Streets
Ashwood Avenue in 1909, after the road was paved with macadam
Learn how Pewee Valley's roads were paved, the origins of many Pewee Valley street names and the history of the expressways that serve Peweeans today.
Paving Pewee Valley's Streets
Compared to other communities in Jefferson and Shelby counties, Pewee Valley was slow to make infrastructure improvements. It was 1900 before any of our streets were paved, and 1929 before Pewee Valley had a fire department, despite the Kentucky Confederate Home conflagration in 1920. The city's Board of Trustees was simply reluctant to spend the money.
What spurred the paving of our roads may have been our rivalry with nearby Anchorage. By the late 19th century, both communities were competing for the summer tourist trade when well-to-do Louisvillians booked accommodations away from the city's dirt and heat. On July 11, 1897, reporter Harry Hurst compared the amenities offered by the two competing resort communities in a Courier-Journal feature titled, "Some of the Pretty Homes of Pewee." Pewee earned the short end of the stick when it came to our roads:
All the stations on the Short Line are more or less entitled to be called summer resorts; but Pewee Valley and Anchorage have long enjoyed a dual preeminence which has necessarily invited comparisons and at last resulted in a spirited but good-natured rivalry.
Very different conditions exist in the two towns. Anchorage has a wealthy class of Louisville businessmen, who have selected it as their home, and have spent money freely in improving and beautifying the little suburb. This class in Pewee is much smaller. But the Oldham County town perhaps leads its rival in the number of well-to-do citizens, who occupy handsome residences in its confines during the summer. These men are not one whit their wealthy neighbors in Anchorage in adorning their personal property, but they have naturally hesitated to invest in improvements which could benefit them during the winter. The streets in Anchorage are macadam (editor's note: a paver made with crushed stone and bound with water, hot asphalt, tar, etc.) , and excellent both winter and summer. In the latter season they are equaled by the Peweean thoroughfares, but after the first of December freeze and subsequent thaw there is another story...
Pewee Valley's first historian, Katie Snyder Smith, told the story of the paving of our streets for the first time in the June 1975 Call of the Pewee:
On November 7, 1899, the citizens of Pewee Valley voted to allow the Board of Trustees ... to incur a debt of "$5,000.00 for the purpose of grading and paving the streets. Ten Bonds, $500.00 each, were sold, divided into three classes: Serial numbers 1, 2 and 3 to mature in five years; 4,5, and 6 to mature in 10 years; 7, 8, 9 and 10 to mature in 15 years from the date of issue ...
...The town fathers met June 18, 1900 in the Town Hall.
"It was moved and seconded that Maple Ave. be the first work done and the macadam be 12 feet wide and be put on the west side of the avenue and that a wing be run from the front Gates of those parties living on the east side of the avenue to the macadam on the west side.
2- Oak Lea Ave. (editor's note: now Muirs Lane) be the second piece of work in order.
3- Railroad Ave. (editor's note: now Mt. Mercy Drive and Hwy. 146) from the Section House to Macadam in front of H.M. Woodruff's house on north side be the third piece. (editor's note: Woodruff's home was at the corner of Hwy. 146 and Tulip where the Sweet Shoppe is today)
4-The fourth piece of work be for Rollington St. from Intersection of Pike to the culvert om west side of Sherman's place, but after much discussion it was moved that the fourth piece of work be Rollington St. from Intersection of Pike to Culvert near Baker's Old Blacksmith Shop, 8 feet wide.
5-Fifth piece of work be Tulip Ave., RR to Elm and the macadam be 8 feet wide.
6-Sixth piece be Elm Ave. from Warrens gate to Maple Ave., 8 feet wide.
7-Ashwood from southern limits to Warren's Hill.
Mr. M.J. McClusky was hired as the contractor and Mr. R.H. Young as the Engineer. On August 6, 1900, R.H. Young submitted the following estimate for the work completed:
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Tulip Avenue $146.50
Maple Avenue 580.16 Muir's Lane 42.56 Cross Street 20.83 Railroad Street 192.00 __________ $981.97 |
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The streets were completed. Thereafter until the bonds were retired May 8, 1915, the taxes levied provided a section which read:
"An Ad Valorum tax of _______ cents on each one hundred dollars valued is hereby levied for the year ______ to be applied to the Sinking Fund."
