The series of details, mostly of an uninteresting and dry nature, which
were so hastily passed over in the last chapter seem to have been but the
precursors to events of a character far more important to the interests of
the city and far more agreeable to the reader. Before we approach,
however, the one great event which opened a new theater of action to the
city, and developed resources before undreamed of—the steam navigation of
the Ohio. It will be necessary, to preserve the order in which this
history has been written, to stop to notice two or three lesser matters.
Louisville, having become, from her peculiar position as a half-way house
between the North and the South, the resort of numbers of strangers, it
became necessary establish a police for the security of persons and
property. This was done in 1810 by the appointment of two Watchmen, John
Ferguson and Edward Dowler, at a salary of $250 per annum; and the records
of the time do not show that these persons held their office as a
sinecure.
The rogues having been thus placed under supervision, it became necessary
to have a proper place for the administration of justice to them. In
pursuance of this idea a Court House was erected in the centre of a large
square now bounded by Fifth, Seventh, Market and Jefferson Streets. This
building was made of brick after a plan drawn by John Gwathmey and was
finished in 1811. The precise site of the house is now occupied by a part
of the present Jail. It fronted on Sixth Street, and consisted of a main
building with two wings attached. In front of the main building was a
lofty Ionic portico, supported by four columns. Long before this building
was removed, these columns, which were built of wood, gave convincing and
thoroughly American proof that they had been consigned to other uses than
those intended by their projectors. Notwithstanding their great size, the
attacks made upon them by the pen-knives of the attacheés of the court
had actually severed one of them, and the wood within convenient reach of
a man’s hand which remained in the other three, would hardly have served
for one day’s good whittling. This edifice was, in its earlier days,
the handsomest of its kind in the western country. It was pulled down in
1836, in order to make room for the new structure undertaken, but never
completed, in 1837.
This sublime monument of the city’s folly, was begun on a scale of
unexampled magnificence, and had it been possible to complete it, would
have been one of the most beautiful buildings in the West. It still stands
an almost mouldering ruin, its half-finished grandeur constantly recalling
the parable of the foolish man who “began to build and was not able to
finish.”
We come now to notice an event of vital importance, not only to
Louisville, but to the whole West. This was the commencement of Steam
Navigation on the western rivers. In October of 1811, Fulton’s steamboat
called the “New Orleans,” intended to run from the port of that name to
Natchez, left Pittsburg for its point of destination. At this time there
were but two steamboats on this continent; these were the North River and
The Clermont, and they were occupied on the Hudson River. The New Orleans
on her first trip took neither freight nor passengers. Her inmates “were
Mr. Roosevelt, an associate of Fulton, with his wife and family, Mr.
Baker, the engineer, Andrew Jack, the pilot, and six hands with a few
domestics.” Her landing at Louisville is thus described in Latrobe’s
Rambler in America.
“Late at night on the fourth day after quitting Pittsburg, they arrived in
safety at Louisville, having been but seventy hours descending upwards of
seven hundred miles. The novel appearance of the vessel, and the fearful
rapidity with which it made its passage over the broad reaches of the
river, excited a mixture of terror and surprise among many of the settlers
on the banks, whom the rumor of such an invention had never reached; and
it is related that on the unexpected arrival of the boat before
Louisville, in the course of a fine still moonlight night, the
extraordinary sound which filled the air as the pent-up steam was suffered
to escape from the valves on rounding to, produced a general alarm, and
multitudes in the town rose from their beds to ascertain the cause. I have
heard that the general impression among the Kentuckians was, that the
comet had fallen into the Ohio; but this does not rest upon the same
foundation as the other facts which I lay before you, and which, I may at
once say, I had directly from the lips of the parties themselves.”
The water on the falls did not allow the Orleans to pass on to Natchez and
she consequently made use of her time of detention by making several trips
to and from Cincinnati. Toward the last of November she was enabled to
pass the rapids, and after having weathered out the earthquakes, reached
Natchez about the 1st of January, 1812. This boat was finally wrecked near
Baton Rouge, where she struck on her upward passage from New Orleans.
From this event we may date the prosperity of Louisville as a fixed fact.
At the head of ascending and the foot of descending navigation, all the
wealth of the western country must pass through her hands. Such advantages
as were here presented could not go unheeded. It became only necessary for
the people to be convinced of the efficacy of steamboat navigation, and
the opportunities held out to the capitalist by Louisville must be seen
and embraced.
But as if to counterbalance the dawning of this great good, there came
with it a great evil; for it was in December of this year that the first
of a series of terrible and violent earthquakes was felt at Louisville;
these carried consternation to the hearts of all her citizens; and during
the four months of their almost constant recurrance there was little
either of leisure or inclination for political progress. The first of the
shocks was felt on the 16th of December at 2 h. 15 m. in the morning. Mr.
Jared Brookes says of it: “It seems as if the surface of the earth was
afloat and set in motion by a slight application of immense power, but
when this regularity is broken by a sudden cross shove, all order is
destroyed, and a boiling action is produced, during the continuance of
which the degree of violence is greatest, and the scene most dreadful;
houses and other objects oscillate largely, irregularly and in different
directions. A great noise is produced by the agitation of all the loose
matter in town, but no other sound is heard; the general consternation is
great, and the damage done considerable; gable ends, parapets, and
chimneys of many houses are thrown down.” The whole duration of this shock
from the earliest tremor to the last oscillation was about four minutes.
This shock was succeeded during the same day by two others of almost equal
power. It is related that when it was felt, several gentlemen were amusing
themselves with cards when some one rushed in crying, “Gentlemen, how can
you be engaged in this way when the world is so near its end?” The
card-table was immediately deserted for the street, where from the
vibratory motion the very stars seemed toppling to a fall. “What a pity,”
philosophized one of the party, “that so beautiful a world should be thus
destroyed!” “Almost every one of them,” says a historian of the incident,
“believed that mother Earth, as she heaved and struggled, was in her last
agony.”
During the prevalence of the earthquakes, it was customary to suspend some
object so as to act as a pendulum in all the rooms and by the degree of
its motion to determine the probable amount of danger. If the pendulum
began to vibrate freely, the house was instantly deserted. Those who
inhabited the loftier and statelier mansions were, at least for the time
being, free from the envy of their humble neighbors, with whom they would
then have freely exchanged tenements. The possession of a princely edifice
would then have been a source of regret rather than of pride or of
congratulation. It is said, that unlike the great calamities of other
times, this one had a good effect upon the public morals. The reason of
this may probably be found in the fact that while this was a source of
constant terror and alarm, it was yet not of a character to produce that
despair which leads men to seek to drown all thoughts of a future in the
reckless pursuit of pleasure or of forgetfulness.
