LANDMARKSTO WATCH

2013 Danville-Boyle County

One of the nation’s noted antebel-lum girls’ schools, the Ewing In-stitute was founded in the mid–1840’s by Thomas S. Ewing. This Federal style building held classrooms and apartments for boarding students. In the 1850s, approximately 75 young women attended the institute. Tuition was $14 to $32 per session for 38 weeks: an extra fee was added for needle work, piano, pastel drawing, or ornamental leather work. The school prospered for decades before closing in the early 20th century. The building was vacant for many years and finally purchased in 2012. It is undergoing extensive renovation to serve as a private residence.

EwingInstitute

BOYLE COUNTY

William Crow was the brother of John Crow (Crow’s Sta-tion), and, like his brother, was one of the area’s earliest settlers. Crow likely purchased the land where his namesake home stands on Lancaster Road (KY 52) in or around 1776. He served in the Revolutionary War, and returned to Kentucky in 1780. Soon after, he had a sub-stantial two-story limestone house erected on his property. This asymmetrical four bay house with a one-story wing is one of the only 18th century stone homes still extant in Boyle County. The house has been unoccupied for many years and is in need of extensive repair. This significant structure is part of a 225 acre farm that is currently for sale.

The William Crow House

May is National Preservation Month. An umbrella initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, local pres-ervation organizations adopt the Trust’s annual theme to promote historic sites and preservation and advocacy efforts in our communities.

This year’s theme — See! Save! Celebrate! — is exactly what our Landmarks to Watch project endeavors to do. First and foremost, this is an effort to educate residents about a range of compelling buildings in Danville and Boyle County that store unique chapters of our local history and feature impressive architectural style or detail. In some cases, the sites we highlight here are threatened by neglect or, perhaps, they face uncertain futures. We are compelled to inform our community of what we could potentially lose if we do not collectively monitor their status and mobilize to protect them if needed. In a couple cases, the sites we feature arguably can not be saved, but the history they house is so important, we seek to pass on at least a small piece of their stories. Some of our 2013 Landmarks to Watch have been purchased with the intent to be restored or are undergoing rehabilitation. We showcase these projects to help you understand how they will carry our history forward in new and inspiring ways.

Preservation in the United States has evolved to promote and preserve a more comprehensive and inclusive collection of sites, histories, and communities, and this project is reflective of that evolution with our varied collection of sites presented here. Tight resources and a surge in efforts to promote local economies and character in recent years, have also pushed preservationists to cross traditional organizational barriers and work more creatively and collaboratively. This is the first time Boyle Landmark Trust, Main Street Perryville, and Heart of Danville have collaborated on a project of this nature, and we feel it is just the beginning of the teamwork needed to successfully safeguard and promote Danville and Boyle County’s heritage. At the heart of preservation is a desire to not just conserve, but nurture what makes our communities special. We feel this project is an important step in that direction.

Built in the early 1900s, this white frame school house is where hun-dreds of young African-Amer-ican children were educated in Perryville. Stu-dents went here through the 8th grade, and then went to Danville to finish high school. The school closed in the early 1960’s with desegregation, and was later converted into a residence. For the past several years, the Black School has been vacant and some structural damage is visible. The school is now owned by the Perryville First Baptist Church. A committee has been formed by the church to decide if they should restore the damaged school house or raze the building and build a replica.

The BlackSchool

Judge Samuel McDowell was an important Boyle County and Kentucky figure. He was a Kentucky District Court judge and a framer of the first state constitution. He was also a founding member of the Danville Political Club and the father of noted physician, Ephraim McDowell. The family home he had erected in 1784 became known as Pleasant Vale. His two-story, five bay brick Federal home featured a Greek Revival porch and central pediment with dentils. The home now sits abandoned in the middle of a private working farm. It is damaged, overgrown, and arguably beyond repair. Architectural salvage or compre-hensive documentation of this historic site are options for preserving a part of Pleasant Vale’s important story in our local history.

The Samuel McDowell House

SO YOU KNOW

The Danville Methodist Church (later renamed Centenary United Meth-odist) was the first Meth-odist Church organized west of the Allegheny Mountains. The corner-stone for the congrega-tion’s third church was laid in 1891. The Romanesque church with its excep-tional rough cut stone, squared tower, turret, and stained glass still stands on Third and Walnut Streets. Flooding and continued growth prompted Centenary to relocate to a new building in 2008. Their former church is currently for sale, and is the most prominent historic site available for purchase and redevelopment in downtown Danville.

