The WPA Guide to Kentucky by Federal Writers' Project

Author:Federal Writers' Project
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781595342157
Publisher: Trinity University Press

Section b. LEXINGTON to TENNESSEE LINE, 139.6 m.

South of Lexington, 0 m., US 25 passes through the Kentucky River gorge, widely known for its scenic beauty, and crosses the KENTUCKY RIVER on a bridge at Clay’s Ferry. From a parking space near the top of the bluff is a splendid view of the palisades and the winding river.

Between Clay’s Ferry and Richmond is a fertile, undulating upland plain where farming and stock raising are the outstanding occupations and fox hunting a favorite sport. Hunters in pink mounted on thoroughbreds, and those in overalls on farm horses and mules, mingle and ride to hounds side by side. Young and old, rich and poor, gather at dawn on a frosty morning at the casting grounds. The master calls the roll and each handler answers to the number that has been assigned to his hounds. After the master has instructed the judges, he gives the word to turn the hounds loose. Without a sound they trot out of sight.

When the strike is made, the hounds advance in full cry—a crescendo of deep and high shrill tones. Suddenly the beautiful little quarry is seen in the open, loping speedily and easily over the ground with the full pack following, each hound baying with every bound. In a flash, fox, hounds, and hunters are gone—the sound grows fainter and dies away. Kentuckians have inherited a love of this sport from their English forebears. It is said that when “Pidgeontail” Bedford, an inveterate follower of the hounds, married and took his bride home, the house he had built for her had been completed except for the hanging of the front door. After carrying her over the threshold in the traditional manner, he set out on his horse to borrow a pair of hinges from a neighbor. In the snow he saw the track of a fox, and, forgetting his errand, he and his hound gave chase. It is said that three days elapsed before he returned with the brush as a present for his bride.

One of the most notable fox hunters of the State, and one of the most picturesque characters of his time, was Gen. George Washington Maupin (1807–1868) of Madison County. He is described as having been primarily a fox hunter, secondarily a trader in Negroes and mules, and last a planter. With his high peaked cap, flowered waistcoat, and garish scarf, he was conspicuous at every hunt. The noted Maupin-Walker foxhound traces its pedigree to his dogs. Foxhounds bred in this section of Kentucky are shipped to many parts of the world and many of the field trials of the National Foxhunters Association are held in this area.

At 22 m. is the junction with Whitehall Lane.

Right on this road to WHITEHALL (open on request), the home of Gen. Cassius M. Clay, noted abolitionist and, in 1861, Minister to Russia. The tall two-and-one-half-story building, designed in 1864 in the General Grant manner by T. Lewinski, a Pole living in Lexington, contains 22 rooms and three wide hallways.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.