xt7gth8bj73z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7gth8bj73z/data/mets.xml Kentucky Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Kentucky 1996 Other contributors include: Simon, F. Kevin, 1952-; Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Kentucky. Kentucky. Originally published as: Kentucky: a guide to the bluegrass state. New York : Harcourt, Brace, [1939]. Includes bibliographical references (p. 462-470) and index. xxxv, 489 p. : ill., maps ; 21 cm. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries. Call number F 449.3 F293k 1939F. books  English Lexington : University Press of Kentucky This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Kentucky Works Progress Administration Publications The WPA Guide to Kentucky, Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Kentucky; F. Kevin Simon, editor; foreword by Thomas D. Clark text The WPA Guide to Kentucky, Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the State of Kentucky; F. Kevin Simon, editor; foreword by Thomas D. Clark 1996 1996 2015 true xt7gth8bj73z section xt7gth8bj73z   E   \ TINIVERTTYOFKENTUCKY I   V I ‘   l [_ Q , ·;  
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THE W PA GUIDE TO `  
K E N T U C K Y T  
Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers’Project 2   i
ofthe Work Projects Administration i
  for the State of Kentucky V
F. Kevin Simon, Editor i
Foreword by Thomas D. Clark i
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1
 
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS or KENTUCKY  
_ ,__   —»·-rr 7 rrr. , 6.  

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  Copyright © 1939 by the University of Kentucky
  Originally published by Harcourt, Brace and Company in October 1939
  · under the title Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State
ll I Foreword and introduction to 1996 edition copyright © 1996 by
g Q The University Press of Kentucky
li 1 Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth,
`i ' serving Bellarmine College, Berea College, Centre
  ” College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University,
jll The Filson Club, Georgetown College, Kentucky
  Historical Society, Kentucky State University,
, It Morehead State University, Murray State University,
  Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University,
  University of Kentucky, University of Louisville,
  and Western Kentucky University.
  Editorial and Sales Ojfces: The University Press of Kentucky
ei l 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008
\
l? 9697989900 54321
Q   Library of Congress Cata10ging—in—Publicati0n Data .
E   Federal Writers’ Project ofthe Work Projects Administration for the
5.   State of Kentucky
él V The WPA guide to Kentucky / compiled and written by the Federal
{ Writers' Project for the State of Kentucky ; F. Kevin Simon, editor;
{ ; foreword by Thomas D. Clark.
    p. cm.
‘   ~ Includes bibliographical references and index.
  ISBN 0-81314997-9 (cloth : alk. paper). —ISBN 0-8131-0865-9
  (paper : alk. paper)
·{ 1. Kentucky. 2. Kentucky—Guidebooks. 3. Automobile travel-
  Kentucky—Guidebooks. I. Simon, F. Kevin, 1952- . II. Title.
lf F451.F45 1996
j· _ 976.9——dc2O 9624751
t_ j This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix 1  
LIST OF MAPS xv   _
" FOREWORD BY THOMAS D. CLARK xvii A `
)ct0bcr 1939 INTRODUCTION BY F. KEVIN SIMON xxi `  
mfg PREFACE BY U.R. BELL xxvii » _
I 1996 by GENERAL INFORMATION xxix ` ·
CALENDAR OF EVENTS xxxiii ‘
  Part I. Kentucky: The General Background
I KENTUCKIANS 8
Ly NATURAL SETTING 7
gil)., ARCHEOLOGY AND INDIANS 28 I
HISTORY 35
AGRICULTURE 50 il
glgcgog TRANSPORTATION 56 ‘
` MANUFACTURING AND MINING 60 I
LABOR 66 1
ma _ THE NEGRO 72  
RELIGION 77
n f0r the
EDUCATION 83
[ha Federal FOLKLORE AND FOLK MUSIC 89 ;
€d'“" S KENTUCKY THOROUGHBREDS 94
PRESS AND RADIO 102 {
THE ARTS 110 A E
»865-9 i
Part II. Cities and Towns  
travel- Q
nie. ASHLAND 139 {
_ _ COVINGTON 147 {
*247°1 FRANKFORT 157  
T HARRODSBURG 168  
ltandard LOUISVILLE 175  
rials. LEXINGTON 197  
_ PADUCAH 221  
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  vi CONTENTS
Ei;] Tou;
  [ Part HI. Highways and Byways
  TOUR 1 (Portsmouth, Ohio)—South Portsmouth—Ashland—Catlettsburg
  —Paintsville—Prestonsburg—Pikeville—(Norton, Va.). [US 23] 233
  2 Winchester—Stanton—]ackson——Hazard—_]'unction with
  US 119. [State 15] 242
  3 (Cincinnati, Ohio)—-Newport—Cynthiana—Paris—Lexington—-
it Nicbolasville—Lancaster—Somerset—(Chattanooga, Tenn.) .
