Peace Farm: The Keely and Caldwell-Peace Years
Keely Years
According to the Statement of Significance submitted by Historic Pewee Valley to the National Register of Historic Places, William Keely (1816-1876), the architect who designed Louisville’s Cathedral of the Assumption in 1849 and Meade County, Kentucky’s St. Theresa Church in 1857, built the first house on the property now known as Peace Farm in 1856 or 1857. In his time, he was considered one of the leading Catholic architects in the country. He was also one of the seven men originally appointed as trustees of Pewee Valley when the Kentucky Legislature chartered the city in 1870.
William Keely died in January 1876. Oldham County Clerk Julie Barr has provided a copy of his will, which is on file at the Oldham County Courthouse:
I, William Keely of Pewee Valley in the County of Oldham and State of Kentucky being of sound mind and understanding the full intent and force of my acts do in what I feel to be my last fling upon Earth make this my last Will and Testament “That is to say” After my death the first disposition I wish and direct shall be made of my property real and personal is to pay all debts by me legally contracted and standing against me at this time. After which I will and bequeath to my wife, Margaret Keely, whom I hereby appoint my Executrix all of the said property real and personal that may then be left – with this Exception: That I wish on the settlement of my Estate in proper form and herein direct the sum of Five Hundred Dollars shall be paid to my friend and ? the Rev. Father Michael Power for saying masses for my soul and for such other uses as he, the said Father Power, may in his discretion determine.
In Testimony whereof I hereunto affix
My signature and seal this twelfth (12) day
Of Novemberin the year of our lord and Savior
One Thousand Eight hundred and Seventy-four
Done in the presence of Rev. Michael Power,
Alexander Sinclair and William D. Gallagher
The Rev. Michael Power, who witnessed the will and was bequeathed $500 to say masses for Keely’s soul, was born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1820 and graduated from St. Thomas Seminary in Nelson County, Ky. in 1855. He was ordained by Dr. Spalding, Bishop of Louisville, on July 16 that same year. Rev. Power built St. Malachi (later St. Rose) Church in Cloverport during the Civil War; served as the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Hickman, Ky. in 1864; and spent 13 years as pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Louisville, before his untimely death on January 9, 1879, caused by falling on ice.
Several of the outbuildings that remain on the property today date from Keely’s era, including a board-and-batten-sided carriage house, a partially-below-ground spring house that has lost its roof, and an unusual limestone retaining wall with a recessed arched area that marks and protect a spring. Pewee Valley photographer Kate Matthews used the spring in several photographs included in the Kate Matthews Collection at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library.
William Keely died in January 1876. Oldham County Clerk Julie Barr has provided a copy of his will, which is on file at the Oldham County Courthouse:
I, William Keely of Pewee Valley in the County of Oldham and State of Kentucky being of sound mind and understanding the full intent and force of my acts do in what I feel to be my last fling upon Earth make this my last Will and Testament “That is to say” After my death the first disposition I wish and direct shall be made of my property real and personal is to pay all debts by me legally contracted and standing against me at this time. After which I will and bequeath to my wife, Margaret Keely, whom I hereby appoint my Executrix all of the said property real and personal that may then be left – with this Exception: That I wish on the settlement of my Estate in proper form and herein direct the sum of Five Hundred Dollars shall be paid to my friend and ? the Rev. Father Michael Power for saying masses for my soul and for such other uses as he, the said Father Power, may in his discretion determine.
In Testimony whereof I hereunto affix
My signature and seal this twelfth (12) day
Of Novemberin the year of our lord and Savior
One Thousand Eight hundred and Seventy-four
Done in the presence of Rev. Michael Power,
Alexander Sinclair and William D. Gallagher
The Rev. Michael Power, who witnessed the will and was bequeathed $500 to say masses for Keely’s soul, was born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1820 and graduated from St. Thomas Seminary in Nelson County, Ky. in 1855. He was ordained by Dr. Spalding, Bishop of Louisville, on July 16 that same year. Rev. Power built St. Malachi (later St. Rose) Church in Cloverport during the Civil War; served as the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Hickman, Ky. in 1864; and spent 13 years as pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Louisville, before his untimely death on January 9, 1879, caused by falling on ice.
