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Business District Fire
Amid floods, epidemics and shoot-outs, it seems that once or twice every generation a large part of Richmond's business district would burn down. The block on the south side of West Main between Second and Third was largely destroyed by fire in the…
Madison's Mallory Springs
Many people know of Hot Springs and White Sulphur Springs. People still go to Red Boiling Springs and Clear Creek Mountain Springs. But how about Madison County's own Mallory Springs?
Located in the Red Lick section of Madison, not far from Big…
Located in the Red Lick section of Madison, not far from Big…
Double Disaster in 1909
In the first days of August, 1909, Richmond was dealt a double disaster which left it stunned for a while.
Dark clouds came up ominously about the time people were sitting down to their evening meal on Aug. 5. Before the supper dishes could be…
Dark clouds came up ominously about the time people were sitting down to their evening meal on Aug. 5. Before the supper dishes could be…
Hollywood in Richmond
Hollywood in Richmond? Movie Stars on Main Street? Yes, indeed. It really happened, back in 1937.
From the Richmond Daily Register: "All the fanfare, the brilliance and the realness of a veritable Hollywood Premiere will be reproduced in all its…
From the Richmond Daily Register: "All the fanfare, the brilliance and the realness of a veritable Hollywood Premiere will be reproduced in all its…
Berea Postoffice- 1937
The September 10, 1937 issue of the Richmond Daily Register featured an article concerning the New Berea postoffice, and it read as follows:
"When Berea's new $53,000 postoffice is dedicated Saturday, the building will be more than a symbol of the…
"When Berea's new $53,000 postoffice is dedicated Saturday, the building will be more than a symbol of the…
Early Richmond Businesses
Not much is known about the very early businesses in this city. We have some information about stories, stagecoaches, craftsmen and professional leaders from about 1850 on, but for the times earlier than that our knowledge is scant. A quite valuable…
More Information From 1851 Edition of Whig Chronicle
Where Was the Webster House?
Have you wondered just where the Webster House was located in Richmond? Two proprietors, Dudley Webster and Samuel A. Hatch, carry a good size advertisement and say their hostelry is located on Main street in the same…
Have you wondered just where the Webster House was located in Richmond? Two proprietors, Dudley Webster and Samuel A. Hatch, carry a good size advertisement and say their hostelry is located on Main street in the same…
Christmas Here in 1880
The weekly newspapers in Richmond during the Christmas season in 1880 had none of the large display ads for gifts and decorations that we find this season.
Judging from the space that the newspapers devoted to the various subjects, there was more…
Judging from the space that the newspapers devoted to the various subjects, there was more…
The Holiday Turkey Business
In the early 1900's, Madison County developed into one of the largest turkey raising and processing centers in this area of the country. On several hundred farms and in the backyards of many Richmond residences turkeys were hatched in large numbers…
1937 Survey: Part II
September 3, 1937—“Richmond Well Suited for Moderate Size Industrial Concern"
With a population of nearly 7,000 inhabitants, Richmond -the only urban community in Madison County - presents an ensemble of the county's richness within its city…
With a population of nearly 7,000 inhabitants, Richmond -the only urban community in Madison County - presents an ensemble of the county's richness within its city…
Old Drugstores
Drugstores were apparently a part of the Richmond business scene from the early years following the incorporation of the city in 1809.
Perhaps the oldest known drugstore location in Richmond is the building on the corner of Main and Second St.,…
Perhaps the oldest known drugstore location in Richmond is the building on the corner of Main and Second St.,…
Where to Find a Doctor in Richmond in the 1880s
Before the Pattie A. Clay Infirmary was established in 1892, there was no hospital in Richmond. Most people who were seriously ill or injured were cared for at their own homes until they either got well or died in their own beds. From time to time…
Business at End of Civil War
In the months following the end of the Civil War in 1865, business in Richmond was more or less back to normal. With the exception of reports of nearby raids by John Hunt Morgan's men, there had been no military excitement here since the aftermath of…
The Corner Drugstore
The corner drugs store is an American institution and Richmond has had its share. Cornett's, Stockton's, Begley's, and Hinkle's have in their turn attracted the soda and sundae crowd. One of the oldest drugstore corners is the one now occupied by…
Madison Tobacco Warehouse Co.
Around the turn of the century there were only three buyers of tobacco — American Tobacco Company, Imperial Tobacco Company (British) and Regie Tobacco Company (French). These drove the price of tobacco below cost. The tobacco growers banded…
The Berea Post Office
When the Berea College and community leaders returned from exile after the civil war, postal service was reestablished with Schyler Johnson as postmaster. People got their mail out of the "pigeon holes" in a roll-top desk at Johnson's blacksmith shop…
Madison's Oldest Industry is Pottery
The oldest known industry in Madison County is the making of pottery.
J. P. Grinstead, who learned the potter's trade in Virginia moved to Waco around 1840 and continued the trade. It is believed that Green Clay Smith, later a general in the Civil…
J. P. Grinstead, who learned the potter's trade in Virginia moved to Waco around 1840 and continued the trade. It is believed that Green Clay Smith, later a general in the Civil…
Churchill Weavers
One of the graduates of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899 was Davie Carroll Churchill. His goal in life was two-fold: to make fine handwoven fabrics and to help others.