. [Us 27] 246
__ Section a. Ohio Line to Lexington 246
Q Section b. Lexington to Tennessee Line 253
    4 (Cincinnati, Ohio)—Covingt0n—Georgetown—Lexington—
  g Richmond—Corbin—Williamsburg—(Jellico, Tenn.),
ji` [US 25 and US 25W] 261
\? ` Section a. Ohio Line to Lexington 262
  " Section b. Lexington to Tennessee Line 266
ill'
  4A Junction with US 25—PineviIle—Middlesboro—Cumberland
§g Gap—(Tazewell, Tenn.). [US 25E] 274
  4B C0rbin—Cumbcrland Falls State Park—Parker’s Lake. [State 90] 279
 _ 5 Warsaw—Frankfort—Lawrenceburg—Harrodsburg—Danville—
  ]amestown—Albany—(Chattanooga, Tenn.). [State 35] 280
[
§i: " 6 (Indianapolis, Ind.)—Louisville—Bardstown—HodgenvilIe-—
§ L Glasgow—Scot‘tsvilIe—(Nashville, Tenn.). [US 31E] 288
`; 7 (New Albany, Ind,)—Louisville—Elizabethtown—Munfordville—
{ Horse Cave—B0wling Green—Franklin—(Nashville, Tenn,).
, [US 31W] 296 CHR
  7A Cave City—Mammoth Cave National Park—Mammoth SEL}
  , Cave. [State 70] 309 IND]
  ` 8 (Evansville, Ind.)—Henderson—Madisonville—Hopkinsville——
,' , Guthrie—(Nashville, Tenn.). [US 41 and US 41E] 315
    9 (Metropolis, Ill.)—Paducah—Maytield—Fulton—
iii ~ (Martin, Tenn.). [US 45] 322
  10 (Cairo, Ill.)—Wickliffe—Bardwell—Clinton—Fulton—
  (Memphis, Tenn). [US S1] 324
  ` 11 South Portsmouth—Vanceburg—Maysville—Alexandria.
lz [State 10] 329
· I 12 (Cincinnati, Ohio)—Covington—Warsaw—Carrollton—
Louisville. [US 42] 334
li ~ 12A Junction with US 42—Butler Memorial State Park—Owenton—
f* junction with State 40. [US 227] 341
13 Willow—Falmouth—Owenton—New CastIe——]unction with
US 60. [State 22] 344 .
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TOUR 14 (Aberdeen, Ohio)—Maysville—Georgetown———Versailles—Bards- ‘ 5
town—-Elizabethtown—Central City—Paducah. [US 62] 351   F
Section a. Ohio Line to Elizabethtown 351 `J  
jatlettsburg Section b. Elizabethtown to Paducah 356   _i
')` [US 23] 233 15 (Aberdeen, Ohio)-—Maysville—Lexington—Harrodsburg——Bards- I
town—Hodgenville—Cave City—Bowling Green—Paducah. ¤
th [US 68] 362 I  
[State 15] 242 Section a. Ohio Line to Lexington 362 `   ·
;ington—- Section b. Lexington to Bowling Green 374 `
gav '1;€‘m·)· Section c. Bowling Green to Paducah 382 ` `·
[bs 27] 246
246 16 (Huntington, W. Va.)—-—Ashland—Owingsville—Mount Sterling-
2 53 Winchester—Lexington—Versailles—Frankfort——Louisville——Hen- _ »
derson—Paducah—Wickliffe—(Charleston, Mo.). [US 60] 387 `
0¤— Section a. West Virginia Line to Lexington 387 j
‘°· T€m”*·)· S t` b. L ·‘ 1 t L ‘ 'll 396
ws zswi gg; SZZQZQ ._ LZY.‘§$ifi§` tf Mi;§iiii€Li¤e 4¤¤
266 17 Warf1eld—Paintsville—Mount Sterling—Georgetown— J
Junction with US 60. [State 40 414 ` .