"An Ad Valorum tax of _______ cents on each one hundred dollars valued is hereby levied for the year ______ to be applied to the Sinking Fund."
Road Repair Bonds Issued in 1921
Historic Origins of Pewee Valley's Street Names
A snowy view of Ash Avenue. From "Pewee Valley: Land of the Little Colonel" published by Katie S. Smith in 1974.
Ashwood, Tulip, Elm and Maple
Ashwood, Tulip, Elm and Maple avenues were created during Pewee Valley’s second wave of early development. When commuters first arrived in the 1850s, they built their homes alongside and north of the railroad tracks, where land was available for sale. That changed in 1866 when Henry Smith purchased Daniel Field’s 220-acre farm, with the goal of establishing “… a town of quiet avenues, shaded by majestic trees.” Located south of the tracks, the property stretched from present day Maple to Ash avenues. He laid out four main streets in his new subdivision, each distinguished and named for the species of tree that he planted en masse.
Smith’s vision for his new subdivision turned Pewee Valley into one of the most beautiful towns in Kentucky, a reputation our “Tree City USA” still enjoys today.
Note that Elm Street was much shorter in the beginning and ended at Tulip. It was not until 1949 that the Town Board was urged to undertake the road's completion to Ash Avenue.
Smith’s vision for his new subdivision turned Pewee Valley into one of the most beautiful towns in Kentucky, a reputation our “Tree City USA” still enjoys today.
Note that Elm Street was much shorter in the beginning and ended at Tulip. It was not until 1949 that the Town Board was urged to undertake the road's completion to Ash Avenue.
1988 aerial view of Edgewood being moved to its new lot in the Edgewood Manor subdivision. The house originally faced Central Avenue. Courtesy of Greg Rose.
Edgewood Manor
Edgewood Manor subdivision sits on the remnants of one Pewee Valley’s oldest estates. The subdivision’s three street names – Edgewood Way, Sunnyside Court and Sedley Court -- reflect its history.
The first owner, Louisville Courier publisher Walter N. Haldeman, purchased 50 acres from Henry Smith in 1854 and built a brick Italianate house on it. He named his estate Sunnyside to convince his wife to come back from various water cures in Ohio, where, concerned about her health, she'd fled to avoid Louisville --"the graveyard of the West." Located on a Ridge, Pewee Valley was higher and drier than the City of Louisville, which was rife with typhoid, yellow fever, cholera and malaria.
In 1864, the estate was purchased by Louisville hatter Alex Craig and his wife Annie. They renamed it Edgewood. The inspirations for 12 characters in Annie Fellows’s “Little Colonel” stories, the Craigs owned it until 1937, when Fanny Craig – “Miss Allison” in the tales -- died.
The next owners were Louisville financiers Arthur and Elinore Sedley. Although Arthur died in 1942, Elinore kept their Pewee Valley estate and in 1960 took over his position as president of Bankers Bond. After her death in 1987, the estate was sold to a local development group and the original 1854 home was moved to save it from the wrecking ball.
The first owner, Louisville Courier publisher Walter N. Haldeman, purchased 50 acres from Henry Smith in 1854 and built a brick Italianate house on it. He named his estate Sunnyside to convince his wife to come back from various water cures in Ohio, where, concerned about her health, she'd fled to avoid Louisville --"the graveyard of the West." Located on a Ridge, Pewee Valley was higher and drier than the City of Louisville, which was rife with typhoid, yellow fever, cholera and malaria.
In 1864, the estate was purchased by Louisville hatter Alex Craig and his wife Annie. They renamed it Edgewood. The inspirations for 12 characters in Annie Fellows’s “Little Colonel” stories, the Craigs owned it until 1937, when Fanny Craig – “Miss Allison” in the tales -- died.