Mr. Jared Brooks who preserved a faithful scientific account of these
earthquakes refers to that of the 7th of February, 1812, as the most
violent endured at any period during their continuance. It occurred at 3
h. 15 m. in the morning and, as this gentleman’s account says, “was
preceded by frequent slight motions for several minutes; duration of great
violence at least 4 minutes, then gradually moderated by exertions of
lessening strength, but continued a constant motion more than two hours;
then followed a succession of distinct tremors or jarrings at short
intervals until 10 h. A. M., when, for a few seconds, a shock of some
degree of severity, after which frequent jarrings and slight tremors
during the day, once, at least in ten minutes. At 8 h. 10 m. P. M. a shock
of second-rate violence, and during some minutes two others at equal
periods, connected by continual tremor of considerable severity; the last
shock was violent in the first degree, but of too short duration to do
much injury. At 10 h. 10 m. P. M, after frequent considerable motions, the
shock comes on violent in the second degree, strengthens to tremendous,
holds at that about seven seconds, then trembles away, severe about five
minutes; frequent tremors follow, and a shock of third-rate violence. The
action then ceases for a time.” With one more extract from Mr. Brooks, we
shall conclude this account of the celebrated earthquakes of 1811. This is
a table showing the number and relative value of all the earthquakes
experienced here. It is preceded by a lucid explanation of the degrees of
violence referred to in the table, and shows at a glance the number and
intensity of the shocks.
“First-Rate.—Most tremendous, so as to threaten the destruction of the
town, and which would soon effect it, should the action continue with the
same degree of violence; buildings oscillate largely and irregularly, and
grind against each other; the walls split and begin to yield; chimneys,
parapets and gable ends break in various directions and topple to the
ground.
“Second-Rate.—Less violent, but very severe.
“Third-Rate.—Moderate, but alarming to people generally.
“Fourth-Rate.—Perceptible to the feeling of those who are still and not
subject to other motion or sort of jarring, that may resemble this.
“Sixth-Rate.—Although often causing a strange sort of sensation,
absence, and sometimes gidiness, the motion is not to be ascertained
positively; but by the vibrators or other objects placed for that
purpose.
TABLE.
End of
each Week |
1st |
2d |
3d |
4th |
5th |
6th Rate. |
Total. |
| December |
22 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
66 |
87 |
| " |
29 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
150 |
156 |
| January |
5 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
3 |
119 |
134 |
| " |
12 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
150 |
161 |
| " |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
55 |
65 |
| " |
26 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
78 |
91 |
| February |
2 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
7 |
191 |
209 |
| " |
9 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
15 |
140 |
175 |
| " |
16 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
12 |
65 |
86 |
| " |
23 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
278 |
292 |
| March |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
8 |
126 |
139 |
| " |
8 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
8 |
39 |
58 |
| " |
15 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
210 |
221 |
| Total |
8 |
10 |
35 |
65 |
89 |
1667 |
1874 |
The good effect which, as before mentioned, was produced upon the morals
of the town by this succession of dangers does not seem to have been of
permanent value if we may credit a writer in the Bedford Pa. Gazette, in
the year 1814, who makes himself very merry over what he is pleased to
term the “devout paroxisms” of the good citizens of this place, as will
appear by the following communication.
He says: “At Louisville, in the State of Kentucky, a town about four times
as large as Bedford, they have no church. When the earthquake gave them
the first shock, they grew very devout in one night; and on the next day
with long faces, they subscribed a thousand dollars to build a house of
public worship. Thus the matter rested until the second shock came, when
another devout paroxism produced another thousand dollars. It rested again
till a third earthquake and devout fit produced another subscription to
the same amount. There was no more of the matter. The earthquake did not
return, and the Louisvillians concluded the devil would not send for them
for a few years more, and in the mean time determined to be merry. They
immediately built a theater, which cost them seven thousand dollars, and
employed a company of actors, the offscourings of maratime city theaters.
To this company they gave about five hundred dollars per week, till at
length the actors, instead of raising the curtain, broke through it and
broke each other’s heads with sticks, and the heads of some of the
auditors who interfered. The earthquakes have lately begun to shake
Louisville again, but whether they laugh or pray I have not heard.”
The Western Courier, published at Louisville, copies this article, with
some stringent remarks upon its contents; and attributes the authorship of
it to some actor whose efforts in his profession had not been duly honored
by the people whom he villifies. Who is in the right in this matter it is
now impossible to say; but it is certain that the author of the article in
question is guilty of an anachronism, for it will be remembered that the
theater was built previous to the commencement of the earthquakes. It is,
however, unquestionably true that the theater was built several years
before a church edifice of any kind was attempted.
The newspaper from which this article was copied was commenced here in
October or November of 1810, by Nicholas Clarke. It was published weekly
at three dollars per annum, and contained for the most part little else
than news of the wars, acts of Assembly and of Congress, and
advertisements. In 1814, Mann Butler joined Mr. Clarke in the editorship
of the paper, but did not continue long in his chair. The Louisville
Correspondent was issued at about the same time, and edited by Col. E. C.
Barry. It was discontinued in 1817. It is believed that there are no files
of it in existence now.
Reference to all the early files of newspapers published at this day, will
show how gradual and yet how certain was the progress of steamboat
navigation on the Ohio. The arrival of every boat was carefully noted and
always accompanied with a great flourish of trumpets and a renewed eulogy
on the wonders of the new invention. Much credit is due to Capt. H. M.
Shreve, lately of St. Louis, for his indefatigable and successful
endeavors to improve as well as to enlarge this prominent branch of
commerce. As is well known, Fulton and Livingston held a patent for the
entire right to navigate all the rivers in the United Stages for a certain
number of years. But Mr. Shreve, seeing the injustice of this grant and
doubting its legality, openly defied it; and finally, after much effort
and not a little pecuniary loss, succeeded in 1816 in removing the grant
and throwing open the navigation of the public highways to all. It will
not be uninteresting to the reader, while upon this fruitful topic, to
glance at a list of all the steamboats employed upon the western waters
until 1819. This list is copied from Dr. McMurtrie, whose data is not
always implicitly reliable. It has however been corrected as far as was
practicable at this remote period. The present tense, whenever employed,
is meant to refer to the year 1819.
STEAMBOATS EMPLOYED ON THE WESTERN WATERS FROM 1812 TO 1819.
1st. The Orleans—the first boat built at Pittsburg, owned by and
constructed under the superintendence of Mr. Fulton. Sailed from Pittsburg
in October, 1811, and arrived at her destination, Natchez, about the 1st
January, 1812. She ran between New Orleans and Natchez about two years,
making her voyages to average seventeen days; was wrecked near Baton
Rouge, where she sunk on the upward bound passage; 400 tons burthen.
2d. The Comet—owned by Samuel Smith; built at Pittsburg by Daniel
French; stern-wheel and vibrating cylinder; on French’s patent granted in
1809. The Comet made a voyage to Louisville in the summer of 1813; and
descended to New Orleans in the Spring of 1814; made two voyages to
Natchez, and was sold; the engine put up in a cotton gin; 45 tons burthen.
3d. The Vesuvius—built at Pittsburg by Fulton, and owned by a company
of gentlemen belonging to New York and New Orleans. Sailed from New
Orleans in the Spring of 1814, commanded by Captain Frank Ogden. She was
then employed some months between New Orleans and Natchez, under the
command of Captain Clemmont, who was succeeded by Captain John DeHart;
shortly after she took fire, near the city of New Orleans and burned to
the water’s edge; having a valuable cargo on board. She was afterwards
raised and built upon at New Orleans. She has since been in the Louisville
trade, and has lately been sold to a company at Natchez; 390 tons burthen.
