Morrison settled in the vicinity of what is



now Bardstown and called the place Salem
or Salem Station. They were soon followed
by Alexander McCown, Andrew Hy-ee3,
James and Thomas Speed and others.
  Four mles southwest of Bardstown out
the Boston pike and in the Cedar Creek
neighborhood was located Roger's Fort,
one of the oldzst settlements, founded by
John James Rogers in. 1775. The Rogers
preemption was a vast tract of land lying
between Buffalo Creek, east, Cedar Creek,
west, Shepherd3ville pike, north and Boston
pike, south. This was owned by the Rogers
till 1812, at which time deeds on file in the
County Clerk's office show that the land
was stud to Samuel Bealryear andc Wm.
Baird.
  The old fort was built in 1775 and still
stands in a fine state of preservation. In
the f!ont room to the right may be found
port holes, and a-ouni the premises the
butts of cedar posits may be observed-re-
mains of the old stockade set around the
station foi protection. To the spring at the
foot of the, hilt, the women would go for
wate-' while the men protected them from
the portho'es. The last Indian killed in the
county was Nohot under a cedar tree nearby,
which has since been destroyed during a
storm. Back of the family burying ground
are many   circular depressions marking
Indian graves.
  In 1785 twenty-five families from St.
Mary's County, Maryland, floated drown the
Ohio on flat boats to Maysville and inarch-
ed inland to Boston, which was the nearest
fortified post to Pottinger's Creek. 11:r" thl
women and children stayed till the, cabins
were built. The namErsi of this banft are not
all certainly known, but Samuel Puottinger
was one-also, Basil Haydecn, whose bond
for his land is recolded in the Court House.
  Land along the Rolling and Beech Forks
was very desirable and Samuel Gardiner
settied what i, known as the old Bern
Beeler place and built a fort in 1777. Cad-
wallader Waughter settled on Beech Fork
where Jolyn R. Nichols formerly lived. J-s-
Davis settled Chaplin Hills. The Kincheloes
settled on lower Simpson's Creek and built
a fort between Spencer and Nelson Counties.

 




  There are a number of note-worthy old
family burying grounds in the County
where well known pioneers are buried. One
of these is lHcated near where the old toll-
gate stood on the Gilkey Run pike on the
old Bryan Neal place. Here he and his
wife are buried and others connected with
the family; among them  Wm. Heavenhill
who was born in 1738 under a ledge of rock
at the foot of Potter Shop Hill. The family
had taken refuge there during an Indian
raid. He died in 1870.
  In the old Presbyterian cemetery in the-
west subu bs of town is a grave beneath
a ma'ss of tangled vines and undergrowth
where a broken headstone marks the rest-
insg place of John Bosman, killed by
Indians in 1785. According to tradition,
Bosman, a native of Maryland, was one of
the first pioneers to come to Nelson County
and acted as guide to hundreds of settlers.
He was a trail-blazer and scout, a born
pioneer, restless; brave, resourceful, ad-
venturous, true as steel,-all qualities for
a frontiersman. The settlers looked upon
him as a bulwark c'f safety and Every
settler's cabin was his home. He came to
this section in 1777 and wintered at Salem
Station. One night while Bosman and a



comrade were away seeing to the erection
of some cabins on the Rvlling Fork, a party
of Indians stole several horses from the
settlement. The Indian band came upon the
two while they were cooking their supper
in camp, and during a parley one of the
Indians shot Bosman, after which they
made off with the horses and provisions.
The other settler escaped, mnade his way
back to the settlement. and a party re-
turned for Bosman's body.
  The pioneer population was chiefly from
Virginia and many were from Maryland
and Pennsylvania. They were precisely of
that character that was necessary to face
savage red skins and wild beasts, which
were compelled reluctantly to leave their
favorite haunt. They were a set of bold
adventurers, full of frolic and fun, real
dare devils, who feared nothing. Many
anecdotes have been handed down by tra-
ditions, and many scattered graves over
the county speak of bloody tragedies. In
the old cenmeteies, the old Presbyterian,
the old Catholic and the pioneer burying
ground back of the jail, may be read the
names of many brave pioneers.



 












































MAIN STREET LOOKING NORTH BARDSTOWN, KY.



