In the Capital of the Commonwealth
Frankfort, KY
November 20, 2022
The United States were founded on principles of state sovereignty and local government. If two peoples were incompatible, there was no sense imposing a bad marriage.
That was the rationale for thirteen states seceding from Great Britain. It became the reason future societies might separate from those states (and one we should consider today). Under the Articles of Confederation, that’s what the district of Kentucky decided to do.
During the War for Independence, this region of western Virginia was carved into Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln counties, named respectively for the contemporary Governor of Virginia, the young Marquis from France, and a high ranking general in the ongoing war.
After General Benjamin Lincoln accepted Britain’s surrender at the Battle of Yorktown, the counties of Kentucky repeatedly petitioned the Commonwealth of Virginia to become their own state.
Separated by the Appalachians and tethered by the Ohio and Mississippi to the Gulf and the West, these yeomen farmers had little connection to their distant cousins in the Virginia Tidewater.
The Virginians agreed. Twice. The first was just before the new US Constitution was officially adopted, so the new Congress thought it unwise to admit a new state under the old Confederation.
So the process was repeated. Virginia again consented, and in 1791 Congress approved the Commonwealth of Kentucky as the 15th state (during Kentucky’s reapplication process, Vermont snuck in as the first new state after the Constitution was adopted).
On the Kentucky River between Lexington and Louisville, the town of Frankfort was made the new capital. Being situated on a tributary of the Ohio, it was thought to be a propitious place from which to ship products to the Mississippi and New Orleans.
The city doesn’t seem much bigger now than it was then. But it’s a charming village. Nestled among rolling hills on the banks of the river, Frankfort is among the least populated state capitals. Only four have fewer residents.
But (or, rather, therefore) it’s delightful. The neoclassical Capitol building and plaza is perhaps the most beautiful seat of government in the United States. The 1910 structure is a magnificent combination of neoclassical style and Beaux-Arts influence that honored that era and shames ours.
The majestic rotunda covers bronze statues of Kentucky natives Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Vice President Alben Barkley, and Dr. Ephraim McDowell. A marble statue of Jefferson Davis once joined them, but the reprehensible Governor Andy Beshear recently had it removed.
French designs grace the interior, which include replicas of staircases from the Opéra Garnier in Paris. I can’t imagine a place like this being built today.
The building it replaced is no slouch either. Built in the stately Greek Revival style of the early 19th century, the Old State Capitol was actually the third state capitol.
The first two succumbed to fire, so the third was erected in stone, as a replica of the Temple of Minerva Polias at Priene. Six Ionic columns support a plain pediment on a dignified edifice linking a young republic to ancient Greece.
As appealing as the outside is, the inside couldn’t have been comfortable…tho’ it was probably kept cool. Greek temples featured no windows, so a domed lantern atop the roof provided the only natural light to government officials performing their mischief.
For the last century, Kentucky Historical Society has been fortunate enough to have its headquarters in this building. From the front portico, its employees and patrons can walk across Broadway, and onto a lovely brick-covered block of St Clair Street.
Shops, cafés, and boutiques occupy architectural gems on either side of this charming passage. Despite sunny skies, frigid temperatures kept pedestrians to a minimum.
But they have many delightful places in which to duck. The city is adorned with an appealing assortment of stone, brick, and wood structures in varieties and styles that remind a banal age of a more refined time.
That was reinforced where we went to lunch. Cities in central Kentucky have places named for Bourbon like Atlanta has streets called Peachtree.
So it was no surprise that in Frankfort we found Bourbon on Main. The place was nostalgic, with vintage photos on the walls, whiskey barrels behind the bar, and a bourbon-laced chocolate chip bread pudding about the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. Loving it as we ate but knowing we’d regret it later, we decided to go elsewhere to do more damage.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail surrounds Frankfort like Mexicans at the Alamo. Like the doomed Texans, we couldn’t resist. Unfortunately, we had to. Many of the tastings require tours, and we didn’t book any.
But we managed nice visits to a couple distilleries. Castle and Key was revived several years ago, and now anchors gorgeous gardens on the banks of the Kentucky.
A few miles away, Woodford Reserve has made itself famous the last quarter century by offering local whiskey for a global palette. Having to drive, we kept ours dry. But we acquired artillery for future battles.
JD