arla d
[{515 25}]] 274 17A Paris—Boonesboro—Richmond, [US 227] 419 I
18 junction with US 23—Hindman—Somerset—Columbia—-
[State 90] 279 Glasgow—]uncti0n with US 31W—68. [State 80] 424
1nville— 19 (Williamson, W. Va.)—Pikeville—_]enkins—]unction with ;
[Slate 35] 280 Us 2sE. [Us 119] 433 [
W6-— 20 Burnside—Monticello—Albany—Burkesville—Glasgow. [State 90] 441
[US 31E] 288
  Part I V. Appendices 7 E
[US 31W] 296 CHRONOLOGY 451  
·h SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY 462
[State 70] 309 ,
INDEX 471 _
;ville—— F
IUS 41E] 315 g
. [Us 45] 322 .  
. [Us si] 324  
[State 10] 329  
. [US 42] 334  
venton—  
[US 227] 341 Q
with  
State 22] 344 .  
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List of Illustrations    
I. The Natnral Setting 14 ` ‘  
BREAKS OF SANDY (ctlllflfild 6} Shook) ,  
CUMBERLAND FALLS (Canfield 6} Shook) ‘
CUMBERLAND GAP (cllllfllild &· Shook)
KNOB COUNTRY (Canfield 6 Shook)
KENTUCKY RIVER PALISADES (Canfield 6 Shook) l `
SKYLINE NATURAL BRIDGE, CUMBERLAND NATIONAL f
FOREST (Canfield <‘.5· Shook)
LOOKING UP THE OHIO TOWARD CLOVERPORT (Canfield &·
Shook) 4
THE KENTUCKY RIVER AT CAMP NELSON (Lafayette Stndio)  
ECHO RIVER IN MAMMOTH CAVE (Canfield 65 Shook) l
GOTHIC AVENUE IN MAMMOTH CAVE (Canfield (9 Shook) I
RUINS OF KARNAK IN MAMMOTH CAVE (Canfield (9 Shook) I
CHIMNEY ROCK, NEAR DANVILLE (Canfield 6- Shook)  
II. Historic Pages 28  
DANIEL BOONE’S ARRIVAL WITH NORTH CAROLINIANS; l
MURAL IN POST OFFICE, LEXINGTON (Painting by Ward _ i
Lockwood) I
LINCOLN MEMORIAL, NEAR HODGENVILLE (Canfield 65-  
Shook)  
a
PIONEER MEMORIAL, HARRODSBURG (Simmonx Stndio)  
BIRTHPLACE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, MEMORIAL (Canheld I
6 Shook)  
OLD CAPITOL, FRANKFORT (Canfield 6 Shook)  
THE CAPITOL, FRANKFORT (Aero—Gra_12hic Corporation)  
OLD FAYETTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, LEXINGTON (La-  
‘ foyette Stndio)  
ix _;
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  L X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
  INTERIOR FEDERAL HILL, "MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME," (j
gi NEAR BARDSTOWN (Caufield 6 Shook) M
  FEDERAL HILL, "MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME" (Canfield 6 A
  Shook) . D
V   ASHLAND, HOME OF HENRY CLAY, LEXINGTON (Lafayette
` Y Studio) B
  ]OHN HUNT MORGAN HOME, LEXINGTON (Lafayette Studio) T
  QIEFFERSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE, LOUISVILLE (Canfield N
av _ 6* Shook) C
§<
ii ll
  III. Architecture 42 V_ A
  -_ DIAMOND POINT, HARRODSBURG (Simmons Studio) Q
iii SHROPSHIRE HOUSE, GEORGETOWN (Lafayette Studio)
  LIBERTY HALL, FRANKFORT (Cusick) L
  » WILMORE GARRETT RESIDENCE, NEAR LEXINGTON
  (Lafayette Studio) E
  MCAFEE HOUSE, NEAR HARRODSBURG (Simmons Studio) B
