BOURBON COUNTY, KENTUCKY

CHAPTER XII.

PARIS EDUCATIONAL HISTORY--THE BOURBON ACADEMY--PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CITY SCHOOLS--THE GARTH FUND--A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE-COLORED SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES--SOME MANUFACTURING AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. ETC.

AT an early day, the people of Paris enjoyed unusual educational advantages. The Bourbon Academy was founded in 1798, by an act of the Kentucky Legislature, and a donation of 6,000 acres of land appropriated toward its endowment. William Garrard, David Purviance, Augustine Eastin, John Edwards, Andrew Todd, John Allen, William Kelly, Thomas Jones, Sr., Hugh Brent, John Stone, James Brown, Sr., Barton W. Stone, James Matson and James Kenney were the original trustees of the institution. The lands donated by the State were located upon the south side of Green River. They were leased out at first, and finally sold for the benefit of the academy.

In 1799, a committee was appointed to select a suitable location and purchase grounds for the academy. A tract of eight acres of land was purchased on the Maysville road, nearly opposite the residence of Young Moran. The land was purchased of John Henry, the trustees paying him £105. A frame building was erected, thirty feet long and eighteen wide, capable of accommodating from thirty to forty pupils, and in May, 1800, the first session of the Bourbon Academy was begun, with Isaac Tull as teacher. The terms for tuition then were, to say the least, modest: For teaching reading, writing, spelling and common arithmetic, $8 per annum, and for English grammar, Latin and the sciences, $12-50 per annum. He was restricted to teach only thirty scholars, and the subscribers to the endowment fund of the Academy were given the preference to send their children. In January, 1802, Mr. Tull was succeeded by James H. Russell, who taught only a short time, William T. Fowler taking charge in October of the same year, and the school continued under his superintendence for some years.

In 1805, the lot on which the public school building now stands was purchased for $110, from Thomas Mitchell, the school property in East Paris having been sold for $500 to Samuel Pyke; and a more commodious school building wag erected in 1806-7, to meet the increasing educational wants of the community. The new building was large enough to accommodate a hundred or more pupils. In the year 1807, the Academy was re-opened with the Rev. John Lyle as President, and his brother Joel R. Lyle and James H. Dickey se assistant teachers. In the "Sketches at Paris," it is stated that Mr. Lyle continued in charge of the academy until 1810, when he resigned and established a female seminary. In Collins History of Kentucky, we find the following: "November, 1806--The first female academy in the West, if not in the United States, established, at Paris, Ky., by Rev. John Lyle, with from one hundred and fifty to three hundred pupils." From this it is evident that Mr. Lyle continued as President of the institution but a short time. His brother also resigned, and in 1808-9 became publisher of the Western Citizen. David V. Rannalls was elected President of the academy in place of Mr. Lyle, and Willis M. Arnold, assistant. The latter was succeeded in 1811, by Joseph Russell. In the same paper, we find the following: "An examination of the students of Bourbon Academy took place on the 9th inst., attended by several members of the Board of Trustees and citizens of the town, when the improvement of the scholars, under the tuition of Mr. David V. Rannalls, was very pleasingly evinced in the several departments of their studies. The Board of Trustees of the Academy by their committee took occasion to express their approbation of his exertions," etc. The paper is signed by Anthony Thuntin, Jr., James Hickman and Val Peers. In 1813, Mr. Ezra Howe was elected Superintendent, and provided his own assistant teachers. In 1814, Daniel Baldwin was appointed Professor of the Latin and Greek languages. In the “Sketches of Paris,” the following reference is made to Mr. Baldwin: “Notwithstanding his superior abilities as a teacher, he retained his position only one year, for it appears that he did not get along as smoothly as possible with the students. He administered a severe chastisement to one of the pupils, which was the cause of his becoming the recipient of similar chastisement from the hands of the parent. The Bourbon Academy, however, is indebted to him to the extent of two shares of bank stock, a private donation made by him for the purpose of encouraging students who displayed the most proficiency in the dead languages, by giving them premiums. We find the following in his bequest: ‘It shall be recorded, that this money was recovered by me from Edward Bayse, in a case of assault and battery.’

“Mr. Baldwin was succeeded in 1815 by Alban Stewart, with John Stevenson as assistant. In 1816, Stevenson gave place to Benjamin W. Hayden, who continued to teach until 1826. William E. Gallaudet, in October 1816, was appointed professor of the languages; he taught only a few months. In April, 1817, John Gayle was appointed President, who held the position for two years. At that time there were fifty-nine students in the academy--twenty-seven in the classical department, and thirty-two studying the other branches.

