Friday 13th strikes bad luck for Mason County’s first courthouse

This week’s historical sketch takes us to Mason County and the village of Washington.

Washington was first laid out in 1785 by Arthur Fox, Sr, a Revolutionary War Soldier and a Baptist preacher by the name of William Wood.

Wood and Fox purchased the land from Simon Kenton, the original explorer and settler of the area.

Washington was the first county seat of Mason County.

In the first Federal Census taken in 1790, Washington had 462 residents.

With a growing township, the community needed a courthouse and one was built in 1794 by Louis Craig, just two years after Kentucky became a state and five years after the county of Mason was created from a part of Bourbon County.

According to the written history of Washington, the first court of Mason County - the court of General Quarter Sessions -was held May 26, 1789 at the home of Robert Rankin in Washington, which had been established as a town in 1786 by an Act of the Virginia Legislature. After sustaining the following appointments made by the Governor of the county officials: Thomas Waring, Esq., sheriff, Thornley Berry, deputy sheriff, Robert Rankin, clerk, Henry Lee, surveyor, and Miles Withers Conway, coroner, the next business before the court as then constituted, was the order issued to Henry Lee, Miles W. Conway, John Machir and Jacob Edwards, or any three of them, “to view and report upon the most convenient place within the bounds of Washington for fixing the public “building on.” June 20, 1789, the Commission reported that “the vacant ground between Miles W. Conway and John Williams is the most proper and convenient place for the location of the public “building.”

Plans for the first courthouse were presented in court on May 29, 1793.

The contract for the building of same was let to Rev. Craig for which he was “to receive the sum of 739 pounds and 10 shillings and same to be built of brick or stone.”

On October 28, 1799, Rev. Craig was allowed by the court 286 pounds for additional work on the courthouse.

Information obtained from the Kentucky GenWeb site states the Washington Courthouse was “of the simplest style of architecture, the historic building was constructed of native limestone, 50 feet long and 25 feet wide; walls two feet thick; two stories high with small windows and doors and contained four rooms. Extending across the whole front of the building was an impressive colonial porch with eight massive stone pillars and paved floor. The cupola for the bell was surmounted by an octagonal tower 25 feet high topped by a weather vane and gilded ball - with an arrow showing the bent of the wind. On a keystone over the door were carved the initials “L. C.” for the builder, and the date 1794. On one side of the stately old structure was a long, low brick annex used as the county clerk’s office. Locust trees, sacred with associations, kept vigil over the flagstone walk leading to the main entrance.

The following is an article that appeared in the August 13, 1909 edition of the Maysville Public Ledger.

“What yesterday was one of the most venerable and celebrated public buildings in the United States is this morning but a smoking mass of embers.

During this morning’s storm about 6 o’clock the quietude of the people of Washington was broken and the whole village startled by a flash of lightning, followed by a crashing peal of thunder, and in a few seconds it was seen that the bolt of heaven had found a “shining mark” and that the beloved old Washington Courthouse, after 115 years of dignified public service, had answered the call of time and history, and, wrapped in a pall of smoke, its noble timbers and staunch floors, which had reverberated with the matchless eloquence of Thomas Corwine, T. F. Marshall, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and scores of other noted world statesmen, became food for the flames and a sacrifice to the remorseless call of nature and destiny.

The building was built of limestone and erected in 1794 by Louis Craig, the pioneer Baptist Minister, who was a charter member of the early settlers of Kentucky

At 7 o’clock this morning the old bell in the cupola fell among the ruins, where its silent tongue, once the music call to responsive hearts, now lies silent forever, and thus, the building known and trod by Clay, Lafayette, Generals Johnston, Nelson and Stanton, Edward Everett McClung, Wadsworth, Phister and a host of other giants of the forum, is but a picture in the mind.

When the fire broke forth from the wooden steeple all Washington rushed to the scene, but the village being without fire-fighting apparatus, the blaze ate its way, unmolested, and right before the eyes of hundreds of the old structure was consumed, every wooden portion being destroyed, and naught but the stone walls remain.

