Fayette County KY - First Survey Found in 1891


The (Lexington, Kentucky) Leader, Friday, January 16, 1891.

A VERY OLD VOLUME
IT CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL SURVEY OF LEXINGTON
And the Act of Assembly Establishing the Town of Lexington--Some extracts From an Ancient Record

A musty old book, with the odor of time clinging to its yellow leaves, reposes in the vault of the Mayor's office. For a long time this book was supposed to be lost, but it transpired that it was only mislaid, and through the courtesy of Austin J. Lynch, the Mayor's Clerk, the Leader is able to tell its readers something about a record of Lexington over a century old.

The book is called "The Town Record Book." It contains the original act creating the Town of Lexington, and the original survey of Lexington, with a diagram. Although a hundred years of age, the writing is still legible. It has faded to a dark brown in color, but is done on the clear cut chirography of old-time book-keeping--almost engrossed as it were.

The original diagram of the city consists of a pen-and-ink drawing, circular in form and about three inches in diameter. It was evidently not done with mathematical instruments, as the "circle" is not round nor the lines all straight. In the center is a some-doubtful looking house, with three windows, three doors, and a couple of chimerical chimneys, consisting of straight lines. After all it is not a much worse looking structure than the old court house was, which it is intended, not to represent, but to stand for. It is labelled "C. House."

Up in the northwest corner of this diagram are two structures of debatable beauty bearing the names "Springle" and "Satterwhite." From every point radiate turnpikes, some of them bearing the names then given them yet. Most of the names have, however, been changed.

Beneath the drawing the following is written: "Surveyed by order of the Trustees of the town of Lexington 2,011 acres of land, including the court house of Fayette county in a circular figure of two miles diameter. beginning one mile southeast from the said court house at a point on the east side of the road, running thence S. 56 1/4 W, W. 125 poles to post crossing Tate's Creek road at 85 po., etc., etc.

The rest is simply an explanation of the extent of the city. It is signed "Robert Todd, S.F., March 24, 1791."

The original act creating the town of Lexington reads as follows:

Acts of Assembly--May 6, 1782
Whereas it is represented to this Assembly that 640 acres of unappropriated land in the county of Fayette, where on the court house of said county stands, have been by the settlers thereon laid out into lots and streets for a town, and that the said settlers have purchased seventy acres of land contiguous to the said 640 acres, being part of a survey made by John Floyd: and whereas, it would tend greatly to the improvement and settling the same if the titles of settlers on the lots were confirmed and a town established thereon. Be it therefore enacted that the said 710 acres of land be, and the same is hereby vested in fees simple in John Todd, Robert Patterson, William Mitchell, Andrew Steele, William Henderson, William McConnell and William Steel, gentlemen trustees, and established by the name of Lexington.

In the same book a record of the Board of Town Trustees appears, in which it is stated: "ordered that the town land be laid off in lots, the in lots to contain one-third part of an acre each; and that they be granted to each free male person above the age of twenty-one years, and each widow, every young man who can make it appear that he acts in his own behalf, and is not under the immediate control and jurisdiction of some other person, who, at the time of laying them off and distributing them, appears to be an actual resident within the place, subject to such conditions and penalties as shall be hereafter required; that a number of lots not less than thirty be reserved for public uses and such other purposes as may hereafter be requisite.

Most of the book is given up to meetings of the Town Trustees, in which various deeds are granted and other public business transacted.

It is a very interesting old book and should be preserved with great care. It has an appearance of antiquity that commands veneration, but irrelevant (sic) moths have gnawed away part of the back, and the corners are much the worse for wear. The edges of the leaves have crumbled considerably, and a fine dust of disintegrated paper falls from the ancient tome when it is set on edge. Nevertheless every page is intact and no part of the valuable record has been misplaced.

Transcribed by pb November 1999