The Little Loomhouse Spin-a-Yarn Storytelling Festival

The fourth annual Spin-A-Yarn Storytelling Festival is set for Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 11:00 AM -3:00 PM at The Little Loomhouse, 328 Kenwood Hill Road.

The festival will be presenting storytelling from eleven talented Kentuckiana residents, including Dawne Gee of WAVE 3 News. Other activities include bluegrass music from The Shuttle Winders, weaving and spinning demonstrations, authentic Cherokee crafts on display, and historic cabin tours.

Home of the Happy Birthday Song and founded in 1939 by Master Weaver Lou Tate Bousman, The Little Loomhouse is one of the few organizations devoted to keeping the ancient art of hand-weaving and its history alive.

 

Since 1979, it has been operated by the nonprofit Lou Tate Foundation, Inc. The Little Loomhouse consists of three restored, century-old, board and batten cabins listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated as a Kentucky State Historic Site, and a Louisville Landmark.

 

The first 200 visitors to the Spin-A-Yarn Storytelling Festival will receive a free Little Loomhouse t-shirt. 

 

General Admission is only $2.00 per person.  Seniors 65 and older will be admitted for $1.00, and children six and under are free.  Food and drinks will be available for purchase.  All proceeds benefit The Little Loomhouse.  

 

There will be free parking behind DeSales High School at 425 West Kenwood Drive and free TARC Trolley transportation between DeSales and The Little Loomhouse.  Please be advised that the Little Loomhouse is in a rustic setting on a steep hill.  Access to the storytelling area is via a sloped gravel pathway.

 

You can learn more about The Little Loomhouse by visiting the website at www.littleloomhouse.org

Public hearings on landmark ordinance scheduled for March

The Louisville Metro Council’s Planning and Zoning Committee will hold two public hearings on a proposed ordinance amending Louisville Metro’s Designation of Historic Districts and Local Landmarks.

Public Hearing#1: Tuesday March 13 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. at Metro Council Chambers of City Hall (601 W. Jefferson Street). It will be aired live on METRO TV (Insight Cable, Channel 25) and will also be streamed live on the Metro Council’s home page. Go to www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil and click on the “Watch Gavel to Gavel” icon.

Public Hearing #2: Tuesday, April 3 from, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the meeting hall of UAW Local 862 (3000 Fern Valley Road). This hearing will not be aired live via Metro TV or streaming video due to the fact that the meeting is being held at a remote location. An audio recording of the meeting will be available on the Metro Council’s website after the conclusion of the meeting and recording of minutes.

Hearing Rules: Persons wishing to address the committee will have the opportunity to sign up one (1) hour prior to the start of either hearing. Those who sign up to speak will be called to address the committee in the order in which they signed up, and will each be given up to three minutes to speak. Persons will not be allowed to sign up to speak via phone call or e-mail to the Metro Council in advance, nor will they be allowed to grant their time to another person. Any person who speaks before the committee or is unable to speak will be allowed to submit written testimony for inclusion in the record of the hearing.

Persons attending the meetings are not allowed to bring signs, props or other materials that are larger than 8 ½” x 11” in size or that might block the view of persons attending the hearing.

Councilwoman Vicki Welch has released the following statement on her support for modification of the ordinance.

The ordinance would change Louisville Metro’s Designation of Historic Districts and Local Landmarks by changing signature requirements and place final approval of a local landmark with Metro Council. Currently, 200 signatures are required to have a structure declared a landmark. The proposed amendments to the ordinance would require that over half of the signatures be from residents who own property within a mile of the proposed landmark. This would give residents actually living near the proposed landmark a say in the designation of the property. This community input is vital since these local residents will be most affected by the designation of the property – as it may affect their homes’ values, safety in their communities, and economic development in their neighborhoods.
These proposed changes came about because of controversial landmark designations, such as the debate over the landmarking of the South End’s Colonial Gardens. Myself and many of my colleagues are supporting this ordinance so that community members, rather than just the members of the Landmarks Commission, can have an equal say in what is happening in their neighborhoods. Allowing Metro Council to have a final say in approving historic landmarks will help provide oversight over the Landmarks Commission.

