KY:Historical Society - Historical Marker Database

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Alanant-O-Wamiowee
(Marker Number: 84)

County: Mason
Location: 4th & Market, Maysville

Description: Ancient buffalo trace carved in the wilderness by prehistoric animals seeking salt. Trace was later used by buffaloes, mound builders, Indians and pioneer settlers. Also known as Warrior's Trace.

(Subjects: Roads)

Alexander W. Doniphan
(Marker Number: 877)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, Clark's Run & US 68

Description: Born, 1808, about five miles west. Moved to Mo., 1830. As Brig. Gen., Mo. Militia, quelled Mormon riots with no bloodshed, 1838; refused execute Prophet Smith and others court-martialed. In 1846, Mexican War, formed lst Reg. Mo. Mounted Volunteers and led them through a brilliant 3,600-mile campaign, defeating larger Mexican armies with his poorly equipped force.

(Subjects: Mexican War)

Bracken Baptist Church
(Marker Number: 2207)

County: Mason
Location: Highway 435, Minerva

Description: Church constituted in 1793 by the Rev. Lewis Craig, leader of the "Traveling Church." Bracken Baptist Assoc. also formed here in 1799. The congreggation divided over slavery in 1805, with each faction having own pastor. Church again split in 1829 during the Campbell movement, which called for Biblical liberalism. Over.

(Reverse) The church's membership began to decline in 1850. The building was last used as a house of worship around 1900. The property was sold to a private citizen in 1930 for $280 and used as a tobacco barn. The property was donated to the Friends of Minerva historical group in 1996. Restoration of the building completed in 2005. Over.

(Subjects: Baptist Church | Slavery)

Charles Young Birthplace, 1864-1922
(Marker Number: 124)

County: Mason
Location: 2 mi. W. of Wedonia, KY 24

Description: Third Negro to graduate from West Point Military Academy. Colonel, United States Army. Distinguished for his service in Haiti and Liberia as a military organizer, map maker and road builder.

(Subjects: African American)

Childhood Home of Dr. Drake
(Marker Number: 1628)

County: Mason
Location: Main St., May's Lick, Old US 68

Description: Dr. Daniel Drake (1785-1852) came to May's Lick with his parents at the age of two. He described this area in Pioneer Life in Kentucky. After studying medicine with Dr. Wm. Goforth (Cincinnati), he was first resident doctor of May's Lick. Drake was a professor at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia; Louisville Medical Inst.; and Transylvania Univ. Medical Dept.

(Reverse) Pioneer Doctor and Educator - Known as "Father of Medicine" in Cincinnati, Drake founded Medical College of Ohio, Medical Dept. of Cincinnati College and Cincinnati Eye Infirmary. Author of more than seven hundred articles and books of which his Principal Diseases of the Interior Valley of North America is a medical classic. This 40-year collection of data was monumental contribution to medical knowledge.

(Subjects: Books | Louisville | Transylvania University)

Dover Covered Bridge 500 ft. south
(Marker Number: 1439)

County: Mason
Location: Tuckahoe Rd. near Jct. with KY 8 at Dover

Description: One of the oldest covered bridges in Kentucky still in use. Erected in 1835, it was originally a toll bridge. The 62-foot span was built in an unusual Queenpost truss design similar to early barn construction. Major repairs were made by Bower Bridge Co. in 1928. Restoration of bridge completed by the Kentucky Highway Dept., 1966.

(Subjects: Covered Bridges)

Early Stage-Mail Route
(Marker Number: 1519)

County: Mason
Location: Washington, US 68

Description: This route follows the Buffalo Trace from the Ohio to Licking rivers and was first known as "Smith's Wagon Road." In 1829, President Andrew Jackson's Postmaster General, Wm. T. Barry, planned mail stage route, extension of branch of "National Pike," from Zanesville through Lexington to New Orleans. Maysville to Washington was the first macadamized road west of the Alleghenies.

(Subjects: Buffalo Trace | Jackson, Andrew | Rivers | Roads)

Elisha Green - Religious Leader
(Marker Number: 1962)

County: Mason
Location: 127 West Fourth St., Maysville

Description: Born into slavery in Bourbon County, Elisha Green grew up in Mason County at "Glen Alice" farm outside Maysville. He later purchased freedom for himself and part of his family. A spiritual leader, he helped form African American Baptist churches in Maysville and Paris, Ky., and preached to many congregations.

(Reverse) Elisha Green, Religious Leader - Believing freedmen needed to own land, Green and a white landowner founded African American community near Paris. Politically active, he was chosen a vice president of the Ky. Negro Republican Party at Lexington convention in 1867. He remained a dynamic force in Baptist churches in Maysville and Paris until his death in 1889. Over.