Hand-weaving was still done in India and young Mr. Churchill left…
Hand-weaving was still done in India and young Mr. Churchill left…
Old Mills of Madison
The recent burning of the old Weddle Mill in the Doylesville area put me in mind of an article which I had read in an 1937 edition of the Daily Register. The article was written by J.L. Sowers and I quote:
"Progress of the years has relegated to…
"Progress of the years has relegated to…
The Zaring Mill
I looked in the telephone directory and found only two persons listed under the letter Z. A few years ago we could have at least doubled this by finding the listing of the Zaring family and the Zaring Mill.
The mill, which stood on the site of the…
The mill, which stood on the site of the…
Updating the Fire Department
Our Richmond fire department with its several modern trucks and full-time firemen who have been trained in firefighting came from modest beginnings and has gone through several stages of reorganization.
One such occasion of reorganization was in…
One such occasion of reorganization was in…
Madison's Heritage (Ice Co.)
Before the invention of the electric refrigerator the people of Richmond and Madison County were able to have ice for summer use only through a rather difficult process.
In the coldest part of winter when the ice would form in a thick layer on…
In the coldest part of winter when the ice would form in a thick layer on…
Madison National Bank
The Madison National Bank was organized January 24, 1870 under the National Bank Act of 1864. It issued its own currency during the latter part of the 19th Century and anyone having any of its notes has a collectors' item. The first directors were…
Christmas at Turn of Century
A look at how Madisonians celebrated Christmas at the turn of the Century shows us some ways in which our customs have changed.
In the year 1900, there were no brightly colored electric lights on Christmas trees and on the streets and houses as we…
In the year 1900, there were no brightly colored electric lights on Christmas trees and on the streets and houses as we…
The Glyndon Hotel
The Glyndon Hotel opened its doors to the public in 1880. Its name is Danish and means "Haven of Rest."
Guests arrived by train and rode up Main Street from the depot via horse drawn street cars. They entered gas lit rooms warmed by open fires and…
Guests arrived by train and rode up Main Street from the depot via horse drawn street cars. They entered gas lit rooms warmed by open fires and…
The Year 1937 Recalled
I was living in Richmond in 1937, but the source of my material for this article is the souvenir program from the Madison County Sesqui-Centennial Celebration, not memory.
From that program we find that the Republican nominees that year were J.H.…
From that program we find that the Republican nominees that year were J.H.…
First Surgical Operation in Madison
Many of our students of Kentucky history could tell us that the first successful abdominal ovariotomy surgery in the world was performed by Dr. Ephraim McDowell in 1809, in his Danville, Ky. office. However; we suspect that few, if any, know of the…
Some Old Richmond Buildings
It is not my purpose to name every old building in downtown Richmond. On the other hand several of the buildings have dates carved on them, if you will only lift up your eyes and read.
The oldest labeled building is the one now housing…
The oldest labeled building is the one now housing…
Hello, Central
Its equipment was somewhat crude and unreliable, but when the first telephone company in Richmond began its operations in 1884, the local folks thought it was great to be able to stand in one's own home and talk in a normal voice to another person on…
Ferries Around Madison
About a dozen ferries operated on the Kentucky River and the creeks which constitute the county line for most of Madison. These ferries span the time from 1775 when the Boonesborough ferry was established on the Richmond-Winchester Road to the…
Berea and Berea College
Berea traces its beginnings back to the old Glade Church House where John G. Fee, under the sponsorship of Cassius M. Clay, organized an anti-slavery church out of which grew the village and college named Berea, because the people "received the word…
Night Gas Works Blew Up
At 2 a.m. on the morning of Saturday November 12, 1898, most of the residents of Richmond were awaken by a tremendously loud and frightening noise which, as one newspaper editor exclaimed, "Sounded as if ... a load of coal had been dumped down the…
Famous Eating Places of Yesteryear
Many places in Richmond and Madison County have been famous for their food. And eating has always been a favorite hobby of Madison Countians. I remember some of them, and am indebted to longtime residents of Richmond for information about other…
Fire! Fire! Fire
The large fires which in recent years have destroyed buildings in the downtown business section of Richmond have caused some interest in major fires in the history of this city. During most of the 19th Century the ringing of the courthouse bell to…
History of the Kentucky Register
A vital part of the history of Madison County during the latter half of the 19th Century and also a great source of detailed local history data is the Kentucky Register, a newspaper published on Friday of each week at Richmond from 1866 until…
Richmond's First Merchant
In the year 1798, a young man arrived in this community to become an almost forgotten pioneer in Madison's heritage: the first permanent merchant and storekeeper in Richmond. Thomas Howard was born in what is now Woodford County about the time of the…
Municipal Services in '90s
In looking at the history of local government and public services, the mid-1890's were interesting years. Richmond, at that time, was governed by a mayor and six councilmen. As mayor, T.T. Covington received a salary of $450 a year, and each…
Richmond Electric Co.
In November, 1898, after the local gasworks blew up and was partly destroyed, the City Council of Richmond considered the lighting of the streets by electricity because many of the citizens had been complaining about the weak and uncertain gas…
Some Madison Firsts
The first house in Madison County was undoubtedly built as a part of the Boonesborough settlement. John Lyle built the first individual home outside of the Fort area. Andrew Bogie built a stone residence near Silver Creek in 1796. There seems to be…
Village of Valley View
About fourteen miles northwest of Richmond on Ky. 169 is a quiet little village at the mouth of Tates Creek where it enters the Kentucky River. As a person drives through the village he goes down to the river where one of the last ferryboats in the…
Azbill's Livery Stable
"Horse Men's Headquarters" in large letters across the top of a two-story red brick building at 123 East Main Street in Richmond back in the early 1900's served notice on persons passing by that they were in front of one of the biggest livery stables…