4th. The Enterprise—built at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on the
Monongahela, by Daniel French, on his patent, and owned by a company at
that place. She made two voyages to Louisville in the summer of 1814,
under the command of Captain J. Gregg. On the first of December she took
in a cargo of ordinance stores at Pittsburg, and sailed for New Orleans,
commanded by Captain H. M. Shreve, and arrived at New Orleans on the 14th
of the same month. She made one voyage to the Gulf of Mexico as a cartel;
one voyage to the rapids of Red River with troops; nine voyages to
Natchez; set out for Pittsburgh on the 6th May, and arrived at
Shippingport on the 30th, (25 days out,) being the first steamboat that
ever arrived at that port from New Orleans. From thence she proceeded on
to Pittsburgh, and the command was given to Captain D. Wooley, who lost
her about twelve months after in Rock harbor at Shippingport; 45 tons
burthen.
5th. Etna—built at Pittsburg, and owned by the same company as the
Vesuvius; sailed from Pittsburg for New Orleans in March, 1815, under
the command of Captain A. Gale, and arrived in April following; continued
in the Natchez trade. Was then commanded by Captain R. De Hart, who made
six voyages in her to Louisville; and is now commanded by Captain A. Gale
in the same trade.
6th. The Dispatch—built at Brownsville, on French’s patent, and owned
by the same company as the Enterprise. She made several voyages from
Pittsburg to Louisville, and one from New Orleans to Shippingport, where
she now lies a wreck, her engine out; was commanded by Captain J. Gregg;
25 tons burthen.
7th and 8th. The Buffalo, 300 tons; and James Monroe, 90 tons; built
at Pittsburg by Latrobe, for a company at New York, but failed in
finishing them. They were sold at Sheriff’s sale, and fell into the hands
of Mr. Whiting, and finished by him with engines; both dull sailers.
9th. Washington—a two-decker; built at Wheeling, Virginia; constructed
and partly owned by Captain H. M. Shreve; her engine was made at
Brownsville, under the immediate direction of Captain Shreve. Her boilers
are on the upper deck, being the first boat on that plan, and is a
valuable improvement by Captain Shreve, which is now generally in use. The
Washington crossed the falls in September, 1816, commanded by Captain
Shreve, went to New Orleans, and returned to Louisville in the winter. In
the month of March, 1817, she left Shippingport a second time, proceeded
to New Orleans, and returned to Shippingport, being absent but 45 days.
This was the trip that convinced the despairing public that steamboat
navigation would succeed on the western waters. She has since been running
with similar success in the same trade; 400 tons burthen.
10th. The Franklin—built at Pittsburg, by Messrs. Shires and Cromwell;
engine built by George Evans; sailed from Pittsburg in December 1816; was
sold at New Orleans, and has been in the Louisville and St. Louis trade
since that time; she was sunk in the Mississippi near St. Genevieve a few
months since, under the command of Captain Reed, on her way to St. Louis;
150 tons burthen.
11th. The Oliver Evans; (now the Constitution,) 75 tons; was built at
Pittsburg by Mr. George Evans; engine his patent. She left Pittsburg in
December, 1816, for New Orleans; in 1817 she burst one of her boilers, off
Coupee, by which eleven men lost their lives, principally passengers. Has
done but little since. Is now owned by Mr. George Sutton and others of
Pittsburg; 75 tons burthen.
12th. The Harriet—built at Pittsburg; owned and constructed by Mr.
Armstrong, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. She sailed from Pittsburg,
October, 1816, for New Orleans, and crossed the falls in March, 1817; made
one voyage to New Orleans, and has since run between that place and the
Muscle Shoals; 40 tons burthen.
13th. The Pike—a small boat built by Mr. Prentiss, of Henderson,
Kentucky; run some time from Louisville to St. Louis; from thence in the
Red River trade. Was lost on a sawyer, March, 1818; 25 tons burthen.
14th. The Kentucky—built at Frankfort, Kentucky, and owned by Hanson
and Boswell; in the Louisville trade; 80 tons burthen.
15th. The Gov. Shelby—built at Louisville, Kentucky, by Messrs. Gray,
Gwathmey and Gretsinger; Bolton and Watt’s engine. Now performing very
successfully in the Louisville trade; 120 tons burthen.
16th. The New Orleans—built at Pittsburg in 1817, by Fulton and
Livingston; in the Natchez trade. Near Baton Rouge, she was sunk and
raised again, and sunk at New Orleans in Feb. 1819, about two months after
her sinking near Baton Rouge; 300 tons burthen.
17th. The George Madison—built at Pittsburg in 1818, by Messrs.
Voorhies, Mitchell, Rodgers, and Todd, of Frankfort, Kentucky; in the
Louisville trade: 200 tons burthen.
18th. The Ohio—built at New Albany by Messrs. Shreve and Blair; in the
Louisville trade; 443 tons burthen.
19th. The Napoleon—built at Shippingport in 1818, by Messrs. Shreve,
Miller, and Breckenridge, of Louisville; in the Louisville trade; 332 tons
burthen.
20th. The Volcano—built at New Albany, by Messrs. John and Robertson De
Hart, in 1808; in the Louisville trade; 250 tons burthen.
21st. The Gen. Jackson—built at Pittsburg in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
R. Whiting of Pittsburg, and Gen. Carroll of Tennessee; in the Nashville
trade; 200 tons burthen.
22d. The Eagle—built at Cincinnati in 1818, owned by Messrs. James
Berthoud and Son, of Shippingport, Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 70
tons burthen.
23d. The Hecla—built at Cincinnati in 1818, and owned by Messrs. Honore
and Barbaroux, of Louisville, Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 70 tons
burthen.
24th. The Henderson—built at Cincinnati in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Bowens, of Henderson, Kentucky; in the Henderson and Louisville trade; 85
tons burthen.
25th. The Johnson—built at Wheeling in 1818, by George White, and owned
by Messrs. J. and R. Johnson, of Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 90
tons burthen.
26th. The Cincinnati—built at Cincinnati in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Peniwit and Burns, of Cincinnati, and Messrs. Paxton and Co. of New
Albany; in the Louisville trade; 120 tons burthen.
27th. The Exchange—built at Louisville in 1818, and owned by David L.
Ward, of Jefferson county, Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 200 tons
burthen.
28th. The Louisiana—built at New Orleans in 1818, and owned by Mr.
Duplissa of New Orleans; in the Natchez trade; 45 tons burthen.
29th. The James Ross—built at Pittsburg in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Whiting and Stackpole, of Pittsburg; in the Louisville trade. This boat
has lately made a trip from New Orleans to Shippingport, in sixteen days
and a half, having lost sixty one hours and eight minutes in discharging
cargo on the way. Had on board 200 tons cargo; 330 tons burthen.
30th. The Frankfort—built at Pittsburg in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Voorhies and Mitchell of Frankfort, Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 320
tons burthen.