“In 1819, the Rev. James McCord was elected President, with Ebenezer Sharpe as Assistant Professor. Mr. McCord died in 1820, while in office, and the duties fell upon Mr. Sharpe, who discharged them most faithfully for seven years; so much so, that when he resigned, he received the unanimous approval of the Board of Trustees for the ability and skill with which he had managed the institution. In 1821, Charles Lincoln was appointed Assistant Teacher for one year, and the next year David Dunlap was appointed; and, in 1823, the Rev. Guerdon Gates was appointed Professor of the Natural Sciences. In October, 1824, John H. Harney, afterward the distinguished editor of the old Louisville Democrat, was employed by Mr. Sharpe as assistant, and in 1826 he was appointed Professor of Natural Sciences in place of Mr. Gates, who was compelled to resign on account of sickness in his family; but in October of the same year, he was recalled and elected Superintendent. He continued in charge till 1829, when John Roche, a former Professor of Languages in Transylvania University, was elected. He resigned in a few months, and the duties again devolved upon Mr. Gates. In 1831, Ebenezer Marston was elected Superintendent, and it remained under his supervision for some years. After this it began to lose its prestige, and the rooms in the building were rented out from time to time to different parties for private residences and for teaching private schools and one of the rooms was for awhile occupied by the Masons as a lodge room.

“The following persons taught school there at different periods: A. L. Mehurin, William Henderson, father of the Rev. H. A. M. Henderson, late Superintendent of Public Instruction; James Riddle, Simeon Smith, A. C. Raymond, Harvey Wood, Rev. A. E. Thorns, Daniel Vaughan, Joseph Raymond and John H. Pratt. About 1850, Mrs. Emily Tubman, a lady of great wealth, and who is renowned for her charitable works, rented a room in this building, and established the ‘Tubman Free School,’ paying the teacher, Mr. Redmon. Schools were taught in this house by Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Reed, George A. Irvine, Paul Guyser and Messrs. Stone and Colton. It was conducted in this way until 1856, when the Trustees of the Bourbon Academy, by a special act of the Legislature, transferred the property and the management of the institution to the Trustees of the town of Paris, and in this year was erected the City School building, as it now stands, exclusive of the commodious additions of 1875. It was completed in 1857, and was first occupied by Prof. J. B. Anderson and his two daughters, in teaching a high school. He was followed by Revs. George Varden and W. B. Browne, who taught school together until the commencement of the great civil war, and during that period it was occupied by the Federal troops as a hospital. After the war, it was repaired and again occupied for its original purpose, W. E. Clark and Thomas J. Dodd teaching separate and distinct schools.

“The Paris City School was organized in 1865, with Prof. Julius Herrick as Principal. Mr. Herrick held the position to 1867, when he was succeeded by Rev. Dr. George Varden, from 1867 to 1868; Prof. W. H. Lockhart was elected Principal in 1868, and served until 1871; W. E. Clark from 1871 to 1873; Ben. D. Best from 1873 to 1874. Prof. Puckett was appointed in 1874, and held the position of Principal until June, 1880, when Rev. H. R. Blaisdell, the present incumbent, was appointed. He is assisted by Misses Anna L. Oldson, Mary B. Spears, Nellie Fithian, Mrs. L. Walker and Mrs. Alice Woodward. The attendance is about three hundred. For efficiency, it is claimed that it is not surpassed by any public school in the State. The same School Board is in office under whose supervision the additions were made some years since. This fact is a striking proof of their faithfulness, and of the good sense of the people. In politics, they are equally divided ; while all belong to different churches and politics and religions, bids are not allowed to influence their action. They are elected for a term of three years-two members of the board being elected annually. The following is a list of the members of the board: James M. Thomas, Chairman; Dr. Joseph Fithian, Secretary; J. H. Brent, Esq., Henry Spears, H. M. Rucker, W. W. Massie.”

Private Schools.--In addition to the City School, Paris has the advantage of several first-class educational institutions. The Garth Female Institute was organized in the summer of 1875 by a joint-stock company, with the late R. T. Davis as President. The institution was named in honor of William Garth, whose name is so prominently associated with the educational interests of the county, and of whom further notice is made in this chapter. Prof C. E. Young, formerly of Staunton, Va., and a graduate of the University of Virginia was elected Principal, which position he continues to hold. The institution having become involved, was sold publicly in the spring of 1880, and purchased by the Principal, who is now sole owner. The buildings are unsurpassed in beauty, convenience and location by any school building in the State. The course of study is unusually thorough and complete. Every department of study is under the charge of competent instructors. As now organized, the corps of teachers is as follows: C. E. Young, Mathematics and Natural Sciences; Miss Mary E. E. Johnson, Moral Philosophy and Higher English; Mrs. E. Muth, German; Miss Bettie Young, Principal of Primary Department; Mrs. C. E. Young, Matron and Teacher of Calisthenics; Prof. E. Amende and Mrs, Minnie Wilson, Music.

Bourbon Female College was founded at the close of the war by Prof. Walker Buckner, who conducted the institution several years. He was succeeded by Mrs. A. E. Randolph, now a missionary in China, who was assisted by Col. George M. Edgar and Miss Kate Edgar. At that time the school was under the patronage of the Presbyterian Church.

In 1874, Prof. J. A. Brown, now President of Harrison Female Academy, at Cynthiana, Ky., purchased the property. He associated with him in the conduct of the school Prof. Wharton S. Jones, now of Memphis, Tenn., and under their joint management the college was eminently successful.

