Spring Street - Lexington, Fayette
County, Kentucky
Built 1814
Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.
One of the show places a century and a quarter ago, when it had columns facing High St., and there was no "Spring Street" (opened in 1814) to mar its lawn, this house has enjoyed a long career of distinguished occupants and entertainments. Its leaded windows on one side and panels on the other bespeak its past glory.
The first to occupy it probably was James Haggin, who built it in 1814. He later built "Castle Haggin" on North Broadway (now Hamilton College) and removed there. On October 6, 1816, James Haggin and his wife, Hetty (Esther) sold the High St. house to John Lowman "subject to a lease made by said Haggin to a certain John Price now in possession, and a contract with a certain Duval, with liberty however to said Lowman to receive the rent reserved on the lease to the said Duval coming on the first day of January next."
Lowman moved in at the expiration of the lease - he got a second deed June 10, 1817, for the house "now occupied by said Lowman." (1818 Dir. "John Lowman, Rope-maker, High St.")
He gave a mortgage temporarily to Major Wm. W.S. Dallam January 6, 1821, on the house "wherein he at present resides, deeded from Jas. Haggin," the mortgage to cover the hire of a "negro man named Henry," from John M. Coleman."
Lowman died in 1827 and willed all his estate to "my children Eliza Lowman and Thomas Lowman and my grandchild Thomas Hickey and my sister-in-law Kitty Lewis." He said it was his desire that Kitty Lewis should have charge and care of the children and grandchild and occupy the "house where I reside."
The Farmers Bank brought suit against the estate and the house was sold at auction in 1834. Mayor Charlton Hunt came to the rescue however; bid in the property, and conveyed it to Kitty Lewis for less than he paid for it.
Rev. Edward McMahon bought it June 17, 1838 and conveyed it next day to Prof. Jas. Logue ("teacher" - 1838 Dir.) who lived across the street.
Judge George Robertson in July, 1858, purchased the place from Jas. Logue* and an adjoining 40 feet on Spring St. He presented them to his daughter, Charlotte, wife of Dr. David Bell (1859-60 Dir.: "David Bell, regular physician, h. w.s. Spring St. b High & Maxwell.") In 1869 Mrs. Bell bought of Dr. Jas. S. Lane the next 40 feet on Spring St., which reached on the back "a part of Mrs. Bell's dwelling house." The latter 40 feet was the site of Dr. Lunsford P. Yandell's residence in the 1830's - a "white frame house" built by Samuel Maxwell in 1819 and which Dr. Yandel purchased of Parmelia Stout in 1835."
Dr. Bell on May 12, 1857, traded "a negro boy named Calvin, valued at $600" to Thos. H. Waters for the latter's "quarry lot", located between Merino Street and the Southern Railroad and South of M.C. Johnson's property. the deed stated that "said lot is known as the quarry lot, containing the old Patterson Cave."
John Robert Shaw, the famous well-digger, had been operating this old quarry more than a half-century before this.
In February, 1799, Shaw advertised "excellent lime at his lime house about half a mile from Lexington, at Col. Patterson's quarry, at 10d half-penny per bushel, giving ten bushels for every hundred sold; he will have two or three thousand bushels ready by the last of April - He also - will carry on the well digging business as usual, his prices are 2s and 6d per foot, through earth, if a cavity, or as far as a cavity extends into rock, 9s per foot, 15s per foot for the first three feet after, and 18s per foot as far as the well is continued, 2s per foot for walling, boarding, laborers, powder, smith's work, &c. found by the owner of the well. J.R. SHAW, Patterson's Quarry, near Lexington."
Dr. David Bell, son of David and Nancy Holmes Bell, was born July 9, 1810, on a 500 acre farm near Lexington, which his father had bought in 1806 upon coming here from Staunton, Va. He was graduated from Transylvania University in 1832. He married Charlotte Corday Robertson, daughter of Chief Justice George W. Robertson, June 5, 1834, and was one of the leading physicians and surgeons in this city until his death at an advanced age.
*Prof. James Logue raised the finances and re-opened the Lexington Library in May, 1846, establishing it in the old Transylvania Medical Hall at Market and Church Sts., where it suffered from a disastrous fire about 10 years later. The library after a long career had closed in 1841, "due to deaths of subscribers, etc." Prof. Logue was librarian for more than 25 years. He had conducted a private school many years before acting as librarian.
Transcribed by pb October 2002