31st. The Tamerlane—built at Pittsburg in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Boggs and Co., of New York; in the Louisville trade; 320 tons burthen.
32d. The Cedar Branch—built in 1818, and owned at Maysville, Kentucky;
in the Louisville trade; 250 tons burthen.
33d. The Experiment—built at Cincinnati in 1818, and owned at that
place; 40 tons burthen.
34th The St Louis—built at Shippingport in 1818, and owned by Messrs.
Hewes, Douglass, Johnson and others; in the St. Louis trade; 220 tons
burthen.
35th. The Vesta—built at Cincinnati in 1817, and owned by Captain
Jenkins of that place; in the Louisville trade; 100 tons burthen.
36th. The Rifleman—built at Louisville in 1819, and owned by Messrs.
Butler and Barners, of Russelville, Kentucky; in the Louisville trade; 250
tons burthen.
37th. The Alabama—a small boat, built on Lake Ponchetrane in 1818; in
the Red River trade.
38th. The Rising States—built at Pittsburg in 1819, and owned by W. F.
Peterson and Co., of Louisville; in the Louisville trade.
39th. The General Pike—built at Cincinnati in 1819, intended to ply
between Louisville, Cincinnati, and Maysville, as a packet, and owned by a
company in Cincinnati.
40th. The Independence—owned by Captain Nelson, and intended to ply
between Louisville and St. Louis.
41st. The United States—built at Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1819;
owned by Hart and others, and has two separate engines, made in England.
She is doubtless the finest merchant steamboat in the universe, drawing
but little water, and capable of carrying 3000 bales of cotton; in the
Louisville trade; 700 tons burthen.
The interest of this subject and the quantity of material which presses
upon us in regard to it have for awhile led us to forget the proper order
of our history, to which it will be necessary now to revert. Commencing
then with 1811 we have first to record the erection of a Catholic Chapel
by the Rev. Mr. Badin. This building was situated upon a lot given by Mr.
Tarascon, near the present corner of Eleventh and Main streets. It was
built in the Gothic style, and was a small edifice. The lot upon which it
stood was used as the cemetery of the church, and many years afterward in
digging out Eleventh street; skulls, bones, and portions of bodies were
thrown up from this graveyard.
With the opening of the year 1812, was commenced the first Bank ever
instituted in Louisville. This was the branch of the Bank of Kentucky.
Previous to this, there was an unincorporated establishment named the
Louisville Bank, whose capital of about 75,000 dollars was thrown into
this Bank, with an addition of 25,000 dollars, making for the first
incorporated Bank a capital of 100,000 dollars. This bank was situated on
the North side of Main street, near the corner of Fifth, and was under the
direction of Thomas Prather,[11] President, and John Bustard, Cashier. An
additional impetus was also given to the commercial prosperity of the town
by the establishment, during this year, of an iron foundry by Mr. Paul
Skidmore. The attention of this foundry was directed to casting gudgeons
for water and horse mills, dog and smoothing irons, and odd oven lids.
From this small beginning arose that branch of industry now so large and
of so vital importance to the city. A brief sketch of the progress of
foundries since that time may be interesting to the reader. Mr. Skidmore
was succeeded by Joshua Headington, who continued the same description of
business with little if any improvement until 1817, when he was in his
turn succeeded by Prentiss and Bakewell, who undertook the building of
Steam engines, getting a part of the machinery from Philadelphia, and a
part from Pittsburg, but they did not succeed very satisfactorily until
1825, when they built some engines for small boats which performed
respectably. These gentlemen dissolved their connection about 1826. Mr.
Prentiss continued the business a short time alone, and then sold one half
of his establishment to Jacob Keffer, who was to superintend the foundry.
In 1831, this foundry ceased operations, and Messrs. D. L. Beatty, John
Curry, and Jacob Beckwith built a foundry and carried on successfully the
casting and steam engine business. These gentlemen erected the first air
furnace which ever proved of any value; built the first regular
boring-mill, and substituted the blowing cylinder instead of the common
wood and leather bellows. There are now six foundries for building
steam-engines and machinery of all kinds in full operation, beside six
extensive Stove Foundries.
The legislature of the State passed an act during this year ordering Main
street to be paved from cross No. 3 to cross No. 6, at the expense of the
owners of lots fronting on said street. While the paving was progressing
agreeably to this order, an honest Scotchman came by from the vicinity
with a loaded wagon. “What’ll ye be doin’ there?” was his salutation to
the superintendent of the work. “Paving the street,” was the answer.
“Pavin’, do ye say, weel, weel, when it’s done, I’ll willinly pay my peart
o’ it, for I hae had awfu’ wark gettin’
through it a’ before.” It is not recorded whether this honest gentleman was called on for his “peart,” but
it is presumed he was enabled to enjoy these advantages gratis.
It was also about this period that a Methodist church was built in this
place. This church is the one referred to in the communication published a
few pages previous. It was the second church of any kind ever built in the
city, and was erected by the subscriptions of all the citizens. It was
under the direction of the Methodists, but was opened to ministers of all
denominations. It was situated on the North side of Market street between
Seventh and Eighth. The house has since been converted into a dwelling and
is still standing. It was soon found to be too small to accommodate the
growing population of the town and was accordingly sold, and the present
Fourth street Methodist Church built with the proceeds of that sale,
assisted by the subscriptions of the citizens. This latter building was
erected in 1815.
In 1814 the town of Portland was laid out by Alexander Ralston, for the
proprietor William Lytle. It was originally divided into Portland proper,
and the enlargement of Portland. The lots in Portland proper were all half
acre lots, and when laid out, were sold for two hundred dollars each. In
1819 they had advanced to about one thousand dollars. The lots in the
enlargement were three-fourths of an acre, and were sold at three hundred
dollars each. This town was not established by law until 1834, and in 1837
it was adjoined to the city. It has fulfilled the office of a suburb to
Louisville, but has never at any time held prominent importance among
towns, and is chiefly worthy of notice now as a point of landing for the
largest class of New Orleans boats at seasons when the stage of the river
will not allow them to pass over the rapids. Although it was at one time
predicted that “its future destinies might be regarded as those of a
highly flourishing and important town,” it has never equalled the least
sanguine hopes of its friends. It has no history of its own worthy of
relation.
During the same year the town of New Albany, in the State of Indiana,
opposite to Portland, was laid out by its proprietors, the Messrs.
Scribner. Its progress at first was slow, but the many advantages which it
presented (firstly its extremely healthy location, and secondly the great
quantity and excellent quality of ship timber in its vicinity,) soon
established its prosperity. In 1819 it contained a population of about
1000 souls, and had 150 dwelling houses. A historian of this latter period
asserts that the inhabitants are all either Methodists or Presbyterians.
It has now grown to be one of the most important towns in Indiana, and
still promises renewed and increased prosperity. It would be hardly fair
to class this flourishing city as a suburb of Louisville, and yet the two
are so intimately connected that the prosperity or adversity of the one
cannot but affect the other. The value of those relations will be shown
hereafter.