Several of the outbuildings that remain on the property today date from Keely’s era, including a board-and-batten-sided carriage house, a partially-below-ground spring house that has lost its roof, and an unusual limestone retaining wall with a recessed arched area that marks and protect a spring. Pewee Valley photographer Kate Matthews used the spring in several photographs included in the Kate Matthews Collection at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library.
The Caldwell-Peace Years
After Keely’s death, Catherine Smith Caldwell (1838 - 1882), wife of Isaac Caldwell (January 24, 1824-November 25, 1885), purchased the property as a “country home.” A native of Columbia in Adair County, Ky., Isaac Caldwell and two of his brothers, George and Junius, were lawyers. This sketch of Isaac Caldwell’s life and career is from “Proceedings of the 11th Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Bar Association Held In Louisville, Ky. July 10 and 11, 1912” (Journal Job Rooms, Henderson, Ky.; 1912):
Isaac Caldwell was born January 30th, 1824, near Columbia, Adair County, Ky. His parents, William and Annie Caldwell, were Virginians. The fathers of both served in the War of the Revolution. They were both persons of great breadth and force of character. His father was of Scotch Irish descent. The father was for many years clerk of the County and Circuit Courts for Adair County. After working several years in his father's office, Mr. Caldwell spent three years at Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky. He then selected the law for a life profession and entered upon the practice at Columbia, Ky.
In 1848 he became a partner of Judge Z. Wheat, who was later chief justice of Kentucky. In 1851 he formed a partnership with his gallant and distinguished brother, the Hon. George Alfred Caldwell, who had just returned from Congress.
In 1852 they moved their office to Louisville, Ky. Mr. Caldwell rose rapidly in favor among the members of the Bar, the Courts and the general public. He soon acquired a widespread reputation for learning and ability. He soon took the position of one of the ablest and most successful lawyers in Louisville. He was an indomitable worker, an exhaustive thinker, and a man of cool judgment. His cases were prepared with consummate tact, and presented with dignity and force, which commanded respect and secured success.
His unflinching integrity in his practice scorned fraud and hypocrisy. Mr. Caldwell was a man of an unusual personal attractiveness—his eyes were bright and luminous, a very expressive mouth and a round, handsome, mobile face; always faultlessly dressed and perfectly clean in his attire and person. He was a great advocate, but perhaps not as great an advocate as he was a lawyer. He generally began his argument in what appeared a faltering, indeed almost a timid manner, but as he warmed to his subject, the chaste and pure English flowed from him. Fact after fact was marshalled in military array and bristled with law points like the bayonets of a battalion.
Some one once said of Edmund Burke, that his arguments were like the tide of the Atlantic, that came rolling in upon the opposition with the force of three thousand miles of wind and water behind them. Such were the arguments of Mr. Caldwell in all of his great efforts.
In 1866 there was enacted what was known as the "Civil Rights Bill." It was discovered that it affected the administration of the law in Kentucky. In 1870 Gov. Stevenson engaged Mr. Caldwell's services to test what was known as the Civil Rights Bill of 1866. The cases of Blyiew and Kinnaird soon after came up and they presented some points under the Civil Rights Bill of great importance to this State. Mr. Caldwell and his colleague, the Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, were permitted to appear in the Supreme Court on behalf of the State of Kentucky, although it was not a party to the record. The cases raised the question as to whether the United States Courts had jurisdiction in all cases where negroes were sufferers from crimes committed against them or when they were witnesses against the perpetrators. The parties in this case were indicted in the State Court for the murder of negroes and were taken from the State authorities by the officers of the United States Court. These great lawyers prevailed for their client, the great Commonwealth of Kentucky; the Supreme Court denying the jurisdiction of the United States. An interesting echo of the case can be found in the case of Blyiew vs. the Commonwealth, 91 Ky. 200.
