Today I decided to go to the Archives in the King Library. While I was there I found out a lot of interesting things about the Maxwell Place. Here is all the information that I found while I was there.
James Mulligan decided to name the house Maxwell Springs in honor of John Maxwell, he was one of Lexington’s founders. The house was opened to students who had an epidemic of scarlet fever. They would also invite students for tea party and when the holidays rolled around they would have a holiday show case. Where they would decorate the house and people around the community would come and visit. There were many different invitations that would invite student for many different types of parties.
I found this quote on a piece of paper that was inside the file of the Maxwell House. I couldn’t figure out who said it and the people at the archives didn’t know either.
“I hope that future generations will not see fit to demolish this building and that it will always remain an important part of our university, as it has been over the years important part of our community.”
As I was looking through different articles they had about the Maxwell Place and about the Mulligan family I got a very good impression that the Mulligan family had great pride in the state of Kentucky. James Mulligan wrote a song in honor of how hw loved Kentucky called In Kentucky.
The Maxwell house has 26 bedrooms. 8 of those bedrooms are located in the attic, 12 are on the first floor and 6 are located in the basement.
On September 14, 1907 the Maxwell house was contaminated with impure water.
On the gate of the Maxwell place there are inscriptions on plaques. On these inscriptions the president that was currently living there would write about how much they enjoyed the Maxwell House or what it meant to the University and community. Here are a few different inscriptions from the plaques.
“It was our great pleasure and privilege to live in this historic, University of Kentucky home during a most exciting and rewarding period which included the centennial year of the University, 1965. During that memorable year of reflection and celebration, this home was the center of many activities that focused on goals for the University’s second century. John W. and Rosanel O. Oswald September. 1963 to September, 1968
“During the forty five years in which the doors have open to faculty, students, friends, and guests of the university of Kentucky, Maxwell Place has symbolized gracious living in the academic community. Our days here have been filled with the happiness of sharing an exciting enterprise involving many people in the search for a better way of life.”
May Maxwell Place ever so. The Dickeys 1956-1963
“We will remember always Maxwell Place—Its spacious lawns, beautiful trees, lovely shrubs, and its garden of vegetables and flowers but the best of all we will remember the gracious friends colleagues and neighbors who have come to see us while we have dwelt in this lovely old home we will remember.” Herman and Nell Donovan 1941-1956
“This land part of a thousand acre tract surveyed for John Maxwell “First pioneer on the site of Lexington” By John Floyd in 1775: The present house erected by Dennis Mulligan in 1871 for his son James Hillary Mulligan” purchased and remodeled by the University of Kentucky in 1917 for the presidents house and first occupied as such by Frank Lerond Mcvey.”
“No man can call himself a gentleman of Kentucky until he has watered his horse at Maxwell Springs.” Henry Clay
To me these different inscriptions from the different presidents are there interpretation and experience that they had on the Maxwell Place.
1 comment:
You found a lot of interesting info at the archives! Those transcriptions are interesting, and they offer a variety of viewpoints as to what the role of Maxwell Place is on campus and to the community. As I mentioned in my last comment, you might want to think about Maxwell Place as an example of a historic building that the community has fought hard to preserve; that anonymous quote scribbled on a sheet of paper in the Maxwell Place file demonstrates the feeling of attachment that many share. Perhaps your larger issues are about preservation vs. progress, and about the value of history? Maybe even about the value of saving primary sources, like those you found at the archives? Good luck with your draft!
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