My Old Confederate Home

by Rusty Williams

  But the Lexington veterans were deaf to the statewide support that Young orchestrated.

  Legislation establishing a home for Kentucky's needy Confederate veterans passed with only one dissenting vote and was signed by Governor Beckham on March 27, 1902. (Senator R. H. Fleming, a Federal veteran from Covington, explained why he voted in favor of the ex-Confederates. “I faced these men for four years,” he said, “and I have an abiding respect for them.”)20 The new law created an institution to be known as the Kentucky Confederate Home, and it contained four key provisions.

  First, the bill required that the Confederate veterans (or their friends or sympathizers) deed to the commonwealth an appropriate residence on at least thirty acres of land, fully furnished and ready for the care and custody of at least twenty-five persons. The ex-Confederates must convey clear title to the secretary of state, and the governor's office must inspect and approve the facility, before the state would make any payment for the operation of the Home.

  Second, the state would provide $125 a year for every resident enrolled in the Home (or a lump sum of $10,000, whichever was greater) for operation of the Home. The state's $10,000 annual payment allowed the ex-Confederates to count on a minimum annual revenue; the $125 annual per capita payment protected the ex-Confederates in the unlikely event that more than 80 veterans sought refuge in the Home.

  Third, all residents of the Home must be able to prove their active military service for the Confederate States of America and their honorable discharge or parole at the termination of the war.

  And fourth, the governor would appoint an active and involved board of trustees consisting of ex-Confederates or their sons to manage the Home. The fifteen trustees would have complete financial and operational control of the Home, and they would not be paid for their services. The act required that the trustees elect their own board president, treasurer, and secretary. The board would meet at the Home at least three times annually and would provide a detailed financial accounting the first of every year.

  Governor Beckham named his fifteen appointments to the Home's board of trustees within a week of signing the bill.

  Bennett Young's appointment to the Kentucky Confederate Home board of trustees was no surprise. Neither were the appointments of Harry P. McDonald and William O. Coleman, the legislators who had introduced the Home bills in the General Assembly. Governor Beckham also appointed General Fayette Hewitt, former state auditor, in whose Frankfort bank much of the state's cash was held. The rest of the board members—all of them active ex-Confederates—were politically and geographically balanced, with trustees selected from the strongest Democratic counties of western and central Kentucky. (Lexington's Confederate veterans were not represented on the board.)

  The fifteen new trustees gathered for the first time at noon on May 6, 1902, in a conference room of the Courier-Journal Building in Louisville. They were serious men, all of them big fish in their respective ponds. Each had a nodding acquaintance with the others from business dealings, political conventions, or veterans’ reunions; but only Bennett Young and Fayette Hewitt had statewide reputations. As a first order of business, a state clerk on hand for the occasion administered an oath of just, impartial, and honest service to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.21

  No sooner had the clerk set down his Bible than William O. Coleman rose to nominate Bennett Young president of the board. With little discussion (and no dissent), Young was elected by acclamation.

  The election of officers continued, with Fayette Hewitt named treasurer, Leland Hathaway of Winchester vice-president, and Harry P. McDonald secretary. These four board officers, along with former Confederate chaplain Dr. Lindsay H. Blanton of Danville, would serve as the board's executive committee.

  Coleman stood again to offer a resolution, this time typewritten (with revisions already made in pencil in Bennett Young's handwriting). Coleman's resolution—also approved with little discussion and by acclamation—instructed the board's secretary to advertise for proposals from individuals or communities for property suitable for use as the Kentucky Confederate Home.

  Following adoption of a final resolution thanking Governor Beckham and members of the state legislature for their “generous, kindly and brotherly act” in passing the Confederate Home bill, the board adjourned to await real estate proposals.

  Sometime following that first board meeting, John Leathers turned over his subscription book of pledged contributions to Fayette Hewitt and showed him the bad news.

