Town Hall
Town Hall's cupola before it was replaced in September 2016. Photo by Town Councilman Norman Schippert, June, 2016
The bell in Pewee Valley's Town Hall first called the Town Council together on August 9, 1897. Today, the Pewee Valley Town Hall is the only surviving original town hall in Oldham County that is still being used for its intended purpose.
According to a February 4, 1897 entry in the Minute Books of Pewee Valley:
Land for Town Hall & Jail leased for one year from W.N. Jurey for $12.00 with an option to buy at the end of the year... Plans for the building were made by W.A. Smith; M.A. Stoess was awarded to build the building for $295.00. E.T. Barnum to build the cells for the Jail for $145.00 and W.S. Lee painted the building for $23.62.
The Board considered the bids and on March 8, the Finance Committee reported there was enough money "on hands and in sight" to go ahead with the project. The building was completed in August, but wasn't used regularly until October 1897. On June 6, 1898, the Town Council allocated an additional $4.40 for furnishing their new meeting place.
Prior to the erection of Town Hall, the Town Council met at various homes, W.N. Jurey's store, Foley's store and the railroad depot.
According to a February 4, 1897 entry in the Minute Books of Pewee Valley:
Land for Town Hall & Jail leased for one year from W.N. Jurey for $12.00 with an option to buy at the end of the year... Plans for the building were made by W.A. Smith; M.A. Stoess was awarded to build the building for $295.00. E.T. Barnum to build the cells for the Jail for $145.00 and W.S. Lee painted the building for $23.62.
The Board considered the bids and on March 8, the Finance Committee reported there was enough money "on hands and in sight" to go ahead with the project. The building was completed in August, but wasn't used regularly until October 1897. On June 6, 1898, the Town Council allocated an additional $4.40 for furnishing their new meeting place.
Prior to the erection of Town Hall, the Town Council met at various homes, W.N. Jurey's store, Foley's store and the railroad depot.
Town Hall Through the Years: 1909-2016
1965 Fire Department Expansion
Volunteer firefighter Bill Herdt's 1980s-era red coveralls are on display at the Pewee Valley Museum, courtesy of his niece Annie Weingardt. Bunkers from that era, including the helmet, canvas coat and three-quarter boots, were supplied by the PVFD.
Over the past century, Town Hall has received two major additions. The first took place in the mid-1960s, when a large fire bay was added by the Pewee Valley Fire Department. Prior to the expansion, the fire department had been housed in a separate, wooden garage beside Town Hall since its founding in 1929. Bill Herdt, who started volunteering with Pewee Valley's "bucket brigade" that year, described the town's first fire station in an April 24, 2001 Courier-Journal story by Leslie Ellis titled, "Department honors long-time fire fighter:"
... That original station was just "just wide enough and long enough to get a truck and a coal stove in it," said Herdt, who was 13 when he joined and 15 when he started driving the Oldham County Ford Model T truck to fires.
It had three, 30-gallon tanks -- which were refilled by the bucket brigade with water from wells or cisterns. Volunteer firefighters shared one ax; they had no protective clothing...
The new fire bay was big enough to hold three trucks, parked one behind the other. The larger trucks drove out through the garage door on Mt. Mercy Drive. The smaller field truck drove out through the back -- where the Central Park pond and mural are now. A gravel drive behind the physician office and Little Colonel Playhouse next door led directly to Central Avenue, recalls former Chief Tim Kehl.
Plans for this first expansion were drawn up by Peweean and civil engineer Charles Schimpeler. Dated May 4, 1965, they are on file in the City of Pewee Valley archives at Town Hall and are reproduced below:
1981 Fire Department Expansion
Town Hall right before construction started on the 1981 expansion. Note that the Gootee Barber Shop had been razed. From the Pewee Valley Fire Department archives.
Architectural rendering of the front elevation from the July 1981 Call of the Pewee.
The finished addition. Photo by Dick Duncan from the January 1982 Call of the Pewee.
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The second addition occurred in 1981 -- again to meet the needs of our volunteer Fire Department. The April Call of the Pewee reported:
...The fire district has purchased the old Gootee barber shop property adjacent to Town Hall and has made arrangements with the City Council to extend the firehouse portion of Town Hall onto that property, tearing down the small structure that housed the barber shop... By July the barber shop was gone and architectural plans for the addition had been finalized. The January 1982 Call of the Pewee featured the completed expansion on the front page. Both bays were built by volunteer firefighters led by Norman Turner, who served as fire chief in the 1970s and '80s and modernized our fire department. Turner's obituary, which ran in the January 5, 2006 Oldham Era, noted: ... In the 1970s and 1980s, when the department lacked funding for materials, equipment and maintenance, Turner's skills helped volunteers meet the city's needs. "He was a carpenter; he was a plumber -- he could do just about anything," (Chief Bob) Hamilton said. "When we needed something, they bought the materials and built it." See the 1981 fire station addition to Town Hall being built in a series of photos taken between September 5 and December 5, 1981. |
1982 Front Porch Addition
The front porch addition to Town Hall retained the original gable's fish scale shingles. From the December 1982 Call of the Pewee.
