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A Look
At Jessamine County's
Features
In Its Early Years
Transportation,
Agriculture, Mills, Camp Nelson,
Bridges,
And Other Aspects
By Verne
Cool - 2009
Jessamine
County's name is unique, in that it is the only Kentucky county
name that isn't masculine. According to a Kentucky Historical
Marker, located on the Jessamine County Courthouse lawn in the
county's seat of Nicholasville, it isn't known for certain the
origin of the name. It could have been the plant jasmine which
bloomed profusely along the creeks. The other possibility is
that it was named for Miss Jessamine Douglas, daughter of James
Douglas, an early surveyor.
Jessamine County was formed in December of 1798 from a portion
of Fayette County. Nicholasville was laid out also in 1798, although
its first charter was not until 1812. The town was named for
George Nicholas, who was the father of the Constitution of Kentucky.
Transportation by horses and buggies or by walking was slow,
and the roads were poor or nonexistent at that time.
The Palisades, which are one of the most scenic and beautiful
features of the area, made crossing the Kentucky River difficult.
The mouths of creeks allowed breaks in the impassable wall along
the river. Here a ferry landing could be constructed. Also, some
low-water fords were utilized. In the early days of Jessamine
County's history the ferries carried livestock, wagons, farm
crops, and various merchandise across the river. After the automobile
came into the picture, they were usually transported across the
river by ferry, especially in times of high water. Today, the
Valley View Ferry remains in operation, mainly transporting automobiles.
It is the oldest business operating non-stop in Kentucky.
Some areas of the county had roads built and kept up by private
owners. These owners charged a fee for using the road. Roads
used for detouring around these toll roads were called shun roads.
Even today some of the names have stuck, such as Shun Pike.
Early crops consisted of the usual garden crops, as well as fields
growing large acreages of corn, oats, wheat, tobacco, hay, and
hemp. Hemp thrived here and was of excellent quality. According
to a friend of mine, hemp was a very labor intensive crop. He
had worked in the hemp fields when he was a young man. He also
was employed to break up the plant's fibers for manufacturing
into rope and bag fibers. The sturdy bags were used for baling
cotton. The growing of hemp began in the 1700s in Kentucky. Growing
hemp is curtailed at present; however, I can remember seeing
it growing in the fields as recently as the 1940s.
The 1800s were filled with construction of multiple mills along
the creeks. Some mills were powered by steam. The most practical
and probably the cheapest form of power for the area was water.
Water was used to drive both vertical and horizontal wheels.
The horizontal wheels lay in the water and didn't require a dam
to hold back the water. The vertical wheels did require a dam.
The water traveled from the dam through a chute to drive the
wheel. The wheels could be either an undershot or an overshot
type. Some mills were also powered by oxen. The mills were many
and went by names such as Bryan's Mill (later known as Glass's
Mill) Grozer's Mill and Hickman's Mill (later called Union Mill)
to name a few.
The mills constructed in the 1800s were used for a variety of
purposes. Sawmills were powered by water wheels. Some water-powered
mills were used as grist mills, which turned huge stones used
in grinding wheat and corn. Farmers would load a sack of corn
or other grain on their horses and travel to the nearest mill
to have it ground. The miller usually ground it on halves. The
sack of corn was referred to as a turn of corn. Some mills were
paper mills and used rags for the manufacturing of paper. Some
of the early mills produced blue paper from these rags. This
was before the days of bleaching the materials.
Some iron ore was mined in Jessamine County and transported into
Clark County for smelting. Hemp factories, cotton factories,
and hat factories were in operation during these early years.
Fur was used in the manufacture of hats. The growing of hemp
for these factories was an important industry. There was a strong
demand for rope and other items made from hemp. According to
a local historical marker, Jessamine County was one of three
Bluegrass counties which together produced more than half of
the hemp grown in the entire country.
In 1793 a former Revolutionary War soldier, Benjamin Netherland,
built the Mingo Tavern. It was a well-known landmark in Jessamine
County before the establishment of Nicholasville in 1798. In
recent years, the stone marking his burial site was discovered
near the old Mingo Tavern location. It was moved to the location
of the old jail which was built in 1870. It remains there today
on its Main Street location.
The pastoral beauty and peace of Jessamine County was shattered
by the Civil War, and in 1863 Camp Nelson was established. Camp
Nelson was located by the Union on the banks of the Kentucky
River. A covered bridge was in place there, where it could be
a potential crossing point for Confederate troops. The bridge
had been constructed in 1838 and was in excellent condition.
The Union forces chose the location for Camp Nelson because of
the major road and crossing point. They proceeded to guard both
Jessamine and Garrard County sides of the bridge. The only poorly
defensible side of the Camp was the side facing north. Here they
set up their major line of defense. The Kentucky River, Hickman
Creek, and the Palisades (limestone cliffs) guarded the other
sides.
Camp Nelson was a supply depot for the Union forces. It was also
a recruiting and training camp for black soldiers, as well as
a defense point for stopping Confederate movement north; however,
the Confederates never reached Camp Nelson. The fact that the
camp was there possibly stopped their venturing into Jessamine
County by way of the bridge.
After the Civil War, all of the buildings at Camp Nelson were
dismantled and removed, except for the officers' quarters. This
was the Oliver Perry House and widely known as the White House.
Transportation into Jessamine County improved after the war.
People no longer had to depend on low-water fords, ferries, and
small bridges for access to Jessamine County from the south.
The highest bridge in the country, at the time of its construction,
was built near Shaker Landing. This bridge was built in 1876
and was known as High Bridge. High Bridge was a railroad bridge.
Previously, in 1871, Brooklyn Bridge was built across the Kentucky
River near Wilmore and upstream from High Bridge. Brooklyn Bridge
was used by horses, buggies, and automobile traffic. This allowed
easier access to Mercer and other nearby counties.
About 1890 industry and human commerce relations were greatly
improved by the construction of the Riney-B Railroad across
the Kentucky River near the Valley View Ferry landing. This connected
Jessamine and Madison counties, and it was used until 1932. The
bridge was dismantled for the metal. The bridge piers can be
seen today from the river on the Valley View Ferry.
Nicholasville, even today, shows the influence of the early years.
The architecture of the buildings on Main Street is reminiscent
of the 1800s. The Sparks building, which was built in 1881,
along with some other buildings on Main Street has been preserved.
The buildings precede the courthouse lawn which exhibits a statue
of a Confederate soldier. On nearby streets and in rural areas,
churches dating back to the 1800s are in existence yet. The small
creek which flows through the town is probably fed by the springs
which originally decided the town's location.
Today, nearby Wilmore has flourished, boasting of a city council
form of government. It has the usual necessary types of businesses
such as stores, restaurants, and medical treatment. Wilmore also
is home to nationally-known Asbury College and Asbury Theological
Seminary.
Jessamine County has moved into the new century with increased
modern development and expansion. In spite of this, the county
proudly retains much of its proof of the important early years.
It is of vital importance to not lose the history and these reminders
of the early years.
Verne
Cool, 201 Orchard Drive, Apt. 11, Nicholasville, KY 40356, shares
this article and photos with our readers
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