Centenary United Methodist Church

In 1890, on the current site of Toliver Elemen-tary, the Hogsett Academy for Boys was com-pleted. In 1912, the Danville Board of Educa-tion purchased the academy. The Board issued bonds in 1927 to replace the existing school with a modern building. Maple Ave-nue Elementary was later renamed for Edna L Toliver, a principal at the school for 33 years. A three-story portico or entry porch and bell tower distinguish Toliver, Dan-ville’s only historic school still in operation. The devel-opment of a new facility plan for the Danville Schools has included discussion of replacing Toliver with new construction. The proposal has met opposition, but the planning process is ongoing.

Toliver Elementary

Willis Russell, a native of the area, was the slave of Revolutionary War Union Captain Robert Craddock. Upon Craddock’s death in 1837, Russell was emancipated and bequeathed this pre-1795 log home. An educated slave, Russell taught local black children here, making it the first school in the county to serve African-Americans. Boyle Landmark Trust purchased the home to safeguard the log structure and the important local history it hous-es. Restoration efforts have revealed major structural damage. The Trust is currently raising needed funds to stabilize the site.

The Willis Russell House

Malcolm Gill Weisiger, the last surviving son of the historically prominent Weisiger family, had this commercial building constructed in the ‘20s. Baugh & Garner Furniture first occupied the building; the store’s logo is still visible on the north side of the building. Later tenants included popular stores, such as Wright’s Sporting Goods, Sherwin Williams Paints, and Sears. The building was recently purchased by a couple with Danville roots. Redevelopment plans include a creative mix of additional commercial development and condominium lofts.

WeisigerBuilding

One of the first dwellings in Perryville, the Bond House was built in 1820. The house was purchased by Charles Coyle, and Coyle passed the property down to his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Bond. Associated with this historic home is the Southern Star Roller Mill, which produced Snow Drop and Old Glory Flour. The original mill was erected in 1848, making it the oldest established mill in central Kentucky. The current mill was rebuilt after fire in 1876. The property is likely to be placed on the market later this year and the site presents exciting redevelopment possibilities.

The Bond House & Mill

Jefferson Polk, a prominent physician, purchased this simple Greek Revival house with two front doors around 1850. Polk built an adjacent one room building specifically for his medical practice, which still stands. He was forced into being primary caretaker for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Perryville. A staunch Unionist, Polk’s autobiography was published in 1867, providing some of the most bone chilling descriptions of the battlefield. Dr. Polk’s house and office are currently owned by the City of Perryville, and Main Street Perryville is raising money to restore this significant pair of buildings.

Dr. Polk’s House

DANVILLE

Willis Green was a prom-inent early Kentucky settler. He first came to Kentucky as a surveyor, and while survey-ing he select-ed several hundred acres of land south of Danville on rolling terrain, which he aptly named Waveland. Green went on to represent Kentucky County in the Virginia legislature, and he sat on two of the Kentucky constitution conventions in Danville. In 1783, he married Sarah Reed and they had 12 children. Construction on the family home at Waveland began in 1800. The brick home is one of the few surviving examples in Kentucky of Georgian architecture style with its broad proportions and brick coursework. This historic Danville home has sat vacant for decades and sections have partially collapsed. It is threatened due to lack of care, and the feasibility of rehabilitation is unknown.

Waveland

PERRYVILLEBuilt in 1852, the McClure-Barbee House is celebrated as one of the great examples of Greek Revivalism in Kentucky with its striking two-story central porch and Doric columns. A design of Robert Russel Jr. (Old Centre), the building is also distinguished by its succession of owners: Samuel Porter Barbee; Dr. Stephen Yerkes, Danville Theological Seminary president; George McClure, KSD professor; Dr. George McClure, Jr, promi-nent Danville physician. The McClure-Barbee Foundation was formed in the early ‘90s to restore and protect this local landmark. It has since been the headquarters for a variety of community non-profits, but it will be vacated later this year. While the Foundation will retain ownership of the home, Ephraim McDowell Hospital owns the land on which it sits. Future plans for this historic house are unclear.

McClure-BarbeeHouse