You can read my commentary on the proposed changes via Insider Louisville by clicking HERE.

A copy of the ordinance is available at http://www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil.

"Da Vinci: The Genius" at the Frazier: A must see

" Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."

- Leonardo Da Vinci-

If you are looking for one last interesting thing to do before wrapping up your summer, there's plenty to do right here in Louisville. But time is of the essence.

The Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main Street, contains a dazzling array of beautiful and historic artifacts. But more than that, the fine folks at the Frazier also have the story behind the items.

One of the most intriguing exhibits in Louisville today is "Da Vinci: The Genius", running now through September 18 at the museum.

The 10,000 square-foot exhibition is the most comprehensive and complete collection traveling the world on a man who is considered to be the greatest genius of all time.

Da Vinci's mind was purely and astoundingly mathematical. It is hard to tell how such a man would be viewed in modern times. Merely walking through the exhibit was quite an experience.

"Da Vinci: The Genius" features a large array of full-scale machine inventions taken directly from his personal notebooks and also includes reproductions of his most famous artwork. These full-scale machines, some of them interactive, are breathtaking when you consider the timeline - these notes and drawings were made 500 years ago.

Among the machines: A glider, helicopter,parachute, tank, machine gun, a model of "the ideal city", SCUBA gear, and a movie camera.

There is also the world-exclusive "Secrets of Mona Lisa" and a high-definition recreation of The Last Supper.

The staff at the Frazier is professional, world-class and extremely helpful. As citizens of Louisville, we should all be proud of the work taking place there. It is a genuine treasure.

The feeling you get is hard to translate into words. So, see it for yourself. And see it soon before it is too late. This one is definitely worth the trip downtown. Suitable for all ages.

Admission fees: 15 and older are $18.50, children 5-14 are $7, children under 4 are free. Frazier History Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm and Sunday noon to 5pm. For more information, visit www.fraziermuseum.org or call 502-753-5663.

Valley Report Rewind: 2009 "Hicks House" story links

In March of 2009, I wrote a series of articles on the old home located at 8601 Dixie Highway, opposite the Target/Burlington/Value City shopping complex. Since I reposted the original article today on facebook, there has been significant interest in the whole story. I thought it may be helpful to gather all of these links into a singular post to make them easy to read. Below you will find a convenient list of chronological links to all the stories.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy.

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/03/home-on-dixie-creating-mystery-buzz.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/historical-dixie-hwy-home-feedback.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/tuesdays-dr-hicks-home-update.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/thursday-doc-hicks-house-update.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/hicks-house-update-for-tuesday-april-28.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/05/hicks-house-update-for-sunday-may-10.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/09/hicks-house-set-to-burn.html

http://valleyreport.blogspot.com/2009/10/hicks-house-and-genealogy-report-update.html

Mayor Fischer's latest back-room deal crushes Iron Quarter

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer confirmed the suspicions of his detractors yesterday when it was announced yet another "back room" secret deal had been made, this time between the new mayor and developer Todd Blue.

Blue will be allowed to raze the historic Iron Quarter buildings on Main Street within 90 days, "hopefully" saving the facades.

A Leo Weekly article from May 2010 cited the Main Street corridor as "home to the second-largest number of cast-iron facades in the world, exceeded only by the famed Soho district in New York City. At least two of the buildings owned by Blue are listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

A Fischer spokesperson says a deal was made because the city was afraid it might lose in court. That is an unfamiliar tactic in Louisville. The city always seemed willing to pursue every other case to the bitter end -even when it was wrong to do so- as it did during the recent legal battle with the firefighters on overtime pay.

But in this case, a deal that circumvented public input and tip-toed past the Landmark Commission was the best the city could do.

