WaterWings
Super Administrator
Posts: 8245
Registered: 2-3-2006
Location: Lexington KY (CB)
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West-Metcalfe House restoration complete. (Wayne County)
Wayne County Outlook
11/4/2010
CNHI
11-10-10 — The Mill Springs Battlefield Association, Inc., which has led the restoration project, recently announced that the historic
West-Metcalfe House has been stabilized and preserved for the interpretation and enjoyment of visitors and citizens of the community.
The project would not have been possible without the generous gift of the house and land to the association by Nick Cooley, a $250,000 grant from
the Governor’s Office of Local Development secured by State Representative Ken Upchurch, and the skilled workmanship of Ed Wolf of Hollow Works whose
untiring efforts saved the building from irrrevocable collapse.
The West-Metcalfe House is an important landmark in the county which was close to disappearing. The West family settled in the Mill Springs area of
Wayne County before it became Wayne County. The house was built in 1799 and would have been the finest structure of its time for this area of
Kentucky.
A center of hospitality and commerce in the frontier, the house and family entertained and hosted many famous people from the local community and
nation. Pastor “Raccoon” John Smith, one of the principals of the “Great Awakening,” preached multi-hour sermons and performed weddings at the
house; during the period of the Civil War Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer (leading an army of 6,000 Confederate soldiers poised to invade
central Kentucky) used the house as a headquarters (although the West family were Union folk).
After the Battle of Mill Springs in January, 1862, the West-Metcalfe house again served as a refuge for the Confederate Army and field hospital.
Reporters with the Union Army in pursuit of the Confederates observed numerous Confederate soldiers dead or dying in the front yard of the West home.
Today several simple stones with no engraving
mark grave sites just on the edge of the West family cemetery a short walk from the house; even in death the West family remembered that the young men
who died there were sons, brothers or husbands whose release from this mortal coil should be accompanied with great respect.
During the restoration project school children in the local
community had the opportunity to participate in archeological digs and discover several artifacts that would have been appropriate to the time
including several arrowheads.
Rest of story here:
http://wcoutlook.com/local/x1507933710/The-West-Metcalfe-Hou...
WHATEVER floats your boat Dude!
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scarlet
Master Member
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Well that just made me miss Cumberline. I remember his stories of the house
http://lakecumberland.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=448&page=...
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madcon1023
Master Member
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Scarlet; I thought the same thing. I believe Cumberline may have been one of the first folks to sound the alarm about this historic home falling into
severe disrepair. He worried about losing a valued piece of KY history.
I am sure he is smiling at the restoration now!
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mamakin
Master Member
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Fantastic! Glad it's finally done/restored! That's one of the places that Jerry took my family and I on one of our excursions. He loved that place,
told us all about it and the mill.
I think those of us who followed his Lake History for years will always be missing him....
~Here....fishy fishy fishy - I have some cheeze whiz fer ya~
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Watt Money
Master Member
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mamakin
I think those of us who followed his Lake History for years will always be missing him.... |
You got that right mamakin. Still a very large void here, but I think he was one of a kind and not replaceable.
We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.
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Libertybelle
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I wonder if the Metcalfe's were related to the Governor of Ky. Thomas Metcalfe. My husband's mother's side were Metcalfe's from Ky. and Thomas
Metcalfe was a relative on her side.
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