SH Archive 1897 Lexington Courthouse. Destroyed by Fire.

[KD Archive]

Some things are simply not meant to be walked by. Here we have ruins of the Lexington Courthouse. It was allegedly destroyed by fire in 1897. The below photograph is also dated with 1897. Do you see any fire damage anywhere? Please make sure to check out the Kentucky Digital Library for the source of this photograph. It has a pretty good original - 2424x1782:

• Link

What really happened to this building?

"Court House, Lexington. Ruins after it burned Spring of 1897", 1897

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This is what this 4th Courthouse of Lexington looked like in 1890.

Fourth Courthouse (1883-1897) | Lexington History Museum​

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[Timeshifter]

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Username: Timeshifter
Date: 2019-09-22 07:56:55
Reaction Score: 2

It looks to me more like the interior has been vapourised, leaving just the shell. We have seen this before, trees and poles left un harmed...

Notice the HUGE books piled up on the street? Better get those out 1st......

 

[Mike Nolan]

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Username: WarningGuy
Date: 2019-09-22 09:33:18
Reaction Score: 1

The building itself looks very old, look at the moss, cracks and quite weathered. Most of the bottom floor still has glass in the windows yet the second floor has been detonated from the inside blowing the roof off and windows out .
The books could of been blown out like the rest of it and then been picked up off the street and stacked there.

Post automatically merged: 9/22/19

The building itself looks very old, look at the moss, cracks and quite weathered. Most of the bottom floor still has glass in the windows yet the second floor has been detonated from the inside blowing the roof off and windows out .
The books could of been blown out like the rest of it and then been picked up off the street and stacked there.

Nice light bulb.
Why does it look like there all looking at the stacked up book ?

Post automatically merged: 9/22/19

The building itself looks very old, look at the moss, cracks and quite weathered. Most of the bottom floor still has glass in the windows yet the second floor has been detonated from the inside blowing the roof off and windows out .
The books could of been blown out like the rest of it and then been picked up off the street and stacked there.

Post automatically merged: 9/22/19

Nice light bulb.
Why does it look like there all looking at the stacked up book ?

 

[Archive]

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Username: jd755
Date: 2019-09-22 11:46:08
Reaction Score: 1

Lintels over the second floor windows extreme left and right show burning/smoke/soot damage. The black bits. Seen clearer on this photo of another side of the building along with nearly all the second floor window lintels displaying blackened stone. From here; Fourth Courthouse (1883-1897) | Lexington History Museum

Which is also credited to Bullock but it isn't at the collection the Kentucky Uni has online, interesting.
Interesting contemporary report here; Lexington, KY Fayette County Court House Fire, May 1897 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods


COURT HOUSE BURNED.
BUILDING DESTROYED BUT RECORDS WERE SAVED.
Lexington, Ky., May 14. -- Fire broke out in the attic of the court house here at 9:45 a.m., and in a few minutes the upper story and dome were in flames. Hart's statue, "Woman Triumphant" bought by Lexington women for $5,000 was in the rotunda. The court house was completely burned, and in an hour nothing remained but walls. Hart's beautiful masterpiece was destroyed in an attempt to remove it. Many of the loose records were carried out and others are in a steel vault in the basement. The court house was built ten years ago and cost $125,000. The fire started in the jury room, which was vacant. The county school superintendent was conducting an examination of fifty school children in the court room, and they were all rescued.
The firemen were helpless in the beginning, and soon deserted the court house to save surrounding buildings. A high wind prevailed, and for a time the buildings to the northeast were in great danger from flying embers. Bucket and garden-hose brigades put out many incipient fires. The Central and First National Banks and the offices of the Leader, and the Herald were in the line of fire, and were quickly emptied of books and records.
When the fire was under control it was found that the first floor and the basement were partly saved from destruction by fire, but deluged with water. In addition to the total destruction of the Hart statue many valuable paintings in the court rooms were lost. These were portraits of Henry Clay, Richard Menefee, William T. Barry, Judge Robertson, Thomas F. Marshall and other famous Kentuckians painted by Healey, Sully and other noted artists. The loss on the building is $60,000; insurance $40,000.
Logansport Journal Indiana 1897-05-15

In fact that site is a brilliant resource of disasters by type and state and Canada is also covered. Worth a peruse. GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods | Events That Touched Our Ancestors' Lives