In an interview on Fox41, developer Blue said he was impressed with the "pro-business" attitude of the city's new administration while he, like so many others, struggled to make the transition to saying "Mayor Fischer" rather than "Mayor Abramson". It is worth noting that former Mayor Abramson wanted to protect the buildings and tried to coax Cobalt into a deal to save face and get out of the project in 2008.

Blue purchased the dilapidated buildings and allowed them to deteriorate further under his watch. That much is certain.

Holes in the roofs of the buildings since 2008 have gone ignored by Blue and his company, Colbalt Ventures.

Fischer will go to the Metro Council with a request that $450,000 be given to Cobalt Vultures Ventures.

The ultimate fate of the buildings now seems clear.

A sad day. A sad fate. One question remains: What's next?

Read More: Insider Louisville - Downtown getting new parking lot? Iron Quarter deal with city gives Todd Blue permission to clear historic buildings

Local author publishes Waverly Hills novel

Released just in time for Halloween, James Markert’s The Requiem Rose: A Waverly Hills Story, is now available in all local bookstores and online at www.butlerbooks.com. Louisville’s September 25th Courier-Journal listed it as the week’s #1 top-selling book, and Markert has already heard from Waverly fans in France, New Zealand and Germany.

The Requiem Rose is Markert’s first work of fiction inspired by Waverly Hills, the famously haunted tuberculosis sanatorium in Southwest Louisville. The novel is set in the winter of 1929, at the height of the TB epidemic, and Markert weaves a story his New York editor calls: “Shawshank Redemption meets Amadeus.” Readers will also find themselves at Louisville’s historic Seelbach Hotel with the gangster Al Capone.

In The Requiem Rose, Wolfgang Pike, a doctor at Waverly Hills with a passion for classical music, forms an orchestra of dying patients – hoping to heal their souls – and in the process befriends a mysterious new patient who changes his life forever. But the past is never completely buried at Waverly. Was it fate or coincidence that brought them all together on the wooded hillside?

“…a must-read for any fan of Louisville history and a true pleasure for lovers of classical music…a richly melodic tale of redemption in the unlikeliest of places and times.”

Jason Weinberger, resident conductor, The Louisville Orchestra

James Markert is a graduate of the University of Louisville and DeSales High School. He lives in Louisville with his wife and two children. He is also a USPTA certified tennis professional at Louisville Tennis Club and Blairwood. He is currently working on a new Louisville-based novel and is in talks with a local producer/director about writing a television show that takes place at Waverly Hills in the 1920s—Deadwood meets Lost meets ER. He is also developing a screenplay for a tennis comedy with the same producer called Tan Lines and Tennis Balls. Learn more at www.jamesmarkertbooks.com

Event to discuss effect of '37 flood on Southwest Louisville

On Thursday, October 7 at 7:00 PM, Rick Bell, author of "The Great Flood of 1937," will present a slide show and talk at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing about the impact this devastating event had on southwest Louisville. Did you know that 30 of the 33 miles of Dixie Highway from Louisville to Muldraugh Hill were under water? This event is FREE, but reservations are recommended. For more information on this program, call 502/935–6809.

Special thanks to my friend Steve Magruder at Louisville History & Issues for this info.

Hicks House Set to Burn

Remember the heavily-discussed, historically significant Southwest Louisville home of Dr. Hicks that was profiled and investigated by yours truly on these pages? Well, as I had long feared, the home is set to meet its fate as "practice" for the PRP Fire Department as a controlled burn. The structure, located across from the Target and Value City Furniture department store complex on Dixie Highway, was obviously too dilapidated to be of any value to anyone but history buffs. Another one bites the dust.

It is a shame, really. What say ye?