  . OLD KEENE PLACE, NEAR LEXINGTON (Lafayette Studio) ,1
Q , FAIR OAKS, NEAR HARRODSBURG (Simmons Studio)
" _ SCARLET GATE, HOME OF JAMES LANE ALLEN, NEAR ']
I LEXINGTON (Lafayette Studio)
S CLAY HILL, HARRODSBURG (Simmons Studio) I
L   MANSION MUSEUM, HARRODSBURG (Simmons Studio) (
  · CARNEAL HOUSE, COVINGTON (Rolsten Photo Service) (
( A WICKLAND, BARDSTOWN (Canfield 6- Shook) ]
  Y THE ORLANDO BROWN HOUSE, FRANKFORT (Canfield G
  ~ Shook) E
  STAIRWAY, OLD CAPITOL, FRANKFORT (Canfield G Shook) $
  ,
fi IV. Industry: Transportation 56
I WATER FRONT, LOUISVILLE (Canfield 6} Shook)
  COAL MINER (Farm Security Administration)
MODERN COLLIERY (Bureau of Mines)
g STRIP MINING (Canheld 6- Shook) _
 

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi    
COAL MINE (Farm Security Administration) f g
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT COLUMBUS (Caufield 6 Shook) I  
ALONG THE PINEVILLE—HARLAN ROAD (Caufield 6 Shook) 3
DIX DAM, HERRINGTON LAKE (Aero—Graphic Corporation)   {
BARDSTOWN DISTILLERY (Caufield 6 Shook)    
TOBACCO MARKET (Caujield 6 Shook) ~, l -
MULE DAY (WPA Staj Photographer) _ 1 .` V
CHAIR MAKERS (Caujield 6 Shook)
42 V. Education and Religion 86 ,
OLD CENTRE, CENTRE COLLEGE, DANVILLE (Simmons h
Studio) `
MOUNTAIN SCHOOL OF NATURAL STONE, A WPA PROQIECT ` !
(WPA in Kentucky) {
BEREA COLLEGE, BEREA (Cauheld 6 Shook) L
KENTUCKY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, DANVILLE (Caufield 6 _
Shook)
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, AIRVIEW (Aero—Graphic L
Corporation) :
TRAPPIST MONASTERY, GETHSEMANE (Aero-Graphic Cor- l
poration) 4
AUDUBON MUSEUM, HENDERSON (WPA in Kentucky) 5
GIDDINGS HALL, GEORGETOWN COLLEGE (Lafayette Studio)  
GUEST HOUSE, SHAKERTOWN (Caujield 6 Shook) E
DOORWAY TO GUEST HOUSE, SHAKERTOWN (Caujield 6  
Shook) I
SHAKER CEREMONIES (Harrodsburg Herald) _ {
SHAKER CEREMONIES (Harrodsburg Herald)  
ST. ]OSEPH’S CHURCH, BARDSTOWN (Cau)€eld 6 Shook)  
MUD MEETING HOUSE (c. 1806), NEAR HARRODSBURG g
56 (Simmons Studio) g
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  .._.      ... ..   .   _ ,   i

  
  Xii mst 01* 1LLUsTRAT10Ns
  W VI. I 72 the Bluegrass 244 T;
  in ARISTOCRAT (Canfield 6} Shoal:)  
I   CHURCHILL DOWNS, LOUISVILLE (Canfield Cv Shook)
  VVAR ADMIRAL, WINNER OF THE W3? KENTUCKY DERBY EI
V   (Canfield G- Shank)
  MAN O’ WAR (Canfield G- Shank)  
  COD.gNg<;EO(OkUT OF PADDOCK, CHURCHILL DOWNS (Canfield I
    BLUE GRASS TROTTERS IN ACTION (Lafayette Studio) fb
ii i ON DIXIANA FARM (Cazzfield 6} Shank) SI
  . STABLES AT ELMENDORF (Lafayette Stadia) M
I}, IDLE HOUR STABLE (Lafayette Studio) T]
  SPRING IN THE BLUE GRASS (Lafayette Studio) C,
1;} BLESSING OF THE HOUNDS CEREMONY BY IROQUOIS T,
  HUNT CLUB (Lafayette Studia) G