 





The Poundation of Bardstown



    Balidstown, September 1775, the second
o'dest town in the state, was first settled
in 1775 by the Baird family. Boonesboro
Fort, 1775, is the oldest and Lexington,
April 1779, and Harrodsburg, June 1774.
first, are about the same atr. Some his-
toriar.s claim that Springfiid and Shep-
hErdsville are both older that Bardstown.
But it is gen'erally accepted that Boones-
boro For't, 1775, was first, Harrodsburg,
first tcwn, and Bardstown, second. There
was already a scattering settlement here
known   as Salem, but this was later
changed to Baird'stown in honor of the
Bairds, and in time became Bardstown, as
'some of the family insited upon B-a-r-d as
the proper spelling.
  Wm. Bard, the fi 'st of the name here,
was born June 7, 1738 and died at Bards-
town, Ky., July 31,. 1802. I-e was reared in
what is now Adam,3 County, Pennslyania,
was a descendant of the Scotch Covenanters
and a man of piety and learning. The story
goes, that Wm. Bard first visited' Kentucky
in 1768 as salt was scarce in Pitt3bburg and
he with three other men went down the
Ohio on a flatboat to Salt Licks, Ky. They
were attacked by Indians. Bard and one
other man escaped and retu:rn-d home,
carryirn  a small child as one of the men
was married and he and his wife were both
killed.
  Later Wm. Bard and his brother,
Richa id, came to Kentucky and located
first at Danvl le. Richard returned to
Pennsylvania and William settled where
Bardstown now stands, and located a land
grant issu d by the Assembly of Virginia
on 1;300 acres, including the settlement of
Salem. He built a cabin four miles north
of Bardstown and acquired a large tract of
land -in Buffad'o Creek-part of the land till
recent years was in the hands of descend-
ants and an old burying-ground on the
lace contains four generations of the
family. (The Woodson Kurtz place.)
  A Colony of Germans had settled out on



the Sheherdsville pike and planned to build
a town called Germantown. Wm. Bard did
not like the situation and selected the
present 'site. This was a part of his original
entry and contained 100 acres where Salem
stood, which he had given to his son, David.
This land was donated to the trustees for a
county seat, the town laid off by Wm.
Bard and named for his san, David Bard.
The old records 'showing the initial steps
toward the creation of Nelson County and
the making of Salem or Bardstbwn into
County seat are dated February 11, 1782
signed by Wm. Bard, and may be found at
the Court House. The tcown was incorporat-
ed December 2, 1788 by act of Virginia
As-sembly.
  The Bards encouraged settlers by laying
off lots which might be had at a small
quit rent of 2 per year, no rent required
while the Revolutionary War was going on.
Sett'ers improving thelr land, clearing off
underbrush and building a house at least
16 fE et 'square were considered to have a
right to their lots.
  Bardstown grew rapidl'y and became the
center of the lines of travel from the other
settlements to the Falls of the Ohio. In
ear ly day3s it was a town of considerable
business importance', a number of manu-
factories flourished here, and it became one
of the most populous towns in Kentucky.
:t has adways been famous as an educa-
tional center, rnmny brilliant men having
received their training here, and was noted
throughout the South as a town of wealth,
refinement and, beauty.
  Wm. Bard was a surveyor and made the
first map of Louisville in 1779, the original
was in the hands of Col. R. T. Durrett of
Louisville.
  Wm. Bard married Mary Kincaid Brax-
dale, daughter of Joseph Kincaid, and
widow of John Braxdale, killed by Indians.
She was born in Virginia October 12, 177.5
and died in Bard'3town, November 10, 1825.
They had five sons.



 





Taverns



  There were two stage coach lines from
Louisville to Nashville and the one by
Bardstown was the favorite route of travel,
as all streams were bridged along this Dine.
Bardstown was the noon-day stop on the
way from Louisville, a change of horses
was made here in fact, fresh horses were
obtained at regular stops every ten or
twelve miles,- and passengers had their
dinner at the Bardstown taverns built by
Jacob Yeiser on the corner of Second and
Arch streets, opposite the present Metho-
dist Church. It wa-s erected before 1790, the
exact year is not known, and was called
the "Old Stone Tavern."
  Another house which stood on the same
lot deserves a place in the history of
Bardstown. Although    afterwa-i   watlo
weatherboarded and   presenting a  some-
what modern appearance, it was one of the
oldest houses in town and was built of
yellow poplar logs. According to traditions
this was where Louis Phillipe stayed while
in Bardstown, and was located opposite
the present Methodist, Church.
  There are many very old residences in
Bard3town as records at the Court House
will show and strangers visiting here in-
variably comment upon the quaint ap-
pearance and old style architecture in evi-
dence. The custom of building homes di-
rectly upon the streets and the colonial
doorways excite special interest.
  The house where Mrs. Lizzie Powers
Mattingly fives has an interesting history.
Mrs. Mattingly'3 grandmother was brought
to this community when a child of 8 years
by relatives and they stayed at Speed's
Fort now known as the Nichol' place just