July District 12 Dialogue to Focus on Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation focus of July District 12 Dialogue
Meeting set for Rockford lane Baptist Church on July 21st

Louisville—How important is historic preservation to Metro Louisville in the 21st Century? What are some of the challenges of progress versus remembering the past?
Those questions will be the focus of July’s District 12 Dialogue set for Tuesday, July 21st at the Rockford Lane Baptist Church, 2006 Rockford Lane. The meeting begins at 7:00pm.
“Historic Preservation is something that local government must be aware of when we are talking about zoning or economic development,” says Councilman Rick Blackwell (D-12). “However, many may not be aware of what goes into local preservations efforts.”
Richard Jett, who is now Historic Preservation Officer for Louisville Metro Planning and Design Services, will be the featured speaker at the Dialogue. Jett has been involved with historic preservation prior to the merger of the city and county government sin 2003.
“District 12 has many old, small family cemeteries. It is my hope this dialogue will help educate our residents on guidelines and laws concerning them,” says Blackwell.
Joining Jett at the meeting will be representatives from the Division of Licensing and Permits, Neighborhoods LMPD and MSD to answer questions about programs or concerns. A representative of Congressman John Yarmuth's office will also be in attendance.
For more information about the July District 12 Dialogue, contact Councilman Blackwell's office at 574-1112.

Enjoy Your Independence Day Celebration

In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the Representatives of the
United states of America,
In general Congress assembled.

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the Present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People; unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

He has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

He has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.

He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Powers to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

He is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic Insurrections among us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

Nor have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress,
John Hancock, President.

Attest.
Charles Thomson, Secretary.

Kenwood Drive-In Theater Closed

I have received word that the Kenwood Drive-In will not reopen under the current ownership. Here's the email from Ray Whitener:

For those of you who have not heard, the last of Louisville's drive-in theaters, the Kenwood is no more and will not be reopened under current ownership.

Drive-ins are being refurbished and can survive.

There has got to be a way!

I have provided links at the top of the Auburndale page that retells many fond memories and those fighting to prevent this bit of Americana from disappearing from the South Louisville landscape.

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/louisville/auburndale/genpage/999907261.html

The Auburndale Neighborhood Group will be discussing this and other issues on June 23rd at 7pm. Details and location can be found by clicking HERE.

Hicks House Update for Sunday, May 10

I received a few more factual details in an email about the home of Dr. Hicks, located at 8601 Dixie Highway in Southwest Louisville. People in the community have taken a remarkable interest in the home, and I am extremely happy to report the following to you, my faithful readers:

The house was the home of Dr. Hicks, who had an office and practice at 28th & Madison Street. He and his wife are buried in Louisville Memorial Gardens West. Hicks was born in 1883, and died in 1960. His wife's name was Albennie, born 1887, and died in 1972.

The land on Dixie consisted of 116 acres on the hillside and over the hill, and 50 acres across Dixie at the old Westland Mall shopping center site. There was a house where the Dairy Queen now sits, and was occupied by part of the family.

There was also another house north of the main house on the hillside across from where the Taco Bell sits that was also family. The house was burned by the PRP Fire Dept. during a training drill in the 1970's at the request of the family after sitting empty for years.

My wife's parents lived with and worked for the Hicks in the white house in the late 1930's. My wife's sister was born in the white house in 1939,and her brother worked on the farm and put up fencing around some of the land. Her mother cleaned the office and the white house.

There are two Hicks sons: Stanley and John Jr.

Again, thank you to all who have submitted information on the home and surrounding property. These are stunning details regarding a place about which little was known by area residents. Collecting the facts, stories and memories of the home have been a rewarding experience like no other for me. I encourage you to keep sending in those tips, and if something like this in your neighborhood grabs your attention, please check it out and let me know. It is certain that there are other mysteries like this to investigate. Who knows what you might uncover?

Thanks again,
Brian

Hicks House Update for Tuesday, April 28

Upon my arrival to the Hicks home, I stopped and took a look at the old mailbox at the highway. It is extremely old, and has some markings on it that have somewhat vanished and some that are partially covered by stickers. There are markings that seem to say "Hillmeadow Builders" on the box. "Hillmeadow" I am sure of. The "Builders" part is a best guess.

