Early Surveyors – The area around Midway, on the waters of Lee’s Branch and the South Elkhorn, was first surveyed in 1774, when it was still part of Fincastle County, Virginia. It was a risky undertaking, for the lead surveyor, Hancock Taylor, was killed by Indians soon after leaving this area, as was Willis Lee, for whom Lee’s Branch was named. They camped at a large spring now on Waterford Farm.
Founding of Midway – Col. John Francisco eventually purchased property here which figured into the coming of the railroad. The Lexington and Ohio Railroad was incorporated in 1830 at Lexington, the second oldest railroad west of the Alleghenies, and opened in 1832, with the cars pulled by horses. A steam locomotive was in use by 1833, built by Thomas Barlow, the year the company purchased a right of passage through the middle of Francisco’s farm, the site of Midway. But when construction began, Mr. Francisco became angry with the railroad for unreasonably damaging his property and, in 1835, the company purchased his 216 acre farm. Railroad executives decided to lay out a town called Middleway, soon renamed Midway, since it was both halfway between Lexington and Frankfort and halfway between a potential line from Georgetown and Versailles. Midway was the first town in Kentucky founded by a railroad. The first lot was sold in 1835. The business section developed along Railroad Street, and by 1900 hotels, saloons, a large distillery, dry goods and grocery stores, many trades, churches and schools appeared.
Midway College – The Kentucky Female Orphan School was chartered in 1847 to educate orphaned girls. Through the years, it has transformed from a high school and junior college and today is Midway College, Kentucky’s only four-year women’s college.
Georgetown, Midway, Versailles Railroad – Another railroad once passed north-south through Midway, the Georgetown, Midway and Versailles Railroad, which operated from 1889 to 1940. Vestiges of this ghost railroad include the northern entrance to town from Leestown Pike, which follows the old rail bed.
Barlow in Midway – Thomas Barlow was an inventor in Lexington best known for building three working miniature steam locomotives in 1826-1827, and in 1832 an early steam locomotive was first used, unsuccessfully, on the L & O. His son, Milton, lived here from 1859-1869, and continued promoting his father’s inventions, especially an orrery or planetarium. It is said Thomas Barlow lived in Midway with his son a few years before his death in 1865 but this has not been documented.
Weisenberger Mills – Only a few miles east of Midway is Weisenberger Mills, founded in 1865, and is the oldest continuously operated mill in Kentucky. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Offutt-Cole tavern, three miles south of Midway, Kentucky’s first stagecoach stop, dates to the 1780s. This was the birthplace of Zeralda Cole James, mother of Frank and Jesse James.
Horse Farms – The Midway area has a long history of well-known horse farms beginning with Woodburn and Nantura, which were located on Old Frankfort Pike. The Alexander family established Woodburn in 1790, and with famous stallions, including Lexington and Asteroid, became what a historian has called “the most prestigious stock farm in America.” Nantura owned by the Harper family, between 1795 and 1905 became one of the leading thoroughbred racing stables, and the tombstones of Ten Broeck and Longfellow are said to be the first horses in the state. George Armstrong Custer visited these horse farms in November 1871 looking for horses for both his own breeding operation and for the army. This racing tradition has carried forward to today’s horse farms surrounding Midway, including Parrish Hill Farm (birthplace of Derby Winner Charismatic), Airdrie Stud, Waterford Farm and Three Chimneys, among others.
Films in Midway – Movies filmed here include scenes from Flim Flam Man and Simpatico.
Civil War – During John Hunt Morgan’s July 1862 First Kentucky Raid, his CSA cavalry stopped here and seized the telegraph to send false messages to confuse Union commanders in the area, one of the earliest uses of the telegraph for this purpose. Late in the Civil War, Sue Mundy and other Confederate guerrillas raided nearby Woodburn, taking many valuable horses. In another raid on Nantura guerrillas killed Adam Harper, Jr. for which Union General Burbridge ordered four CSA prisoners shot in reprisal. Their “Martyr’s Monument” and graves are in the Midway Cemetery.
Historic Districts – The Midway Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and includes most of the town. Woodford County has also zoned the business section on Main (Railroad) Street a Historic District.
Courtesy of Bill Penn midwaymuseumstore.com June 2007
Distilling Bourbon in Midway – Distilling Bourbon in Midway - Midway
has a very rich history of distilling Bourbon for nearly a 100 year period from
1865 to 1959.
1865
–1868 – The First Midway Distillery was located at West Railroad Street and
Turner Street. Buford, Guthrie Company
and then A. Buford Distillery then became the Hinde, Drake, & Co. in 1868.
1875
– The Second Midway Distillery was on several Lots along the Lee Branch at
North Winter Street, the J.N. Thomas & Co. Distillery Warehouse and
Bottling Facilities. They sold out to
the James Cogar Grain Storage Company.
1879
– The Midway Distilling District then moved to the east side of Midway at the
corner of Gratz and Dudley Streets. This
third Midway Distillery location was nestled in a bend of the Lee Branch of the
North Elkorn Creek, and operated under several business names over the
years.
1879-1890
– Glenarme Distillery was established and operated to manufacture, distill, and
warehouse Whiskey.
1890-1912
– S. J. Greenbaum, Bell of Anderson Distillery-Glenarme Distillery. Brand names included Belle of Lexington,
Belle of Anderson, and Belle of Bourbon.
Greenbaum displayed his Jewish heritage with Star of David labels.
1908
– Five aging warehouses, containing 47,500 bourbon barrels were destroyed by fire. This was 25% of all the aging bourbon in the
United States. The Lee's Branch was on fire for
over one mile, and several Midway residents were scorched dipping tin cups into
the Lee’s Branch for Bourbon and Water. Martin Street next to the Lee’s Branch
was nicknamed “Tin Cup Alley”.
1912
– Reorganized as the Belle of Anderson Distillery with brands of Belle of
Anderson, Glenarme, Woodford, Jessamine, and Arlington. This Distillery declared bankruptcy in 1915.
1916-1920
– Reorganized as the Midway Distilling Company.
Production was halted by prohibition, and then medicinal spirits
continued to be bottled until 1924. The entire plant was destroyed by fire in
1924, and remained vacant until 1935.
1920
– 1933 – Prohibition – “America’s Great Noble Experiment”.
1935-1939
– Distillery rebuilt as the Woodford Distilling Company until a court ordered
receivership auction where it was purchased by the Ansonia Copper and Iron
Works.
1941
– 1954 – Purchased by Park and Tilford of New York City, New York.
1954-1959
– Purchased by Schenley Products Inc, owned by Lewis Rosenstiel. The property was then donated to the Midway
Junior College, who sold the lot and property, and the Distillery was mostly
dismantled.
An
aging warehouse, built 1906, now Midway Loft Apartments, and one distillery
building, built 1930s, now the Kentucky Cannabis Company are still standing in
the Midway Historic Distillery District.