In 1880, Prof. W. S. Jones and Mrs. A. B. Clay took charge of the college. Prof. A. Sanders leased the property in September 1881. The average attendance during the past year has been about seventy-five. The course of study embraces the branches usually taught in first-class female schools. The following persons comprise the faculty: A. Sanders, Principal, Mathematics and History; Dr. George Varden, Language and Psychology; Miss Mary B. Dennis. Natural Sciences and Composition; Mrs. E. M. Avirett, English Literature and Reading; Miss Alice Daugherty, Music; Prof. A. M. Gutzeit, Assistant Music; Miss Emily Halliday, Art.

The Edgar Institute was organized in 1875 by a joint-stock company, with Cassius M. Clay, Jr. as President, Col. George M. Edgar was elected Principal, with Capt. M. H. Cramp and Prof. B. B. Ford as Assistants. It at first embraced the department of military instruction, and the pupils were required to be uniformed, but this feature was afterward abandoned. During the principalship of Col. Edgar, he was also assisted by Prof. W. H. Lockhart and Rev. Dr. George Varden. He continued in charge of the institution until the summer of 1879, when the property was purchased by Prof B. H. Waddell and Col. C. H. Withrow. In July, 1881, Col. Withrow retired, and Prof. Waddell became the sole owner of the school. He continues to be the Principal, and is assisted by his brother, Capt. James Waddell. The school buildings occupy a commanding position, overlooking the city; the grounds comprise about twenty acres; the school building is new, and the institution certainly offers advantages of a high order. The property now used as the Institute, formerly was the homestead of the late Hon. Garrett Davis. Judge Matt Turney, in 1876, succeeded Mr. Clay as President of the institution, a position which he now holds.

Miss Maria Tipton has a select school of thirty scholars. She is considered one of the finest teachers in the State, and has recently purchased the late residence of Mr. J. H. Bassett, with a view of opening a boarding school for young ladies. Mrs. Jessie Parrish has charge of the department of music.

Prof. Yerkes has a select school for boys and young men. He stands in the first rank of educators, and within the past year has declined an appointment to a professorship in Center College, at Danville, being unwilling to give up his school in Paris.

For the past ten years. Prof. W. H. Lockhart has taught a select school, and many of his graduates have taken high rank in the educational institutions of the country. He is a thorough and accomplished teacher, and has done much to promote the cause of education in the State. He is Common School Commissioner of Bourbon County, a position which he has filled with marked ability and faithfulness for a number of years. His papers and addresses on educational subjects evidence research, thought and a trained mind.

St. Joseph's Academy, under the charge of the Sisters of the Visitation, is beautifully located on a commanding eminence overlooking Paris. The school was organized in 1870, under the control of the Sisters of Loretto, who remained about flve years. They were succeeded by the Benedictine Sisters of Covington, who had charge for about two years. Then the Sisters of Notre Dame, Covington, who kept it only one year. The Sisters of Visitation of Maysville, who have been here three years, have purchased the property, and are building up a successful school. Mother Gonzaga, who is admirably qualified for the position, is the Mother Superior. She is assisted by a fall corps of competent instructors.

The parochial school, numbering about one hundred pupils, is also under the management of the Sisters. The Catholic school for boys is taught by Miss Lucy Tully. Rev. Father Barry teaches a night school for young men--tuition free.

[The following sketch of a good man and a zealous friend to education, was written for this work by Mr. William Myall, a beneficiary of the “Garth Fund.” He pays a deserved tribute to a deserving man, and we publish it in full in Paris' educational history, together with Mr. Garth's will, as of general interest to the reader.-ED.]

William Garth, the subject of this sketch and founder of the “Garth Fund,” was the son of Thomas Garth, a native of Scott County, Ky. His mother's maiden name was Nancy Thompson. Thomas Garth came to Bourbon County at an early date, and settled on a farm about five miles northwest of Paris, on the Paris & Georgetown road. At this place, William Garth was born on the 29th of March,1815. He was educated in the schools of Bourbon County, with the exception of a year or two spent in the college at Georgetown, devoted principally to the study of mathematics, for which science he early developed considerable talent. When just out of school and while not yet twenty-one years of age, he was elected County Surveyor for Bourbon County, which office he held until elected Professor of Mathematics in the Georgetown College, when about twenty-four years of age. After filling this chair for eight or ten years he resigned. and retired to his farm in Bourbon County; a part of the farm formerly owned by his father and on which he had been raised. This farm, however, did not come to him by inheritance. When he reached majority his father gave him $5,000, which was all he ever received from his father's estate. With this money and the interest accrued thereon, together with what he had saved in his profession, he bought a portion of the old homestead, when a few years later his father, having become embarrassed, was compelled to dispose of part of his estate. For several years, Mr. Garth carried on this in connection with his professorship at Georgetown, and it is worthy of mention, as showing the industry and energy that marked his life, that he very frequently walked from Georgetown out to his farm on Friday evenings--a distance of about twelve miles--and back again on Sunday evening. While in Georgetown he was married to Mary Bartlett, a Northern lady who was at that Pime teacher in a female school in Georgetown, but there were never my children by this union.

