Winchester in 1812-14

Pam Brinegar September 1999

Source: The Winchester Democrat, Clark County, Kentucky, 26 February 1915

The Democrat is pleased to give to its readers in this issue one of the most interesting historical articles that has ever appeared in its columns. Every reader should preserve this valuable information for it is certainly worth a place in the scrap book. We are deeply indebted to Prof. R.S. Cotterill, who was until recently a valuable member of the faculty of the Kentucky Wesleyan College, but now a resident of Madison, Wisconsin. In research, Prof. Cotterill accidentally found some interesting history of Clark county which he promises to the Democrat. Prof. Cotterill is an historian of great ability and it has been suggested that Kentucky should urge him to compile a true history of the Commonwealth. His first article follows:

At the time of our second war with Great Britain, Winchester had reached the mature age of 21 years. It now contained some four hundred and fifty inhabitants who were already beginning to talk of the great future of their "city." Winchester was in fact the seventh town of Kentucky in size and the first in optimism. Louisville, Lexington, Maysville, Washington, Paris and Frankfort outranked it on the former count. The buildings of the town numbering not over one hundred, were grouped for the most part, along Main street--the only thoroughfare with an official label. There were scattered dwellings along the road that led to Lexington, Paris, Mt. Sterling and Boonesborough. It may be said at this point that there were two roads to Lexington--Todds' and Strode's--and that the main road to Boonesborough was down Lower Howard's Creek.

The industrial center of Winchester in 1812-14 was not in Winchester at all but down along the afore-mentioned creek. Here were located the factories--the fulling houses, the tanneries and the grain mills. This was one of the largest factory centers west of the Alleghenies in 1812 and had a wide reputation. The road from the now reservoir to the Kentucky river was lined with houses every hundred yards and the Howard Creek settlements promised great developments. The ruins of some of these places are still to be seen, but otherwise the creek is given over to the black bass and negroes--though I have never seen the bass.

Winchester in 1812-14 enjoyed (or at least possessed) one newspaper of considerable influence. This was the Advertiser, a four-page publication, issued every Saturday by Martin and Patten. It was printed in a brick building opposite the then post office. The subscription was $2.50 per year if paid within three months after subscribing and $3.00 if paid at the end of the year. The editors apparently did not think it worth while to give rates of advance payments; it was evidently a remote contingency. The editor requested that all letters to him be prepaid.

From the columns of the Advertiser many things can be gleaned concerning the Winchester of that time. Educational facilities were provided by the Winchester Academy. In 1814 this was under the direction of Mr. Amzi Lewsi late of New York, who undertook to give instruction in "Spelling, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, English Grammar, the Latin and Greek languages and the various branches of Mathematics," not such a light task for one lone man considering that he had also to provide the rod wielding that formed such a big item in the educational bill of fare.

The people of Winchester were able in 1814 to maintain a Library. The Advertiser of Sept 2nd contains a call from Samuel Hanson, Secretary, for a meeting in J. Ritchie's store of the share holders for the purpose of electing new directors. It is astonishing to note the quantity and quality of the books read by early Kentuckians. Ponderous tomes of History and Travel and dry treatises on ethics and politics formed the bulk of the work. The willingness to read such formidable books was probably due largely to the fact that newspapers were scarce and amusements few.

In fact, there were but two mails per week for Winchester from the east. These came over the old Indian road from Pittsburg, via Chillicothe, Marietta, Maysville and Paris. Theoretically the mails arrived on Mondays and Fridays, but in actual practice they came according to their own sweet will. This unethical conduct aroused the choler in Advertiser to just wrath, as it depended on the eastern newspapers for the news. It may be said in passing that the Advertiser contained no local news but was made up of extracts from the eastern papers. That the mails did actually arrive, however, is evident by the list in the Advertiser of Oct. 8th, of nearly one hundred people whose mail lay at the post-office uncalled for. This large number cannot be accounted for even by the fact that the grand jury was in session. Thomas Pickett was postmaster.

The leading hostelry of Winchester at that time was the Winchester Hotel. This was originally under the management of Edmund Calloway, but in November 1814, passed into the hands of Hay Taliaferro who, as is evident from the Advertiser ran a tavern calculated to satisfy the wants of men and beasts.

The advertising columns of the Advertiser are, on the whole the most interesting part of the paper. From them we learn that Dillard _____ was willing to pay ten dollars _________ slave, Reuben, and that a similar reward was offered for the return of one Scipio, who had taken French leave from his master, Joseph Gatewood, on Howard's Creek--the said Scipio having donned a suit of Gatewood's clothes when he set out for pastures new.

From the advertising too we learn that Joshua Lampton was running a livery stable and that Geo. C. Taylor & co., were paying the highest cash price for tobacco provided it were delivered at the official warehouse on Kentucky river. All tobacco at that time had to be "inspected" by state officers and that the "highest cash price" hovered around two cents. A notice appears of an overcoat found in the Friends Meeting House: one of J.L. Hickman "begging, soliciting, praying and inviting" his customers to come and settle up and one of Walter Karrick offering to trade a negro woman for "whiskey, cyder and flour." It would be interesting to know what was the rate of exchange between these commodities and human flesh.

The business life of Winchester seemed in 1814 to be well on an equality with the other conditions. There were ten mercantile establishments advertising regularly and apparently carrying a full line of goods. The most important of these judging from their ads were Cast and Halley, Clark and Pelham, Browning & Co., Coons and Crosthwait and Edward McGuire. These all brought their goods from Philadelphia going to that city every autumn to lay in their stock. These goods were brought overland from Philadelphia, then down the Ohio to Limestone and thence on wagons to Winchester. A slight advance of 200 per cent over the Philadelphia price was the result of this means of transportation. The merchants had two prices--a cash and credit--the latter being the higher. Cash, however, was scarce and produce was taken by the merchants. Tobacco certificates played a great part in the trading system. Under the head of merchandise the merchants advertised Bibles, playing cards, brass kettles, patent medicines and may other things.

Finally, the advertising columns of the Advertiser contained frequent notices from the Winchester benedicts that they would not consider themselves responsible for the debts of their wives. This perhaps throws some light on the ability of so many "merchandise" houses to do business and also explains the necessity Mr. Hickman was under for "begging, soliciting, praying and inviting" his customers to settle up.