Sesquiecentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #85

A Student’s Perspective from 1887

Picnic at High Bridge; James A., Tom Davenport, Jesse Mills, J. Tandy Ellis, Florance Dudley Dillard, Sallie Allen Hornbrook, and Jennie Hill Bissicks, 1887

A&M College, Lexington

February 26, 1887

Mr. Stanley Bridges,

Dear Cousin,

               I received your most welcome letter last night and was glad indeed to hear from you.  I dident [sic] receive but two letters last week and one was from my girl and the other from you.

               Stan you spoke of me having a little trouble.  Who told you about it.  I will tell you how it was.  We drill one hour every day and one day after the Drill was over I had started to the Dormitory and a little Dude was standing on the steps of College and just as I was passing by him he said to another fellow he is a regular Country Greener and I heard him and I went back and asked him if he knew who he was fooling with and he said he was fooling with a Damn Fool and I knocked him down with my Gun and he got up and ran like a turkey everybody was glad of it he hasn’t pestered me since I don’t intend for any of them to run over me.

               Stan you asked me how much Johnie Hil owed me it is $3.00 I wish you would spur him up on it.  Stan send me a pair of small scissors of some kind by mail next as I need a pair to cut things.

               Stan I think I shall have some pictures taken with my uniform on.  Ask Tomie what he thinks about it.

               How is Paw getting along with the Drummers does he hal [sic] many now I guess he makes Bill Smith stir around late and early.

               I heard that Leouie had gone to Houston to live.

               Stan you must go with my Girl some time and give her my best regards, tell Professor I will answer his letter soon and not to think hard of me for not writing sooner.  Tell Artie and Cretia I wish they would fix me up a nice box of eatables we doant [sic] get much to eat up here at Dormitory.  I must close for this time.

              

               Write soon to me

               Your cousin,

                              Jesse P. Mills

P.S. Tell Tomie to be sure to send me some money next week as I will be out.

Group of male students in 1886 or 1887; photo probably taken in the yard of Maxwell Place. Some of the names listed are: (fourth) Jesse Mills, (sixth) Keene R. Forston, (ninth) James Guthrie Herr, (thirteenth) J. Tandy Ellis, 1886

Shaker Bible Charts

2013ms0769: Jacob Skeen "Genealogical, chronological and geographical chart: embracing biblical and profane history of ancient times from Adam to Christ" chart

 

This chart was printed by the Skeen Chart Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, in February of 1887. The chart represents one of the more unusual economic schemes put forward by the Shakers to support their communities.

The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (or Shakers) is a religion founded upon the teachings of Ann Lee and an offshoot of English Protestantism originating during the First Great Awakening (1730s and 1740s). Called Shakers due to the rapturous character of their early worship, often speaking in tongues, they believe in celibacy, equality of the sexes, and communalism. They are most well known for their contributions to American culture through their style of craftsmanship and music. After immigrating to New York by 1774, they set up separate communities supported by producing and selling various goods and services, such as their hospitality (tourism), seeds, crops, food stuffs, furniture, baskets, clothing, and printed cards. Currently, Lake Sabbathday, Maine, is the only active and functioning Shaker village in the world.

Jacob and David Skeen, non-Shaker brothers from Ohio, proposed the bible chart project in 1886. The Shakers would underwrite, produce, and distribute lithographic bible charts printed with a map of the world and biblical genealogical information. The charts were to be used in the biblical instruction of children. Ultimately the charts were printed commercially in Louisville.

Beyond simply being an artifact of the Shakers’ economic history, the chart is representative of Shaker spirituality. Shaker religious thought began to evolve in the late 19^th century, attempting to reconcile their beliefs with a changing world. Shakers began to collaborate with evangelical Protestants such as Baptists and Methodists, allowing them to use their facilities and forming joint Sunday schools. Additionally, the Shakers began to study the Bible more closely, which in turn led to the Skeens’ bible chart project. Alonzo G. Hollister, a Shaker scholar, was particularly interested in the project due to his fascination with study aids.

The chart traces biblical genealogy from Adam to Jesus Christ and contains subcharts listing parables of Jesus and the books of the New Testament.  Additionally the charts are inscribed with the names of four major Shaker communities: Mount Lebanon, Union Village, Pleasant Hill, and South Union. Only Mount Lebanon in New York was directly involved in the project, with Shaker sisters backing the charts for sale. After printing 204 charts the business shuttered in 1887.

Sesquicentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #86

In 1939, President Frank L. McVey announced to the Board of Trustees that Margaret Voorhies Haggin had created a trust fund in memory of her late husband, James B. Haggin.  Over the years, the gift has enriched the program of the University through the encouragement given to the artistic and intellectual life of the institution.  The funds have not been used for regularly occurring expenses but for highly desirable equipment as a great organ, rare books, works of art, for lectureships, scholarships and for the publications of scholarly books.  

 

Construction of Haggin Hall (from Donovan Hall)

 In September of 1960 a new dormitory was dedicated by UK President Frank G. Dickey.  He challenged the students who were to live there to use the knowledge gained at UK for the good of their fellow men.  It was designed to promote the educational progress of the students while providing healthful surroundings for general living.

Construction of Haggin Hall

Fittingly, the new dorm was named in honor of the late James B. Haggin and his wife, Margaret V. Haggin.  The 575 bed dormitory was the largest and newest on the campus.  It was constructed at a cost of $1,800,000 under a bond issue financed by the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency.