Some idea may be formed of the commercial prosperity of the town at this
period by reference to the following manifest of the Barges and Keel
boats, arrived at this port during the three months, ending July 18th,
1814. There arrived during that period, 12 barges, in all 524 tons
burthen, and 7 keel boats, in all 132 tons. The following is a manifest of
cargoes delivered by these boats during that period.
| 813 bales Cotton, |
|
438 hhds. Sugar, |
|
5 bbls. Molasses, |
| 26 bbls. and kegs fish, |
|
1267 bbls. Sugar, |
|
128 bbls. Coffee, |
| 28 cases Wine, |
|
12 Boxes" |
|
339 bags" |
| 1 bbl." |
|
1 bbl. Fish Oil, |
|
5 cases Preserves, |
| 1 bag and 1 bbl. Allspice, |
|
2 bags Pepper, |
|
29 bbls. Indigo, |
| 6 ceroons Cochineal, |
|
28 bales Wool, |
|
2 ceroons" |
| 1 demij. and 1 bbl. lime juice, |
|
21"Hides, |
|
6 tons Logwood, |
| 1 Bale Bear Skins, |
|
453""dry, |
|
18000 lbs. pig cop’r, |
| 28 boxes Steel, |
|
1 bbl. Rice, |
|
1 box Crockery, |
| The probable value of these articles was estimated at $266,015. |
It was during the same year that Messrs. Jacob and Hikes put into
successful operation a paper mill at this point. The Western Courier was
issued on paper manufactured at this mill.
A very great barrier to the progress of the town at this period consisted
in its great unhealthiness. Owing to the vast reservoirs of standing water
which still remained in and about the town, there was a great deal of
bilious and remittent fever, “often sufficiently aggravated to entitle it
to the name of yellow fever.” It will be recollected that reference has
been heretofore made to this subject. At this period, a new alarm was
raised, and it was found difficult to get people even to bring produce to
the markets of the town. Acclimation was considered, and indeed was
absolutely necessary. The newspapers of the day teem with indignation at
the course pursued by the neighboring and rival towns in circulating
aggravated accounts of the progress of disease here. But even the warmest
friends of Louisville did not pretend to deny that it was extremely
unhealthy. One of these writing soon after this date, says: “To affirm
that Louisville is a healthy place would be absurd, but it is much more so
than the thousand tongues of fame would make us believe; and as many of
the causes which prevent it from becoming perfectly so, can be removed, a
few years hence may find the favorable alterations accomplished, and so do
away with the general impression of its being the grave-yard of the
Western country.” As is well known, this prediction has been verified, and
from the reputation of a grave-yard, Louisville has now everywhere
attained the title of the most healthy city in America.
With the commencement of the next year, 1815, we are again enabled to give
the following very accurate tabular view of the political position of the
city. The following table will clearly show its past growth, and give an
accurate idea of its size, commerce, and manufactures at that time.
| 24 Merchantile Stores, |
|
5 Medicine shops, |
|
3 House Painters, |
| 1 Bookdo, |
|
8 Boot makers, |
|
4 Chair makers, |
| 1 Auction and Commission, store, |
|
4 Cabinet makers, |
|
5 Tailors, |
| 1 Clothing store, |
|
2 Coachdo, |
|
5 Hatters, |
| 1 Leatherdo, |
|
1 Gun Smith, |
|
3 Saddlers, |
| 1 Druggist’s do, |
|
1 Silver do, |
|
2 Coppersmiths, |
| 1 Plan maker, |
|
2 Printing offices, |
|
1 Steam Saw mill, |
| 1 Carding and Spinning factory, |
|
1 Soap factory, |
|
1 Nail factory, |
| 1 Tin Shop, |
|
1 Air foundry, |
|
6 Blacksmiths, |
| 4 Bazars, |
|
4 Bakers, |
|
1 Brewer, |
| 4 Rope Walks, |
|
2 Tobacco factories, |
|
1 Bagging factory, |
| 4 High Schools, |
|
6 Brick Yards, |
|
1 Stone ware, do, |
| 1 Theater, |
|
1 Tan Yard, |
|
1 Meth. church, |
| 2 Taverns, (inferior to none in the Western country, and several others of less note.) |
The only other event belonging to this year which may be considered worthy
of note was the arrival on the 1st of June of the steamboat Enterprize,
Captain Shreve, only 25 days from New Orleans! This trip then so
astonishingly speedy is made the subject of remark in the newspapers of
the day, and Captain Shreve is every where congratulated on “the celerity
and safety with which his boat ascends and descends the currents of these
mighty waters.” These congratulations or at least a part of them were
received just in time, for in about a year afterwards, this same gentleman
proved that his navigation was not always alike safe and speedy. On the
3d June, 1816, he was in command of the steamer Washington, bound from
Pittsburg for Louisville, when she met with the first serious disaster
which had ever occurred in the steamboat navigation of the Ohio. When near
Wheeling this boat burst her cylinder-head, killing seven persons and
injuring several others, Capt. Shreve among the latter number. This
accident elicited a degree of sympathy and occasioned an amount of alarm,
which a much more severe steamboat disaster would now fail to produce.
The following announcement from one of the newspapers of the day, gives an
account of the launching of the first steamboat ever built at this point;
and shows that despite of accident and danger, the citizens had fairly
embarked in a business that has since been so productive to the interests
of the city. “On Monday the 3d of July, was safely launched from her
stocks, at the mouth of Beargrass into her destined element, the elegant
new steamboat Gov. Shelby, owned by Messrs. Gray, Gwathmey, Gretsinger
and Ruble of this town. The Gov. Shelby is intended as a regular trader
between this place and New Orleans, is of 122 tons burden, and is thought
by judges to be one of the handsomest models, which does great credit to
her constructors, Messrs. Desmarie and McClary.”
It was at this period that the old banking system was in the zenith of its
power. The whole country was flooded with paper money of all kinds and of
all denominations. Specie currency was almost entirely out of circulation,
having been supplanted by private bills, worthless bank notes, and all
other kinds of “shin plasters.” This sort of currency was the occasion of
innumerable disasters; all confidence was destroyed in the community, and
pecuniary transactions were of course limited. The scarcity of silver was
the subject of much merriment as well as the cause of grievous distress.
At one time a specie Spanish dollar is advertised as a curiosity, and the
citizens are invited to witness an exhibition of it; at another, a
merchant promises to show, gratis, four silver Spanish coins to all who
will call and purchase at his store. The tradesmen generally, however,
took a more serious view of the matter; and on the 29th August, 1816,
called upon the Merchants and Mechanics of the town “to assemble at the
Union Hotel on Saturday afternoon at 6 P. M., to take into consideration
the measures necessary to be adopted to check the circulation of private
bills, &c.” The result of this meeting, however, never transpired; and as
the shin-plaster currency continued its baleful operations for many years
afterward, it is to be supposed that the Merchants and Mechanics of
Louisville either could not concert, or could not execute the aforesaid
“necessary measures.”