Having resigned his Professorship and retired to his farm near Paris, he continued to reside there until overtaken by the calamity which resulted in his death. His life was exceedingly quiet and unassuming, but always full of employment. Business prospered in his hands and he soon accumulated a fortune which, at the time of his death, amounted to about $60,000; yet, though always a good business man and an excellent farmer, he was very far from being a man who allowed himself to be engrossed by mere money-making. Indeed he seems to have cared but little for money except as a means of doing good, and his strict habits of business appear to have been more the result of a fixed and conscientious rule of life, than of a desire for pecuniary profit. As an indication of this, both his heart and his hand were always opened freely to whoever appeared to him to need and to deserve assistance, and neither any individual nor any enterprise worthy of help ever applied to his generosity in vain. Indeed, he was more than once heard to say, in his quiet manner, that he did not regard it more his duty to pay his taxes than to contribute to the building of schoolhouses, turnpike roads, churches, or to any other enterprise that was likely to make the people of his native county either better or happier. The educational interests of his county always found in him a zealous supporter and friend, and he at one time made a proposition to become one of five persons who should contribute $20,000 each, for the purpose of endowing a college to be located at Paris. The proposition failed of its purpose, however, as the other subscribers could not be found, and is therefore only deserving of mention in that it serves to illustrate the large public spirit of the man which constantly showed itself in his life and which was illustrated yet more forcibly after his death, when the generous provisions of his will were made known the public.

As a business man, he was exceedingly prompt, accurate and systematic. His obligations of whatever nature were met with a religious scrupulousness, and so strict was his observance of what he conceived to be the requirements of good faith in business transactions, that he never allowed a piece of his paper to mature without having made provision for its prompt discharge or arrangement.

It is, however, in his private relations that we see most in Mr. Garth to love and esteem. His even temper, never ruffled or excited in the most trying circumstances of life; his calm concentration of nature, overflowing only in deeds of benevolence and love; his strong human sympathies, and the unassuming simplicity of his life and manners could not fail to win the love and respect of all. As a man, he was exceedingly modest and retiring, and shrank from everything that was likely to bring him into any sort of unpleasant publicity. His habits were such as we would expect in such a man-plain and simple to a degree. In his food and drink, he was temperate almost to abstemiousness, never using stimulants of any kind, and abstaining entirely from the use of tobacco. This was no doubt a question of health with him, and the preservation of health was, in his opinion, a moral obligation. Though never a member of any church, his nature was deeply religious. No man ever had a stronger sense of duty; no man ever tried to discharge his duty more faithfully. Throughout life, the idea of the imperativeness of duty, and of the binding force of even the slightest moral obligation was always paramount in his mind. He conceived that his word once given was as binding as his bond. This was most noticeable in his business relations, though it extended equally to the most minute affairs of life. If he made an appointment to be present at any assembly, or to meet any one at a given place or time, he was sure to be there promptly at the appointed hour. These are matters that lay so much on the surface of his life that they could not have escaped the notice of any one who knew him, and it is impossible that a man so scrupulously observant of his slightest promise should not have had the respect and confidence of every one who was permitted to look into his character and his life. The moral influence of such a man cannot easily be estimated. Death came upon him suddenly and unexpectedly in the prime of life, but his influence, so far from being destroyed by his death, was then only for the first time fully felt and recognized.

In the latter part of August, 1860, Mr. Garth, attended by his wife and his two half-sisters, Anna and Amanda Garth, started on a pleasure trip through the Northwest. Before going he called on Mr. John Lucas, who then lived in Harrison County, and who had always been one of his most intimate friends. There had been for several years an agreement between them that in event of the death of either, the other should make a settlement of his estate. The object of Mr. Garth's visit was to inform Mr. Lucas of his intended trip, and to tell him where his valuable papers, including his will, would be found in case he did not return alive.

Having attended to this matter, the party set out on their tour, and,reached Chicago the first week in September. About 9 o'clock on the night of September 7, they took passage on the "Lady Elgin" bound from Chicago to Milwaukee. The night was intensely dark and stormy, and the “Lady Elgin” had not proceeded more than twenty miles on her way when she was struck by another boat that ran upon her in the darkness, and so severely injured her that she filled with water in spite of all efforts, and sank in less than an hour. A large number, perhaps as many as one hundred of the passengers, took refuge on the upper deck and the pilot-house, which floated off when the boat went down. Mr. Garth and his party were of this number. The lake was exceedingly rough and wild, and the wind blowing directly landward, drove the wreck among the breakers on the shore, when it was capsized. Only a few of the strongest swimmers, dashed on the shore by the fury of the waves, were able to retain their footing. These escaped, but all the rest, including Mr. Garth and his entire party, were lost. It is very probable that Mr. Garth, who was a very cool and unexcitable man, could have saved himself had he not been encumbered by the presence of his wife and sisters, and no doubt he lost his own life in the effort to preserve theirs.

His body, and that of his sister Amanda, were washed ashore near the point where they were drowned, and were carried to the city of Milwaukee where, not being identifled, they were buried, the expenses of the burial being defrayed by money found on his person. The bodies were exhumed a few days afterward, identified by friends who had gone on in search of them, and brought to Paris and buried. The body of his other sister was picked up near Chicago about ten days after the disaster, and that of his wife, after drifting about for nearly three weeks, was carried entirely across the lake and cast out on the opposite shore, still in a good state of preservation. These were also brought home and interred in the cemetery at Paris.