(Subjects: African American | Baptist Church)

H. E. Pogue Distillery Co./ Ryan-Pogue House
(Marker Number: 2206)

County: Mason
Location: S.R.Highway 8, west of Maysville

Description: Distillery operated here from 1876 until dismantled in August 1973. Was Registered Distillery No. 3, 7th Dist., and offered three brands of bourbon and three brands of rye, wheat, and malt whiskey. Distillery was a large regional employer until closed by Prohibition. Products helped make bourbon industry important to Kentucky's commerce. Over.

(Reverse) The house on the hillside south of here was built in 1845 by industrialist and emancipator Michael Ryan. He called his home "Riverside." In 1890, Henry E. Pogue, who owned the distillery on this site, purchased the home, naming it "Star Terrace." It remained in the Pogue family for several generations. Over.

(Subjects: Distilleries)

Hemp in Mason County
(Marker Number: 1165)

County: Mason
Location: Near entrance to Maysville Community College, US 68

Description: The only major hemp-producing Ky. county outside the Blue Grass area. The 1810 crop income was $70,000. Maysville second to Louisville in finished hemp products, 1830s. Nicholas Arthur's factory, using horsepower, was one of several ropewalks, long buildings for spiral winding of hemp fibers. It processed yearly 600,000 lbs. of rope worth $41,000. See over.

(Reverse) Hemp in Kentucky - First crop grown, 1775. From 1840 to 1860, Ky.'s production largest in U.S. Peak in 1850 was 40,000 tons, with value of $5,000,000. Scores of factories made twine, rope, gunny sacks, bags for cotton picking and marketing. State's largest cash crop until 1915. Market lost to imported jute, freed of tariff. As war measure, hemp grown again during World War II. See over.

(Subjects: Hemp)

House on the Hill: 1,000 ft.
(Marker Number: 81)

County: Mason
Location: Washington, 1 block south, US 62, 68

Description: Built in 1800 by Col. Thomas Marshall 1730-1802, staff officer for Washington at Monmouth and Brandywine. Married Mary Keith. Father of John Marshall, Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1801-1835.

(Subjects: Brandywine, Battle of)

Johnston Birthplace
(Marker Number: 91)

County: Mason
Location: Main St., Washington

Description: Near here on February 3, 1803, General Albert Sidney Johnston, Confederate leader, was born. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1861 to join the South. Killed at Shiloh, April 6, 1862.

(Subjects: Civil War | Johnston, Albert Sidney | Shiloh, Battle of)

Joseph Desha (1768-1842)
(Marker Number: 1878)

County: Mason
Location: Near Washington, US 68

Description: As governor, Desha became major proponent of debtor relief. The Pa. native, under Wayne and Harrison, fought Indians and led troops at Battle of Thames, 1813. Elected from Mason Co. to Ky. legislature and Congress. During his 1824-28 term as governor, he favored the controversial reorganization of Ky. Court of Appeals. Desha was buried in Georgetown, Ky. Over.

(Reverse) Old Court-New Court Issue - After Panic of 1819 and depression, the Ky. Court of Appeals struck down numerous relief measures as unconstitutional. Prorelief Desha forces in state legislature abolished Old Court and created a New Court. Angered, Old Court refused to vacate. Both courts sat simultaneously. By 1826, New Court canceled and court reorganization repealed. Issue gradually faded.

(Subjects: Harrison, William Henry | Indians | Thames, Battle of | War of 1812)

Kentucky Historian
(Marker Number: 738)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, Courthouse lawn, US 62, 68

Description: Lewis Collins, 1797-1870, born near Bryan's Station, author of Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky. He was presiding judge of Mason County, publisher-editor of the Eagle, lived here 52 years. His 1847 study of his own state-revised by Richard H. Collins, his son, 1874 as Collins' History of Kentucky-is considered a basic source for the historian of today.

(Subjects: Books | Newspapers)

Lewis and Clark in Kentucky - John Colter (ca. 1775-1813)
(Marker Number: 2121)

County: Mason
Location: Limestone Landing, McDonald Parkway & Limestone St.

Description: One of the "Nine Young Men From Ky." who accompanied Lewis and Clark on 1803-6 expedition. Born in Va., Colter came as a youth to Maysville. Here he met Lewis, enlisted in the Corps of Discovery in Oct. 1803, and was known as one of the best hunters on expedition.

(Reverse) John Colter (ca. 1775-1813) - Fascinated by the West, Colter left the Corps prior to its return to St. Louis to join a fur-trapping party. He made many trips to the West and was first white man to report seeing thermal wonders of present Yellowstone National Park. Sponsored by the Ohio River Chapter-Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, National Park Service, Ky. Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, Maysville Tourism Commission.