Upon further examination, the home is beginning to look severely dilapidated. The windows are boarded in the front, but the addition on the rear is suffering greatly at the hand of squatters. Vandals have seized the property and are using it for a restroom and glass-breaking parties. The rear addition as well as the additions on the left and right side of the home should be secured and eventually torn down in order to protect the integrity of the whole structure. There is an interesting array of debris strung about the property, the most notable of which is the well-preserved green shopping basket that came from Consolidated Stores. Most of you will remember CSC occupied a space at then-Westland Mall many, many years ago. No additional information was gathered about the home from this visit. Please browse the pictures below:



After mulling around on the outskirts of the highway-front property, I decided to follow the gravel path leading up the hill. When I rounded a curve, I saw three abandoned automobiles. One has an expired plate from Indiana. I do not know who owns the vehicles, but they are badly damaged and look to have been stolen and left there for dead. When I ascended to the top of the winding gravel pathway, I saw a sight that literally took my breath away. See these pictures below:



This is the home that was built by Dr. Hicks' son, the man who had the "Jesus Is Lord" sign constructed on the hill below. There is also a cross made of lights affixed to the rear of the home. This once-magnificent showplace stands boarded also. It has a view that would knock your socks off. It is a much more modern home that offers a three-car garage and many amenities, such as a over-garage patio that allows for scenic views of Indiana. I want this place very badly. It would be the perfect secure location for me to spend the rest of my life blogging in obscurity about the issues facing Southwest Louisville. The last picture in this series is just one of the many perfect scenic views. The hill in the foreground is Southern Indiana. The white thing at the bottom is the roof of the Target store. Emotions aside, this home is really interesting because of the location, and I am sincerely glad I ventured up the hill. There is a story for this one, too. We just don't have it yet.

That is all for now. I am still waiting on a few replies from the proper people regarding the historical value of the main, roadside home. Keep those tips and stories coming in, and thank you!

Derby-Week Monday Madness

- Three construction workers were injured during a concrete pour at the downtown stadium today. Thankfully, none of them suffered life-threatening injuries. Read more at the C-J.

- Talk about a timely reminder: Tomorrow, April 28, is Workers Memorial Day. HERE is a flyer. Mourn for the dead, fight for the living.

- I took the opportunity to visit the Hicks Home today and snapped a few pictures. You will not believe what I found. Watch for the update tomorrow.

- Calm Down: The Commonwealth is still free from swine flu, just like nearly all of the United States. But, alas...to be free of swine, eh? And Don't Worry: Officials have said the Derby is still on despite the "swine flu madness" that has gripped the news media and paralyzed the public in a panic of fear and silliness not seen since Y2K.

Thursday "Doc" Hicks House Update

Ladies and gentlemen, we are moving right along with new information on the home at 8601 Dixie Highway. I have received messages from several more helpful parties that have corroborated some information I had stated previously. We now have some history on a few of the families that have lived in the home during different decades. A few tidbits:

- The son of Dr. Hicks, the man who built the brick home on the hill above the residence, was the same man who erected the world famous "Jesus Saves" sign visible from Dixie Highway.

- A family from England with 3 special-needs children lived in the home in the early 1970's until one of the children passed away.

- A man named Fred Wilson owned the home during WWII, and military wagons brought wounded soldiers to Muldraugh Hill where they boarded a train. The train reportedly brought the wounded to the home.

- The tracks in front of the home used to be a "wagon path". The path was traveled by military Jeeps before trains rode the rails.

- There are reports of some sort of train depot at the site, although the time period is not known.

I will be contacting the Filson Historical Society tomorrow, and I am waiting for replies from other historical preservation clubs and individuals. More info when I get it.

Thank you!!