Notwithstanding, however, all the disadvantages accruing from this state
of disordered currency, the year did not pass by without adding another to
the increasing list of manufactories in the town. This other was an
immense distillery, organized by a company formed in New England, and
incorporated by the legislature of this State. It was called the “Hope
Distillery,” and had a capital of $100,000 dollars, with the liberty of
increasing it to double that amount. This Company purchased one hundred
acres of ground at the lower end of Main street, opposite to the
commencement of Portland Avenue, and erected immense buildings thereon,
intending to conduct their business on a more extensive scale than any
before established in the United States. This enormous establishment
however did not realize the expectations of its proprietors, and the
project was abandoned. The buildings remained almost tenantless and
useless for many years. They were finally burned.
As if to counterbalance the prospective evil likely to be produced by this
enormous manufactory of “poison for soul and body,” there was established
about the same time the first Presbyterian Church in Louisville. It was
organized by exactly sixteen members, but it was not until the next year
that a building was erected for them. The acts of the legislature of this
year also incorporated a Louisville Library Company.
The account of the year 1816 will be closed with an extract from the
travels of Mr. Henry Bradshaw Fearon, the title-page of whose book
represents him as deputed by thirty-nine English families to ascertain
whether any or what parts of the United States would be agreeable to them
as a future residence. His account of the town is of course honest, so far
as he is concerned, and unprejudiced, and as such is entitled to its share
of consideration. At any rate he treats the subject more in detail than
most foreign travelers have done. He says: “Having been twice in
Louisville, I boarded at both hotels; Allen’s Washington Hall, and
Gwathing’s [Gwathmey’s] Indian Queen. They are similar establishments, and
both on a very large scale; the former averages 80 boarders per diem; and
the latter 140. The hotels are conducted differently here from those with
which you are acquainted. The place for washing is in the open yard, where
there is a large cistern, several towels, and a negro in attendance. The
sleeping rooms commonly contain from 4 to 8 bedsteads, having matresses
upon them, but frequently no feather beds, sheets of calico, two blankets
and a quilt, (either a cotton counterpane or a patchwork quilt.) The
bedsteads have no curtains, and the rooms are generally unprovided with
any conveniences. The public rooms are the news room, boot room, in which
the bar is situated, and the dining room. The fires are generally
surrounded by parties of six, who get and keep possession of them. The
usual custom is to pace up and down the bar room as people walk the deck
at sea. Smoking cigars is practised by all without exception, and at every
hour of the day. Argument is of rare occurrence, and social intercourse
seems still more unusual. Conversation on general topics, or the taking
enlarged or enlightened views of things rarely occurs; each man is in
pursuit of his own individual interest, and follows it in an
individualized manner. But to return to the taverns; at half past seven
o’clock the first bell rings for collecting the boarders; at eight the
second bell rings, breakfast is then set, the dining room is unlocked, a
general rush commences, and some activity as well as dexterity is
essentially necessary to obtain a seat at the table. A boy, as clerk,
attends to take down the names, in order that when the bills are settled
no improper deduction should be made. The breakfast consists of a profuse
supply of fish, flesh, and fowl, which is consumed with a rapidity truly
extraordinary. Often before I had finished my first cup of tea, the room,
before crowded to suffocation, was empty. The dinner which takes place at
2 o’clock, and the supper which is eaten at six is conducted in the same
manner as the breakfast. At table there is no conversation and no
drinking. The latter is effected by individuals taking their solitary
eye-openers, toddy, or phlegm dispersers at the bar, the keeper of which
is in full employ from sunrise till bed-time which is always at ten
o’clock. Liquor here is never drunk neat or with sugar and warm water.”
Speaking of the society of Louisville, the same Mr. Henry Bradshaw Fearon
takes it upon himself to say: “I do not feel myself competent to confirm
or to deny the general claim of the people of this town to generosity and
warmth of character. Of their habits I would also wish to speak with equal
diffidence, [and here is a proof of it!] but that they drink a great deal,
swear a great deal, and gamble a great deal, is very apparent to a very
brief resident. There is a great lack of amusement in Louisville; the
only one I saw was called ‘Gander Pulling,’ which is thus conducted. Tie a
live gander to a tree or pole and grease its neck, then ride past at full
gallop, and he who succeeds in pulling off the head of the victim,
receives the victory, the reward of which is the body of the gander. I
think I have heard of a similar pastime as practiced in Holland. But
these,” generously adds Mr. Henry Bradshaw Fearon, “are not to be taken as
unmixed characteristics.”
By dint of great exertions on the part of the inhabitants of the town,
they at last succeeded in procuring the location of a branch bank of the
United States at this point. This bank was opened in 1817 under the
auspices of the following gentlemen: Stephen Ormsby, President; Wm.
Cochran, Cashier; G. C. Gwathmey, Teller; Alfred Thruston, First
Bookkeeper; Thomas Bullitt, D. L. Ward, Richard Furguson, M. D., Norburn,
B. Beale, Thomas Prather, John H. Clark, Henry Massie, Charles S. Todd,
Wm. S. Vernon, James C. Johnson, M. D., John Gwathmey and James D.
Breckinridge, Directors. It was situated at the north-east corner of Fifth
and Main Streets. This bank does not however seem to have been more
agreeable to the citizens than were its predecessors. “It is very
evident,” says the first historian of the city, “that the people of this
country are ruining themselves by banking institutions as fast as they
cleverly can.” The history of this bank does not present any different
features from that of its sister branches.
The next important event in this year was the building of the Presbyterian
Church. This edifice was erected on the west side of Fourth Street,
between Market and Jefferson, on the north-west corner of the alley. It
was a neat, plain, but spacious building. The interior was divided into
three rows of pews, and was furnished with galleries on three sides; the
exterior was brick, and was adorned with a steeple in which was a belfry
and a superb bell. Its first pastor was Rev. D. C. Banks. This church was
destroyed by fire in 1836. All who were residents in the city at that time
will remember this conflagration. The building took fire in the evening
during a meeting of the church. The efforts of the citizens to preserve it
from destruction were energetic and continued, but unavailing. When it was
found that it was no longer possible to save the building, all efforts
were directed toward the preservation of the bell. This splendid
instrument, the first large bell ever in the city, was esteemed and
venerated to a degree far beyond that which is usually felt for inanimate
objects; it had a hold upon the affections of all ages, sexes and classes
of people, as well the inhabitants as those who visited the city
periodically. It was used to announce all public tidings, whether of
meetings, fires, or deaths. Its clear and silvery notes were heard for
miles around, and brought joy, or terror, or wo to a thousand hearts; all
within the sound of its mighty tongue had learned to know and love its
voice; and now, that its destruction was threatened, a thousand hearts
thrilled with fear of its loss or throbbed with hope of its salvation.