He was leading counsel in the great case of Newcomb vs. Newcomb, 13 Bush 544. His client won the case, and it is said that Mr. Caldwell received the largest fee that had been paid any lawyer in Kentucky up to that date.
He and Thos. W. Gibson were the attorneys for Thos. C. Jones in the fierce fight for the Appellate Clerkship. Mr. Jones finally won and the Court of Appeals sustained the novel propositions of law enunciated and brilliantly sustained by Mr. Caldwell. This is an exceedingly interesting case, and while probably will never be in point again, it is interesting to a lawyer to read. See 10 Bush, 725.
In politics Mr. Caldwell was a Democrat. He was always ready to assist his friends and come to the help of his party, but cared nothing for political preferment himself. In fact, greatly preferred to be among some of the great lawyers of his State, than to hold any political office. For quite a time he was president of the University of Louisville, in which institution he took a great interest.
The years so strictly devoted to his profession created for Isaac Caldwell a reputation for industry, intellect and proficiency, and fixed the confidence of his clients and the admiration of the Bar. He was known throughout the State as a powerful and skillful common law and equity practitioner, and as an advocate and debater at the bar for eloquence, force, readiness of resources and perfect courage.
He was the attorney for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. in all of its important trials, but stoutly refused to accept any regular employment or salary. He insisted a lawyer should always be in a position to refuse any case that seemed to him to be an unjust one. He adhered to that belief in the refusal of many tempting offers of salary during his professional life.
Mr. Caldwell was a great lawyer, a great man of sincere conviction, deep earnestness and frank integrity. Honor and courage marked his career. He had a clear and masterful mind, well trained and fully equipped for great discussions on great questions. He lived for his profession, his clients and the small circle of his private friends.
Mr. Caldwell was married in June, 1857, to Miss Kate Smith, of Louisville, Ky.They had six living children.
A distinguished editor of Louisville wrote of him the day after his death, thus:
"In his personal intercourse with his familiars, Mr. Caldwell was most congenial and attractive. Somewhat austere in the world at large, and severe in his judgment, he had for his friends a simplicity almost childlike. By nature sensitive, but every inch a man. He wrapped himself in a mantle, sometimes rough in its exterior, but lined with a warm and faithful heart. He was eminent both as a counsellor and an advocate and leaves no equal behind him at the bar, whose recognized head he was so long."
The following biography appeared in “History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Vol. 1” (L.A. Williams & Co., Cleveland, Ohio; 1882):
ISAAC CALDWELL, of Louisville, was born near Columbia, Adair County,
Kentucky, January 30, 1824, and died at his country home near Louisville, in the sixty-third year of his age. He rose from a humble station and carved his name indelibly on this history of jurisprudence in Kentucky. The successful men of America have usually been those who have planned their own advancement had have accomplished it, in spite of many obstacles, through their own efforts. On this class Mr. Caldwell was a worthy representative. Not every practitioner of the law grasps the spirit of our institutions. Numbers who bear the name of lawyer are content to become expert in the technicalities of legal lore, to have concern for the financial returns which it brings them and forget the weightier matters of the law, its essential principles. Those larger minds which pierce through the statutory mazes and grasp, in the midst of bewildering details, the great outlines and comprehend them through the spirit of law--that spirit which is the life principles of our organic instruments--are the minds of great jurists; and a fitting illustration of such a mental phase was found in Mr. Caldwell, who for many years practiced before the courts of Louisville, the state and the nation.
The blood of Scotch-Irish and French Huguenot ancestors mingled in his veins. His parents, William and Ann (Trabue) Caldwell, were children of Revolutionary fathers, and were pioneers of Kentucky. William Caldwell was appointed clerk of the county and circuit courts of Adair county and continued his connection with these offices for over forty years, holding the esteem and confidence of the people as a trusted and worthy public servant.