The next owners were Louisville financiers Arthur and Elinore Sedley. Although Arthur died in 1942, Elinore kept their Pewee Valley estate and in 1960 took over his position as president of Bankers Bond. After her death in 1987, the estate was sold to a local development group and the original 1854 home was moved to save it from the wrecking ball.
April 15, 1928 Courier-Journal classified ad
Foley and Pollock
Foley and Pollock avenues date to 1928, when James J. Foley, who owned a meat market at what is now 220 Mt. Mercy Drive and served as a director of the Pewee Valley State Bank, teamed up with Horace Bass Pollock, who served as the bank’s cashier for 25 years, to develop a new subdivision off LaGrange Road near the Pewee Valley Hospital and Sanitarium. The subdivision was outside the city’s boundaries at the time it was created. Pewee Valley has since annexed the east side of Foley, which includes the fire station.
The earliest known photo of the Huston home was published in the 1909 promotional brochure "Beautiful Pewee Valley."
Houston Lane
Houston Lane was named for Philip Pryor Huston, who worked for the L&N Railroad, lived in the Bondurant-Huston House (also known as Castlewood) and served on the Pewee Valley Town Council in 1889 and from 1891 until 1896. The street was originally known as Huston and was a stop on the Interurban, but over the years the name changed to Houston.
A home in Lloydsboro subdision, from "A Place Called Pewee Valley" published in 1970 by the Pewee Valley Centennial Commission.
Lloydsboro Subdivision
Built in 1962 by Lloydsboro Developer, 63-lot Lloydsboro Subdivision was named for the pseudonym author Annie Fellows Johnston used for Pewee Valley in her “Little Colonel” stories. Both of the subdivision street names -- Rebel Drive and Colonel Way – derive from elements in the tales. The property became available for development when the Louisville Community Fund shut down Valley Camp in the 1950s. The camp had been operating on the property since at least 1929 and appears on Pewee Valley’s first fire insurance map. It also served as the first home for the Little Colonel Players, until they purchased their current building at the corner of Central Avenue and Mt. Mercy Drive.
Prior to that, the property was known as Cochran’s Woods and was owned by John Hoadly Cochran and his wife, Ann Amelia Weissinger Cochran. They were the parents of Hattie Cochran, Annie Fellows Johnston’s real-life inspiration for the Little Colonel. Their cottage was located across Maple Avenue from their woodland acreage, where Colonel Way joins Maple Avenue today.
Prior to that, the property was known as Cochran’s Woods and was owned by John Hoadly Cochran and his wife, Ann Amelia Weissinger Cochran. They were the parents of Hattie Cochran, Annie Fellows Johnston’s real-life inspiration for the Little Colonel. Their cottage was located across Maple Avenue from their woodland acreage, where Colonel Way joins Maple Avenue today.
Locust Lane
Mt. Mercy Drive and Mt. Mercy Place
In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, Mt. Mercy Drive was known as Railroad Avenue. It was later renamed Mt. Mercy Drive in honor of the Mt. Mercy Camp & Boarding School operated by the Sisters of Mercy since 1926. The camp and school closed and were torn down in 1983 when Kenneth James of K&D Builders, Inc. redeveloped the property as the Mt. Mercy Place subdivision. The eight-lot residential development added Mt. Mercy Place to the city's streets.
Judge Peter Brown Muir, patriarch of the Muir family that lived in Oak Lea
Muirs Lane
Muirs Lane gets its name from the Muir family, which owned Oak Lea from 1870 until 1912. Family patriarch Judge Peter B. Muir served as president of Pewee Valley’s board of trustees for 14 years and wrote the charter for the Pewee Valley Cemetery in 1871.
The road was originally named Oak Lea and during the years the Kentucky Confederate Home was open (1902-1934), it was called Confederate Avenue. Today it is the only macadam-paved road left in Pewee Valley.
The road was originally named Oak Lea and during the years the Kentucky Confederate Home was open (1902-1934), it was called Confederate Avenue. Today it is the only macadam-paved road left in Pewee Valley.
The John Ritter House in Floydsburg. From the Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory conducted in 1981.