Mr. Garth's will, which was written with his own hand, on the 22d day of August, 1859, was filed for record in the Bourbon County Court on the 22d of September, 1860, only a few days after the recovery of his body. It was not until now that the people of Bourbon County fully realized how deep was the sympathy which William Garth felt for the struggles and sorrows of the world, how earnestly he desired to ameliorate the condition of mankind, and how truly noble and magnanimous was the quiet, earnest man who had passed his simple and unpretentious life in their midst We have already noticed his devotion to the cause of education. He looked upon that as one of the great means by which the world was finally to be redeemed, and it was perhaps not less this belief than a generous love for his native county and a broad philanthropy that reached out its arms to all the poor and struggling youth of the generations to come, which led him to insert in his will the following provision which illustrates the character of the man in terms which, though simple and unostentatious as his life, are yet far more eloquent than any eulogy that could be written: “The entire balance of my estate not herein disposed of I wish to be appropriated to the cause of education in the following manner, viz.: So soon as my executor shall have paid off the before-mentioned special legacies, and has ascertained the balance in his hands of my estate, he shall cause to be published in the papers of the county of Bourbon the following proposition: If in one year from this time the citizens of Bourbon County will secure by good subscriptions the sum of $100,000 (to be paid in a reasonable time) to be appropriated to the endowment of a college to be located in Paris, Bourbon Co., Ky., then he will immediately pay over to those who may be appointed Trustees of the college such beforementioned balance of my estate in his hands (here specify the sum) to be applied by said Trustees to the endowment of a Professorship of Mathematics in said college. If at the expiration of one year from the date of this advertisement the conditions therein are not complied with on the part of the citizens of Bourbon County, then I direct my executor to pay over such before-mentioned balance of my estate in his hands to the Treasurer of the county of Bourbon, to be by the Bourbon County Court, a majority of all the Justices being present, safely invested in such manner as they may deem best, and the interest on such investment they are to apply to the education of such poor, worthy and sprightly young men of Bourbon County as they may think most conducive to the public good, and in the distribution of this interest as above directed the court may pay for tuition, board, books and clothing, any one or all as in their opinion may be deemed best. I further direct, that if any one or more of the beneficiaries of this will should not be living, or any child of such beneficiaries, when it is presented to the court for record, that his, her or their legacies must be appropriated by my executor to the cause of education in exactly the same manner as the before-mentioned balance of my estate was directed to be applied.”

Owing to delays arising from litigation and from the confusion of the period of the civil war, the estate was not finally settled until 1866. The advertisement of this provision being then made according to the directions of the will, the citizens of Bourbon County failed to subscribe the required sum, and on the 1st day of April, 1867, the executor, Mr. John Lucas, paid over to the Treasurer of Bourbon County, to be held by the County Court in trust for the purpose set out in the will, the balance of said estate remaining in his hands after payment of all debts and legacies, amounting to the sum of $42,612, and on the 9th day of the same month this whole sum was invested in stock of the Northern Bank of Kentucky, at $125 per share. The first two dividends were also invested in bank stock and added to the principal, as follows: November 9, 1867, $1,610, invested in stock of the Farmer's Bank at $115 per share, and January 13, 1868, $1,443 invested in Northern Bank stock at $120.25. The fund now amounted to $45,665, and on the 6th day of April, 1868, L. K. Elliot, B. F. Rogers and J. M. Hughes were appointed Commissioners for its management, and for the purpose of examining applicants for the benefit thereof and to report to the County Court the names of such youths as they might deem worthy of selection, under the provisions of the will, and the amount to be allowed to each. In the following February the name of Matt Turney, now County Judge, was substituted for that of J. M. Hughes, and these Commissioners continued to serve until the death of B. F. Rogers in the summer of 1871. G. C. Lockhart was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by this death, and in 1876 Franklin Kennedy was substituted for L. K. Elliott, and he together with Judge Turney and G. C. Lockhart constitute the present Board of Commissioners.

The provisions of the will have been faithfully and conscientiously executed, and already many a young man whose lot in life would have stood like a mountain between him and his hopes of knowledge and usefulness, has had reason to bless the memory of William Garth. In the thirteen years in which the fund has been in operation there has been expended in appropriations for the assistance of young men selected by the Board, more than $36,000, or an average of newly $3,000 yearly, the appropriations varying from $300 to about $50, according to the necessities of the case. During these years there has been an average of nineteen young men kept in school by this fund, and nearly one half of this number each year in college, for it was not the intention of Mr. Garth that the recipients of this generous benefaction should be turned away with only the rudiments of an education, but that each one whose tastes led him to desire it, might be enabled by its assistance to avail himself of the most thorough training afforded by our best institutions of learning.