  Early reports of successful fundraising and the passage of legislation providing payment to operate the Home may have convinced many Kentuckians that there was no need for further contributions. In fact, the ex-Confederates were still far short of their $25,000 goal. Furthermore, every penny of that $25,000 would be needed to acquire at least thirty acres of land, improve it, build the necessary structure, then furnish it for occupancy by no fewer than twenty-five residents. By the spring of 1902, however, subscriptions were stalled at about $8,000, not including the Parr house.22

  Leland Hathaway took it upon himself to write the Kentucky UCV camps, urging them to dig deeper. Clearly, money was going to be a problem.

  “The establishing of the Home would be a big thing for any place selected,” one newspaper publisher wrote. “That this has been thoroughly understood is best evidenced by the variety of places applying. The chief towns all over the state want it.”23

  It didn't take long for communities (and entrepreneurs) around the state to realize that a state-funded institution in their midst could be an attractive proposition. The Home would provide local employment and business for local merchants. And communities could expect the Home to bring visitors who would eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels.

  Owensboro wanted the Home. Glasgow did, too. And Bowling Green. And Frankfort. And Versailles, Nicholasville, Winchester, Bardstown, and Franklin. All announced plans to prepare proposals for the Home's board of trustees.24 Even the publisher of the Lexington Leader, ignoring the sentiment of his own local veterans, wrote that “Lexington should get to work to secure [this] valuable institution.” He reminded merchants that the Home would “serve as a constant source of revenue to the inhabitants of the lucky town.”25

  The trustees knew they would be giving some town a windfall, so, with money short, they decided to squeeze bidders to sweeten their offers with incentives.

  “To Communities and Individuals Desiring to Make Proposals for the Location of the Kentucky Confederate Home.” An ad for site proposals was placed in newspapers around the state during May and June. “Each proposal must state the amount of land offered [and] the amount of money to be given in case the location is accepted.” The proposal also asked for information about existing buildings on the property, proximity to railroads, and water supplies.26

  Some communities weren't shy about squeezing back.

  In response to a fundraising letter, the commander of the UCV camp in Bardstown wrote Fayette Hewitt “that the members are too poor to subscribe to the Home, but that outsiders might contribute” if the Home were to be located in that county. (The board primly voted that the amount contributed by any camp would not influence the choice of location.)27

  The mail brought the board more solid proposals, too—and plenty of them.

  At their meeting on July 2, 1902, the board's executive committee opened bids on twenty-three properties in fifteen towns. (Promoters in Owensboro submitted proposals for seven properties; Louisville and Shelbyville, two each.) With proposals still rolling in, Bennett Young appointed a Committee on Visitation to inspect each of the properties and report to the board.28

  By the end of July, with more than forty proposals in hand, the Committee on Visitation reported they wished to “respectfully call attention” to sites in Owensboro, Louisville, Frankfort, Bardstown, Harrodsburg, Hawesville, and Pewee Valley. The committee recommended that the full board physically examine each of the sites.29

  Thursday, September 4, wa
s a marathon travel and deliberation day for the board of trustees. Nine members boarded the train in Louisville at 6:00 A.M. They met the remaining trustees in Owensboro and were touring the properties there by 8:00 A.M. Back on the train an hour later, they made a brief stopover at Hawesville, then sped off for Frankfort. With barely enough time to walk the four blocks from the rail station to the proposed property and back, the fifteen men then caught the Harrodsburg train, then the shortline to Bardstown. Leaving Bardstown, they connected at Anchorage for the quick ride out to Pewee Valley and returned to a private dining room at the Galt House in Louisville that evening for a final vote.30

  There was little need for discussion; they had talked on board the train. At that point, the board of trustees had about $10,000 in solid subscriptions, plus the Parr house (which, it was now understood, had a market value closer to $4,500, considerably less than its $7,000 assessed value). From those funds they were required to purchase at least thirty acres of land, build a facility suitable to house at least twenty-five veterans, and furnish the home to be ready for immediate occupancy. Though they might be able to raise more money during the coming year (or enter into some sort of loan arrangement), there was a consensus that the Home should be opened sooner rather than later.