 

The dorm had central air conditioning and heating facilities with individual climate control units in each room; external stairwells to reduce internal noise; an intercom system from the central office to the corridors to make communication more effective and lounge and recreation areas placed so that fellow students wouldn’t disturb others.

Haggin Hall served the University well until May of 2013 when it was demolished to make room for new growth at the University.

James Haggin.  By Bradley & Rulofson, San Francisco (Online Archive of California) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

But who was James Ben Ali Haggin? Haggin was born around 1827 in Frankfort, Kentucky.  His father was a native Kentuckian and his mother was Turkish.  He followed the gold rush to California and owned numerous mines. Haggin sold his share of mines to purchase land in California, a single tract measuring 400,000 acres.  

 Haggin went from land owner to stock raiser, turfman, and raiser of thoroughbreds. He bought more land in the heart of the Bluegrass - 5,000 acres that he made famous under the name of Elmendorf.  After the death of his son, Ben Ali, Haggin turned his attention to raising thoroughbred stock and horses at Elmendorf farm.  Haggin was a successful and varied man who left a long lasting legacy, he passed away in 1914 at the age of 87.

Computing Book Featured on 1980-1981 UK Course Catalog

University of Kentucky 1980-1981 course catalog cover features a book on “computers and data processing.” Computing* isn’t quite as classic as literature or history, but it’s got at least 30 years under its belt. Happy start of the semester to all the students!
*The mathematics involved in computing certainly are, though!

Special Collections Exhibit 'Going to the Dogs' | UKNow

Special Collections Exhibit 'Going to the Dogs' | UKNow

Sesquicentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #87

Sarah Blanding was born on November 22, 1898 and attended public schools in Lexington, Kentucky.  Her father passed away when she was only fourteen years old.  Blanding was determined to go to college but knew that she could do it only if she worked her way through.  She decided early on that physical education training would quickly make her self-supporting.

  

Blanding went to the New Haven Normal School of Gymnastics and graduated in 1919.  She came back to Kentucky and studied for her A.B. at the University of Kentucky in the mornings and taught physical education in the afternoons.

Dean's at the University of Kentucky, 1927

 At this time, Frances Jewell (later McVey) was dean of women and the two came to know and respect one another.  After Frances Jewell married Frank McVey, Sarah Blanding was selected to become dean of women in her place.  Blanding herself thought that she was too young and inexperienced but she agreed to become acting dean for six months. Despite Blanding’s hesitation she enjoyed being dean and served an entire year.  Nonetheless, Blanding wanted to finish her graduate study so she left the University of Kentucky to go to Columbia where she received her A.M. in 1926.

Next, Blanding spent a year at the London School of Economics and in 1928 she returned to UK to be dean of women and associate professor of political science.  In 1941 she was appointed head of the College of Home Economics at Cornell and seven months later she was made dean of the College – the first woman to become a dean at Cornell. In 1946, Blanding accomplished another first by becoming the first woman president of Vassar College.

President Albert Kirwan of the University of Kentucky and Sarah Blanding at the dedication of Blanding and Kirwan towers, 1968

Sarah Blanding was known for being direct, objective, frank, completely unpretentious, and for having a keen sense of humor.  In 1968 Blanding Tower and its affiliated low-lying buildings of the Kirwan-Blanding Complex at UK was named in her honor.

Mrs. Luckie: Killed by Lightning

This scrapbook entitled “Mortuary of Lexington, Kentucky” and compiled by General John M. McCalla (1793-1873), consists of funeral notices and obituaries printed in local Lexington newspapers from 1803-1869.
 

2013ms0755: John M. McCalla "Mortuary of Lexington, Kentucky" scrapbook

 

Scrapbooks are an often unloved historical format, but this mortuary depicts a snapshot of Lexington social life and the treatment of death in the nineteenth century. Additionally, it documents various newsworthy events through its marginalia.  

Numerous funeral notices have notes written in ink or pencil. For example, this one from 1817 is a notice for the funeral of Mrs. Jane Luckie. The marginalia reads “Killed by lightning at the Presbyterian Church”.

 

These funeral notices from 1829 document a famous Lexington duel between Charles Wickliffe and George J. Trotter. The duel has its roots in the acquittal of Charles Wickliffe for the murder of Thomas R. Benning, editor of the Kentucky Gazette. Wickliffe shot Benning during a disagreement over editorials, which criticized his father, politician Robert Wickliffe. Henry Clay acted as Wickliffe’s lawyer during his trial. Later that same year, Wickliffe challenged the new editor of the newspaper, George J. Trotter, to a duel over articles questioning the fairness of the trial. During the duel Trotter killed Wickliffe on the second shot.

 

The mortuary contains the funeral notice for Thomas R. Benning with the marginalia “Killed by Charles Wickliffe” and the notice for Charles Wickliffe annotated with “Killed in a duel with G.J. Trotter.”

 

Lastly, this 1844 funeral notice for Caroline Turner notes that she was “murdered by her slave”. Caroline Sargent Turner, wife of the Honorable Fielding L. Turner, was notorious for beating her slaves. She was found strangled in her home in 1844. After fleeing, one of her slaves, Richard Moore, was apprehended in Scott County, tried, and hanged for her murder.