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LEXINGTON 1839: THE ATHENS OF THE WEST
Lexington, Kentucky was not exactly what I expected. Large homes that were painted shades of whites and greens lined the crowded streets, stores squeezed in between them. Families, friends, and everyone in between laughed and talked casually on the brick streets around me. It was then that I realized why people from all over the country had congregated there, it was a truly beautiful and welcoming place.
Unlike most cities I visited, Lexington felt refreshing. Upon my arrival, the word quickly spread that there was a visitor in town. I was worrisome with this, thinking that the longtime townspeople may frown upon me, someone who was foreign to the city life. I was taken aback by the many welcomes I received, and the smiles from the residents that surrounded me.
In my time visiting Lexington, I met a 16 year old girl, Lillian Campbell. Campbell was born in Prairietown, Indiana in 1823, she was in Lexington to receive her education at an all-exclusive girls academy. On my second night of staying at one of the two hotels in the city, she invited for dinner at her boarding house. Having someone offer their company to me was more than appreciated. She asked me about my travels around the Midwest, but I was more honored that I had the opportunity to talk to her, and about her experiences between the two places she most often spent her time at.
Although she was born in Prairietown, she spends most of her time in Lexington, only visiting her family a few times a year. With times being difficult for most people in the Midwest, she finds herself to be fortunate, as her father is the founder of the large farm town back in Indiana.
“[My] parents are the richest people in Prairietown because [my] father is a landlord and actually is the founder of Prairietown. He is also the only doctor in town, but doctoring [doesn’t] make a lot of money so medicine practice [is] more of a hobby [to him],” Campbell told me with a smile.
Prairietown is a wonderful place as well, but it doesn’t compare to the perplexing city of Lexington. There seemed to be opportunities at every corner, with jobs at busy factories or quiet fields. There were endless people to talk to, there were visitors similar to me, as well as businessmen that had come to discuss new plans for the city. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Lexington was the blissful scenery.
As Campbell showed me around the city, she seemed to agree with me, as she, too, saw the beauty in the city. When asked about which location she preferred, she expressed that the city life was an obvious choice for her.
“[I don’t] prefer a small town like Prairietown but instead [I wish] to live in Lexington, the ‘Athens of the West,’” said Campbell.
I could not help but agree with her comparison. The city was fresh and new, but the people in it kept a nostalgic manner to them. In the time I spent there, the sunsets were often deep arrays of oranges and reds, as if someone had painted the sky behind the buildings. It was equally as breathtaking as the capital of Greece.
Campbell showed me railroad system that had recently been installed, they stretched far, ending just south of Louisville. She showed me the large, two-story limestone government buildings, and the colorfully painted brick homes that sat around the large city.
I asked Campbell what she did with her time in Lexington, other than attending school. In Lexington, it is uncommon for young women to have jobs, as even when they grow into adulthood, they often reside at their homes.
“In [my] free time, [I enjoy] sewing, quilting, singing, piano playing, dancing and playing [worship songs]” said Campbell.
Even though I had not invested a lot of my time in Church, Campbell was eager to play worship songs- ‘graces’ as she called them- on her piano for me. She told me that even though many women did not have jobs per say, they oftentimes took on many occupations to keep themselves busy when times were slow.
When Campbell does go to Prairietown to visit the majority of her family, she leaves most of her friends behind. Although she only goes to Indiana a sparse amount of times a year, she doesn’t ever travel alone. Her cousins, Susan and Mary Moore, attend the same academy as her, and they often make the long journeys together. Campbell considers her cousins her closest friends, as she has known them her whole life, and they do many of the same activities together.
Despite her efforts of trying to stay out of the talk of other people as much as possible, she can’t help but immerse herself in it back at home in Prairietown.
“Although [I try] to stay out of drama, [I] can't get enough of the gossip! [I host] an annual tea party at [my] residence and invite all the town gossipers to hear everything that had gone on in town while [I] was away the rest of the year,” Campbell admitted to me.
I asked her about some of the events they discussed at the last tea party, she told me about how her friend’s father was seen with another woman at an evening church service, and how a prominent family in Prairietown had left the church.
Campbell explained to me that while back in Indiana, she also often makes an attempt at trying to convince her family to move with her to the ‘Athens of the West’.
“[I wish my] parents would move back to Lexington, as [I do not] prefer the quiet farm life in Prairietown, [I] always miss [the] street lamps and paved roads,” said Campbell. “[I like my life] in Lexington very much, but [I do] not always enjoy having to travel to see [my] parents.”
I do not blame Campbell for encouraging her parents to make the move, as Lexington is perhaps one of the most thriving American cities in the 19th century.
Prairietown was an older town, many of the people kept to themselves, other than when they attended the Sunday church services. It’s streets were still made of dirt, traveling to the next town over proved difficult as there was no railroad system there, and there were no plans for a system to be installed. The homes were painted white, but appeared to be more brown with the time that had gone by. The buildings were far apart, the only thing between them was desolate acres of farmland. Even on sunny days in Prairietown, the skies seemed to always be grey.
Even though my visit to Lexington was short, I was still lucky enough to immerse myself in the ever-changing culture and cultivating society. From the fathers and working men at the taverns late at night, to the women and girls in dresses with puffed shoulders, I am grateful for all that I was able to experience. The blooming city life opened my eyes to a new side of the Midwest, a beautiful one with large buildings sat upon rolling hills, behind them were the painting-like skies that still stand out in my mind vividly.