(Subjects: Lewis and Clark Expedition)

Limestone
(Marker Number: 68)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, Courthouse lawn, US 62, 68

Description: Settled in 1784 by Edward and John Waller and George Lewis. Named Maysville 1787. Pioneer river gateway to the new west. Located on lands owned by John May and Simon Kenton.

(Subjects: Kenton, Simon)

Mason County Spy Company
(Marker Number: 1941)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, Limestone Landing

Description: Company formed when Simon Kenton proposed to Gen. Charles Scott that a volunteer company of spies (scouts) be selected and trained to protect pioneer settlements. They were called out for short-term duty and became known for their daring successes against Indians. Presented by estate of Col. Paul Warren Bennett, Vandalia, Mo., a great-great-grandson of Archibald Bennett.

(Reverse) Mason County Spy Company

These scouts served for short-term duty, most from May 4 to Dec. 9, 1792, to protect early settlements.

Mercer Beason
Archibald Bennett
William Bennett
Henry Cochran
Samuel Davis
John Dowden

John Dyal
Matthew Hart
James Ireland
Ellis Palmer
Isaac Pennington
Cornelius Washburn

Presented by estate of Col. Paul W. Bennett.

(Subjects: Indians | Kenton, Simon)

Mason County, 1788
(Marker Number: 1244)

County: Mason
Location: S. end of Simon Kenton Bridge, Maysville, US 62, 68

Description: Established by the Va. Legislature, original county taken from Bourbon; included area of 16 present-day counties and parts of 3 others. Named for George Mason, Virginian, author of the Va. Declaration of Rights, 1776, foundation for the US Bill of Rights. He also drafted the Va. Constitution. Delegate to Continental Congress, 1777, US Constitutional Convention, 1787.

Maysville Academy
(Marker Number: 1616)

County: Mason
Location: West Fourth St., Maysville, Old US 68

Description: Ulysses S. Grant entered this academy in fall of 1836, at the age of 14. Grant's home was in Georgetown, Ohio; he stayed with his uncle nearby while attending school. One of the most famous institutions in Ohio Valley, it was taught by two eminent scholars, Jacob W. Rand and W. W. Richeson. This building erected circa 1829 by Thomas G. Richardson, contractor.

(Subjects: Blue Licks, Battle of | Grant, Ulysses S.)

Maysville Road
(Marker Number: 144)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, top of Maysville Hill near Country Club, US 68

Description: Built by "Maysville and Washington Turnpike Company," incorporated January 29, 1829. First four-mile stretch, Maysville to Washington, was earliest macadamized road in Kentucky and country west of the Alleghenies. Completed November 7, 1830. The road, Lexington to Maysville, was opened to travel in 1835 with thirteen tollhouses and six covered bridges.

(Subjects: Roads)

Mefford's Fort
(Marker Number: 92)

County: Mason
Location: Main St., Washington

Description: Built of boards of the flatboat on which George Mefford, his wife, & thirteen children, of Maryland, descended the Ohio in 1787. Many such houses were built along the river prior to 1800.

(Subjects: Forts and Stations)

Morgan's Last Raid
(Marker Number: 691)

County: Mason
Location: Mays Lick, US 68

Description: On tragic last Kentucky raid, CSA Gen. John H. Morgan and Raiders entered state June 1, 1864, took Mt. Sterling June 8, lost it on 9th, took Lexington on l0th, and Cynthiana on 11th. USA under General S. G. Burbridge defeated CSA next day. Morgan retreated through here, reaching Virginia June 20. See map on other side. Raiders never recovered from this reverse.

(Subjects: Burbridge, Stephen G. | Civil War | Cynthiana, Battle of | Lexington | Morgan, John Hunt | Mt. Sterling)

Morgan's Last Raid
(Marker Number: 694)

County: Mason
Location: Wedonia, KY 11, 24

Description: On tragic last Kentucky raid, CSA Gen. John H. Morgan and Raiders entered state June 1, 1864, took Mt. Sterling June 8, lost it on 9th, took Lexington on l0th, and Cynthiana on 11th. USA under General S. G. Burbridge defeated CSA next day. Morgan retreated through here, reaching Virginia June 20. See map on other side. Raiders never recovered from this reverse.