Still the devouring element crept on apace, and still, like the old
sacristan of Saint Nicholas, stood the ringer at his post, and still went
on the loud clanging alarum of the bell. Soon the pillars which supported
the dome of the belfry were wrapt in sheets of flame, but the alarm peal
still rang on as if the imprisoned monster was yet undespairing, and cried
aloud “to the rescue!” Then the falling timbers and flakes of fire drove
the ringer from his post. For a while the bell still pealed on “in a
clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,” till at last the wheel on
which it hung was wrapped in flames. Then came its despair, and as spoke
after spoke burnt from the wheel, it slowly tolled—tolled its own
death-knell; heedless it was of the brilliant coruscations of flame that
fell in showers around it, as the covering of the dome broke from its
fastenings and shot upward in the light and then fell, leaving a train of
fire to mark its path; heedless of the soaring flames, of the upgazing
crowd; thinking only of its approaching dissolution. Slowly and solemnly
it tolled the funeral knell, and with the last stroke of its hammer, and
the last dazzling off-shoot from the dome, tower, bell, and dome all came
down with a tremendous crash. The crowd had ceased to work, had ceased to
speak; all eyes were upon the self-ringing bell, and all felt the poetic
power and beauty of the incident. And now that it was fallen, no single
voice sent up the hurrah, no rude sound desecrated the moment. The engines
again began their combat, and all went on as before. The bell was the next
day exhumed from its bed and carried away by piecemeal to be kept as
relics of the incident of its death-struggle.
The second event of this year was the incorporation of a hospital company
which consisted of twelve prominent citizens, who were authorized to
obtain a sum not exceeding $50,000, to be applied to this purpose. Mr.
Thos. Prather contributed five, and Mr. Cuthbert Bullitt two acres of land
as a site for the institution. This establishment was supported by a duty
of two per cent, on auction sales in Louisville. Its interests are fully
set forth in the wretchedly written preamble of the act incorporating it,
which is as follows:
“Whereas it is represented, that of those engaged in navigating the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers, many persons, owing to the fatigue and exposure
incident to long voyages, become sick and languish at the town of
Louisville, where the commerce in which they are engaged sustains a pause,
occasioned by the falls of the Ohio river; that the charity of the
citizens of that town and county is no longer able to minister to those
poor unfortunate persons, the support and attention which the necessities
of the latter, and the humanity of the former would seem to demand and
prescribe; that the growing character of Louisville, as a place as well of
import as of export, and the growing commerce of this State and of the
western country connected with that place threatens to throw an increased
mass of sick upon the citizens of that town and country, to the comfort
and support of whom the resources subject to the exactions of charity
would be unequal, and applied as individual sympathy might dictate,
unavailing; and that it would be wise and humane to incorporate an
institution at that place, for the relief, sustenance, comfort and
restoration of the poor and the afflicted of the description aforesaid:
Wherefore, &c.” In 1811, the Legislature made a donation of $10,000, and
in 1822 a similar gift of $7,500 to this hospital. It is now in the hands
of the city, and is used as a clinique by the medical schools here. The
original building yet stands, but has been remodeled and improved.
In this year the small-pox made fearful ravages in the town, and, “owing,”
as Dr. McMurtrie says, “to the slothful negligence of the civil
authorities, it was impossible to prevent its innoculating the place for
several years.”
The last incident which will be mentioned in connection with this year was
a dinner given on the 27th of April, 1817, to Capt. H. M. Shreve, as a
testimony of the consideration in which he was held as a steamboat
navigator, and particularly with a view to congratulate him on the very
expeditious voyage he had performed from Louisville to New Orleans and
back. This voyage was made by the steamer Washington, and, as will be seen
by reference to the list of steamboats published in the earlier part of
this volume, was performed in the very brief period of forty-five days!
Capt. De Hart was also invited to partake of this dinner, the committee
assuring him of their highest respect, and that they would have been early
to make him public testimonials of this respect but for fear that it would
be construed into a countenance of the course the concern to which he was
attached, has been, and is pursuing. Reference is here had to the Fulton
and Livingston Company, who were still seeking to monopolize the
navigation of the western rivers. Mr. Norborn B. Beale was President, and
Maj. C. P. Luckett Vice President, on this occasion. The Committee of
Invitation consisted of J. Headington, Levi Tyler and Jas. A. Pearce.
Toasts were drunk to several of the Presidents, to the 19 United States,
to the Ohio and Mississippi, to the State of Louisiana, to New York, to
Fulton, Shreve, De Hart and others. The following toast shows that
Louisville had yet some fears of the rivalry of her neighbors: 12th. “Our
Sister-towns of Lexington and Frankfort—let us have equal privileges in
a fair competition, that local advantages and individual enterprise may
insure pre-eminence.” It is said that at this dinner, Mr. Shreve predicted
that a trip from New Orleans to Louisville would be effected in ten or
twelve days, but this was looked upon rather as the dream of an enthusiast
than as the sober calculations of a sagacious man. Mr. Shreve, however,
and many of his hosts lived to see the prediction more than fulfilled.
The earliest event in the next year which deserves notice here, was the
death of General George Rogers Clarke. The remains of this distinguished
man, who was so intimately connected with the earlier history of
Louisville, were interred at his residence at Locust Grove on the 15th
February, 1818. The members of the bar and a large assemblage of persons
attended. Rev. Mr. Banks officiated on the occasion, and John Rowan, Esq.,
delivered the funeral oration. Minute guns were fired during the ceremony
under the direction of Capt. Minor Sturgus, and the whole procession was
conducted in a very solemn manner. The members of the bar of the Circuit
Court, and the few remaining officers of the revolution in the
neighborhood, resolved to wear crape on the left arm for thirty days, as a
testimony of respect to the deceased hero. The spot where his remains now
rest is yet unmarked by a stone.
We are enabled to present the reader with a price current published during
this year. No document could be offered which would give a more definite
idea of the state of commerce at this period. It is as follows:
| Bagging—30c. |
|
Whisky—62@75c. |
|
Corn—42@62. |
| Cotton—33@35c. |
|
Glass—8x10, $14@15. |
|
Molasses—$1 50. |
| Wheat—60@75c. |
|
White Lead—$6. |
|
Tobacco—$4 75@5. |
| Coffee—35@37c. No demand—scarce. |
|
Sugar—16@18c. |
| Teas—$2 25@2 50. |
|
Oats—42@50c. |
FREIGHTS.
| Tobacco, 1c per lb. |
|
Flour, $1 50 per bbl. |
|
Pork and Whisky, $2 per bbl. |
| Light Freight, 6c per lb. |
Heavy Freight, 4½c per lb. |
By the assessment of this year the value of lots in the town is computed
at $3,131,463.
About the 24th of November, Louisville boasted another Bank. This was the
Commercial Bank of Louisville. Its officers were: Levi Tyler, President;
Abijah Bayless, Cashier; J. C. Blair, Clerk. Its paper is said by Dr.
McMurtrie, to have been in as good credit as that of the United States
Bank. Its capital is computed by him at $1,000,000. More recent accounts
however, do not speak so favorably of its affairs.
On the 1st of July, still of this year, Mr. S. Penn commenced the
publication of the Public Advertiser here; a paper which for editorial
talent and skill, as well as for political influence, has been equalled by
few and exceeded by none in the United States.
