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Victorian Commercial Block in downtown Lexington, a thriving
commercial area
Photograph by Eric Thomason, courtesy of the Blue Grass Trust for Historic
Preservation |
The National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places,
Kentucky Department of Travel, Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation,
Transylvania University, Kentucky Heritage Council, and the National
Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) proudly
invite you to explore Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the
West. Located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region,
Lexington has a long history as a cultural, political and social
center and today is characterized by beautiful residential neighborhoods,
vital 19th-century commercial districts, and the tranquil rolling
hills of horse country. This latest National Register of Historic
Places Travel itinerary illustrates the transformation of the
city from a small town established as a gateway to the western
frontier in 1775, to a bustling center of economic, intellectual,
and political activity. More than 100 of Lexington's historic
places are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This itinerary highlights 29 of those historic places that convey
the story of Lexington's charm, development and renewed interest
in this city's sense of the past.
Lexington's centennial parade on Main Street, c1879
Copied by J. Winston Coleman, Jr., courtesy of Transylvania University Special
Collections | |
Lexington was first settled during the Revolutionary War, and
was a small frontier post that grew rapidly into a regional trading
center. During the 19th century, Lexington's economy boomed due
to a strong manufacturing industry supported by local hemp farms
whose crops were locally manufactured into rope. Evidence of this
prosperity can be seen not only in the commercial districts that
developed during this period, such as the Downtown
and Victorian Commercial Districts, but
also in the grand mansions built for individuals like John
Wesley Hunt and his son, Francis Key Hunt.
Lexington society also blossomed, especially after the establishment
of Transylvania University and the surrounding
Gratz Park Historic District. By the turn
of the 20th century, residential neighborhoods were spreading
to the edges of the city such as the Athens,
Constitution, or South
Hill historic districts.
Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the West offers several
ways to discover the historic properties that played important
roles in the city's past. Each highlighted property features a
brief description of the place's significance; color and, where
available, historic photographs; and public accessibility information.
At the bottom of each page the visitor will find a navigation
bar containing links to four essays that explain more about early
days of the Athens of the West, Civil
War, Architecture and Lexington
Preservation. These essays provide historic background, or
"contexts," for many of the places included in the itinerary.
The itinerary can be viewed online, or printed out if you plan
to visit Lexington in person.
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Rowhouses in the Gratz Park Historic District
Photograph by Eric Thomason, courtesy of the Blue Grass Trust for Historic
Preservation |
Created through a partnership between the National Park Service's
National Register of Historic Places, Kentucky Department of Travel,
Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation, Transylvania University,
Kentucky Heritage Council, and NCSHPO, Lexington, Kentucky:
The Athens of the West is the latest example of a
new and exciting cooperative project. As part of the Department
of the Interior's strategy to revitalize communities by promoting
public awareness of history and encouraging tourists to visit
historic places throughout the nation, the National Register of
Historic Places is cooperating with communities, regions and heritage
areas throughout the United States to create online travel itineraries.
Using places listed in the National Register of Historic Places,
the itineraries help potential visitors plan their next trip by
highlighting the amazing diversity of the country's historic places
and supplying accessibility information for each featured site.
In the Learn More section, the itineraries
link to regional and local web sites that provide visitors with
further information regarding cultural events, special activities,
lodging and dining possibilities, as well as histories of the
region.
Lexington is the 13th of more than 30 partners working directly
with the National Register of Historic Places to create travel
itineraries. Additional itineraries will debut online in the future.
The National Register of Historic Places and the Kentucky Department
of Travel hope you enjoy this virtual travel itinerary of the
city's historic places. If you have comments or questions please
just click on the provided e-mail address, "comments or questions"
located at the bottom of each page.
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