>_ GRIME’S MILL HOUSE, HEADQUARTERS OF IROQUOIS HUNT
  CLUB (Lafayette Studio) B'
  H ROAD THROUGH THE BLUE GRASS COUNTRY (Lafayette M
g ` Studio) H
U H A KENTUCKY PIKE (Caujeld 6- Shack) H
,.   VII. Along the Highway I 2474 B
it y GOLD DEPOSITORY, CAMP KNOX (Canfield G Shack)
    FORT KNOX (Canfield é- Shank)
  A INDIAN BURIAL GROUND, WICKLIFFE (Murragr Hite)
  BRYAN STATION SPRING, LEXINGTON (Caafietd 6 Simak)
  FORT HARROD, HARRODSBURG (CaufieEa' é Sisaak)
  FLOOD WATERS REACH STATUE OF CHIEF PADUKE,
  PADUCAH (N3?) (WPA in Kerttzxcky)
  ' COVERED BRIDGE, CYNTHIANA (Lafayette Studio)
q, OLD CANE RIDGE MEETING HOUSE {Hai), NEAR PARIS
Zi (Lafajsette Studia)
% WOOLRIDGE MONUMENTS, MAYFIELD (Murray Hite;
H MT. LEBANON, NEAR PARIS (Lafayette Studio) _
 
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Xiii j  
MINING TOWN (Farm Security Adminixtration) { §
44 THE FAITH HEALER (U. S. Forest Service) l  
MINER’S HOME (Farm Security Administration) J  
CUMBERLAND FALLS LODGE (Canfield G Shook) E: [
ELKHORN CREEK, NEAR LEXINGTON (Canfield G Shook) il  
VIII. Along the Highway H 304   *
TROUBLESOME CREEK DAM (Canfield G Shook) .  
IN THE LICKING RIVER VALLEY (Rolsten Photo Service) ·
SHEEP GRAZING (Canfield G Shook)
MOUNTAIN ROAD (Cl11lfI€ld G Shook) 2
THE PASTURE (Canheld G Shook)
CUTTING BURLEY TOBACCO (Canfield G Shook)  
TOBACCO CURING (Canfield G Shook) j Q
GRINDING SORGHUM CANE (Canfield G Shook) i
BOILING SORGHUM (Canfield G Shook)  
MOUNTAIN CABIN (Canfield G Shook) i
HOME IN CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS (Canfield G Shook) {
HELL-FER-SARTAIN CREEK (Canfield G Shook) _ {
HOME (Farm Security Administration) ;
,74 BULLETIN BOARD OF FARMERS EXCHANGE, OWENSBORO  
i (Farm Security Administration)  
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KEY TO KENTUCKY T0URs oppositc Y  
EASTERN MOUNTAINS 0 A   ·
'_ DEDEcRAss AND KNOB COUNTRY 17 1 2
  1>ENNYR1EE AND WESTERN COAL FIELDS 20 and 21 p
  T1-1E JACKSON 1>DRc11AsE 23 . g
  ASHLAND 142 -
  COVINGTON 122
  FRANKFORT 163 `
‘ LOUISVILLE 127 f A  
LEXINGTON 202 }
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Foreword j g
THOMAS D. ctARK l  
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The Great Depression of the l930s caught Kentucky in a vulnerable   ._ l
moment. With the economy in a state of chaos, social and cultural  
conditions were undergoing transition from an intensely rural-agrar- A _ j
ian society to a dawning urban age. A special survey committee in 1932  
found the condition of Kentucky’s schools “doleful," much of the state’s _
population lived in geographical isolation, and in the eastern coalfields _
a virtual state of labor war existed. Altogether the Depression thrust .
upon the Commonwealth an all but impenetrable pall of frustration   .
