Lexington wants to raise $500,000 to preserve Black, rural hamlets. How you can help

Lexington officials are raising money to protect and honor historic, Black rural hamlets in Fayette County.

A steering committee, made up of city officials, local historians and Black leaders, has identified 20 historic Black hamlets that were once in Fayette County’s rural area.

Due to racist policies such as deed restrictions that kept Black and other minorities from owning property in certain areas, many Black freed slaves settled in rural areas in Fayette County.

Many of those Black hamlets, which frequently had stores, schools and multiple churches, have been lost to new development.

The city has launched an effort to make sure those communities are remembered through “A Sense of Place” campaign. The campaign seeks to document rural Black hamlets but also to preserve and educate the community about those hamlets.

The steering committee has held multiple events over the past six months to gather photos, stories and other memorabilia from people who once lived in those hamlets.

Cadentown off of Old Todds and Liberty roads has largely been preserved thanks to the efforts of the Cadentown community. In 1990, the neighborhood came together and organized the preservation of the Cadentown Rosenwald school.

Julius Rosenwald, a white industrialist, partnered with Booker T. Washington and others to help build thousands of schools for Black students during segregation. Black community members raised money to help build those schools.

The Cadentown Rosenwald one-room school is the only remaining Rosenwald school in Fayette County.

The group would like to do further renovations to the Rosenwald school, restore a cemetery behind the school and make other improvements to the city-owned property. The hope is to turn the Rosenwald school into a type of museum featuring stories and artifacts about Fayette County’s Black hamlets, city officials have said.

“Our rural Black hamlets deserve recognition and celebration for their historical impact on the evolution of Lexington,” said Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Kathy Plomin. “The monies raised through the ‘A Sense of Place’ capital campaign will provide funding for the renovation of the Rosenwald school and grounds to ultimately serve as a history center for all the artifacts and family stories of our rural Fayette County Black hamlets. It is long overdue recognition.”

Plomin represents the rural area where many of the former Black hamlets were located.

The group has raised $130,000 to date. The goal is to raise $500,000.

Approximately $105,000 came from council money. An additional $25,000 has been donated by Columbia Gas of Kentucky.

“As a company committed to diversity and inclusion, Columbia Gas of Kentucky is proud to support this effort and celebrate Black history and achievement in our community,” said Kimra Cole, chief operating officer of Columbia Gas of Kentucky.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the city’s rural Black hamlets are an important part of Fayette County’s history that need to be remembered, preserved and honored.

“Our rural Black hamlets are very important to the rich culture and history of Lexington. It is very important that we do all that we can to respect and uplift these communities,” Gorton said.

To find out more about the Sense of Place campaign or how to donate contact lexingtonhamletsproject@gmail.com.