For many years the old Courthouse has been occupied and used as a public school and for the village entertainments. We are informed that it will be rebuilt and restored to its former looks, but the real structure, with its hallowed, historic and priceless memory and associations, will be numbered among the things that were.”

Today the village is known as “Old Washington” and is recognized as a National Historic District and is one of the earliest settlements to play a significant role in the antebellum period.

Old Washington’s two longest running festivals are the Simon Kenton Festival during the 3rd weekend in September and the Frontier Christmas Festival during the first weekend in December. Both events have special music, museums are open for free, vendors selling a variety of crafts, food, gifts, and more are present.

Simon Kenton Festival is held annually on the 3rd weekend in September. For 2018, it will be held Sept. 15-16.

The 52nd annual Frontier Christmas will take place Dec. 1-2, 2018.

Email denacgreen62@yahoo.com for more information on how you can participate as a vendor or entertainment.

If you would like to take a step back in time to learn more about the history of Old Washington you can call 606-759-7411 to schedule a guided tour.

It stood for 115 years when a bolt of lightning struck the old landmark causing its total destruction by fire on “hoo-doo day” of Friday, August 13, 1909

The old courthouse stood 115 years until Friday, August 13, 1909, when it was struck by lightning and leveled by fire. “So perished the chief glory of Washington” to use the words of the late Mrs.. Edna Hunter Best, well known historian and author of “The Historic Past of Washington, Mason County, Kentucky.”

A bill to remove the seat of Justice of the County of Mason from the town of Washington to the city of Maysville, was introduced in 1847 in the Kentucky House of Representative, and reads: (in part) - “Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, that at the next August (1847) election, a poll shall be opened to ascertain the will of the people of the said county of Mason as to the location of the Seat of Justice.”

At the election, Aug. 5, 1847, 1,426 votes were cast for moving the county seat from Washington to Maysville, and 1,194 against making a majority of 232 favoring the removal. Jan. 14, 1848, the bill removing the county seat of Mason County from Washington to Maysville passed the House of Representative with only four dissenting votes, and Jan. 18, the Senate, with only two votes against.

After the county seat was removed to Maysville in 1848, the old court-house was used as a school building for many years. Later the Rev. Robert McMurdy, an Episcopal rector, conducted an academy in the historic structure.

Among “The Papers” of the late William D. Hixon (1828-1909), of Mason County, teacher, historian, editor in 1860-61 of “The Maysville Eagle,” and first librarian (in 1870) of the Maysville Public Library, was found what may have been a drawing of the floor plan of the courthouse at Washington. The plan apparently is a remodeling project since it is accompanied by a notation - “would it be proper to get county court to appoint a Committee of respectable farmers to report to the February term of court, if necessary, how, and what would be the probably cost of the change in the courthouse.” Seemingly it was a project to add a new room to the building and have “all complete in a workmanlike manner for $1,500 as proposed by a good workman.”

The Committee consisted of: E. Robinson, Daniel Runion, M. Curtis, J. A. Slack, James Claybrooke, Adam Beatty, John Lamb, Moses Dimmitt, W. G. Bullock, John Marshall, A. Runion, Thomas M. Fornan, L. L. Browning C. Drake, John Gault, Thomas Mannen, Larkin Sandidge, J. W. Franklin, Tom Brough, Jacob Outten and J. C. Carey, the last two being workmen.

(The paper is not dated - the date would be prior to 1847)

“The Hixon Papers” are in the possession of the Maysville Public Library, Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky.

Note: The picture of Mason County’s first courthouse at Washington, Kentucky, was made before 1896 by Mrs. Leroy B. Cox.

It was contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Here Baganz

Article Contributed by Mrs. Lula Reed Boas Maysville, Kentucky

First published in the Kentucky Ancestors Volume No. 3 a Quarterly Dated Jan. 1 1968, retranscribed and contributed to Genealogy Trails by Barbara Ziegenmeyer