The finishing touch to Town Hall's expansion was completed in late 1982, with the addition of a columned front porch. The December 1982 the Call of the Pewee reported:
Just in time to sport a Christmas wreath upon its gable the inviting new front porch entrance of our old Town Hall has been completed.
The work was done by Pewee Ken Hinton and his father at a bargain price.
The gable, incidentally, consists of the original rounded shingles that were on the formerly porchless gable, plus some the Hintons fashioned themselves to take the place of shingles that had weathered too much to be transferred.
The only thing remaining to be done is the reinstallation of a pair of gas lamps which were removed from the doorway when new siding was being put on at the time the firehouse was extended.
1988 Bell Tower Repair
Ring that bell, Mayor Reinhart. From the June 1988 Call of the Pewee
Six years after the front porch was added, City Council decided to repair Town Hall's bell tower. Angela Struck reported on the project for the April 13, 1988 Courier-Journal:
As in days of old, the bell atop Pewee Valley's Town Hall will soon ring -- this time to gather townspeople together.
The City Council has decided to repair the bell tower and ring the 90-year-old bell to herald its monthly meetings, a move that will add to the historic atmosphere of the city, Mayor Vivien Reinhardt says.
"We're trying to preserve Pewee Valley as it always has been," she said. "People seem to want that, and people seem to move here because they like the atmosphere of the town."
... The bell ... once called firefighters and volunteers out for emergencies, said Bill Herdt, former fire chief and former council member.
Herdt, who has lived in Pewee Valley all of his 71 years, said using the bell again will enhance the city's historic atmosphere...
...The last time he remembers hearing the bell ring was in 1976, as the city celebrated the nation's bicentennial, Herdt ... said it hadn't been used regularly since about 1929, when the firehouse got an electric siren...
2000: City Purchases Fire Department Property
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In 1999 -- after 70 years at the same location -- the Pewee Valley Fire Department decided to move. The December 19, 1999 Oldham Era reported: ... The department is building an 8,100-square-foot fire department at 8607 Foley Avenue... "We're bursting at the seams," said Chief Tim Kehl. He cited a need for more space as the reason for the new building. Currently, the 35-member volunteer department leases a meeting room and one engine bay. At the new location, the department will have a larger meeting area, more room for their three engines and possibly another... ...The cost of the project is $760,000, he said. Kehl said the department chose that site because it was "about the only thing around that suited our needs at the time." The department has been working on the project for almost 10 years, he said. The property will also allow the department to expand in the future... |
Above and below, a Pewee Valley fire truck parked outside the double fire bay in 1999. From the Pewee Valley Fire Department archives.
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In January 31, 2000, at a special meeting of the Pewee Valley City Council, the city voted to buy the old firehouse property. The February 9, 2000 Courier-Journal reported that decision was not without controversy:
Pewee Valley will spend $90,000 to buy and protect a small piece of land adjoining Town Hall.
The 2,000-square-foot property on Mount Mercy Drive is owned by the Pewee Valley Fire Protection District and used for two garage bays housing firefighting equipment.
The land, which is zoned commercial, is expected to become vacant when the fire district's new building on Foley Avenue is completed in June.
The City Council voted 5-1, with Nathan Stewart opposed, to buy the property at a special meeting Jan. 31.
Dr. Steven Applegate, a Pewee Valley resident, said he would have purchased the property if the city had not exercised its option to buy it.
Council members and Mayor Jim Kincer said they weren't worried about what Applegate would do with the property, but, instead, wanted to preserve it for the future.
"The whole goal is to protect the site," Kincer said. "And this will allow us to do that as we see fit."
In a later interview, Applegate said he was disappointed with the city's decision and with the fact that he wasn't invited to the special meeting.
"I want to talk to them about it," he said. "It bugs me that they are upping taxes and buying property. My philosophy has always been to keep that historic Pewee Valley look."
