Cheapside
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Cheapside. A log schoolhouse on east side of public square was one of first buildings outside fort walls, 1782. Here, the first teacher, John McKinney, was attacked by a wildcat. A stone market house was built in 1795, and the surrounding square became a popular trading center. Court day was held each month until 1921. See over. Presented by Lexington-Fayette Co. Historic Commission. (Reverse) Lexington Courthouses - East of Cheapside is the public square, where courthouses of Lexington have stood since 1788. The present edifice is fifth courthouse, the fourth on this site. It was built during 1898-1900, after fire destroyed fourth courthouse and the famous statue "Woman Triumphant" by Kentucky sculptor Joel Tanner Hart. Over. Presented by Lexington-Fayette Co. Historic Commission.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
One of the first buildings to rise outside Lexington's fort walls was a log schoolhouse on the east side of the public square in 1782, where the first teacher, John McKinney, was famously attacked by a wildcat. A stone market house followed in 1795, and the square grew into a bustling trading center whose monthly court day continued until 1921. Just east stood a succession of courthouses, the present one built in 1898-1900 after fire destroyed its predecessor along with Joel Tanner Hart's celebrated statue "Woman Triumphant."
Why it matters
Cheapside is the civic heart of early Lexington, where the frontier town's first school, market, and courthouses anchored the making of the "Athens of the West."
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Related people
- · John McKinney
- · Joel Tanner Hart
Themes & tags
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