Lot #50 - A History of Old City Hall

Lot #50 - A History of Old City Hall. . Bardstown was founded in 1780 with 33 lots offered to start. Ms. Lydia Patrick was the first known resident by 1784, on lot 50 at the north end near Blackberry Alley. In the loss of her Husband to the Indians on the exodus trip to Kentucky, she became famous as "Widow Patrick" and a living reminder of the frontier dangers in settlement., About 1840 a 24 ft wide store building was built on the south end of lot # 50, sharing a common wall with the Central Hotel, just to the south. The 2-story building with shopfront at ground level was acquired by the new City Council for Bardstown, shortly before 1895, to serve as a new City Hall complex, the first for Bardstown., Finally, in 1913, work began on the conversion, with plans by Osso Stanley local architect. The roof was removed and rebuilt to support the belfry tower for the city's fire bell, placed right at the front wall. The front masonry wall was replaced with a new pattern where today the 2nd floor survives unchanged into the 21st century. With Bardstown's first City Hall in use by 1915, adapting to the changing times became the challenge., Original plan had Police Station on the ground floor and city offices on the 2nd floor with the council's meeting chamber. By the 1930's the steam powered pumper gave way to a fire truck with garage door installed to exit directly on 3rd Street. A modern siren joined the bell in the tower and a test signal marked every twelve noon and called the volunteers to Nelson County fires, day and night for nearly fifty years. About 1965 a new front with double doors replaced the ground floor original when the fire trucks moved to expanded space. It survives today., Bardstown was growing and changing, without warning, St. Joseph Prep School closed in 1968 and by 1969 the city of Bardstown had acquired the modern classroom building on North Fifth Street adjacent to historic Spalding Hall, with the intent to make it the new City Hall. The change took some time with city offices moving to North Fifth Street in 1972. But the City Police Department continued in place at old City Hall for a total of fifty-seven years on Lot 50., Finally, at Public Auction, Brown and Smith CPA's acquired the historic City Hall building in 1973. Ultimately, the building evolved to Francis X. and Lucy S. Smith and is still occupied by Smith and Company CPA's, who remain in place as keepers of this venerable building. Major credit is due for the long effort on preservation of Historic Resources by the Smith family and this amazing example of historic evolution and service in downtown Bardstown for nearly 200 years.