In 1819, Dr. McMurtrie, of whom mention has been so often made in these
pages, published his Sketches of Louisville. That part of his book which
refers directly to the city is comprised in about one hundred pages. The
whole book however contains about two hundred and fifty pages, 16mo; it
was published by Mr. S. Penn, and is a very creditable specimen of the art
of book-making. The greater part of the volume is filled with scientific
researches, and in an appendix there is placed an account of the
earthquakes by Jared Brooks, Esq. There is also a scientific catalogue of
the plants found in the vicinity of the city, and a history of the
geological and antiquarian remains of this part of the country. Of the
value of this information in a scientific point of view, we are not
prepared to speak; the “Sketches” present, doubtless a very correct view
of Louisville, as it was in 1819. Notwithstanding this book has been so
often drawn upon for isolated facts in the course of this history, it will
not be considered unfair to offer the reader still another extract,
showing a sort of daguerreotype view of the city as it then was; and this
will be the more pardonable as the book itself is no longer “in print.”
Dr. McMurtrie says: “There are at this time in Louisville six hundred and
seventy dwelling houses, principally brick ones, some of which would
suffer little by being compared with any of the most elegant private
edifices of Philadelphia or New York. It was calculated pretty generally
that from two hundred and fifty to three hundred brick buildings would
have been erected during the last summer, but such was the scarcity of
money, that not more than twelve to fourteen were completed; preparations,
however, are making to proceed rapidly in the business in the ensuing
season, the influx of strangers being so great, that many of them can
scarcely find shelter. The population now amounts to 4500 souls; so rapid
is the increase of this number that in all probability, it will be trebled
in less than ten years.
“Commercial cities of all newly settled countries, whose inhabitants are
gathered from every corner of the earth, who have immigrated thither with
but one single object in view, that of acquiring money, are stamped with
no general character, except that of frugality, attention to business, and
an inordinate attachment to money. Absorbed in this great interest of
adding dollar upon dollar, no time is devoted to literature or the
acquirement of those graceful nothings which, of no value in themselves,
still constitute one great charm of polished society. Such is the
character of the inhabitants of this place in general, ‘ma ogni medaglio
ha il suo reverso.’ There is a circle, small ’tis true, but within whose
magic round abounds every pleasure that wealth, regulated by taste, or
urbanity can bestow. There the ‘red heel’ of Versailles may imagine
himself in the emporium of fashion, and whilst leading beauty through the
mazes of the dance, forget that he is in the wilds of America. The
theater, public and private balls, a sober game of whist, or the more
scientific one of billiards, with an occasional re-union of friends around
the festive board, constitute the principal amusements; and it is with
pleasure I am able to assert, without fear of contradiction, that gaming
forms no part of them. Whatever may have been the case formerly, there
is hardly at the present day, a vestige to be seen of this ridiculous and
disgraceful practice; and if it exists at all, it is only to be found in
the secret dens of midnight swindlers, within whose walls once to enter
is dishonor, infamy, and ruin.”
The prices of lots at this time were about $300 per foot for those
occupying the best situations.
The following list if compared with the similar one for 1815, published a
few pages earlier, will give the reader a very correct idea of the ratio
of progress here for four years. There were at this time in Louisville:
| 3 Banks, |
|
36 Wholesale & Retail Stores, |
|
14 Wholesale & Com’n Stores, |
| 3 Bookstores, |
|
3 Printing Offices, |
|
3 Drugstores, |
| 1 Nail Factory, |
|
28 Groceries, |
|
2 Confectioner’s Shops, |
| 2 Hotels, |
|
4 good Taverns, |
|
6 Bakehouses, |
| 10 Blacksmiths, |
|
6 Saddlers, |
|
2 Carriagemakers, |
| 8 Tailors, |
|
1 Silver Plater, |
|
1 Gunsmith, |
| 3 Watchmakers, |
|
10 Cabinetmakers, |
|
3 Chair Factories, |
| 1 Stone Cutter, |
|
1 Upholsterer, |
|
1 Potter, |
| 4 Turners, |
|
5 Hatters, |
|
200 Carpenters, |
| 30 Plasterers, |
|
6 Shoemakers, |
|
150 Bricklayers, |
| 12 Lawyers, |
|
22 Physicians, |
|
1 Brass Foundry, |
| 6 Brickyards, |
|
1 Air Foundry, |
|
1 Steam Engine Factory, |
| 2 Breweries, |
|
2 Steam Saw Mills, |
|
2 Distilleries, |
| 1 Music store. |
|
5 Tobacco Factories. |
|
1 Sugar Refinery. |
We find by an advertisement in the Courier of February 12th, in this year,
that J. J. Audubon, the world-renowned ornithologist, was at that time
endeavoring to procure a class in drawing, and was offering to paint
portraits here, which his advertisement promises shall be “strong
likenesses.” This gentleman was for some time a resident of this city. His
son was for many years employed as a clerk in the store of Mr. N. Berthoud
at Shippingport.
On the 23d of June, 1819, the President of the United States and suite,
accompanied by Gen. Jackson and suite, arrived in Louisville, where they
remained until the following Saturday. A public dinner and a ball was
given to these distinguished persons, and general hilarity and good
feeling distinguished the occasion.
This chapter, as well as the history of this year will be concluded with a
string of rhymes which, though not highly meritorious in themselves, still
serve to show the feelings of the people in regard to the much-talked-of
apathy of their rulers, and let us into the history of the times as fully
as would the graver chroniclers. These versicles are said to be extracts
from a letter.
“You know I informed you when I landed here,
This town was not handsome, and living darned dear,
The streets were all ponds, and I’m told the Trustees
Had sooner wade thro’ them, quite up to the knees,
Than incur the expense to have them drained off.
Complain to their honors, they sneer, laugh or scoff,
And say, we’ve no money; and you very well know,
Without this intercessor the mare will not go.
******
’Tis whispered about, how true I shan’t say,
The people’s oft taxed, and always made pay;
And who handles the cash? the Lord only knows,
Or what road it travels—for what, it all goes—
Is a mystery to all; no improvements they see,
’Tis sarcastically said, there never will be.
If the great men of fortune don’t aid or direct
The improvement of town, it will ne’er take effect.
Alas, these poor souls, if they secure their own health,
Let us wallow in mud, while they’re rolling in wealth!
Could you see these great folks, I protest you would laugh,
And swear on each body stuck the head of a calf.
I’d say you were right—with hearts hard as a stone;
When applied to for alms or asked for a loan.
******
Before I left home, one night at aunt Kate’s
A confab we had concerning new States,
I then said what since to my sorrow proved true,
When settled in old States never emigrate to new,
You called me false prophet, said to Louisville hie,
Which for beauty and commerce would with Boston soon vie,
And moreover you said a great man I could be,
If I’d take for my text: boys, huzza, we’re all free.
Dear sir, how you erred, Kentucky’s quite changed;
If you say here, we’re free, folks vow you deranged,
For our keen wealthy Yankees located here,
Rule the natives by art, it cannot be fear;
For I’ve seen them so rave, curse and swear so uncivil;
’Twould shake ‘steady habits’ quite as much as the d——l.
******
Now you’ll own without money man here has less chance
Than Don Quixote in combat, deprived of his lance.