The fund has been established so short a time that its great practical results are perhaps as yet but little manifest, except to those who have shared the blessing of its benefits, and have been enabled by it to prepare themselves for honorable and useful positions in life. It was not so much the object of Mr. Garth to educate the youth of his native county, merely for the help that such education might be to them as individuals, though no doubt this was one of the considerations that led him to make the bequest, as it was “to conduce to the public good” by promoting in the most effectual manner possible the higher education of the people. It is therefore apparent also that the bequest was not meant to be local in its effects, but was intended as a great public benefaction, since it must have been foreseen that a large majority of the young men educated by it would pass from Bourbon County to a broader theater of action. It was, in a word, a touching manifestation of a large and intensely earnest human sympathy, a philanthropy that reaches out its helping hand to the generations yet to come, and sought to lighten the burdens of life by increasing light and knowledge among the poorer and less fortunate classes of his countrymen. The beneficent effects of such a deed can only be seen in the long results of time. Indeed they can never be seen in their fullness for they are never completed. Incapable of exhaustion or of alienation, it stands in our midst a perpetual and ever-acting agency for good, dispensing its blessings without favor, and shedding upon many an anxious and aspiring mind the divine light of truth and knowledge. No other citizen of Bourbon County has left so enduring a monument; no other has deserved to be remembered with greater gratitude by her people; no other has been so great a benefactor to mankind. More than this need not be said--less could not be. In a quiet spot in the little cemetery at Paris his body sleeps the last long sleep of peace, but his name will live forever in the grateful recollections of the thousands who will be blessed by his beneficence and who, in honoring his memory, will feel that they are performing a sacred duty to one who was to them a brother and a friend.

The will alluded to in the foregoing sketch, and from which Mr. Myall makes an extract, is given entire, and is as follows:

Will of William Garth.-I, William Garth, of the county of Bourbon and State of Kentucky, being of sound disposing mind and memory, not knowing at what time, God in His good providence, may call me hence, and desiring to dispose of my estate while in the full possession of my mental powers, do make and publish this writing as my last will and testament.

My executor must pay all my just debts, and in these, include my promises to pay usurious interest.

I give my wife, Mary M. Garth, $15,000. I give to my mother, Lester Nancy Garth, $1,000. I give to my half-sisters, Sarah A. Fisher, Amanda Garth, Anna Garth, Alice Garth and my half-brother, John Garth, each, the sum of $1,000.

I wish the graveyard where my father, Thomas Garth, was buried, to be inclosed with a neat stone fence, and for this purpose, I authorize my executor to use a sum not exceeding $500.

My negro man, Ben, is to be emancipated if he is willing to leave the State of Kentucky. If not, he and my other slaves are to have the privilege of selecting masters for themselves, provided it can be done, at no greater sacrifice than one-fourth of their value.

My said negro man " Ben," is to be paid $140 for his services for the year ending December 31, 1859.

I hereby nominate and appoint John Lucas, of Harrison County, my executor, with full power to qualify and act, without giving security, unless some of the beneficaries of the will should object. And when my executor has settled my estate, that he is to be allowed $5,000 for his services.

The entire balance of my estate not herein disposed of, I wish to be appropriated to the cause of education in the following manner, viz.: So soon as my executor shall have paid off the before-mentioned special legacies, and has ascertained the balance in his hands of my estate, he shall cause to be published in the papers of the county of Bourbon the following proposition: If in one year from this time the citizens of Bourbon County will secure, by good subscriptions, the sum of $100,000 (to be paid in a reasonable time), to be appropriated to the endowment of a college to be located it Paris, Bourbon Co., Ky., then, he will immediately pay over to them who may be appointed Trustees of the college, such before-mentioned balances of my estate in his hands (here specify the sum), to be applied by said Trustee to the endowment of a Professorship of Mathematics in said college.

If at the expiration of one year from the date of this advertisement the conditions therein are not complied with on the part of the citizens of Bourbon County, then I direct my executor to pay over such before-mentioned balance of my estate in his hands to the Treasurer of the Court of Bourbon County, to be by the Bourbon County Court, a majority of all the Justices being present, safely invested in such manner as they may deem best, and the interest on such investment they are to apply to the education of such poor, worthy and sprightly young men of Bourbon County, as they may think most conducive to the public good, and in the distribution of such interest as above divided, the court may pay for tuition, board, books and clothing any one or all, as in their opinion may be deemed best.

I further direct, that if any one or more of the beneficaries of the will should not be living, or any child of such beneficiary, when it is presented to the court for record, that his, her or their legacies must be appropriated by my executor to the cause of education in precisely the same manner as the before-mentioned balance of my estate was directed to be applied.

To enable my executor to carry this, my will, into effect, I authorize him to sell publicly my entire estate, the land in three payments, one, one-third cash, one, one-third in one year, and the balance of the property on six months' time.

In testimonv whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this & 22d day of August, 1859.

WILLIAM GARTH [SEAL.]

Colored Schools.-The colored city school is under the charge of the Board of Education. J. C. Graves is the Principal; Mrs. Lucy Fraser, Assistant. Average attend. ance about fifty pupils. Rev. James M. Thomas conducts a select school of about thirty pupils in the Baptist Church. Reuben Butler also teaches a select school in the Methodist Church with thirty pupils.

Such are the educational institutions of Paris, which will compare favorably with those of other institutes in the State. Tbey are ample to meet all the educational requirements of the times, and no one who desires an education but can avail himself of its advantages.

Hiram Lodge, No. 5, Masons (colored), organized in 1867. Officers-Thomas Kelly, W. M.; A . N. Smoot, S. W.; J. M. Porter, J. W.; George Watson, Treas.; E. J. Smoot, Sec.; Henry Craig, J. W.; Frank Thompson, Tiler.