  The board agreed to take multiple ballots, with the site drawing the fewest votes to be eliminated before the next ballot.

  Hawesville was eliminated first. A thirty-acre plot with house and outbuildings was offered for just $5,000 (and the town would pay $3,000 of that). But the land was swampy and the water supply uncertain.

  The Owensboro offer was for a hundred level acres of tillable land, a large house, and outbuildings, all on high ground with a rail line running along the property line. But at $18,000 for the property alone, the cost was greater than the board's purse would allow. Owensboro was the second proposal to be cut.

  Bardstown boosters offered two tracts of land, one of forty acres and the other of eighty. Each tract was offered at $6,000, but a citizens committee raised $4,300 to put toward the purchase price. The properties were attractive and the price was right, but building and furnishing a suitable home on the acreage might take a year or more. Bardstown lost on the next ballot.

  Frankfort's bid was for eighty acres and the old Hendrix place, once a landmark home but now a creaking ghost's mansion overlooking the Kentucky River. The $15,000 price tag, coupled with the cost of renovating the old house, took Frankfort out of the running.

  The final ballot came down to a choice between Pewee Valley and Harrodsburg.

  The Cassell property in Harrodsburg included another landmark home, but this one was in good repair and large enough to house at least thirty residents. The property, home, and outbuildings had a price tag of $10,500, but the merchants of Harrodsburg pledged $3,000 for furnishings and improvements. Rail connections to Harrodsburg were spotty, but the town was close to the geographic center of Kentucky and almost equidistant to Lexington, Frankfort, and Louisville.

  Pewee Valley, a little village of small businesses, modest houses, comfortable summer homes, and a population of about 450, was located just sixteen miles east of Louisville. Property owner Angus Neil Gordon was offering thirty-three acres and the Villa Ridge Inn, a bankrupt luxury resort hotel built years before. The old hotel had seventy-two guest rooms (all completely furnished), dining hall, kitchen, running water, steam heat, and gas lighting. Gordon wanted $8,000 in cash and Captain Parr's Louisville property.

  The price was right; the trustees could divest themselves of the Parr property, pay Gordon, and still hold about $2,000 cash in hand. Pewee Valley was only thirty minutes by train from the busy Louisville railway hub, so it was accessible to visitors. Villa Ridge Inn could house up to 100 residents in a building meant for institutional use, and it was ready for immediate occupancy with just a bit of sprucing up.

  The final ballot tallied six for Harrodsburg and nine for Pewee Valley. A committee was appointed to examine the title and complete the purchase.

  But the long board meeting wasn't over yet. The trustees still had to select a superintendent, a salaried employee who would manage the Home and see to the care and control of its residents.

  Ten men had presented themselves to the board for the position, among them board member and state senator William O. Coleman. Coleman had polished his share of apples on behalf of Bennett Young and the Kentucky Confederate Home. He had introduced legislation for the Home, served without pay on the board of trustees, nominated Young as board president, and made boilerplate motions as needed. He needed a steady income, and he wanted this job.

  Most board members, however, favored Salem H. Ford, a Confederate veteran from Owensboro with a strong work ethic and none of Coleman's oiliness.

  Young asked Coleman to leave the room for the vote. With one abstention, the remaining trustees voted in favor of Ford over Coleman, seven to six. Salem Ford would go to work immediately to transform Pewee Valley's Villa Ridge Inn into the new Kentucky Confederate Home. The board of trustees wanted to open the Home for occupancy in October, just one year following adoption of plans for the Home at the state convention.

  After approving a statement that could be handed to a waiting Courier-Journal reporter, the weary board members finally adjourned their meeting and retired to their rooms in the Galt House.31

  Breakfast was still being served in the Galt House dining room the next morning when a storm of protest erupted in Pewee Valley. Affluent Louisvillians maintained elegant summer homes in Pewee Valley, and they weren't at all pleased with news that a public benevolent home would end up in their backyard.32

  “We are proud of the old Confederates,” one resident said, “but the people of Pewee Valley believe that an institution of [this] kind must hurt the place.”