ourtside of town on the Bloornfield pike.
here she stayed several years, till she
married at fifteen, M ;'i. Mattingly's grand-
father. The young couple came into the
settlement and lived first in a log house
where Mrs. Mary Agnes Mattingly Spal-
ding now 'lives. Earl.y in their married life,
the husband came home one day and an-
nounced that he had bought another home
for them,-several acres of land and a log
cabin of two rooms on the street,-the
p iesent home of Mrs. Mattingly. The
young bride was heart-broken at leaving
her first little home, but wives obeyed their
husbands in those days, and the move was
made. The house was weather-bearded, ad-
ditional rooms built, and the grand-
daughter of that pioneer couple, now an
elderly woman. lives where her family
have lived for well over a hundred years.
Here her grandmother dispensed hospital-
ity to the travelers, for it became a tavern,
and here, it is -said; John Fitch stayed for
awhile. till he removed to a small room
ove- a grog' shop on the south-west corner
of B tnadway and Main, where Haviland's
Store stood, till recent years. Later he, went
to live with the McCowns at the jail where
he stayed till his death. Across the street
on the north-west corner was a brick build-
ing called the "Tavern of the Seven Stars,"
afterwards the "Gault House".
  The house now owned yy Mr. Will Hinkle
and in the same block as Mrs. Mattingty,
was sold by her grandfather to his brother
l'or a bridle and saddle to induce him to
locate here.
  The "Black's Tavern."



The Old Beal Residence



  The home now owned by Henry Muir is
one of the nost famous residences of old
Bardstown and one of the first brick dwell-
ings. It was bui t by Mr. Walter Beall and
his son, Samuel, between 1790-1800, the
brick being burned in a yard near at hand.
  Mr. Walter Beal was a merchant in
Bardstown in 1788, while the State was



still a part of Virginia, and was a man
c great wealth, a large land-holder, and a
figu;-e of importance in the local history
of those times. In the earOy days many
manufacturies were located, here and the
place was the center of supplies for miles
around. When this dwAlling was remodel-
ed, an old blotter' was found recording 3

 





sale of dry goods amounting to pound; 3000 in
one day,
  Mr. Samuel Beall, the son, was a con-
tractor and wany specimens of his design-
ing and aupervision may still be seen here,
notably, St. Joseph's College. He con-
ceived the idea of a large hotel on the cor-
ner now occupied by Robert Crume's Drug
Stoi'e extending back to Grigsby's ware-
house and down Main street to Heyiman's,-
the adi-s' entrance and parlor were to be
where Dr. Grigsby is now located (notice
tkj peculiar arched ceilings ir4 there
sometimes.) But this fell into other hands
and was converted into a business block.
  He, Mr. S. Beall, was one of the wealth-
iest men in the State,-a1l one time owned
the home of Ben Hardin,-and had many
dreams which he never caitried out. One
was to make Boston an important river
port with great warehouses and extensive
boat landings.
  His home, now the Muir place, was of
unusua conmtruction, there being two octa-
goni shaped rooms jutting out on either side
of the front porch and these could be enter-



ed only from this porch. Upon the roof was
a fish pond, but as it was found impossible
to prevent leakage, the water was drained
off and the space msde into a flower gar-
den. Being somewhat of a sportsman, Mr.
Beall had a mile 2ace track constructed up-
on his farm, one of the first in Kentucky,
and many notable races were rurn here.
Standing on the porch of the present resi-
dence the depression in the ground can be
seen and followed, as it encircles the rear
of the home in an immense horseshoe.
  Mr. Beall had planned to erect a large
cotton gin back on his premises, but loss
of money prevented him carying out his
design, and- in time he was compelled to
give- up the possession of his home. It
passed into the hands of the Wiclkiffes, and
finally to the p-1sent Muir family. The
house has been remodeled, modernized and
still remains one of the handsomest homes
of this section.
  The Beall family    moved  away, the
descendants  are  scattered,-one  street
bearing the name, and old records tell thle
td:e of their having lived here at one time.



