Old Lexington Kentucky Pictures.
Click on Picture to Enlarge.

Ben_Ali_Theater 121 East Main_St (1937)
In 2010 this is now a parking garage.
Cheapside (1930)
At one time this is where slaves were sold.
Corner of Main and Upper (1930)
Construuction Site
On Upper looking North
Towards Main Street
Construuction work Main Street (1935)
Trolly Tracks
Denton's Department Store 112 E. Main St (1931)
Esplanade From Main St. Looking North (1931)
Fayette National Bank Building N.E. Corner of Main and Upper (1934)
Fred Bryant Motor Company Harrison St. Viaduct (1936)
Fred Bryant Motor Used Cars 241 Main St. (1939)
Interior Of Keith's Restaurant 129 E. Main St. (1946)
L.R. Cooke (Chevrolet Dealer) 255 E. Main St. (1936)
Leet's Furniture Store 317-319 W. Main (1930)
Montgomery Ward Company 230-232 E. Main St. (1933)
Northern Bank Building N.W. Corner of Short and Market (1921)
Phoenix Hotel Corner of Main and Limestone (1930)
Pinson's Radio Service S.W. Corner of Short and Broadway (1931)
S.S. Kresge Co. 250 W. Main St. (1947)
Sears Roebuck & Company 213 E. Main St. (1934)
Sleepy Head House (furniture store) 415 W. Main St. (1934)
South Side of Main St. between Mill and Upper St. (1939)
South Side of Main St. between Mill and Upper St. (1947)
Southeast Corner of Main and Broadway (1935)
Southwest Corner of Main and Limestone (1944)
Southwest Corner of Short and Mill St. (1931)
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. Main and Broadway (1931)
The Strand Theater 153 E. Main St. (1932)
Court Day on Cheapside Date Unknown
The Lexington and Versailles stage prepares to leave its office on Short Street at Mill. Stagecoach travel on lines all over Centeral Kentucky reached its heyday during the 1880's In the next decade stage travel begin to decline due to the increased use of railroads.
This view, looking east on Main Street before the Civil War, shows the old Phoenix Hotel (behind the row of trees) on the Southeast corner of Main and Limestone. The background tower was on the old Main Street Christian Church, site of the famous Campbell-Rice debate which Henry Clay moderated in 1843. Main Street Church, predecessor of Central Christian, was on the site of Stewart's parking garage. Garland's Notes. 6/4/2008 Civil War mentioned started in 1861 and lasted into 1865. Picture published by the Lexington Woman's Club under the auspices of the Lexington-Fayette County Historic Commission. Picture was a Postcard without a Copyright notice.
The old Fair Grounds at the site of the present Red Mile was first opened in August, 1876. Part of the South Broadway grandstand collapsed during a race meeting in the early 1890's and had been replace by a new one on September,1,1893
A new fire steamer was the occaasion for this rare 1875 Photograph. The horse-drawn stemer was located in the City Fire Station on West Short Street opposite tthe present site of Transylvania Printing. In 1875 Lexington had a large fire which destroyed all of the buildings on the east side of Limestone from Short to Main.
The effects of a severe sleet storm that hit lexington on Christmas, 1890 are shown in this early picture of Gratz Park. The iron gate was located at Third and Mill with the First Presbyterian Church to the south in the background A contemporary newpaper account noted that "Electric, Telephone and Street Car service all stopped."
Ryman's Mill near South Elkhorn was built by Jacob Ryman and operated into the late 1800's by his son Robert. In an 1882 local history, it was noticed that this mill was nearly 90 years old. Torn down around 1905, this old Corn-Grinding device was built almost entirely from wood, including the ponderous gears.
Lexingtonians at the Sheriff's Office in 1883. From left to right William Bush, Gip Sammons, E.B. Dishman, Jesse Hall, Col John R. Graves, Estes Garrett, J. Waller Rodes and Judge James R. Jewell. The samll Sheriff's Office was located on the East Side of the Court House Square Block facing Upper Street.
The first Mule-drawn streetcars made their apperance on the streets of Lexington in August, 1882. Several cars of the system, which operated until 1890, are shown waiting for riders at the entrance to Woodland Park. In 1890 the mule cars were replaced by electric cars.


Garland Smith Sr. Notes:
I can remember some of the buildings. I was born in 1940.
The main thing about the pictures that might escape most modern day viewers is the Trolly / Street Cars.
One of the pictures shows horse drawn Trolly / Street cars and the caption says they were replaced by electrict cars in 1890. I can remember the electric trolly cars and in the picture of the Sears Building you can see the electrict wires that were overhead to power the Trolly cars. The tracks for the Trolly cars were flush with the blacktop street when I was a kid. When riding a bycycle down Main Street, and a lot of others you had be be careful not to get your front tire caught in the tracks.

Some information for history buffs.....

  • Limestone was called Mulbury Steet at one time.
  • Limestone used to go to the town of Limestone. The town is now called Maysville.
  • Orginal name of Limestone came from Limestone creek which ran into the Ohio river.
    There was a major shipping port at Limestone used to ship Burbon Wiskey all over the world.

You can read about the history of Lexngton Kentucky here.
While you are looking at the history of Lexington take a look at the link for McConnel Springs and the Battle of Blue Lick.