Downtown – London, Kentucky
As the county seat for Laurel County – London has many of the accoutrements that you might expect – a dignified Colonial Revival Court House, law offices, and a smattering of businesses around them.
The Wilderness Road (1775-1795) crossed the Boone Trace in Laurel County. Laurel County was established in 1825 and London in 1826. The Wilderness Road opened Kentucky and the west to rapid settlement and major development. The first wagon road was built by Kentucky in 1796. Crab Orchard to Cuberland Gap was a principal highway, maintained as a turnpike “toll road” for 80 years.
During the Civil War, in the Battle of London, 500 Confederate cavalry led by Col. J.S. Scott attacked 200 US troops and 98 convalescents under L.C Houk here on August 17, 1862. The US forces had 13 killed, 17 wounded, and 111 men captured along with 40 wagons. CSA lost 2 and 4 wounded. Houk was forced back to General George W. Morgan’s main force at Cumberland Gap. Cut off from supplies, Morgan began his retreat to Ohio thirty days later.
This small plaza has the potential to be a welcoming place, though is missing plantings and activation that help to make it more welcoming. The swing is a feature we don’t frequently see in downtown areas.
Despite a storied history, the insertion of modern buildings like the 1st Financial Center and the Judicial Center are modern in detailing and detract from the feeling of being a historic downtown.
The Scoville Law Firm is in a handsome brick building with stone detailings around the canted corner entrance. The building has been well maintained and preserved, including with historically appropriate double-hung windows on the upper floor.
