Scott County, Kentucky

White Sulphur

Pages 201-203

White Sulphur Precinct

"I stand alone, like some dim shaft which throws
Its shadows on the desert waste, while they
Who placed it there are gone - or like the tree
Spared by the ax upon the mountain's cliff,
Whose sap is dull, while it still wears the hue
Of life upon its withered limbs." -- The Aged Pioneer

The common experience of old age is a wish to live over again the life that is swiftly drawing to a close. How many mistakes have been made! How many hours have been unprofitably spent! How blind to good advice and influence! The stealthy and inevitable approach of death baffles the desire for a renewal of youth, and fills the heart with bitter remorse at thought of what might have been. Youth is always bright with hope and expectancy; but as the years glide by, the scales falls from the eyes, and the sorrowful experience of earth trace wrinkles of care upon the brow, and bend the once stalwart form toward the grave. No rocking vessel on life's great sea can escape the angry rain that dances upon it, or avoid the bitter winds that check its course. Let us learn then, from the wretched experience of others-learn from the lives that have gone down amid the gales of sorrow that encompass the earth, to shun the shoals and quicksand that beset our course, that the sunset of life may be gilded with gold of eternal joy.

There is a strange attraction in reviewing the occurrence of past years, and in noting the wonderful improvements that have resulted from the expanding intelligence of man. Within the short space of the last half-century, the United States has experienced almost unparalleled growth in all that makes a people great. Inventions in all departments of progress have succeeded one another with great rapidity, until the means of sustaining life are vastly numerous, and within the reach of all. No State in the Union has seen greater change than Kentucky during this period. The forests have disappeared; costly residences have gone up where once stood the log cabin; riding and gang plows have succeeded the old wooden mold-board; harvesters have succeeded the sickle; knowledge has driven ignorance from the land; railroads have usurped the duties of the old stage coach; telegraph lines have bound distant lands together, and telephone neighboring towns; and thousands of other changes have taken place.

In no section are these changes more palpable than in this small division of Scott County. White Sulphur Precinct has changed vastly in the last hundred years. Could some of the noble red men rise from their moldering dust, and come back to these hills and plains, where once they roamed in undisputed sway, they would be as much dazed as Rip Van Winkle when he awoke from his long nap in the Catskill Mountains. The precinct of White Sulphur, which is designated as Election Precinct No. 2, is situated in the southern part of Scott County, and is one of the wealthy precincts. It is of a gently rolling surface, or undulating, and drains well without artificial means. The principal watercourse is South Elkhorn Creek, which rises in Fayette County, and flows into the Kentucky River. It forms the boundary line between Georgetown and White Sulphur Precincts, and affords ample means of drainage. The original timber growth, but little of which is remaining in its primitive state, was burr-oak, hickory, sugar tree, black walnut, etc. The Cincinnati Southern, and the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington Railroads pass near the precinct, affording good shipping facilities to the people.

White Sulphur precinct was settled previous to the beginning of the present century, but who was the first white settler within its limits is not now known. James Leake settled where Virgil McManus lives, and is supposed to have been among the first in this immediate section. Patrick Vance bought the place in 1795, and it has been in the Vance and McManus families ever since. Mr. McManus and his wife have five grand and great-grandfathers and mothers buried in the St. Pius Cemetery. Patrick Vance was among the very early settlers of White Sulphur precinct. Three men, named, respectively, Millan, Massee and Ford, were also early settlers. They were from Virginia, and came to Scott County about the year 1800, settling in what is now White Sulphur precinct, on south Elkhorn Creek-a portion of the farm is now owned by Mr. John Y. Kinkead. They built a mill soon after their settlement. As Indian troubles grew less, and a degree of safety was felt, the precincts as well as other portions of the county, rapidly settled, and the sound of the woodsman's ax was heard, where lately the yell of the savage and the crack of his rifle alone broke the stillness.

In the early history of this country, everything among the pioneers was plain, simple and in conformity with the strictest economy. This was not only true of their dwelling, furniture and provisions, but also of their clothing. For several years, the men wore, almost exclusively, pants and hunting-shirts of buckskin, and caps of coon or fox skin, while both sexes clothed their feet in moccasins. Cotton goods were extremely hard to get in that early day, because they were manufactured mostly in England, and expensive in this country. As a consequence, the pioneers of the West found this one of the hardest demands to meet. Many were the expedients devised by them, especially by the frugal and economical dames; for, every since that wonderful experiment, devised by mother Eve, of preparing an entire wardrobe from fig-leaves, woman has been greatly gifted in laying plans and adopting expedients in the matter of clothing. But clothing was one of the smallest considerations at that day, beyond a sufficiency to keep one warm, and the supplying of bread and meat were of far more importance, and often puzzled the pioneers to obtain it for their families. This, together with the dangers from the Indians, rendered their lots very unenviable.

