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River Towns of Central Kentucky Coming December 15 Melissa Jurgensen Author
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Quantity
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Views
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Date Posted
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1
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616
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Tue August 12, 2008
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Asking Price
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Condition
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$22.00
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Excellent
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Description:
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In the days after the Civil War and up until the mid Twentieth Century when roads and automobiles were improved, the rivers and railroad lines of Kentucky were the lifeblood of the economy. Central Kentucky supported several communities that not only depended on the Kentucky River for commerce, but for recreation as well.
Vacationers from all over the region would take an excursion train or boat to High Bridge, a small village on the Jessamine/Mercer County line at the confluence of the Kentucky and Dix Rivers. The centerpiece of the community was its railroad bridge, simply called “High Bridge” because of its height; it originally soared 280 feet above the Kentucky River and later was raised to 315 feet in 1910. The bridge was opened in 1877 and was considered an engineering marvel of its time, being the highest highest railroad bridge in the world. Adjacent to the bridge atop the limestone cliffs or “palisades” that the Kentucky River was famous for, was a park with a dancing pavilion, walking trails, cabins to rent and for the brave souls, a wooden staircase that descended down the side of the cliff to the river below.
Tyrone could be found in Anderson County just dowm river from High Bridge. Tyrone’s claim to fame was James Ripy’s distillery which opened in 1869. The presence of the distillery jumpstarted the economy of the community which rapidly grew. To facilitate the growing popularity of the railroad in Kentucky the Southern Railway system built Young’s High Bridge in 1888, although the bridge was not as high as the original “High Bridge” down river. However, the forced closure of the distillery during Prohibition spelled the end for the town of Tyrone and the community never recovered. The last train crossed Young’s High Bridge in 1985. The bridge holds the distinction of never being modified or strengthened; it is in it’s original “as built” condition.
Brooklyn was a Jessamine/Mercer County town that was often a stopping place for travelers on US 68. Most of the community was destroyed in the late 1900s by a fire and flood but Brooklyn experienced a second life, by being a popular spot for motorists to stop and marvel at the white limestone palisades that towered over the Kentucky River. Another unique feature of the community was “Boone Tunnel”, the first highway tunnel in Kentucky, which was passed through by motorists entering or leaving the Brooklyn Bridge. Chinn’s Cave House was also a tourist attraction, the general store was built totally inside a cave in the limestone cliff and thus, naturally cooled.
A few miles upriver from Brooklyn was Camp Nelson, a community on the Jessamine/ Garrard County line. Camp Nelson had played a significant role in the Civil War and was now home to the E.J. Curley Distillery as well as master covered bridge builder Lewis Wernwag’s massive two-lane wooden covered bridge. Camp Nelson appeared in several paintings by Kentucky artist Paul Sawyier, who lived in a houseboat on the river between Camp Nelson and High Bridge in the early Twentieth Century.
My book will also tell of the history of Clays Ferry, Oregon and Valley View and will feature many rare photographs of the communities that dotted the river and the riverboats and trains that visited them.
Follow this link:
http://melissajurgensen.com/
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Keywords:
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book, Kentucky, melissa jurgensen, history, photos, judy
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Shipping terms:
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Worldwide
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Registered: March 2005
Location: Kentucky