 







































COURT HOUSE, BARDSTOWN, KY
          Erected in 1892



  The first public buildings erected in
Bardstown were of logs. The first Court
House was built in 1785 of hemn logs, and
measured 20x30 feet. Later a stone build-
ing was erected whose classic walls echoed
to the speeches of Henry Clay, ex-President
Buchanan, ex-President Polk and ex-Persi-
dent Hayes and other notables. This was
torn down in 1891, and the present struc-
ture which was comp eted in 1892, cost
33,000. The first court held in Nelson



County was in 1785, by. mandamus, signed
by Benjamin Pope. Patrick Henry was
Gove-nor of Virginia at that time.
  On the Court Souse Squa Me once stood a
Irg school house where many men, after-
ward protminent, received their education.
Dr. Priestly taught the school and it was
known all over the country for the
thoroughness and high standard of the
training given. Bardstown in those days
was an educational center and drew stu-
dents ftiom all over the country.



 
































PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
      Erected in 1827



Churches



  Many of the early Lettler3 were Presby-
terians,-the Bairds were of that faith.
Between 1790 and 1800 the Rev. Terah
Templin, a home missionary, was -sent in-
to this part of the wilderness in the in-
terest of the Presbyterian church. He
preached here, evidently with success, a3
that becairr the strongest denomination.
While preaching here he was taken sick,
died in 1819 and is buried in, the old Pres-
byterian cemetery in the Northwest part
of tqwn.
  in 1802 Joshua Wi son preached regular-
ly, gatheed a congregation and the church
was organized. He first preached at the
Court Houise, then the old log church was
built in the Presbyterian cemetery. This
land was donated by William Beall to the
German Reformed Church., who sold it to
the Prva3hyterians. The old log church erect-
ed was 25x3 or 35 feet of unplastered
bare logs on the inside and would seat one'



hung e-9 and fifty people. It was tornn down
in 1818 and is long since forgotten, save
here and there whe-e an occasional refer-
ence is made to it. The early records of the
church are lost, but we know that Father
Wilson remained till 1808, and that he
taught school in an old log school hoirse at
the North end of Second street. Afte' his
ministry the church was vacant two years,
then the Rev. Joseph Lapsley was installed
pastor. His residence was on the grounds
now known as Nazareth. At this time, in
1810, the church had 30 members-in 1813,
49 members.
  Two eminent diviners of early     days
were Nathan Ha'l and Nathan L. Rice, who
are remembered for their religious con-
troversies. That seemed to be a favorite
pastime then, and such controversies were
of frequent occurance, when the whole town
took sides and excitement ran high.
  There is some interesting history con-

 




cerning the old brick church now used by
the negro   Baptists,  preserved  in  old
records. There once lived in' this town a
man named Paul Jones, a member of no
church and not considered pious. He died in
1812 and left a will in which he asked that
out of the proceeds of his estate, a church
should be built for the use of all dcqwomina-
tions, white and colored. This house was
built and considered very handsome for
those days being of brick. Here the Pueg.
byterians hed the Session in 1816" and
used it thereafter two Sundays a month,-
the Methodists used it once or twice a
month, and the Baptists frequently,-
neither the. Methodists or Baptists were
very strong at that time in the community.
Paul Jones is buried in the Southwest
corner of the church lot.
  The venerable Bishop Kavanaugh was
the father of the Methodist Churich here,
assisted by the Rev. Jonathan Stamper.
The great Methodist pulpit orator, John
Newland Maffitt once occupied the pulpit
six weeks.
   Old papers of 1823 tell of a band of
 Millerites, who visited he-re at that time
 and caused. great excitement. This religious
 sect remained a week and held a revival in
 a large tent, working upon the ncgroes and
 the superstitious. They preached that the
 end of the world was at hand and set a
 night for this to occur. Great crowds watch-
 ed and' prayed, but the Angel Gabriel fail-
 ed to appear at the appointed tim-e, ard the
 crestfallen Millerites folded theis tents and
 stole away by night.