Council member Nathan Stewart initially proposed that the city let Applegate buy the property if he agreed to a series of deed restrictions, but the council rejected that proposal. Stewart said after the meeting that he made the suggestion because the city doesn't "have any immediate plans for the land."
But council member Pat Payne, who made the motion to buy the land, said there is a need for the property and it should belong to the city. "If we don't do it now, then it's gone forever ... it's attached to our building, and I wanted to keep the integrity of that for the future."
Payne said she would like to keep the property for public use.
We used to have art festivals and an antique show here in Pewee Valley," Payne said after the meeting. "My purpose is to keep it for the residents. We have no space."
Pewee Valley will spend $90,000 to buy and protect a small piece of land adjoining Town Hall.
The 2,000-square-foot property on Mount Mercy Drive is owned by the Pewee Valley Fire Protection District and used for two garage bays housing firefighting equipment.
The land, which is zoned commercial, is expected to become vacant when the fire district's new building on Foley Avenue is completed in June.
The City Council voted 5-1, with Nathan Stewart opposed, to buy the property at a special meeting Jan. 31.
Dr. Steven Applegate, a Pewee Valley resident, said he would have purchased the property if the city had not exercised its option to buy it.
Council members and Mayor Jim Kincer said they weren't worried about what Applegate would do with the property, but, instead, wanted to preserve it for the future.
"The whole goal is to protect the site," Kincer said. "And this will allow us to do that as we see fit."
In a later interview, Applegate said he was disappointed with the city's decision and with the fact that he wasn't invited to the special meeting.
"I want to talk to them about it," he said. "It bugs me that they are upping taxes and buying property. My philosophy has always been to keep that historic Pewee Valley look."
Council member Nathan Stewart initially proposed that the city let Applegate buy the property if he agreed to a series of deed restrictions, but the council rejected that proposal. Stewart said after the meeting that he made the suggestion because the city doesn't "have any immediate plans for the land."
But council member Pat Payne, who made the motion to buy the land, said there is a need for the property and it should belong to the city. "If we don't do it now, then it's gone forever ... it's attached to our building, and I wanted to keep the integrity of that for the future."
Payne said she would like to keep the property for public use.
We used to have art festivals and an antique show here in Pewee Valley," Payne said after the meeting. "My purpose is to keep it for the residents. We have no space."
Your Tax Dollars at Work: Placing the New, Copper-Topped Cupola Atop Town Hall in September 2016 Photos by Town Clerk Laura Eichenberger
2016 Town Hall Renovation
In the summer of 2016, the City of Pewee Valley under Mayor Bob Rogers spent some $16,000 to restore Town Hall's exterior. Rotting wood siding was replaced by fire-resistant cement board, insulation was added to lower the city's utility bills, new columns replaced decaying two-by-fours holding up the front porch, and a new copper-topped cupola replaced the original. Town Hall was also painted beige -- the first time in its 119-year history it has been any color other than white. You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Town Hall is now in Technicolor!
The Jail
The ball and chain from Pewee Valley's jail is on display at the Pewee Valley Museum.
Though people are usually trying to break out of jail, Pewee Valley's jail bore the unique distinction of having people break into it. Just five years after the jail cells were built, they were used as overnight hotel accommodations by two men who were passing through, according to this February 21, 1902 story from the Courier-Journal:
TWO MEN BREAK INTO
JAIL AT PEWEE
___________________
Claimed They Came Too Late To Stop
At Lodging Place and Took
Possession of the Jail
When Marshal J.T. Flynn visited the Pewee Valley jail this morning he discovered two strangers peacefully snoring in one of the cells. The Marshal, to whom the idea of breaking into a jail is a novel one, proceeded to arouse the men and inquire the reason for their conduct. They, in no wise disconcerted, said that when they arrived in Pewee Thursday night everything was closed, and they dared not arouse anyone to secure lodging. Accordingly they made a search for the jail, and when they were successful entered and spent the night as comfortably as possible. Marshal Flynn is a credulous man, so he made no comment on the strange proceedings and gave the men their breakfast, after which he hinted that by following the railroad tracks they would find their way out of town.
The men accordingly surmised that it would not be in good taste for them to argue the question, and they went on their way.
The town's jail cells are long gone, but a ball and chain from the old jail is on display at the Pewee Valley Museum.