Old Floydsburg Road
Old Floydsburg Road was once the main stagecoach route between Louisville and New Castle. It is named for Floydsburg, one of the oldest pioneer settlements in Oldham County. The town was first established when land surveyor John Floyd built a fort there in 1783. By 1810, about 10 cabins, including a meeting house, had been built nearby, and on January 11, 1830, the town was chartered by the General Assembly of Kentucky. Court was held and mail was delivered.
Floydsburg thrived for a time, but completion of the Louisville & Frankfort Railroad about a mile north in 1851 eventually led to it demise. The 1870 move of Floydsburg’s post office to Beards Station (now Crestwood) was the final nail in the town’s coffin. In 1896, the town officially disbanded; however, remnants of this early pioneer settlement, including Floydsburg Cemetery and the John Ritter House, still exist today.
Floydsburg thrived for a time, but completion of the Louisville & Frankfort Railroad about a mile north in 1851 eventually led to it demise. The 1870 move of Floydsburg’s post office to Beards Station (now Crestwood) was the final nail in the town’s coffin. In 1896, the town officially disbanded; however, remnants of this early pioneer settlement, including Floydsburg Cemetery and the John Ritter House, still exist today.
The Forrester-Duvalle House at the corner of Old Forrest Road and Ash Avenue was built ca. 1908 by Walter S. and Julia Forrester. Photo from the National Register of Historic Places nomination 1989.
Old Forrest Road
Prior to building a new Craftsman-style home off Ash Avenue, Julia and Walter S. Forrester and their neighbors Arthur and Hattie Kaye present the city's board of trustees with a deed to build a new road from Ashwood Avenue west to the county road at Reamer's Lane on July 6, 1905. The new road is named Old Forrest Road, an unusual spelling most likely in honor of the Forresters, who had been renting a home in Pewee Valley for some time before deciding to build.
During his tenure in Pewee Valley, Walter S. Forrester served at Assistant Adjutant-General on William O’Connell Bradley’s (March 18, 1847-May 23, 1914) staff during his term as 32nd governor of Kentucky. Walter commanded “Camp Wilbur Smith,” held about three miles from Pewee Valley in the fall of 1898, after Governor Bradley called up the State Guard during the Spanish-American War.
The Kayes had owned land in Pewee Valley since the 1850s, and sold 50 acres with the original log cabin in 1924 to the Kentucky Rural Education Cooperative, which started the Pewee Valley Hospital and Sanitorium. When his father and siblings moved to Mississippi in 1885 to open several ice factories, Arthur chose to remain behind and operated a china shop in Louisville.
During his tenure in Pewee Valley, Walter S. Forrester served at Assistant Adjutant-General on William O’Connell Bradley’s (March 18, 1847-May 23, 1914) staff during his term as 32nd governor of Kentucky. Walter commanded “Camp Wilbur Smith,” held about three miles from Pewee Valley in the fall of 1898, after Governor Bradley called up the State Guard during the Spanish-American War.
The Kayes had owned land in Pewee Valley since the 1850s, and sold 50 acres with the original log cabin in 1924 to the Kentucky Rural Education Cooperative, which started the Pewee Valley Hospital and Sanitorium. When his father and siblings moved to Mississippi in 1885 to open several ice factories, Arthur chose to remain behind and operated a china shop in Louisville.
The guest house at Peace Farm survives to this day. Photo by Kate Matthews.
Peace Lane
Peace Lane takes its name from the third owners of the property known today as Peace Farm. The first were William and Margaret Keely, who built a home ca. 1856-57. Keely was a nationally-known Catholic architect and had completed Louisville’s Cathedral of the Assumption in 1849. He also served as one of Pewee Valley’s original trustees when it was chartered in 1870.
After his wife’s death, the property was purchased by Catherine Smith Caldwell as a country home. Her husband, attorney Isaac Caldwell, was a distinguished member of the Louisville Bar whose clients included the K&I Railroad. From 1869 to 1886 -- the time during which the medical school joined the university -- he served as the University of Louisville’s third president. The Caldwells built a guest cottage on the property to properly accommodate young men – likely students – who were visiting.
Their oldest daughter Margaret, who had married Philip P. Peace in 1883, later took over the estate. Margaret died in 1899 and the main house built by William Keely burned in April of the same year. Philip, however, retained ownership until 1917.