   CEDAR CREEK BAPTIST-Cedar Creek
 Baptist Church is located about five miles
 southwest of Bardstown and is the second
 oldest Baptist Church in Kentucky. Severn's
 Valley Church at Elizabethtown is the oldest.
 Cedar Creek congregation was gathered
 together by Joseph Barnett, who was assist-
 ed in its constitution by John Gerrard, July
 4, 1781 just 16 days after the organization
 of the Severn Valley Church.
    The first pastor was Joseph Barnett, who
  continued with them till 1785 or longer. The
  second was Joshua Morris, who filled the
  pulpit many years; he preached at Mill
  Creek, also, and at other churches. After the
  death of Mr. Morris, the church had fre-



quent changes of pastors, other churches
grew up around it and for years it has been
a weak body.
  John Gerrard who assisted in constituting
Cedar Creek Church was the' first pastor of
the Severn's Valley Church. In the. spring' of
1782, he went hunting in the woods near his
home and never returned-he was supporsed
to have been murdered by Indians.
  Among the prominent citizens who were
members in the earl-y days were James
Rogers and Judge James Slaughter.
  In 1849, Nelson As-sociation was formed
with eleven churches in the County; Cedar
Creek was the oldest church in the Asso-
ciation.

  COX'S CREEK BAPTIST-This Church
is one of the o1dest in Kentuckq. and is lo-
cated on Cox's Creek, 6 nroiles north of
Bardstown. Wm. Taylor who settled in that
vicinitv in 1784 began holding meetings in
the cabins of the settlers, and in 1785 as-
sisted by John Whittaker he constituted
Cox's Creek Church with a membership of
sixteen, which in a few months grew to
twenty-six.
   This old Church has been fromf the first
 one cIE the strongest and most respected
 Churches. Such prominent names as King',
 Mays, Coxes, Wells, Crawfa-Yds, Formaus,
 Stones, etc., may be found on its member-
 ship list. Gen. Henry Crist and Gen. Joseph
 Lewis were among the early members.
   Among the early pastors were Moses
 Pierson, who succeeded William Taylor,
 Issac Taylor, who was a son of William
 Taylor, Smith Thomas, L. E. Kirtley' and
 Preston B. Samuels. Mr. Tyalor was the
 pastor till, hi's death in 1809. His early at-
 tempts at preaching were unpromising, but
 he developed into a good pastor who was
 alvorbed in his work, and he became an
 inspiration to the settlers.
   The anecdote is told of him, that one
   Sunday after service as he was riding along
 horseback, he was hailed about a mlie from
 the church by a settler in a cabin-"Where
 is your wife" He had to admit that ha
 had forgotten her, and upon turning back
 he found her fording the creek, her shoc3
 and stockings in her hands. She took it as
 a joke and often! told it with much amuse-
 ment.



 





St. Joseph's Catholic Church



THE FIRST CATHEDRAL WEST OF THE ALLEGHANIES.



  The first Catholic Church in Bardlztown
was a small log structure, located in the
Catholic cemetery, back of the pressnt
cemetery. Here lie many of the earlyresi-
dents of Bardstown. The spot where the
first church stood is marked by a marb e
shaft surmounted by the Angel Gabritl,
which was erected through the efforts of
Father O'Connel.
  The present structuie is a most his-
torical and beautiful building, noted for
its splendid architecture and excellent pres-
ervation. John Rogers of Baltimore, Md.,
was the architect, and it was built while
Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget was in
charge of thi's diocese, at an original cost
of 14,000. It is over 100 years old,-the



corner stone was laid Ju y 16, 1816, and
the church was consecd ated in 1819, three
years later. The immense pillars iT3idc
and across the front are solid logs cut from
the surrounding wilderness wood and
hewed by hand, hauled to the place by
oxen. The bricks were burned in a yard
nearby.
  Many valuable relics and paintings have
found their way he-e, and the history of
some of the most valuable, according to
Father O'Connel who made a study of
the subject is as folows:
  The painting ever thd altar, the "Cruci-
fixoT' was painted by Van Brae in Ant-
werp, 1821, and is valued at 100,000. This
was the gift of Father Nerinckx, who was



 





afterward the founder of Loretto. He seems
to have been something of a collector for
he brought other paintings f om abroad,
one the Rubens at Nazareth.
  The following were the gifts of Louis
Phillipe after his return to France. In the
Santuary on eitherl side of the "Crucifixon'
are two Van Dykes, the "Winged St.
Mark" with the lion's head visible at the
side, and "St. Peter"' in prison chains. The
"Coronation" on the west wall is by
Murrillo, and the "St. John" by Van Dyke.
On the east wall hangs "The Flaying of St.
Bartholomew" by Rubens,-this is the most
valuable painting in the church being
valued at 125,300.
  The bell, also, was the gift of Louis
Phillipe. It was cast first by Leo Feres
Jean at Lyons, France in 1773. It was 3



feet 6 inches in height and 3 feet 6 inches
in diameter. It became cracked in some
way since hanging in St. Jos-cph's and had
top be recast.
  There are some lovely priests' robes
which were presented by Louis Phillipe,-
the embroidery is the work of the queen
and her maids.
  This Church was the first Cathedral
west of the Alleghenics,-Bishop Flaget re-
moved the head of the See to Louisville.
  Father Robert Abell was the first priest,
and his great niephew, Rev. J. J. Abell
preached the fiftieth anniversary sermon
in 1869 and delivered the oration on the
centennial  anniversary  in  1919,-thus
writing, through 100 years, one family with
St. Joseph's anniversaries.