Isaac Caldwell acquired his elementary education in the schools of his native place and in the clerk's office under his father's immediate supervision. He matriculated in Georgetown College and was a student in that institution until 1844, when he returned to Columbia, Kentucky, and studied law under the direction of Judge Zachariah Wheat, afterward a member of the court of appeals; in 1846 he was admitted to the bar, became a partner of his former preceptor and continued to practice law with him until 1851, when he entered into partnership with Colonel George Alfred Caldwell, an elder brother, also a native of Adair County, a man of brilliant intellect and strong character. He had at the age of twenty-four represented his county in the state legislature. In 1843-5, he was representative in congress; took part in the discussion leading up to the war with Mexico, and on the expiration of his term he entered the army, rendering efficient service as the colonel of a regiment.
Returning to Columbia, he was again elected to congress, serving for the term 1849-51. In partnership with his brother, he removed to Louisville, where he remained until his death, September 17, 1866. He was a most able and successful practitioner, eloquent in the defense of his client's interests, and was a participant in the most of the important litigations in the Louisville courts from 1851 to 1866, attaining the first place in the bar of the state as its acknowledge head.
In the life-time of his brother, the great ability and acknowledged leadership of George Alfred; and the modesty and brotherly love, almost reverence, which Isaac, the younger, ever evinced toward him, was such that Isaac his own merit and belittled his own qualifications in comparison with those of his idol; and never, at any time throughout his life, would Isaac Caldwell consent to a comparison of himself with his beloved and adored elder except to his own disparagement.
The two brothers met with an abundant success in the metropolis of their state, and on the sudden death of George Alfred Caldwell, Isaac found himself in possession of a large and varied business, embracing cases in all of the courts, state and federal.
Isaac Caldwell was an untiring and indefatigable worker, conducting cases involving large interests and intricate complications, and at the same time engaging in criminal practice where the life or liberty of clients was at stake. In the latter class of cases few attorneys were more effective or labored more assiduously in defense of their clients. He threw himself, with all the earnestness and enthusiasm of his nature, into the case at hand, and for the time knew nothing except his duty to his client whose cause he made his own. Impassioned eloquence, indignant invective, cogent reasoning, together with searching analysis of all the springs which control the human mind in its judgment of the motives of a fellow man, were all brought to bear upon the jury and rarely without effect. He was a great lawyer, not only the qualities of intellect, but also by that more practical test,--the success which attended his efforts. His ability was not confined to one line of judicial practice; he seemed equally successful in all departments of law and won an enviable reputation in practice before the Kentucky court of appeals and the United States supreme court.
In 1870 he took a prominent part in the contest before the legislature in the matter involving the Cincinnati & Southern Railroad. In the same year he engaged as attorney for the state in the discussion of the civil rights bill and conducted some of the most important cases involving the enforcement and interpretation of the same before the supreme court of the United States.
Without the desire for fame and with no ambition for office, he achieved the one and had the other frequently tendered to him. In 1875 he was urged to become a candidate before the legislature for United States senator, but declined to permit his friends to urge his election. In 1876 he was elector at large for Kentucky in the interest of Samuel J. Tilden for president and took an active interest in the contest, as he always did in all matters that enlisted his sympathy and support. He was for years president of the University of Louisville and gave much of his time to further the interest of that institution. His memory is cherished by the bar of Louisville, with which he was connected for a period of over thirty-six years, and of which, at his death in 1887, he was the acknowledged leader. His amiability, generosity and courtesy were equal to his legal attainments, and his death, at sixty-three years of age, came all too soon.