  Judge P. B. Muir led the opposition, and his first step was a personal appeal to Governor Beckham. When he couldn't reach the governor, Muir threatened an injunction to halt the sale. The choice of Pewee Valley “will not be allowed to stand without every vigorous protest that can be made against it,” Muir vowed.

  Harry Wiessinger, a Louisville investor and summer resident of Pewee Valley, sent a public telegram to the board withdrawing his $300 pledge to the Home.

  A newspaper editor wrote, “The whole affair will become entangled in a miserable and damaging mess.”33

  Most veterans, however, thought the protest was a petty one in view of progress made by the board of trustees. “Notwithstanding there is some objection,” one veteran wrote Fayette Hewitt in a note accompanying his $25 donation, “we must congratulate the committee in getting a place so well adapted for the home and ready for occupancy.”34

  In the end, the tempest blew itself out. The board of trustees patiently explained the benefits of the Pewee Valley site to newspaper reporters; the governor supported the choice; and plans continued to have the Home operational by mid-October.35 A Richmond newspaper editor wrote the coda to the entire episode under the headline “Hard to Please,” saying that “while … a dozen other towns are tearing their hair out in their efforts to secure the Confederate Home, the citizens of Pewee Valley raise a terrible howl because they have gotten it.”36

  Though Fayette Hewitt was receiving subscription payments every day, the Kentucky Confederate Home board of trustees was feeling the same cash pinch felt by every new homebuyer: purchase insurance, replace a balky water pump, commission another survey to satisfy the county clerk.

  Cash ran so low at one point that Bennett Young was forced to sign a personal promissory note to take delivery of bed linens. Contributions of furniture, books, dishware, and wall hangings arrived daily, but cash was in short supply.

  On October 2 the board announced another fundraising scheme: the sale of naming rights to rooms in the Home. For $50, anyone could name a room in the Home and decorate it as he or she wished. The offer had special appeal to the UDC chapters, and women from all over the state began showing up in Pewee Valley, bank drafts in hand, wanting
to tour the Home and choose “their” rooms.

  Despite this last-minute infusion of cash, the board was still scrambling to meet every contingency. Attorneys discovered an encumbrance on one tract of the Villa Ridge Inn property, and the ex-Confederates needed to ante up an extra $1,000 before they could gain clear title and turn the property over to the state.

  The board of trustees didn't have an extra $1,000.

  With hat in hand, Bennett Young and Harry P. McDonald called on Mrs. Basil Duke, president of the Louisville UDC chapter. The chapter was a wealthy one and had raised $1,000 to purchase furniture for the Home. Young and McDonald explained that they needed the money right away, fully expecting the compliant ladies to turn it over for the good of the Home.

  Henrietta Morgan Duke was the sister of legendary general John Hunt Morgan and the wife of his equally legendary protégé Basil Duke. A disarmingly beautiful woman and a grand dame of Louisville society, she had the cunning and tenacity of a panther.37

  Over tea, Henrietta Duke dictated her terms to the men: the chapter would provide the money in return for seats on a Home advisory board. The name of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter must appear on the deed conveyed to Governor Beckham. The chapter will receive naming rights to five rooms in the Home. And, by the way, the board will grant the chapter permission to hold a private reception at the Home shortly after the opening.

  Young and McDonald were outranked, outflanked, and out of options. Young accepted the terms and the check for $1,000.

  Within days, however, unexpected donations from the Lexington and Louisville UCV camps (along, perhaps, with a little buyer's remorse) allowed Young to return the bank draft to Mrs. Duke. The deal was off, he said. Mrs. Duke promptly sent the check back to Bennett Young, reiterating the terms of their agreement. Young eventually asked John Leathers to return the check by depositing it in the chapter's account.