St. Joseph's College



  St. Joseph's College was established in
1819 by Bishop Flaget and became known
far and wide because of its superior faculty
and great educational advantages. It was
designed and constructed by Samuel Beall.
From 1848 to 1861 it was under the control
of the Jesuits, but owing to some misun-
derstanding with Bishop Spalding, they left



and established a school ferther west. Some
of our greatest men owe their fanme largely
to the training received at St. Josephs. A
few of the many who attended therie and
afterward gained prominence are Jefferson
Davis, Augustus Garland, Zach Montgomery,
Theodore O'Hara, who wrote the "Bivouac
of the Dead."



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Nazareth Academy



  The history of Nazareth and of St.
Thomas are closely associated. St. Thomas,
one of the oldest churches in Kentucky, is
four miles from Bardstown out the New
Haven pike and was established in 1812.
There was a church edifice and a rectory
in which the priest lived,-Bishop Flaget
once lived here. The foundation of the
Sisters of Charity in Kentucky dates back
to 1812, one and one-half years after the
arrival of Bishop Flaget. The Theological
Seminary was removed by Father David to
St. Thomas, twelve months before the es-
tablishment of the Sisters of Charity. The
Superior of the Seminary, with the advice
and consent of Bishop Flaget conceived the
idea of founding a community of TRligious
women to devote themselves to the service
of God and the good of their neighbors.
  In November 1812, Sister Teresa Carrico
and Miss Elizabeth Welsh came to live
near the church in a small log house of
two rooms one below and one above, with
a little cabin adjoining which was used as
kitchen. During the ensuing year several
others joined the community, among them
Sister' Catherine Spalding in 1813, who
became their first Mother Superior. Year
by year the order grew,-in 1815 they re-
moved one-half mile from the church where
they opened a girls' school.
  In time land was bought where Nazareth
is now located two and oue-half miles north
of Bardstown, and in 1822 the Con-munity
was transferred. Here thrived one of the
most prosperous schools in the south.



Story Of A Rubens, "Adoration of the Magi."
  In 1824 when the first brick church was
built at Nazareth, Bishop Flaget presented
them with a Rubens. "The Adoration of
the Magi,' which had been given to him
by Father Nerinckx. Father Nerinckx up-
(on his return in 1817 from a visit to Bl-
guim, his native land, had brought with
him a number of relics and paintings
which he had solicited for the church here.
  The new church at Nazareth was conse-
crated in 1854 and there seemed to be 1o
suitable place to hang the painting, so it
was laid aside finally misplaced and for-
gotten. In time, while some -1epairs were
being made, it was uncovered in a closet
of kindling wood, and although dingy with
dust and age, it was recognized by one of
the Sisters. With Father Russell's help it
was fastened together and hung for safe-
keeping till an opportunity might offer to
have it restored by competent hand-.
  One day, John Ward Dinsmore, a Cin-
cinnati artist who was painting the por-
traits of Mothers Frances, Columba and
Helena was shown the old picture which
he identified as a Rubens. He was allowed
to clean it, and today the pietuiied group
stands out in the colors of 300 years ago
  The picture represents the Virgin hold-
ing the Child, St. Joseph in the back-
ground, while the Magi and attendants
stand about in adoration. It is painted on
four thin boards of hardwood, glued to-
gether and covered with a cement prepara-
tion, and is set in a black frame with a
narrow band of gold next to the painting.



 






































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Gethsemani



  The founder of the original order of
Monks was St. Benedict, a holy man of
Italy in 480. But it was not until six cen-
turies later that the first monastery was
established. In time the order degenrat-
ed till Abbott Rence in 1700 undertook a
2eformatiorr of La Trappe in France. This
order spread all over France till an over-
crowded condition existed, then two Monks,
Father Paulin and Father Paul were sent
to