and defeat. ' j
But changes were under way. The New Deal, largely through the    
Civilian Conservation Corps, was lowering barriers of isolation by I
building telephone lines and conditioning old carriage and wagon
roads for use by the automobile and motor truck, weaving a web of _
improved highways. The last vestiges of the nineteenth-century system
of toll roads and bridges were being erased. For the first time in
Kentucky`s history, a series of touring routes could be outlined and j
used by motorists. Tourism was becoming a significant social and ,
economic force in Kentucky, as elsewhere in America. Portions of the  
Kentucky population that had been sealed away from the “outside"
could now travel outward, and other Kentuckians could travel into
hitherto inaccessible corners of the state. {
In the midst of the fury that surrounded the creation of New Deal j
agencies in Washington, D.C, in the 1930s, someone proposed a project _
to aid the thousands of writers, artists, and photographers whose `  
situation was desperate for lack of employment. Out of this idea grew  
the Federal Writers` Project of the Work Projects Administration (also  
known as the Works Progress Administration) and the proposal for a  
series of guidebooks for the forty-eight states and for many cities and  
towns. {
No one in Washington, of course, had even a glimmer of an idea  
how many writers were “out there.” In the case of Kentucky, the l930s  
were a less than golden literary era. Eliiabeth Madox Roberts of zi
Springfield and Irvin S. Cobb of Paducah were near the end of their  
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gi productive years. In Louisxille, Alice Hegan Rice and Eleanor Mercein Us at
  _ Kelly were no longer writing. Younger writers, such as jesse Stuart, panic
  T Harriette Arnow, james Still, AB. Guthrie, and Henry Hornsby, had they ,
  not begun their serious writing careers. Not a half dozen historians appci
ES, A were publishing. In fact, Kentucky was in the literary doldrums between Th,
. a distinguished older era and the birth ofa new one. smm
_ ·   It was against this background that the proponents of the American lhslu
"   Guide Series put forth their idea as a fitting public works project within the e;
_ . the Federal Writers` Project. The Kentucky V\'riters’ Project was placed the U
il under the direction of Dr. Urban R. Bell with the political blessings of to th,
  j Senator Alben Barkley and his ardent supporter, George Goodman, who
  ` the Administrator of the Kentucky Work Projects Administration. Bell, hothj
  a former Disciples of Christ minister, was the author of one or two Cs]
  I published essays but of no books. Of those who worked under him, sccyjc
  many had only limited writing and publishing experience. l»\'hat the gldgtq,
  great majority of YVPA “'researchers" brought to their reliefjobs were insist
  anticipation and energy. They came and went, gathering and record- Th.
 1 ing bits of historical information and folklore wherever they could find cally
  them. Then as now, the miracle is that a book emerged from this tangle in th.
_, of good intentions. [O ass
é‘ I The project’s central ofhce was located in Louisville, with a sub-office was 3
jj in Lexington. Bell assembled a skeleton staff of secretaries and began trage
*4 . the task of selecting potential researchers and vniters from the bulging hm, E
@   YVPA rolls. Meanwhile, from that covey of imaginative souls in RC;
F llfashington there poured forth, almost monthly, new ideas and (legs,
    directional changes displaying little realistic sense of the literary talent, its pl
  . latent or otherwise, “out there." Ultimately, the central objectives for ehvcl
  the \’\`iiters` Project simmered dorm to gathering data on slavery and futur
    post-slavery times, collecting folklore and the history of local mpg
  institutions, and creating guidebooks for the states, localities, and V large
  IOWVHS. can 2
  So far as I know, I am the only stiryiying contributor to the YVPA the it
ill guide to Kentucky. I was at the time director of the Kentucky Histori- coun
il, cal Records Survey, a sister endeavor. Both projects were administered good
E. A and financed from the central office. Thus it was that I became in- or a
2 volyecl in the \‘\'riters` Project and the guidebook. reprt
e The actual writing of the book was done largely by university St. Lt
  professors. newspaper reporters, and others with special knowledge touc]
, of Kentucky. It would now be challenging to identify all the offict
ll contributions made by non-HPA writers. Those of the \VPA research- Th
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in ers and writers are found mostly in the tour sections and in the com- i  
`B panion books on Louisville, Lexington, and Breathitt County. No doubt gl  
ld they contributed many of the anecdotal and personal vignettes that if il
US appear in these volumes. _  
TU The research and writing of the guide consumed an inordinate   _'
amount of time, survived the onslaught of a veritable flood of   F-
in instructions and counterinstructions from Washington, and required 1,   ·
in the expenditure ofvast amounts of human energy. But at last, in 1939, ,1 .