(Subjects: Burbridge, Stephen G. | Civil War | Cynthiana, Battle of | Morgan, John Hunt | Mt. Sterling)

Morgan's Last Raid
(Marker Number: 695)

County: Mason
Location: Sardis, US 62

Description: On tragic last Kentucky raid, CSA Gen. John H. Morgan and Raiders entered state June 1, 1864, took Mt. Sterling June 8, lost it on 9th, took Lexington on l0th, and Cynthiana on 11th. USA under General S. G. Burbridge defeated CSA next day. Morgan retreated through here, reaching Virginia June 20. See map on other side. Raiders never recovered from this reverse.

(Subjects: Burbridge, Stephen G. | Civil War | Cynthiana, Battle of | Lexington | Morgan, John Hunt | Mt. Sterling)

Noted Historian
(Marker Number: 1492)

County: Mason
Location: McDonald Parkway, Maysville

Description: Richard Collins, born in Maysville in 1824, became famous for his authoritative History of Kentucky, published in 1874. Continued the work of his father, Lewis Collins, who in 1847 published a history of the state. Richard was editor of Maysville Eagle and founded Danville Review. Practiced law in Maysville and Cincinnati. Died in 1888; buried in Maysville.

(Subjects: Authors | Books | Newspapers)

Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002)
(Marker Number: 2150)

County: Mason
Location: 9 East Third Street, Maysville

Description: Born in Maysville, Rosemary Clooney topped the charts with “Come On A-My House” in 1951. Other hits include “This Ole House” and “Hey There.” Her first film, The Stars Are Singing, premiered at Maysville’s Russell Theater in 1953. She costarred with Bing Crosby in the 1954 classic film White Christmas.

(Reverse) Throughout a singing and acting career that spanned six decades, the acclaimed “girl singer” remained connected to her hometown. In 1999, “Rosie” launched the Rosemary Clooney Music Festival in Maysville, the site of her birth, marriage, and final resting place.

(Subjects: Women | Musicians)

Simon Kenton's Station
(Marker Number: 138)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville, AA Highway

Description: About 1/2 mile west is site of camp made by Simon Kenton and Thomas Williams in the spring of 1775. They left this camp in the fall and visited stations in area. Kenton returned to camp in 1784, and brought with him a group of his family and friends. During 1784 and 1785, they fortified the station, which became a major stronghold north of Kentucky River.

(Subjects: Forts and Stations | Kenton, Simon | Rivers)

Stanley F. Reed (1884-1980)
(Marker Number: 1839)

County: Mason
Location: At Stanley Reed's summer home, US 68 Extension, Maysville

Description: This Mason Co. native was Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court from 1938 to 1957. Served in Ky. General Assembly, 1912-16. Under Hoover and Roosevelt, Reed helped rescue nation from the Depression, as General Counsel of Federal Farm Board and as Solicitor Gen. for New Deal programs. Appointed to Supreme Ct. by Roosevelt. Retired, 1957. Died, New York; buried in Maysville.

Washington Baptist Church Cemetery
(Marker Number: 1696)

County: Mason
Location: Washington, US 68

Description: Site of Limestone Baptist Church (renamed Washington), organized in 1785 by Wm. Wood, first pastor. He and Arthur Fox, Sr., bought land from Simon Kenton and laid out Washington that year. Wood gave land for the church and cemetery. Church burned twice; not rebuilt after 1889. Part of Washington Historic District. See over.

(Reverse) Washington Baptist Cemetery - Buried here are pioneers, Indians, Revolutionary War soldiers and-in a common grave-some 40 early Presbyterians of Washington and Murphysville. The first two Presbyterian pastors, Robert Wilson and Paradise Lost McAboy, are here; also Arthur Fox, Sr., Indian fighters Charles and James Ward, and Abigail H. Johnston, mother of Albert Sidney Johnston.

(Subjects: Baptist Church | Cemeteries | Indians | Johnston, Albert Sidney | Kenton, Simon)

William G. Kenton (1941-1981)
(Marker Number: 1893)

County: Mason
Location: Maysville High School, 2nd & Limestone, Maysville

Description: This Maysville native was elected to Kentucky House in 1969. Became Speaker in 1976 at age 34 and served until death. Achievements include leading legislative independence movement and increasing public participation in government. William Kenton's legislative service continued tradition of grandfather W.T. and great-grandfather Eldrige Kenton.

Williamsburg/Orangeburg
(Marker Number: 2001)

County: Mason
Location: Orangeburg, Main St., KY 1234 & 1449

Description: Established as Williamsburg, 1796. Named for John Williams, co-founder with Moses Bennett and Harry Parker. Village located on Stone Lick Creek, along Cabin Creek War Road, a main path into central Ky. for early pioneers. Name changed to Orangeburg in 1836, to honor a leading citizen, Providence Orange Pickering; town incorporated, 1860. Presented by Mason County Fiscal Court.

(Subjects: Creeks | Roads)