National Register of Historic Places

Midway Historic District

Midway, Woodford County, Kentucky
Listed
November 17, 1978
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
78001415

About this property

The Midway Historic District of Midway, Kentucky, was designated by the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on November 17, 1978. In 2003, faced with a declining downtown, a major streetscape renovation project began as part of the Kentucky Main Street Program. Midway was the first town built by a railroad company in Kentucky, established by the Lexington and Ohio Railroad, whose goal was to connect Lexington, Kentucky to the Ohio River, bypassing Louisville. The L&O were building a line between Frankfort, Kentucky and Lexington, starting in 1831, with the first train arriving at the "midway" point in 1833, on a farm owned by John Francisco. On January 31, 1835, the L&O bought the farm from Francisco for $6,491.25, and had their civil engineer, R. C. Hewitt, plat out the town. It was named Midway due to being equally distant from Frankfort and Lexington. Many of the town's streets were named for individuals that worked for the L&O. The state of Kentucky incorporated the town in 1846. Although upgraded with newer technology, the path of the original railroad line through the town is still in use by the railroad, bisecting the business district. On July 15, 1862, John Hunt Morgan stopped here to misdirect Union forces back to Frankfort, instead of pursuing him. A museum is temporarily in a former saloon that now hosts a store for local merchandise, especially historical book regarding Kentucky. The Second Christian Church is believed to be the oldest black congregation in Kentucky.

Location

Midway, Woodford County, Kentucky
38.14916, -84.68421

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTCOMMERCETRANSPORTATIONEDUCATIONARCHITECTURERELIGIONSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Midway Historic District

This page lists Midway Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Pinkerton Hall
Industrial
0.4 mi
Martyrs Monument in Midway
Colonial
0.6 mi
Graham, John, House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Elkwood
Industrial
1 mi
Cooper House
Modern
1.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Morgan at Midway (First Raid)
1862Civil War
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Midway Historic District listed on the National Register?

Midway Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Midway Historic District?

Midway Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Midway Historic District?

The period of significance for Midway Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Midway Historic District?

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