Buildings Constitution Square Historic Site

1 buildings

1.1 post office
1.2 courthouse , jail
1.3 presbyterian meetinghouse
1.4 grayson s tavern
1.5 schoolhouse
1.6 fisher s row houses
1.7 watts–bell house
1.8 alban goldsmith house

buildings

constitution square lies between main street , walnut street on north , south, respectively, , between first street , second street on east , west, respectively. contains 1 original building – post office – , replicas of original courthouse, jail, , meetinghouse, constructed authentically possible based on available records.

post office

the post office lies @ north end of constitution square original structure. constructed sometime prior 1792 , first u.s. post office built west of allegheny mountains. thomas barbee, member of prominent family in danville, commissioned first postmaster on august 20, 1792. first mail delivered post office on november 3, 1792. located on walnut street, moved present location in 1950 danville , boyle county historical society , dedicated commonwealth of kentucky on august 20, 1951.

courthouse , jail

a replica of isaac hite s jail

the district of kentucky , supreme court of district of kentucky both created in 1783. when court moved danville in 1785, ordered 2 men determine cost of constructing buildings needed function, including courthouse , jail. report called assessments made on district s 4 counties construction of buildings; jefferson county assessed £431, nelson county £49, fayette county £86, , lincoln county £122. isaac hite chosen construct buildings, finished in 1785. jail built in center of square, , courthouse situated between jail , walnut street.

the district court held first session in hite s courthouse on march 14, 1785, , continued meeting there until dissolution in 1792. additionally, kentucky council of war used courthouse meeting place, , between 1785 , 1792, series of ten constitutional conventions held there. these conventions produced first kentucky constitution, adopted in 1792. after, original courthouse replaced two-story brick courthouse.

little known of jail built isaac hite. court records show built of hewn logs no less 9 inches (23 cm) thick , have @ least 2 cells. replica courthouse stands in constitution square completed in 1942. houses several personal items belonging kentucky s first governor, isaac shelby, including hunting bag, powder flask, surveyor s instruments, , chair in died. courthouse contains portrait of shelby , native american artifacts found in vicinity.

presbyterian meetinghouse

tradition holds john crow constructed meetinghouse on square in danville prior 1784, first meetinghouse described in surviving records constructed in mid-1784 use presbyterian minister david rice. replica of meetinghouse constructed in constitution square in 1942. single-story log structure has small bell tower on top. rice s original meetinghouse first used newly formed concorde presbyterian congregation, first presbyterian congregation in kentucky. james crawford , tereh templin, first 2 presbyterian ministers in kentucky, ordained @ meetinghouse on november 10, 1785.

grayson s tavern

benjamin grayson constructed grayson s tavern in danville sometime around 1785. asymmetrical, ell-shaped building faces south onto walnut street front entrance on south , side entrance on west, opens onto constitution square. mary akin memorial herb garden, located behind grayson s tavern, features variety of herbs commonly cultivated in area during late 18th , 19th century, including chives, fennel, honeysuckle, lavender, rosemary, sage, , thyme. garden maintained garden club of danville , named 1 of long-time members.

a replica of grayson s tavern

the danville political club, debating society existed between 1786 , 1790, held meetings @ tavern. many members of society went on become prominent political leaders @ state , national levels. eleven of club s thirty members participate in @ least 1 of ten constitutional conventions helped separate kentucky virginia. among members kentucky s first secretary of state (and future u.s. senator louisiana), james brown; third governor, christopher greenup; chief justice of kentucky court of appeals, george muter; federal judges harry innes, william mcclung, , samuel mcdowell; congressmen willis green, stephen ormsby, thomas speed, david walker, , matthew walton; u.s. senator john brown; , thomas todd, justice of supreme court of united states. existence of club lost history until speed s grandson, thomas speed ii, discovered extensive minutes of meetings grandfather, club secretary, had taken , stored in desk drawer. younger speed later published these minutes own commentary club, in opined full , complete biographies of of members present history of kentucky beginning of settlement past first quarter of ensuing century. 1 of few extant references club outside speed s meeting minutes entry in journal of u.s. army paymaster named major beatty; while staying overnight @ grayson s tavern, beatty recorded , companions disturbed political club met in next house slept , kept awake till 12 or 1 o clock.

in 1787, benjamin grayson sold tavern robert craddock, subsequently converted private residence. replica stands in constitution square houses offices of convention , tourism bureau , great american brass band festival. when boyle county took on constitution square, fiscal court agreed waive rent paid convention , tourism bureau in exchange in-kind services managing park jointly boyle county industrial foundation. danville mayor bernie hunstad opposed arrangement, fearing park management dilute both organizations primary missions of bringing jobs area. in march 2013, hunstad resigned ex-officio membership on boyle county industrial foundation in protest.

schoolhouse

little known of brick schoolhouse faces west onto constitution square , stands between watts-bell house , grayson s tavern. local tradition holds dates approximately same time buildings near , housed private school. according danville-boyle county convention , visitors bureau, constructed around 1820 , first brick schoolhouse west of allegheny mountains. single-story, two-room edifice built upon fieldstone foundation brick laid in common bond , off-center entrance transom above. while constitution square part of state park system, park manager lived in schoolhouse. after park s transfer boyle county, schoolhouse converted conference center meeting space.

fisher s row houses

jeremiah fisher constructed 2 row houses, joined common wall , constructed of brick laid in flemish bond, near city square in 1817. these houses lay on second street , face west onto constitution square. fisher owned , rented these houses until 1850, after sold them used tenements until @ least 1940s. wilderness trace art league , boyle county historical society museum occupied row houses, before park s purchase county. houses danville-boyle county chamber of commerce, arts commission of danville-boyle county, , communications department of danville boyle-county economic development partnership.

watts–bell house

the watts–bell house constructed william watts local merchant david bell in 1816. appears have been constructed public use. bell s son, future legislator , lieutenant governor joshua fry bell, reared in house. lies between fisher s row houses , grayson s tavern on second street , faces west onto constitution square. two-story, asymmetrical house laid in flemish bond queen closers. beginning in 1839, danville literary , social club met in house. before dissolution 2010, danville/boyle county historical society museum headquartered here. contains executive offices , conference room used danville-boyle county economic development partnership.

alban goldsmith house

the alban goldsmith house constructed sometime prior 1820. story-and-a-half brick edifice laid in common bond flemish bond facade on front. 3 gabled windows added facade many years after construction. interior chimneys corbels on top adorn each end of house. faces west onto second street, away constitution square, , opposite ephraim mcdowell house across street.

the house owned dr. alban goldsmith, studied medicine ephraim mcdowell. when mcdowell performed first ovariotomy, goldsmith acted assistant. goldsmith later found louisville medical institute. in 1827, goldsmith sold house jefferson polk, newspaper publisher, later doctor practiced briefly in danville before moving perryville, kentucky.

the alban goldsmith house contains constitution square museum store , heart of danville, local economic development organization.