The Roll-Top Desk at Town Hall
The roll-top desk at Town Hall was donated to the City of Pewee Valley by Joseph J. Morrison (September 11. 1896-January 9, 1943), who served as Town Marshall in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Morrison was a retired farmer from East Milton in Trimble County, when he and his wife, Mary, moved to Maple Avenue in the 1920s. Late Pewee Valley Historian Virginia Herdt "Gin" Chaudoin said that prior to his stint as Town Marshall, Morrison owned a team of work horses and used them to haul coal from the railroad siding located in front of Herdt Motors and the Old Sweet Shop. As she explained in the October 1988 Call of the Pewee:
...Coal cars were always stored on the siding ... Since coal was our main source for warmth and cooking, and with the Confederate Home, you can be sure the coal wagons and horses were a very important part of our lives...
Morrison won the marshal appointment by writing this letter to the Town Board, which included his offer of the roll-top desk:
To the Board of Trustees of Pewee Valley:
"Let's improve Pewee Valley."
In making this proposition to you, I will have to list the work in parts.
Part I --
The Town Hall. It is a disgrace to our town. I would want to renovate and make it a fit meeting place. All it would take would be soap and water, some work and some paint.
I will donate roll-top desk and chair.
Part II --
The Jail. It needs complete renovating and new bedding. You don't know when you will have a call for same. Have it fit for the unlucky person.
Part III --
Fire Department. Which all of you know was the talk of the town as to what you were going to do with it. I think I know your views on this. I would, with your help, make this Fire Department one of the best in the state.
Part IV --
The Duties of the Town Marshal. The law is plain on this. I will assure you every letter of the law will be carried out, and every part of the town will be patrolled at least once a week for anything that is not within the limits of the law.
Part V --
Streets. This is one of the big problems you are going to solve. I say this because it can be done with the right man, a man who has some ideas of his own and can use same to overcome all obstacles. I have had experience with all such machines as rollers and graders.
Part VI --
Collection of Taxes. I will do the collecting and turn over to the proper authorities.
Here is a suggestion I think would be a good thing for all concerned. Buy a truck. This should be a two yard dump which would haul all your material for town and also pull your graders and all other work that would have to be done for town, and with all this done, could be made to win a good profit for the town by custom hauling for others.
With your slogan, "Let's Improve Pewee Valley," I remain
Very Respectfully,
J.J. Morrison
Pewee Valley, Ky.
The Board of Trustees hired him, and young Peweeans affectionately nicknamed him "Officer Pup." He is buried beside his wife at Floydsburg Cemetery.
Morrison was a retired farmer from East Milton in Trimble County, when he and his wife, Mary, moved to Maple Avenue in the 1920s. Late Pewee Valley Historian Virginia Herdt "Gin" Chaudoin said that prior to his stint as Town Marshall, Morrison owned a team of work horses and used them to haul coal from the railroad siding located in front of Herdt Motors and the Old Sweet Shop. As she explained in the October 1988 Call of the Pewee:
...Coal cars were always stored on the siding ... Since coal was our main source for warmth and cooking, and with the Confederate Home, you can be sure the coal wagons and horses were a very important part of our lives...
Morrison won the marshal appointment by writing this letter to the Town Board, which included his offer of the roll-top desk:
To the Board of Trustees of Pewee Valley:
"Let's improve Pewee Valley."
In making this proposition to you, I will have to list the work in parts.
Part I --
The Town Hall. It is a disgrace to our town. I would want to renovate and make it a fit meeting place. All it would take would be soap and water, some work and some paint.
I will donate roll-top desk and chair.
Part II --
The Jail. It needs complete renovating and new bedding. You don't know when you will have a call for same. Have it fit for the unlucky person.
Part III --
Fire Department. Which all of you know was the talk of the town as to what you were going to do with it. I think I know your views on this. I would, with your help, make this Fire Department one of the best in the state.
Part IV --
The Duties of the Town Marshal. The law is plain on this. I will assure you every letter of the law will be carried out, and every part of the town will be patrolled at least once a week for anything that is not within the limits of the law.
Part V --
Streets. This is one of the big problems you are going to solve. I say this because it can be done with the right man, a man who has some ideas of his own and can use same to overcome all obstacles. I have had experience with all such machines as rollers and graders.
Part VI --
Collection of Taxes. I will do the collecting and turn over to the proper authorities.
Here is a suggestion I think would be a good thing for all concerned. Buy a truck. This should be a two yard dump which would haul all your material for town and also pull your graders and all other work that would have to be done for town, and with all this done, could be made to win a good profit for the town by custom hauling for others.
With your slogan, "Let's Improve Pewee Valley," I remain
Very Respectfully,
J.J. Morrison
Pewee Valley, Ky.
The Board of Trustees hired him, and young Peweeans affectionately nicknamed him "Officer Pup." He is buried beside his wife at Floydsburg Cemetery.
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