After his wife’s death, the property was purchased by Catherine Smith Caldwell as a country home. Her husband, attorney Isaac Caldwell, was a distinguished member of the Louisville Bar whose clients included the K&I Railroad. From 1869 to 1886 -- the time during which the medical school joined the university -- he served as the University of Louisville’s third president. The Caldwells built a guest cottage on the property to properly accommodate young men – likely students – who were visiting.
Their oldest daughter Margaret, who had married Philip P. Peace in 1883, later took over the estate. Margaret died in 1899 and the main house built by William Keely burned in April of the same year. Philip, however, retained ownership until 1917.
Rollington near Pewee Valley from artist Carl Brenner's black album. Photo courtesy of Carol Brenner Tobe.
Rollington Road
Long before Pewee Valley began developing as a community, Rollington had established itself as a settlement and overnight stop on the pike between Louisville and Brownsboro.
Settlement of the area dates to the turn of the 19th century, when Norburn Beall began selling tracts of a 4,000-acre land grant. Forty-five households were listed in the 1820 census. By 1824, the first church, Wesley Chapel, was established, and in 1836, land for a meetinghouse and school was purchased. In 1847, the Kentucky Legislature passed an act to establish the town of Rollington. Among the original trustees was Henry Smith, later instrumental in developing Pewee Valley. Opening of Pewee Valley’s train depot in 1867 spurred construction of the Louisville and Brownsboro Turnpike Branch (now part of Central Avenue) connecting Rollington to the new station. With Pewee Valley’s 1870 incorporation, a portion of Rollinton was included in the new town’s boundaries.
When the Locust was first built ca. 1818, it faced the Louisville and Brownsboro Pike. The main entrance changed to its current location off Hwy. 146 after the railroad came through.
Settlement of the area dates to the turn of the 19th century, when Norburn Beall began selling tracts of a 4,000-acre land grant. Forty-five households were listed in the 1820 census. By 1824, the first church, Wesley Chapel, was established, and in 1836, land for a meetinghouse and school was purchased. In 1847, the Kentucky Legislature passed an act to establish the town of Rollington. Among the original trustees was Henry Smith, later instrumental in developing Pewee Valley. Opening of Pewee Valley’s train depot in 1867 spurred construction of the Louisville and Brownsboro Turnpike Branch (now part of Central Avenue) connecting Rollington to the new station. With Pewee Valley’s 1870 incorporation, a portion of Rollinton was included in the new town’s boundaries.
When the Locust was first built ca. 1818, it faced the Louisville and Brownsboro Pike. The main entrance changed to its current location off Hwy. 146 after the railroad came through.
Powhatan Wooldridge astride his champion Saddlbred.
Wooldridge Avenue
Wooldridge Avenue was named for Powhatan Johnson Wooldridge, who purchased Pewee Valley’s Locust Lodge, a.k.a. The Locust, on October 12, 1903, eight years after Annie Fellows Johnston published the first “Little Colonel” story. The Wooldridges put their Pewee Valley property to commercial use in two ways. First, they set aside a portion of the land for new residential development. On February 5, 1906, they gave the town of Pewee Valley enough land to build a 60-foot-wide road – now Wooldridge Avenue -- between the railroad tracks and what is now Kentucky 22. Along it, they built several grand new homes, including two that are on the National Register – the Wooldridge-Rose and Woodridge-Briggs houses.
Second, they converted another large portion of the estate into a stock farm specializing in "the peacock of the show ring," Saddlebred horses. Wooldridge successfully raised Saddlebreds at Locust Lodge from 1906 until 1919, and won Kentucky’s first Five-Gaited Grand Championship with Richelieu King.
Second, they converted another large portion of the estate into a stock farm specializing in "the peacock of the show ring," Saddlebred horses. Wooldridge successfully raised Saddlebreds at Locust Lodge from 1906 until 1919, and won Kentucky’s first Five-Gaited Grand Championship with Richelieu King.
1974 Photos of the Wooldrige-Briggs (left) and
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