Sadieville Minutes

Sorry about the delay in posting the Meeting Minutes. The meeting minutes are always approved the following month, so they will always run a month later.

Nicodemus Kansas, Sadieville Connection

Between the fall of 1877 and 1879, groups of African-Americans from central

Kentucky left for the Promised Lands of Kansas. Some of these emigrants boarded trains in Sadieville in the fall of 1877. They settled on the high plains of western Kansas, in a town known as Nicodemus. This town now stands as the oldest and only remaining all-black town west of the Mississippi that was established at the end of Reconstruction.  In 1996 it was designated a unit of the National Park Service. The Nicodemus Historical Society has worked for over twenty years trying to reestablish kinship bonds with descendents of this migration.

 

 

The Mt Pleasant Baptist Church has ties to the Nicodemus AME Church.  On September 5, 1877 most of the congregation of the Mt Pleasant Baptist Church boarded the train in Sadieville for Nicodemus, Kansas. A large portion of the Mt Pleasant congregation left Nicodemus soon after arrival and returned to Kentucky or other destinations in Kansas.

 

The Mt Pleasant Baptist congregation that returned was deeded a parcel of land by T.J and Josie Burgess in Sadieville on December 13, 1884 to erect a house of worship. The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was built in 1897 and was recently designated as a Kentucky Landmark by the Kentucky Heritage Council and deemed worthy of preservation.

 

In 2009 Angela Bates, Executive Director of the Nicodemus Historical Society came to Kentucky to speak about “The Connection”. Please visit www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.com .

 

 

Sadieville Musicfests

Back by popular demand, Sadieville Musicfests will be held every third Friday of the month, beginning May 21st through September 17th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Merle Tussey will return with his kayaoke equipment, so brush up on your singing. FSR will serve food and refreshments. Bring your friends, family, lawn chairs, and appetites for great fun!!!

Mayor’s State of the City Address

IT’S MORNING IN SADIEVILLE…

By Claude Christensen, Mayor

 They say the only true constant is change.  For Sadieville, that axiom certainly holds true these days.  New city leadership, a new city plan, and only the best of intentions are all indicators that “the times, they are a changing…” in beautiful downtown Sadieville.  The City of Sadieville has undertaken a multi-faceted multi-year program to systematically reinvent itself.

 

“Sadieville Renaissance” is the working title we have given this effort now underway.  It is at its heart an economic revitalization program that will result in a new start for the City and sustainable improvements in the quality of life for our citizens.  The interrelated initiatives included are: Sewer Improvement Project (completion); Safe Streets & Walkways; Business District Redevelopment; Historic Preservation, and Housing Renewal.  This is an ambitious plan, but it provides us with direction for the future and a framework within which to work.  These interrelated cross-cutting initiatives are outlined in “Sustainable Sadieville” our newly minted Comprehensive Plan for the City.  In addition to our ongoing relationship with Scott County, recent
“partnering” activities of note include completion of our application to the Department of Local Government for a Community Development Block Grant to fund the final phase of our wastewater project, receipt of a Beautification grant from Bluegrass PRIDE, and receipt of Preservation grants from Toyota, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Kentucky Heritage and Humanities Councils.

 

Historically viewed as a small, rural hamlet a few miles north of Georgetown, Sadieville offers a number of intriguing features.  We have the only undeveloped interchange in I-75 between Lexington and Cincinnati less than 2 miles from the downtown area, a surprisingly rich cultural heritage, and abundant natural resources.  Properly cared for, Sadieville has something good to offer its citizens as well as the surrounding area, but to-date, its potential has not been realized.  So far, we have partnered with Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Bluegrass PRIDE, The Kentucky Heritage Council, Scott County Tourism Commission, and the National Trust For Historic Preservation.  To that end, we are anxious to enlist additional partners in this undertaking and in forming constructive collaborations with our neighbors.  If you are looking for a little civic adventure, come on up the road a few miles and bring your ideas.  We’d like to talk with you.

Sadieville Beautification Update

Sadieville Beautification continues thanks to flower donations from Karen Wells. Volunteers gathered in Pike Street Park and put together playground equipment. Volunteers have also been working hard picking up trash in the parks. Tony Wilson bought two old buildings on Pike Street and is working on cleaning the properties up. Other volunteers from Eagle Bend Subdivision worked on the entrance. Everyone is sprucing up for October 9th.

GET INVOLVED!

Here is a list of projects and how you can be involved:

Preservation Committee, Beautification Committee, Events/Fundraiser Committee, Railroad Festival Committee. For more information, call (502) 857-4576.

CELEBRATING SADIE 130 YEARS/COMING HOME ON OCT 9th

On Saturday, October 9, 2010 during the World Equestrian Games there will be a Celebration of Sadieville’s 130th Birthday.  

We will begin with a Birthday Brunch at 11:00 a.m. at the Christian Church. Kidsfest will be from noon until 2:00 p.m. with games and events for kids. There will be a miniature train and ponies to ride down at Pike Street Park all day. We will have historians and storytellers at the Depot and music at the Pavilion. There will crafts, games, food and music all day.

Kentucky Landmarks; National Register Eligibility

The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and Sadieville Rosenwald School were awarded Kentucky Landmark Certificates from the Kentucky Heritage Council. The Certificates are the official recognition by the State of Kentucky of the historical significance of these buildings. The Certificates were signed by Governor Steve Beshear.

On September 14th we received a letter from the Kentucky Heritage Council stating that the Mt Pleasant Baptist Church and the Sadieville Rosenwald School are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under criterion A for their association with the history of African-American education, religion, and society in the early twentieth century Sadieville.

We will now make plans to proceed with the nomination of the two structures and have been developing plans for preservation and continued use.

Part of the plans for the nomination process will be seeking the funds through grants, donations and fundraisers. If you are interested in making a donation, please call (502) 857-4576.

We greatly appreciate your support and partnership with this project!

Sadieville Receives Eligibility Status for Main Street Program

The Kentucky Heritage Council recently sent a letter of congratulations. Sadieville meets the requirements to become a Candidate Main Street/Renaissance on Main city! Candidate status is the entry designation into the Main Street program. The next step is for a program representative from Sadieville to complete the requirements for certification. For more information, go to www.heritage.ky.gov.

City Clerk Cindy Foster has been working with Georgetown Main Street Director, Kitty Dougoud, to acheive certification by the end of 2011.

Update on the Mt Pleasant Church and School

Friends of the Sadieville Renaissance, Inc. has been working hard to save the Mt Pleasant Baptist Church and Rosenwald School located on the same property. They have been working with the City Commission, Ky Heritage Council, Scott County Historians, Ky Historical Society, Architechtural Historian, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Kentucky and an architect from Lexington, KY. It is a collaborative effort to save and restore the African American church that was built in the late 1800’s and the Rosenwald School that was built in the early 1900’s. If you are interested in helping save these important historical buildings, please call Cindy Foster at (502) 857-4576.

The City of Sadieville has received a $10,000.00 grant to restore the Rosenwald School. The Feasibilty Study and Historic Building Report was completed in February.

We also received $5,000.00 from the Alice Rosenwald Flexible Fund from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The funds will specifically be used for the foundation work for the school. The Architect submitted the foundation plans in August 2010 and the bidding process for the work will begin shortly after.

Sadieville also received $3,000.00 in Emergency Funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Southern Region Office to stabalize the roof of the Mt Pleasant Baptist Church. The funds were also used for water drainage problems.