He was married on the 20th of January, 1857, to Miss Catherine Smith, daughter of Daniel and Hettie (Palmer) Smith. She was a most accomplished lady and the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell was an ideal one. Mrs. Caldwell died several years previous to her husband's demise. Few members of the bar of Louisville have left a more enduring impression, both for legal ability of high order and the individuality of personal character which impresses itself upon the community, then Isaac Caldwell. His legal acumen was masterful, his integrity unassailable, his honor irreproachable.
Isaac Caldwell was born January 30th, 1824, near Columbia, Adair County, Ky. His parents, William and Annie Caldwell, were Virginians. The fathers of both served in the War of the Revolution. They were both persons of great breadth and force of character. His father was of Scotch Irish descent. The father was for many years clerk of the County and Circuit Courts for Adair County. After working several years in his father's office, Mr. Caldwell spent three years at Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky. He then selected the law for a life profession and entered upon the practice at Columbia, Ky.
In 1848 he became a partner of Judge Z. Wheat, who was later chief justice of Kentucky. In 1851 he formed a partnership with his gallant and distinguished brother, the Hon. George Alfred Caldwell, who had just returned from Congress.
In 1852 they moved their office to Louisville, Ky. Mr. Caldwell rose rapidly in favor among the members of the Bar, the Courts and the general public. He soon acquired a widespread reputation for learning and ability. He soon took the position of one of the ablest and most successful lawyers in Louisville. He was an indomitable worker, an exhaustive thinker, and a man of cool judgment. His cases were prepared with consummate tact, and presented with dignity and force, which commanded respect and secured success.
His unflinching integrity in his practice scorned fraud and hypocrisy. Mr. Caldwell was a man of an unusual personal attractiveness—his eyes were bright and luminous, a very expressive mouth and a round, handsome, mobile face; always faultlessly dressed and perfectly clean in his attire and person. He was a great advocate, but perhaps not as great an advocate as he was a lawyer. He generally began his argument in what appeared a faltering, indeed almost a timid manner, but as he warmed to his subject, the chaste and pure English flowed from him. Fact after fact was marshalled in military array and bristled with law points like the bayonets of a battalion.
Some one once said of Edmund Burke, that his arguments were like the tide of the Atlantic, that came rolling in upon the opposition with the force of three thousand miles of wind and water behind them. Such were the arguments of Mr. Caldwell in all of his great efforts.
In 1866 there was enacted what was known as the "Civil Rights Bill." It was discovered that it affected the administration of the law in Kentucky. In 1870 Gov. Stevenson engaged Mr. Caldwell's services to test what was known as the Civil Rights Bill of 1866. The cases of Blyiew and Kinnaird soon after came up and they presented some points under the Civil Rights Bill of great importance to this State. Mr. Caldwell and his colleague, the Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, were permitted to appear in the Supreme Court on behalf of the State of Kentucky, although it was not a party to the record. The cases raised the question as to whether the United States Courts had jurisdiction in all cases where negroes were sufferers from crimes committed against them or when they were witnesses against the perpetrators. The parties in this case were indicted in the State Court for the murder of negroes and were taken from the State authorities by the officers of the United States Court. These great lawyers prevailed for their client, the great Commonwealth of Kentucky; the Supreme Court denying the jurisdiction of the United States. An interesting echo of the case can be found in the case of Blyiew vs. the Commonwealth, 91 Ky. 200.
He was leading counsel in the great case of Newcomb vs. Newcomb, 13 Bush 544. His client won the case, and it is said that Mr. Caldwell received the largest fee that had been paid any lawyer in Kentucky up to that date.
He and Thos. W. Gibson were the attorneys for Thos. C. Jones in the fierce fight for the Appellate Clerkship. Mr. Jones finally won and the Court of Appeals sustained the novel propositions of law enunciated and brilliantly sustained by Mr. Caldwell. This is an exceedingly interesting case, and while probably will never be in point again, it is interesting to a lawyer to read. See 10 Bush, 725.