id the text was ready for publication. Dr. Bell delivered the manuscript J i
Of to the president of the University of Kentucky, Dr. Frank L. McVey, Q ·
H, who in turn instructed me to read it and make sure it contained i L
ll, nothing that would embarrass the university. i
V0 Certainly the text was innocuous enough with the exception of a _`
T1, section describing, in nauseating detail, a spitting contest on a Maysville p n
16 sidewalk. It was defended as a colorful bit of local folklore, but our   n
Y6 insistence that it be deleted prevailed.   {
‘d· The only other controversy arose when Henry Youtsey of Covington [ `
id called on President McVey to demand that his name not be mentioned   l
{16 in the book. Youtsey had served several years in prison for conspiracy
to assassinate Governor William Goebel in 1900, but by the 1930s he
C6 was active in church affairs in his community. Although the Goebel
Fm tragedy was mentioned several times in the book, Youtsey’s name was
Hg not, so his fears were groundless.
in Rereading this almost forgotten guidebook after the passage of six  
ld decades amounts to a vicariousjourney into another age. In a sense, i
ut, its publication in 1939 was a lifting of the curtain of despair that had  
`or enveloped the state to reveal a brighter and perhaps more prosperous
nd future. For all Kentuckians with even a glimmer ofinterest in the past,  
zal republication of this volume opens vistas on a Kentucky that was still l
nd V largely agrarian in both economy and cast of mind. In its pages, one l
can againjourney over narrow roads and come upon toll gates along · Q
PA the way and at stream crossings; find main roads and streets lined with _}
>ri- country hotels, drug stores, and soda fountains; discover honest-to-  
ed goodness hardware stores where one could buy a good pocket knife  
in- or a wagon and mule. This was a time when commercial drummers g
representing the great wholesale houses of Louisville, Cincinnati, and  
ity St. Louis still swarmed through the countryside, and when, through a  
lge touch of romance on the part of the Postal Service, fourth-class post  
he offices still stood at every crossroads cluster of homes.  
zh- The guide to Kentucky, like the other state guidebooks, is definitely  
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  xx FOREWORD
  dated. Therein lies its rnerit. Running like threads through the text
gi - and the photographic illustrations are local historical clichés that in
  themselves constitute important documentation of an age when the
  Kentucky initrd was turning to politics. economics. institutional status.
  and some frustration with the social and cultural levels of the Corn·
2 nronwealth—-a revealing gauge of the social and physical conditions
-   in that "other Kentucl·;v."` It is m
gi The tiles of the Writers' Project rnav yet he dredged for clearer II1193
2 l insights into the Great Depression era. Certainly this has been the case storos
ll _» with the inforanation on slavery and folklore. L`ltirnately the VVPA writ- orst pr
    ers and researchers rnav have heen important largely as gleaners of insigll
li fugitive inforrnation ahotrt Kentucl·;v`s people. their follzlore. traditions. songs
  and customs. and even their trivia. Collectivelv the gatherings of notes. across
  i stories. and factual and hearsay materials give a distinctive dimension book
  _ to that rnornent of Kenrucl·;v`s travail. The iles await full exploitation [ions t
  hv more rnature researchers with broader penspec tives who will he ahle ]oo[ C]
  to draw out the kernels of fact and to realize more fullv the dream of booor
" those who established the Federal l‘t`riter·s` Proiect. Tho
  The XVPA guide to Kentucltv. if MGI a landmark in local literarv his· guide
L`. . tori:. is a clocurnerrtativ gjtride to past sights and scenes. For me, read- impor
` ing it again after all these years has been a sentirrrent;tl_i»a·rrrr1e*»‘ laacl; pictur
5 into a seminal moment of historv. the p
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¤ Introduction l 3
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It is now sixty years since work began on the VVPA guide to Kentucky.     ‘
Y In 1939, after three years of preparation, the volume appeared in book- , -_
6 stores across the Commonwealth. Produced as part of the Federal Writ- t
