Webster Robert D. - A Brief History of Northern Kentucky

A Brief History of Northern Kentucky

A Brief History of Northern Kentucky

Robert D. Webster

Foreword by Paul A. Tenkotte

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Published by South Limestone Books

An imprint of the University Press of Kentucky

Copyright 2019 by The University Press of Kentucky

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Except where noted, photos are from the authors collection.

Cataloging-in-Publication data available from the Library of Congress

ISBN 978-0-8131-7787-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-0-8131-7788-5 (pdf)

ISBN 978-0-8131-7789-2 (epub)

This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting
the requirements of the American National Standard
for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

Contents

by Paul A. Tenkotte

Foreword

A History of Northern Kentucky, by Robert D. Webster, fills an important need in providing a historical overview of Kentuckys third-largest metropolitan region. The book benefits from the research of various previous authors as well as many recent works, including The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky (2009). In addition, Websters previous books, The Beverly Hills Supper Club: The Untold Story behind Kentuckys Worst Tragedy (2012), Northern Kentucky Fires (2006), and The Balcony Is Closed: A History of Northern Kentuckys Long-Forgotten Neighborhood Movie Theaters (2007), help to round out this overview. So, too, do many articles from Northern Kentucky Heritage, the longtime, award-winning journal dedicated to the regions history. Edited by Karl Lietzenmayer, Northern Kentucky Heritage has encouraged the study of the areas history and provided a forum for scholars to exchange new ideas and research.

Websters analysis of Northern Kentuckys prehistory, as well as his coverage of early pioneers, is superb. For too long, historians have repeated errors and myths dealing with explorers such as Christopher Gist. Webster boldly explains, in detail, how some of these inaccuracies and myths occurred and diplomatically corrects them. Likewise, he succinctly captures and vividly recounts for readers important points from John Burnss unpublished multivolume manuscript on Covington, Kentucky.

Readers will enjoy Websters overview of the Civil War period, which reflects current scholarship. The nineteenth- and twentieth-century sections of the book are seasoned with stories relating to Northern Kentuckys businesses and entertainment venues, including its notorious gambling establishments. The tragedies of the Flood of 1937, World War II, and the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire also rightly take their place in this history of Northern Kentucky.

Webster has a gift for making history come alive. Further, he appreciates the value of illustrations in elaborating important points. This overview of Northern Kentucky history will contribute greatly to what residents of the region already appreciate. As one of the points of Kentuckys prosperous Golden Triangle, Northern Kentucky will continue to grow, occupying an increasingly significant position in the chronicles of Kentucky history.

Paul A. Tenkotte

Preface

There have certainly been many books already written about the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In fact, exciting accounts of heroic pioneers and frontiersmen have been scribed as early as John Filsons 1784 work, The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke. In 1858, T. S. Arthur and W. H. Carpenter published a much-needed update, appropriately titled The History of Kentucky, and since then dozens of books have found their way into our public libraries, private collections, and school classrooms. As one might expect, each of these talented historians has provided readers with a slightly different perspective on Kentuckys incredible past. All, however, seem to have the same flaw: they exclude countless facts and profiles regarding the history of the northernmost part of the state.

There is little argument from those living in the region that Northern Kentucky has been slighted by historians for decades. Moreover, there is apparently a common belief that Kentuckys northern border is an imaginary line between Carrollton and Maysville and that the entire region north of that line seceded years ago and is now its own state. In Ruby Baugher and Sarah Claypools Kentucky: Yesterday and Today, for example, there is no mention whatsoever of Thomas Kennedy, whose property became the city of Covington; James Taylor Jr., who founded Newport; or Jacob Fowler, the first permanent settler in the region. Even Thomas D. Clarks History of Kentucky, likely the most respected reference on the state, shows little regard for what many experts have now termed Kentuckys stepchild region. In James C. and Freda Klotters A Concise History of Kentucky (2008), the founding of Harrodsburg and Boonesborough is covered in earnest, but nowhere is there any mention of Banklick Creek, one of the most important travel routes for militias heading off to fight Indians in the Ohio Country; Bullittsburg Baptist Church, established near the time Kentucky was admitted into the Union and still in existence today; or the Rabbit Hash General Store, a Boone County business in continuous operation since 1831. Incredibly, even the tragic Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, which killed 169 people and remains one of the worst tragedies in United States history, is not mentioned at all. Clearly, for those interested in the history of Northern Kentucky, a new book was necessary.

There is no denying that the people, places, and events within Northern Kentucky differ greatly from those in the rest of the state and, therefore, their history is equally unique. Even novice historians and scholars are aware of Daniel Boones epic adventures through the Cumberland Gap. Few know, however, that the early settlement of Northern Kentucky had far more to do with the Ohio River than the Wilderness Road and that Boone roamed Northern Kentucky well before founding his namesake fort.

Many unfamiliar with the region view the northernmost counties as strictly urban, as the southern suburb of neighboring Cincinnati, Ohio. However, much of the region is actually comprised of wonderful green pastures and beautiful rolling hills, with large working farms and orchards. Indeed, it may surprise many in the Central Bluegrass or Jackson Purchase regions to know there are thousands of horses roaming the upper twelve counties and an equal number of cattle, sheep, chickens, and every other type of domesticated farm animal. Many residents of Northern Kentucky are connoisseurs of Kentucky bourbon, even though that fine potion is more associated with the Bardstown area. Unlike residents in the rest of the state, however, Northern Kentuckians are quite familiar with the heritage and unique tastes of the many beers now produced or once produced there, and only Northern Kentuckians are acquainted with goetta, as few people south of Dry Ridge have ever heard of the German-inspired breakfast staple so popular in the Greater Cincinnati area.