In politics Mr. Caldwell was a Democrat. He was always ready to assist his friends and come to the help of his party, but cared nothing for political preferment himself. In fact, greatly preferred to be among some of the great lawyers of his State, than to hold any political office. For quite a time he was president of the University of Louisville, in which institution he took a great interest.
The years so strictly devoted to his profession created for Isaac Caldwell a reputation for industry, intellect and proficiency, and fixed the confidence of his clients and the admiration of the Bar. He was known throughout the State as a powerful and skillful common law and equity practitioner, and as an advocate and debater at the bar for eloquence, force, readiness of resources and perfect courage.
He was the attorney for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. in all of its important trials, but stoutly refused to accept any regular employment or salary. He insisted a lawyer should always be in a position to refuse any case that seemed to him to be an unjust one. He adhered to that belief in the refusal of many tempting offers of salary during his professional life.
Mr. Caldwell was a great lawyer, a great man of sincere conviction, deep earnestness and frank integrity. Honor and courage marked his career. He had a clear and masterful mind, well trained and fully equipped for great discussions on great questions. He lived for his profession, his clients and the small circle of his private friends.
Mr. Caldwell was married in June, 1857, to Miss Kate Smith, of Louisville, Ky.They had six living children.
A distinguished editor of Louisville wrote of him the day after his death, thus:
"In his personal intercourse with his familiars, Mr. Caldwell was most congenial and attractive. Somewhat austere in the world at large, and severe in his judgment, he had for his friends a simplicity almost childlike. By nature sensitive, but every inch a man. He wrapped himself in a mantle, sometimes rough in its exterior, but lined with a warm and faithful heart. He was eminent both as a counsellor and an advocate and leaves no equal behind him at the bar, whose recognized head he was so long."
The following biography appeared in “History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties, Vol. 1” (L.A. Williams & Co., Cleveland, Ohio; 1882):
ISAAC CALDWELL, of Louisville, was born near Columbia, Adair County,
Kentucky, January 30, 1824, and died at his country home near Louisville, in the sixty-third year of his age. He rose from a humble station and carved his name indelibly on this history of jurisprudence in Kentucky. The successful men of America have usually been those who have planned their own advancement had have accomplished it, in spite of many obstacles, through their own efforts. On this class Mr. Caldwell was a worthy representative. Not every practitioner of the law grasps the spirit of our institutions. Numbers who bear the name of lawyer are content to become expert in the technicalities of legal lore, to have concern for the financial returns which it brings them and forget the weightier matters of the law, its essential principles. Those larger minds which pierce through the statutory mazes and grasp, in the midst of bewildering details, the great outlines and comprehend them through the spirit of law--that spirit which is the life principles of our organic instruments--are the minds of great jurists; and a fitting illustration of such a mental phase was found in Mr. Caldwell, who for many years practiced before the courts of Louisville, the state and the nation.
The blood of Scotch-Irish and French Huguenot ancestors mingled in his veins. His parents, William and Ann (Trabue) Caldwell, were children of Revolutionary fathers, and were pioneers of Kentucky. William Caldwell was appointed clerk of the county and circuit courts of Adair county and continued his connection with these offices for over forty years, holding the esteem and confidence of the people as a trusted and worthy public servant.
Isaac Caldwell acquired his elementary education in the schools of his native place and in the clerk's office under his father's immediate supervision. He matriculated in Georgetown College and was a student in that institution until 1844, when he returned to Columbia, Kentucky, and studied law under the direction of Judge Zachariah Wheat, afterward a member of the court of appeals; in 1846 he was admitted to the bar, became a partner of his former preceptor and continued to practice law with him until 1851, when he entered into partnership with Colonel George Alfred Caldwell, an elder brother, also a native of Adair County, a man of brilliant intellect and strong character. He had at the age of twenty-four represented his county in the state legislature. In 1843-5, he was representative in congress; took part in the discussion leading up to the war with Mexico, and on the expiration of his term he entered the army, rendering efficient service as the colonel of a regiment.