Knights Templar (colored), organized in 1878. A. N. Smoot; E. C.; Thomas Kelly, G.; J. M. Porter, C. G.; J. W. Hatton, P.; E. J. Smoot, S. W.; Richard Kelly, J. W.; Henry Craig, W.; Frank Jones, S. B.; John Spears, S. B.; Alfred Bedford, G..

United Brothers of Friendship Lodge, No. 36. H. C. Smith, W. M.; Robert Claxton, D. M.; W. G. Smoot, Treas.; James Arnold, Sec.

Knights of Friendship-A. N. Smoot, K. C.; J. M. Porter, S. K.; William Smoot, Treas.; H. C. Smith, Sec.

Bourbon Star Lodge, No. 1,697, I. O. O. F. (colored), organized in 1869-George Wilkes, N. G.; Stephen Conway, V. G.; Morris Forsten, Treas.; Thomas Kelly, Sec.; Harry Hawes, R. S. to N. G.; Alfred Jackson, L. S.; Peter Mason, N. F.; A. N. Smoot, P. N. F.; Henry Howard, P. N. G.; Moses Murphy, W.

The following is the present municipal government of Paris, together with its material resources: A. J. Lovely, Mayor; James Paton, Sr., Clerk City Council; James Mernaugh, City Marshal; Hugh Henry, Deputy Marshal and Collector; W. O. Hite, City Janitor.

Councilmen-First Ward, Henry Turney, Henry Butler, Ben Perry; Second Ward, Mike Dowd, Bush Hart, W. F. Spears; Third Ward, Charles V. Higgins.

(A section is deleted detailing city expenditures and income. It is a tally of various expenditures, including moneys collected for licenses, fees, fines, etc., as well as expenses for schools, gas, and city administrative costs. Refer to pages 119-120 for this information—REF)

At an early day, there were a number of manufactories in Paris, which were kept busy supplying the wants of the people-for at that time the cost of wagoning goods was so great that it was cheaper to manufacture them at home than to buy them in distant places and bring them here.

Samuel Pike was a leading manufacturer of the early times. He was a native of England, and came here about 1810. He had but small means, and was himself a practical wool manufacturer. He was the first man who carded wool in Paris. He also made rope, bagging, etc., which he shipped South, and brought back cotton and manufactured it. In 1815, he built a cotton factory or mill where L. Price & Co.'s store is now situated, and continued the businsess until 1825. Another factory was built by him in 1822-23, on the ground east of the present Christian Church. The factory built in 1815 was merged into this in the fall of 1825, and continued in existence until 1837. It had a capacity of 720 spindles.

Mr. Pike also had a hemp factory at the upper end of Pleasant street, built about 1818, which he carried on until his death in 1837. He was succeeded in the business by Henry T. Duncan. It was run until 1840.

A cotton factory was built on the site of White's distillery about 1830, by Philip Adams & Co.; capacity about seven hundred and twenty spindles. It afterward passed into the hands of Kelly & Wilson, by whom it was run until 1851. A market was found at home for the most of their goods; the surplus was shipped to Louisville.

A cotton mill was built some time between 1820 and 1830, by Charles Ainsworth, of 240 spindles, on the corner above where Mrs. Ogden now lives. About 1835, a factory was built on the site of the Jones Block, on Main street. Its capacity was 240 spindles. It was run for a number of years.

The Paris Flouring Mill, which still exists, antedates all of these. The first flour mill, a frame structure, was built in l800. It was owned by Thomas Jones. It passed through several hands, and was bought in 1859 by William Shaw, who still owns it. Across from where Mr. Shaw's warehouse stands, Mr. Jones built a falling-mill, which was successfully carried on until 1854-55. Mr. Shaw's flouring-mill is one of the institutions of Paris. The flour manufactured is known and sought after in all directions. It is even shipped in large quantities to England. The mill is always taxed to its utmost capacity, frequently being run night and day to supply the demands of its customers. Mr. Shaw takes much pride in it, and is always improving and beautifying its surroundings.

The completion of the Kentucky Central Railroad in in 1854, placed Paris in easy connection with Covington, Cincinnati and other manufacturing cities, and the result was that articles which had before that time been manufactured here, could be brought by rail and sold here for less than our manufacturers could make them, and they could not compete with the manufacturers in more favored localities; the market here was not so large; the facilities for manufacturing were not so great; coal was much higher, and so the manufactories were all abandoned, and our people became and still remain dependent upon the manufactories of other cities. And so, from that time to the present no effort has been made to revive manufactures. With high-priced fuel here, there could have been no successful competition with other points. But it is not improbable that the long-expected and long-wished for time, when Paris will become a manufacturing town, will soon dawn. The mountains, rich in mineral resources and timber, are being penetrated with railroads; coal will soon become cheap; and, then, with cheap fuel and fine waterpower combined, Paris ought to become an important manufacturing city. Capital in plenty is here. It needs only confidence and enterprise to bring about a result so desirable.

During the present year the Kentucky Central will be extended from this place to Richmond, and soon thereafter direct connection will be made with Knoxville, opening up the trade of the entire South. The building of other roads is also contemplated. The repair-shops of the Kentucky Central are to be located here, and with roads diverging in every direction, Paris will offer advantages as a manufacturing point which cannot fail to attract capital.

