Comprehensive Architectural Survey of Boone County, Kentucky Prepared by: Margaret Warminski Submitted to: Boone County Historic Preservation Review Board, Burlington, KY and Kentucky Heritage Council Frankfort, KY 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ..............................................................1 Acknowledgments .............................................................2 Methodology .................................................................2 Historical Overview ............................................................5 Context I: Domestic Architecture ............................................8 II: Ethnic History .................................................46 III. Industry .....................................................49 IV. Commerce ...................................................51 V. Transportation .................................................55 VI. Recreation ...................................................59 VII. Education ...................................................61 VIII. Religion ....................................................63 IX. Agriculture ...................................................67 Recommendations for National Register listing .....................................77 Bibliography ................................................................79 Index of Sites ................................................................82 -1- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people contributed to this project; space does not permit all of them to be identified. Especially helpful was Susan M. Cabot, Boone County Preservation Planner, who provided assistance in countless ways. She made available a wealth of historical information and background material, helped locate out-of-the-way sites, offered many helpful suggestions, and initiated contacts with local historians and property owners. Survey assistants Christina Cloran, Kimberley Greene, Daniel Korman and Richard Lippincott took photographs, prepared site plans and maps, helped compile indices and assisted with the myriad details of the large project. Historical researcher Patricia A.T. Broberg conducted meticulous deed searches and library research with fresh insights and genuine enthusiasm. Finally, the project would not have been possible without the funding generously provided by the Kentucky Heritage Council’s survey and planning grant. Special thanks are also due to: The staff of the Boone County Property Valuation Administration office The staff of the Boone County Public Library, Florence Don Clare Martha Daugherty Mr. and Mrs. James Dollwick Mike Fletcher Alice Jarrell Tim McNeely and family Jim Poole Mary Rector The Ben Riley family The Rogers family Jack Rouse Bill and Mary Sue Rudicill James Gayle Smith Joseph Smith Wanda Sprague The Honorable Phil Trzop, Mayor of Walton METHODOLOGY This report summarizes the results of a comprehensive survey of historic resources in the county conducted between 1993 and 1996. Eight hundred sixty-nine new sites were recorded; in addition, 188 properties recorded during the previous 1976-1977 survey were resurveyed. The survey -2- documented properties at least 50 years old that retained sufficient integrity to be recognizable as a product of their time; in other words, their plan and footprint were still apparent despite alterations or additions, and their approximate age was still discernible. Farms with historic outbuildings, however, were included even if the main house was changed beyond recognition. Some heavily altered properties located in towns were recorded in recognition of their contribution to the townscape or the historical evolution of the community. Altered properties that appeared to be endangered were also documented. While the survey concentrated on pre-1945 buildings, representative buildings built after World War II were also included. Most properties, including farms and individual buildings, were recorded as individual entries using the Kentucky Heritage Council’s individual survey form: KHC 91-1. Several blocks of identical dwellings were documented on group forms (KHC 91-2), as were others of diverse plan but united by historical context. Historic farmsteads without houses present also were recorded on group forms. Properties that appeared eligible for National Register listing were documented at the intensive level using form KHC 91-3. All properties surveyed received one of four designations according to their potential for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The majority of sites surveyed were evaluated as "U," which signifies that additional information is required to make a determination about National Register eligibility. Properties of diminished integrity were labeled "S": apparently not eligible for listing. Individual resources with exceptional architectural or historical significance were designated "D," which indicates they appear eligible for listing in the Register. Resources in potential National Register districts were given a designation of "N," as potential National Register group members. While the vast majority of rural property owners permitted survey of their farms, some refused access. For planning purposes, and in the hope that these sites can be surveyed in the future, these properties were assigned site numbers and included in the survey index and on the base maps. (When possible, one or more photographs were taken from a distance.) A few owners permitted only limited survey; for example, no photographs of outbuildings. In such cases this is noted on the survey form. Documentary resources included Lake's 1883 Atlas of Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties, Sanborn maps of Walton from 1921 and 1927, deed records, census data, newspaper articles, local historical society papers, and church histories. The Loder Diary, a series of volumes dating from the mid-19th through early 20th century, offered a fascinating glimpse of daily life in a river town and provided background information on a wide range of historical contexts. While there is no comprehensive written history of any of the northern Kentucky counties, several short monographs by the late William Conrad, based on meticulous research in primary sources, provided invaluable data. The most consistent source of information, however, was oral interviews with property owners, community members and local historians. The evaluations and ratings expressed in this report represent the opinion of the consultant involved in this survey project. Any final decisions on the eligibility of properties for the Kentucky historic inventory or the National Register of Historic Places are made by the Kentucky Heritage Council, -3- the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board or the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. -4- HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Boone County is the northernmost county in Kentucky. It is bounded by the Ohio River on the north, Kenton County on the east, Grant County on the south and Gallatin County on the west. Geologically it is part of the Outer Bluegrass region. Originally part of Woodford County, Virginia, Boone County was formed from Campbell County in 1798 but was not officially established until 1799. Settlement began in 1789 when a party from Pennsylvania, led by Baptist preacher John Tanner, founded Tanner's Station (now known as Petersburg) in northwest Boone. Another early settlement along the river was Bullittsburg, which formed around the Bullittsburg Baptist Church (BE-82), the first church in the county. Settlers then moved over the hills and along creek valleys. Many interior communities incorporated or gained post offices in the 1820s, 30s and 40s, including Burlington (originally Wilmington), Florence (known under various names), Union, Verona and Walton. Burlington became the county seat, while other towns functioned as rural trading centers. Many of Boone County's settlers came from Virginia, western Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. While the earliest migrants traveled down the Ohio, most of those who came later journeyed overland. Others relocated from central Kentucky counties such as Fayette and Woodford. Several ethnic groups left their mark on the county's built environment, town development and institutions. A large group of German emigrants relocated from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the early 19th century, settling in the northern section of the county and in the vicinity of the present-day communities of Hebron and Hopeful Heights (now part of Florence). Irish Catholics established a community in the vicinity of Verona in the 1850s. The county's slave population, never large, began to decline before the Civil War; following emancipation, many remaining African-Americans left the county. A small community, however, formed in north Walton. Most towns developed as stringtowns, like Florence, or crossroads communities such as Idlewild or Union. The most striking example of formal town planning is the Burlington courthouse square (NR, 1978), whose geometric street pattern remains evident to this day. The river towns of Taylorsport, Belleview, McVille and Petersburg, on the other hand, were based on grid plans, placed parallel or perpendicular to the river. Walton developed as a linear-form railroad town, bound tightly by rail lines to the east and west. The history of town development in the county reflects the rise and fall of various transportation systems. While river transportation reigned, Petersburg, Belleview, McVille and Hamilton remained centers of commerce and industry, and