Returning to Columbia, he was again elected to congress, serving for the term 1849-51. In partnership with his brother, he removed to Louisville, where he remained until his death, September 17, 1866. He was a most able and successful practitioner, eloquent in the defense of his client's interests, and was a participant in the most of the important litigations in the Louisville courts from 1851 to 1866, attaining the first place in the bar of the state as its acknowledge head.
In the life-time of his brother, the great ability and acknowledged leadership of George Alfred; and the modesty and brotherly love, almost reverence, which Isaac, the younger, ever evinced toward him, was such that Isaac his own merit and belittled his own qualifications in comparison with those of his idol; and never, at any time throughout his life, would Isaac Caldwell consent to a comparison of himself with his beloved and adored elder except to his own disparagement.
The two brothers met with an abundant success in the metropolis of their state, and on the sudden death of George Alfred Caldwell, Isaac found himself in possession of a large and varied business, embracing cases in all of the courts, state and federal.
Isaac Caldwell was an untiring and indefatigable worker, conducting cases involving large interests and intricate complications, and at the same time engaging in criminal practice where the life or liberty of clients was at stake. In the latter class of cases few attorneys were more effective or labored more assiduously in defense of their clients. He threw himself, with all the earnestness and enthusiasm of his nature, into the case at hand, and for the time knew nothing except his duty to his client whose cause he made his own. Impassioned eloquence, indignant invective, cogent reasoning, together with searching analysis of all the springs which control the human mind in its judgment of the motives of a fellow man, were all brought to bear upon the jury and rarely without effect. He was a great lawyer, not only the qualities of intellect, but also by that more practical test,--the success which attended his efforts. His ability was not confined to one line of judicial practice; he seemed equally successful in all departments of law and won an enviable reputation in practice before the Kentucky court of appeals and the United States supreme court.
In 1870 he took a prominent part in the contest before the legislature in the matter involving the Cincinnati & Southern Railroad. In the same year he engaged as attorney for the state in the discussion of the civil rights bill and conducted some of the most important cases involving the enforcement and interpretation of the same before the supreme court of the United States.
Without the desire for fame and with no ambition for office, he achieved the one and had the other frequently tendered to him. In 1875 he was urged to become a candidate before the legislature for United States senator, but declined to permit his friends to urge his election. In 1876 he was elector at large for Kentucky in the interest of Samuel J. Tilden for president and took an active interest in the contest, as he always did in all matters that enlisted his sympathy and support. He was for years president of the University of Louisville and gave much of his time to further the interest of that institution. His memory is cherished by the bar of Louisville, with which he was connected for a period of over thirty-six years, and of which, at his death in 1887, he was the acknowledged leader. His amiability, generosity and courtesy were equal to his legal attainments, and his death, at sixty-three years of age, came all too soon.
He was married on the 20th of January, 1857, to Miss Catherine Smith, daughter of Daniel and Hettie (Palmer) Smith. She was a most accomplished lady and the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell was an ideal one. Mrs. Caldwell died several years previous to her husband's demise. Few members of the bar of Louisville have left a more enduring impression, both for legal ability of high order and the individuality of personal character which impresses itself upon the community, then Isaac Caldwell. His legal acumen was masterful, his integrity unassailable, his honor irreproachable.
Isaac Caldwell was the University of Louisville’s third president from 1869 to 1886. During that time, the medical school became part of the university. The last year of his life, many meetings were held at his home due to his illness.