The planing-mill of Capt. James M. Thomas, the flouring-mill of William Shaw, and the large distillery of Messrs. White & Ferguson, constitute now the manufacturing interests of Paris. The time, it is believed, however, is not far distant when other industries will spring into being, and a new life be infused into our oommunity.-McChesney.

[Note--The following article on Turnpike Roads, by Frank Kennedy, Esq., is given in conclusion of the history of Paris. Although some of the facts embraced in it are given in the chapter on Internal Improvements in Bourbon County, yet it is of sufficient interest to appear complete.--ED.]

One of the most valuable improvements in Bourbon County is its system of turnpike roads. Every road that leads to its county seat is graded to an elevation of about three degrees, and paved with broken rock, on the Macadam plan, to a depth of twelve to fourteen inches in the center, thinning off to six or eight inches on the sides. The first macadamized road in Kentucky was constructed through Bourbon County in the years from 1830 to 1835, under the charter of the Maysville, Washington, Paris & Lexington Turnpike Road Company. It is also the best road of the sort built in the State. It has the broadest and lowest graded road-bed, few of its elevations exceeding two degrees, while its wooden bridges are monuments to the fidelity and skill of Mr. Wernwag, their builder, whose name--the “Wernwag bridges”--have made historical. In 1847-48 and '49, the roads leading from Paris severally to Georgetown, Winchester, North Middletown and Flat Rock, were granted corporate privileges by the Legislature, and shortly afterward converted into turnpikes. Since then, road after road has been taken in hand and improved until the turnpikes are more than forty in number, and extend 215 miles within the limits of the county. To all of these the county, through its magistrates, subscribed stock, and is by far the largest stockholder in the county. These turnpikes have cost on an average about $2,300 per mile, except the first one, which, as before stated, cost nearly $6,000. More than half a million dollars have been expended in their construction. The county, in its corporate capacity, has paid $190,000, averaging about $900 per mile, while individuals have subscribed and paid more thin $300,000.

It is estimated that the yearly expense of repairs on the roads and toll-houses, falls little short of $75 per mile on an average. These are paid out of the tolls collected at the gates from passers over the road.

After defraying expenses, dividends are paid to stockholders, if be anything left to divide. Very few of them are so successful as to be able to declare dividends, and they necessarily small, except to persons who have purchased depreciated stock at very low rates.

Estimating stock at par value, the roads mentioned below, since they commenced operations, have paid in dividends as follows:

The Maysville & Lexington, in forty-five years, have paid 82.65/100s cents on the dollar's worth of stock; that is an average of 1.53/100 per cent per annum.

The Paris & Winchester have returned, In twenty-four years, 60 cents on the dollar, or 2 1/2 per cent per annum.

The Paris & North Middletown have returned, in twentyfour years, 80 cents on the dollar, or 3 1/8 per cent per annum.

The Paris & Georgetown have returned, in twenty-four years, 85 cents on the dollar, or 3 54/100 per cent per annum.

The Paris & Clintonville, in sixteen years, have returned 25 cents on the dollar, or 1 56/100 per cent per annum.

The Millersburg & Indian Creek, in sixteen years, have returned 24 1/2 cents on the dollar, or 1 53/100 per cent per annum.

These are the best returns made by any of the fortythree roads in the county. Of the whole number, less than one-fourth declare dividends.

It is easy to see that, as moneyed investments, they are not generally profitable, but as conveniences--public and private--their value is inestimable. In short, they are indispensable. The farmer who is ten miles away from town, on a good turnpike, is about as near in point of time, as the one who is three miles out; and is nearer in time, convenience and comfort than the man who lives one mile from market on a dirt road.

The half million dollars expended in turnpike roads In the county has added to its general wealth $2,000,000 at a low estimate. If they were suddenly annihilated and mud roads re-adopted, the lands of the county would fall to one-half of the prices they now command. There remain only about a half dozen public roads which are not macadamized, and these have lost their importance as public highways, and are useful only as neighborhood necessities. As the work of improvement is still in active progress, it is almost certain that in ten years more there will not be a public road in the county but will be of easy and secure travel at all seasons, in darkness as well as day-light.

The wisdom and liberality of the fathers who pioneered the system, have been nobly sustained by their sons, except that the latter have fallen into the error of constructing the roads too cheaply. That “the best is the cheapest,” is eminently illustrated in the building of turnpike roads. A reduction of one degree would have added comparatively little to the cost of construction, and the saving would be fourfold in cost of repairs.

The county stock is represented by an officer called "Commissioner of Turnpikes," who is elected by the Magistrates, and whose duty is to attend all meetings of the stockholders, and vote the county stock, supervise the general interests of the roads, give legal advice to their managers, culled dividends on county stock, and report annually to the Court of Claims.

We are indebted to Mr. F. Kennedy, the present Commissioner, for details of facts and figures on this subject; Mr. Kennedy is an attorney at law in Paris, and has very full and elaborate statistics of the receipts, expenditures and dividends of the roads from their beginning. He has prepared also an index of charters and their various amendments of the roads in the county, the whole work filling a large book and involving a great deal of careful and patient labor, which is both convenient and valuable for reference.