Among the first industries of the pioneers of White Sulphur were mills, tanneries, etc., and were established at an early day. The first mill in the precinct, perhaps, was that built by Millan, Massee and Ford, on the South Elkhorn. It was built soon after they settled in the country. A large portion of the original mill is still standing and is at present owned by Patrick Dunn, who is now using it. A gristmill was built on South Elkhorn, near the old village of Sodom, in 1825, by George Ware. It is now owned by a Mr. Fisher. Other mills were built in the early times, but of them we have but little information. David Thompson built a paper-mill very early, and had a flouring-mill attached to it. Mr. Thompson owned the farm now owned by D.B. Galloway, and which was once owned by Col. "Dick" Johnson. A tannery and a cotton and hemp factory were early institutions of the village of "Sodom."

The first road laid out through the precinct was that known as the "Iron Works" road - it runs between Payne's Depot on the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad, and the Georgetown & Frankfort Turnpike. The first road macadamized was Georgetown & Frankfort pike, and was built about the year 1850. That with the Midway & Georgetown pike are the only pikes touching the precinct. The first bridge was built on South Elkhorn, where the Midway pike crosses it. It is a wooden, covered bridge and belongs jointly to Scott and Woodford counties, being on the line between the two. All the bridges of the precinct are covered, and are built of wood. The Justices of The Peace of White Sulphur precinct are J.C. Glass and J.B. Galloway.

A village, known as Sodom, once existed in this precinct, but has passed away, and is doubtless forgotten by many of the people. In the language of Goldsmith
"Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn,
Thy sports all fled, and all thy charms withdrawn."
It was located in the central part of the precinct, and was laid out by James and George Ware, who settled the surrounding land. The village was founded in 1825, and at one time contained 150 inhabitants. The Wares built a cotton and hemp factory on South Elkhorn at that time, which lead to the laying out of a village. A tannery was established by Henry Hardy. There was also a shoe shop, and a carding machine. A storehouse was built and a store opened by Mr. Alexander Bell, and the place was quite flourishing. But railroads drew the bulk of trade to other localities, and Sodom disappeared as effectually as if it had shared the fate of its namesake of Biblical notoriety. The ruins of Baalbec are in many respects a mystery; Palmyra, at least in vastness, surpasses even Baalbec; Athens, Rome, Jerusalem and other scenes of decay appeal to our pity, but "it shall be more tolerable for Sodom, etc." It has disappeared from the face of the earth, and many of the citizens of White Sulphur have forgotten its existence; even those who remember it can only, like the Jewish captives of old, "hang their harps upon the willows," and weep at its untimely fate. Not a trace of it is to be seen, except the old mill race.

The village of White Sulphur is situated on the Georgetown & Frankfort pike, about eight miles from Georgetown. The first house in the place, was built in 1831, and was used as a blacksmith's shop, and the first resident, James Hendrickson, a blacksmith. A hotel was built here in 1835 by Col. Dick Johnson, who made the spring a place of fashionable resort. The old foundations are still to be seen. The place now has seven dwelling houses, two storehouses, only one of which is now selling goods, two blacksmith shops, only one in operation, and a district schoolhouse. The latter is a large brick of sufficient capacity to hold one hundred and fifty persons, and is used jointly for school and church purposes. The village takes its name from the famous White Sulphur Spring, once the seat of Col. Johnson's Indian School, noticed in another chapter. It contains between fifty and one hundred inhabitants at present. A post office was established at White Sulphur Spring, which is known by the name of White Sulphur, about 1850, and Mark Dehoney was the first Postmaster - the present Postmaster is J.E. Butler, who also keeps the store, and has been in business here since 1875.

The Precinct of White Sulphur has always paid considerable attention to schools. The Greenwood Schoolhouse was the first schoolhouse built in the precinct. It was originated by J.G. Brooks, Asa Branham, James Lair and John H. Thompson; the first teacher was Anthony Martin, who began with twenty-eight pupils. The present teacher is Miss Swihawk of Lexington. Education in the precinct is a flourishing state.

As we have said, Col. R. M. Johnson' s Indian School, was located in this precinct at one time, which contained some two hundred Indian boys. The principal teachers were McCready and Henderson. But as this school is written up in another chapter, we will not repeat its history here. While the school was in progress, the Spring was a great place of resort, and the Indian students used to give some interesting exhibitions. The spring is on the farm of a Mr. A. Thomas, one mile from Georgetown & Frankfort pike. The water is so strongly impregnated, that stock does not need much salt.

St. Pius Catholic Church, near White Sulphur, was built about 1820. Combs, Tarleton, Goff, Twyman, Greenwell, Harding and Frazier were prominent in building this church. There is a farm in connection with it, for its benefit and that of the pastor. When the church was built, it had a large membership of some two of three hundred families, but a present there are but twenty or thirty families belonging to it. Death and removals have depleted its numbers. It contains but six members now, that worshipped in it fifty years ago. The first church was a frame; the present one is an imposing brick structure.

Visitation Monastery was opened in 1875, with but six scholars, but now has about fifty. It was built originally for a seminary, but changed hands in 1875, and became the Visitation Monastery, as above noted. It is under the supervision of St. Pius Church, and affords ample means for an education to Catholic girls.

On the farm of John Y. Kinkead were once training stables and a racetrack. Here the noted horses, Gary Eagle and Wagoner, were trained for the turf. The stables are gone - not a trace of them is left to show where they once stood. - Perrin

Source:
History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison & Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, Edited by William Henry Perrin, 1882
Previously submitted by Jo Thiessen