He and his wife had seven children:
· Isaac Palmer Caldwell (1857-1929), married Jane Donald Robertson Jacob on December 11, 1883
· Mary Caldwell Peace (June 22, 1861-Oct. 30,1899) married Phillip P. Peace on Oct. 8, 1883
· George Alfred Caldwell (1865 -Oct. 19, 1911)
· Robin Adair Caldwell
· William Caldwell
· Catherine Kate Caldwell Patton (1874- May 16, 1918) married George Charles Patton on June 22,1903 in Manhattan, NY
· Margaret Caldwell
During their years in Pewee Valley, the Caldwells added an elaborately detailed Victorian Vernacular guest cottage and a board-and-batten-sided outhouse with bargeboard trim to their 20-acre tract. The cottage, which still stands, features paneled twin parlors with 14-foot ceilings and has served as the main residence on Peace Farm since the larger, much grander main residence built by William Keely burned down in 1899, according to this report in the April 21 Courier-Journal:
HANDSOME HOME DESTROYED
_________________________________________
Residence of Philip Peace At Pewee
Valley Burned, with a Loss of $8,000
Fire completely destroyed the handsome country residence of Philip Peace, at Pewee Valley, Wednesday afternoon. The loss was about $8,000. Miss Marguerite Caldwell. a sister of Mrs. Peace, was the only person in the house at the time. The origin is unknown.
The flames started in the tower and were well underway when discovered. A portion of the furniture was saved.
According to local tradition, the cottage was built to properly accommodate young men -- probably students from the University of Louisville -- who attended meetings and family parties. Society did not allow unmarried young men to spend the night in the same house as the Caldwells' three daughters.
Isaac and Catherine are buried in St. Louis Cemetery. After her parent’s deaths, Mary Caldwell Peace lived on the property with her husband, Phillip, until her death in 1899. Her husband retained ownership of the property until 1917.
He and his wife had seven children:
· Isaac Palmer Caldwell (1857-1929), married Jane Donald Robertson Jacob on December 11, 1883
· Mary Caldwell Peace (June 22, 1861-Oct. 30,1899) married Phillip P. Peace on Oct. 8, 1883
· George Alfred Caldwell (1865 -Oct. 19, 1911)
· Robin Adair Caldwell
· William Caldwell
· Catherine Kate Caldwell Patton (1874- May 16, 1918) married George Charles Patton on June 22,1903 in Manhattan, NY
· Margaret Caldwell
During their years in Pewee Valley, the Caldwells added an elaborately detailed Victorian Vernacular guest cottage and a board-and-batten-sided outhouse with bargeboard trim to their 20-acre tract. The cottage, which still stands, features paneled twin parlors with 14-foot ceilings and has served as the main residence on Peace Farm since the larger, much grander main residence built by William Keely burned down in 1899, according to this report in the April 21 Courier-Journal:
HANDSOME HOME DESTROYED
_________________________________________
Residence of Philip Peace At Pewee
Valley Burned, with a Loss of $8,000
Fire completely destroyed the handsome country residence of Philip Peace, at Pewee Valley, Wednesday afternoon. The loss was about $8,000. Miss Marguerite Caldwell. a sister of Mrs. Peace, was the only person in the house at the time. The origin is unknown.
The flames started in the tower and were well underway when discovered. A portion of the furniture was saved.
According to local tradition, the cottage was built to properly accommodate young men -- probably students from the University of Louisville -- who attended meetings and family parties. Society did not allow unmarried young men to spend the night in the same house as the Caldwells' three daughters.
Isaac and Catherine are buried in St. Louis Cemetery. After her parent’s deaths, Mary Caldwell Peace lived on the property with her husband, Phillip, until her death in 1899. Her husband retained ownership of the property until 1917.
Little Colonel Connections
In “Two Little Knights of Kentucky,” Annie Fellows Johnston describes both a spring house and a spring near Edgewood. The springhouse was by the cabin where the McIntyre boys left Jonesy and the circus bear in the story. The spring is where Keith and Malcolm tied their cousin to a tree while they were playing Indian and forgot about her. Both lie along a small creek on Peace Farm’s property.
Ruins of the Abandoned Spring House on Peace Farm ca. 2004 by Donna Russell
1989 National Register of Historic Places Nomination Photos of the Cottage and Outbuildings by Carolyn Brooks
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