Tuesday's "Dr. Hicks" Home Update

The more I hear about the home located at 8601 Dixie Highway, the more I suspect it may be in need of a formal, organized historical preservation effort by people with much more knowledge than myself. I have received more information today regarding the pre-1940's era of the home, and I am hoping someone reading this can help corroborate these statements. I need a true or false answer here, folks. To wit:

"Prior to the man known as Dr. Hicks owning the house, the home was a 'stop off' point for people coming from the country that were headed into town, and served as a motel for overnight guests. The place even offered laundry service. This was back when Dixie was a 2-lane gravel road and was the only route through to Florida and points in between." Time period: circa 1920.

"Dr. Hicks also had a son named Stanley,(now deceased) who drove a Jefferson County school bus and a son, John, who also worked for the Jeff. Co. Schools in some support capacity. John and his family lived in a nice brick home on the hill directly above his father's home....Part of the house was also rented in the 1950's to a family named Ferguson...who had a daughter named Dorothy...who married a Kenneth Bales...and they live somewhere near Leavenworth area in Indiana. Dorothy could probably furnish lots of info on the old house since she lived in it for many years."

Other statements include memories of a cattle farm and hay production. I am working with many different folks and trying to piece these statements together on a timeline. I need help. If anyone has any experience dealing with historic preservation and would like to have a shot at the place, please let me know. I have many contacts.

A thousand THANKS go to the people who have furnished such detailed information. I realize we may have to rely on memories here, but as long as the home gets its due, that's ok with me. Thanks again.

Historical Dixie Hwy. Home Feedback

Since my request for information was published by my good friend Trevor Hemingway of The Local Weekly, emails have been coming in with some delightful memories and very valuable information. I am in the process of compiling the facts and making contacts regarding the structure, located at 8601 Dixie Highway.

The home apparently belonged to a Dr. Hicks who maintained a medical office in the rear of the home.

There will be much more information made available on the home shortly.

Southwest Louisville Park News & Happenings

- Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing will be holding its plant and herb sale April 17th through April 19th at the home, 7410 Moorman Road. For sale hours or to "pre-order", visit the website's events section by clicking HERE.

-The first phase of improvements to Waverly Park have been completed. If you have not visited the park in a while, I would urge you to do so. And bring your fishing pole. The park's man-made lake has been overhauled and stocked. The Courier-Journal has a story on the park in today's Neighborhood section HERE.

Home on Dixie Creating "Mystery" Buzz

It has stood for years, and most recently, it has stood empty. The large home located at 8601 Dixie Highway across from Target and Value City Furniture has become an interesting mystery to me and a few others. There is a discussion of the property going on over at Louisville History & Issues and the blog a pretty pickle has a few photos of the place, one of which is featured to the left.

I am interested in any facts you may have concerning the home. I know it had been divided into apartments some time ago and that it is currently boarded up, which may possibly indicate foreclosure. It is an intriguing structure, and it's location may indicate some type of historical significance. We must not allow the home to suffer the same terrible fate as that of the Nine Mile House, which was unceremoniously (and probably illegally) torn down several years ago.

If you have any information on the home, please let me know by sending an email or by contributing to one of the discussion threads on the above mentioned websites. Thanks.

We Need Your Photos!!

This Saturday, March 7, the History Committee of the Southwest Dream Team will be welcoming residents for a "Scanning Extravaganza" to aid in the production of a history book on Southwest Louisville. The event will run from 9am to 2pm. You may bring your old pictures of people, places or buildings in Southwest Louisville to the Farnsley-Moreman Landing for consideration. We will carefully scan your pictures and return them immediately. There will be light refreshments and discounted tours of the House if you wish to partake. I will also be conducting light interviews with residents that wish to share stories.

This is a great opportunity for us to share our history and educate others, while helping a good cause. The committee hopes to have the history book completed by the end of the year. It is a massive undertaking, and your help is needed and greatly appreciated.

Thank you, and I hope to see you there on Saturday. If you need any additional information, please contact me.