F ers` Project’s American Guide Series, the Guide offered knowledgeable _ j
{ insights to Kentucky’s history and peoples, informative profiles of the  
5- state’s leading cities, attractive photographs, and detailed driving tours t
$· across the Kentucky countryside. The first printing of the 489-page ,
H book sold out quickly. Demand proved steady, and subsequent edi- , _
H tions kept the book in print well into the 1940s. This public response   . p
E lent credence to a reviewer`s claim that “the book is a worthy contri- ’
lf bution [to Kentuckiana] and will long be appreciated.”l   i
The passage of time has not clulled the appeal of the Kentucky i E
$’ guidebook. Its original allure endures, enhanced by the book’s
ll· importance as a chronicle of Kentucky at mid-century. The book`s l
lll pictures, narrative, and descriptions comprise a fascinating window on _
the past. That past, though ever more distant, has yet to vanish I
completely. Despite more than a half-century of demographic change J
and commercial development, the Kentucky countryside still greets Z
the traveler’s eye much as it did in the l930s. Likewise, familiar Q
landmarks abound throughout the colorful descriptions of the state’s
towns and agricultural regions. Perhaps most striking is the lasting
relevance of many of the guidebooks motor tours. The interstate {
highway system bypassed much of the state, leaving Kentucky’s rural I
routes and surrounding countryside to pass the decades relatively l
untouched by the ravages of time and the effects of modernization. '  
Hence, the inveterate traveler of Kentucky`s back roads will find the .i
Guide a superb escort to a Commonwealth at once contemporary and  
unmistakably reminiscent of an earlier time.  
As Kentucky wiiters began their labors in a state wracked by the Great E
Depression, few anticipated the lasting interest their work would  
generate. The Federal \*»’riters’ Prcject was, first and foremost, a unique  
relief program created in 1935 as part of the INorks Progress  
Administration (INPA). Indeed, the Federal \Vriters' Project was but  
one component in a group of projects that became knowxm as Federal  
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  xxii INTRODUCTION
  One, Federal One, or Federal Project One as it was alternatively knovm, grgphg
  was comprised of the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theater wgrkej
i Project, the Federal Art Project, the Historical Records Survey, and tgyigli
_   the Federal Writers` Project. These programs promoted culture through {ing] g
  ` work relief for people involved in the arts. Yilithin months of Federal plgted
SQ One`s creation, thousands ofjobless artists eagerly abandoned relief The L
  rolls for gainful employinent in creative activities sponsored by the fed- prgjeq
i l eral gOV€I`IIIII€I`t[. dersqg
gl President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Harry Hopkins to head the Cgntrii
il _ VVPA. Chief among Hopkins's assistants were two southerners, Aubrey Md
  j Williams of Alabama and Ellen S. Woodward of Mississippi; both proved gi ingiii
  ' ardent supporters of Federal One programs. The Federal Writers' [tiring
  Project itself was directed by New ibrker Henry G. Alsberg, a former prove
  theater producer and newspaperjournalist. Shortly after assuming his guidel
  duties Alsberg exulted that "for the first time in the history of the Virgin
  United States writers are working for the government as writers"? The made
  New lbrk Times later agreed, saying, "The result will be the greatest inning
_‘ collection of source material on the United States in existence plus a , impor
  living for some thousands of writers."5 By April 1936, Alsberg directed this gr
more than 6,600 writers, of whom approximately 40 percent were Arkan
El women. Ultimately, they produced more than a thousand books and Missis
gl pamphlets. Most of these writers toiled in state writers` projects. graph
ii The Connecticut Writers` Project developed what came to be re· Alsbei
% A garded as the prototype guidebook. Based on Connecticuts early ef- state v
j I forts, American Guide Series editors adopted a fonnat to be followed with t
  ; by each of the state writers` projects; Kentucky was no exception. Each ure in
  . state book was divided into three distinct sections. The first section Af