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Kentucky Sites Want on National Register of Historic Places

By Brenna Angel

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-985471.mp3

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Thirteen historic sites across Kentucky are now being considered by the National Register of Historic Places after getting the seal of approval this week from the state historic preservation review board.

Among the latest round of nominations are two districts in Mercer County. Review coordinator Marty Perry says each site's architecture and historical contributions are carefully analyzed.

"So if a property is old enough - and it only has to be 50 years old to qualify, if it's significant enough, and if it is intact enough, then we've got a property that's a worthy candidate."

The North Main Street District in Harrodsburg and the Lexington and Cane Run district in Mercer County both represent a variety of architectural styles, including Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and Craftsman.

Perry says there are several advantages to earning a historical designation.

"The people in the town are told that this is one of their important resources. They may not read the form but they can feel like this is part of my community and someone from the outside has felt like that too, to give it more respect than it might have had before."

This summer the Courtney Matthews House on Breckenridge Street in Lexington was named a historic place. Matthews was an African American thoroughbred trainer who trained Kentucky Derby winner Alan-a-Dale.

The national review panel will make its decisions about the Kentucky requests within 45 days. The Bluegrass State has more than three thousand historic entries listed in the National Register.