Street Scenes in Augusta, Kentucky

streets

Greetings from Augusta


Parade, unknown occasion from a Facebook post of the Augusta Kentucky Historic District	Second and Upper (Main) Streets,	Augusta, c. 1910

Main Street. From a Facebook post by Augusta Kentucky Historic District.


A square barber's pole?	That's not a UFO; it's a street lamp, on a wire.

Ruth Best Meyer and her horse Jackie, 1901
on Upper Street (Now Main)
Thanks to Jackie Meyer McMurrin for this one.


Upper Street, Augusta

Upper Street was renamed Main in the 1920's

This is a curious scene. It's postmarked in Augusta, on January 9, 1908. On the back, it says: “Those two lodes of tobacco you see in the card are the ones that came near causing a riot. Some of the farmers tried to turn the wagon over in the river. Yours, Louise” It's almost certainly a skirmish in the tobacco wars of that era. Read more about them here.


Bracken County Infirmary, Augusta, a.k.a. The Poorhouse. A short history of the Infirmary is here. (pdf)

Census of Northern Kentucky's Paupers in Almshouses, 1910, here.


Front Street, 1911	Front Street	Front Street	Front Street, 1908	Front Street, 1947

Augusta Band, 1910


Old Courthouse	Augusta City Hall, 1897	Tomb of 8 unknown Confederate soldiers


Park in Augusta	Seminary Avenue Note the “Chautauqua” Banners	Sam Laughlin's Flower Garden, Augusta

A description of Augusta, from 1817, is here.

Stephen G. Appleman's walking tour and synopsis of the Civil War battle in Augusta is here. (pdf)

Joseph Doniphan's (above) account of the Augusta Civil War Battle is here.

The account of Augusta's Civil War fight from the 1862 Ripley Bee is here.

J. Jeffery Auer's account of Augusta's Civil War fight, here. (pdf)

In Payne Cemetery, there's a monument to eight unknown Confederate soldiers in the cemetery on the National Register of Historical Places. The NRHP application has pictures, a history, and maps.

Knoedler Library, 1947

The Knoedler Library was donated to Augusta by Mr. Philip Knoedler, of Chicago, in memory of his parents, who are prominently associated with the city. The library was built in 1928. More on Knoedler here.

The Bracken County Courthouse, Augusta
Image, left, Courtesy of the Bracken County Historical Society


Bridges at Longstretch, 1909	Dutch Ridge, near Augusta	Betsy Booth's Mountain, c. 1910

June, 1941, headed for Maysville
from a Facebook post by Jimmy Vice

“The people of Augusta are kicking at the speed the C&O trains make through that town and council
has taken the matter in hand.” Georgetown (Ohio) News Democrat, October 27, 1904


Horse and Rider on Main	Covered Bridge on Dover Pike	C. & O. Bridge near Augusta	C. & O. Depot, 1968


Fourth Street	Fourth Street	Fourth Street

Main Street, 1951
From a Facebook post by Jacqueline McMurrin


Elizabeth Street	Water Street, c. 1947


Fourth Street, Augusta Image, left. Courtesy of the Bracken County Historical Society


The Eisenhower Funeral Train passes thru Augusta


Augusta Scenes	Augusta Scenes	Augusta Scenes	Street Scenes, 1897


Program for the 1924 Augusta Chautauqua What on earth is a Chautauqua? This site explains.

Augusta is on the National Register of Historical Places. The NRHP application has pictures, a history, and maps.
The Augusta Historic District is on the National Register of Historical Places. The NRHP application has pictures, a history, and maps. (pdf) (It's roughly bounded by Riverside Dr., 5th, Frankfort, and Williams Streets).	The Water Street Historic District is on the National Register of Historical Places. The NRHP application has pictures, a history, and maps. (pdf) (River Side Drive east to Frankfort Street and west to Ferry Street).
In 1805, Augusta Trustees donated 2 acres in town, “forever,” for “public buildings,” by which we'd guess they meant a courthouse.	Augusta establishes some regulations. In 1799.
Ancient Roman coin found in Augusta?
Maysville's Evening Bulletin, December 16, 1895
“The new fire engine for Augusta, Ky., arrived Monday night. It weighs two thousand and eight hundred pounds and is named the May Flower.” Ripley Bee, June 5, 1879 Fire Company authorized in 1830.	Augusta was incorporated as a town by an act of the Kentucky General Assembly on February 28, 1850. The act appears to be some sort of follow up or re-classification, as the town had trustees as early as 1805.
“Miss Eliza A. Dupuy of Augusta, Ky., has a new American novel in press.” The New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette, May 15, 1845. You can read a bunch of her books. Go to the UK library website, search their catalog for her name, and most listings will give you a link to the entire novel. Read more about her at her listing at Wikipedia.
“Augusta has established telegraphic communications with Maysville.” Courier-Journal, November 4, 1876	Augusta built on giant cemetery? This (pdf) 1843 item on aboriginal documents says yes.
“Wednesday afternoon the balloonist connected with Bell's Great European Circus made an ascension at Augusta, Ky. The balloon fell in the river and the balloonist became entangled in the ropes. A lumber boat was passing at the time and sent out a skiff after him. He was going under for the third time when rescued. There was no balloon ascension in Maysville.” Courier-Journal, September 20, 1875,quoting the Maysville Eagle.	“Under the auspices of the Kentucky Division of the Cincinnati Motor Club, more than 750 motorists from Northern Kentucky are expected to take part in a motorcade to Augusta, Kentucky on October 23 [1930]. The occasion will be the dedication of Augusta's new City Hall and other public buildings. An elaborate program has been arranged.” from Motour, magazine of the Cincinnati Automobile Club, October, 1930.
“Nine Ford cars in one family sounds like rather a large order, but word comes from Augusta, that ex-Sheriff Joshua Cummins on August 8 bought a Ford touring car for his daughter, Mrs. Charles List. This brings the number of Ford cars in his immediate family up to nine. Mr. Cummins bought the first Ford car that came to Bracken county in 1909 and paid $1000 for it. He still drives it every day and says that expenses upon it have been remarkably small.” Los Angeles Herald, September 9, 1916
Augusta amends its charter to move a bridge, 1868	View of Augusta, 1870.
In Kentucky ran a feature story on Augusta in 1947.	Augusta Marshal shot, 1827.
“Richard Kilpatrick, of Augusta, Bracken co., Ky., believing himself 'to be the best man on the earth,' challenges John C. Heenan to a fight, at any point in the United States he may designate, at any time, for the sum of from $10 to $20,000.” Vevay Indiana's Indiana Reveille, June 13,1860 (Heenan at the time was a highly regarded American bare-knuckle prize fighter. His Wikipedia page is here.)	An 1804 guidebook describes Augusta, here.
	The connection of Stephen Collins Foster (Wikipedia) to Augusta, here.
	“The second regular meeting of the Ohio Valley Dental Society will be held in Augusta, Ky., on the first Tuesday in May”Courier-Journal, March 18, 1871
	A 1901 fire in Augusta here. The 1841 fire in Augusta, here.

Map of Augusta, September, 1880
Street names were changed in the 1920's