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May's Lick looks to the future as it marks 220th Anniversary
Friday, May 16, 2008 9:09 PM EDT
The group included three brothers, Abraham, Isaac and Cornelius Drake, their wives and children. The other two families were those of John Shotwell and his sister, Mary Shotwell Morris.
"There were at least 30 people making this trek; 20 of them under the age of 15," said Peggy Parker, a descendant of the Shotwell family.
According to History of Maysville and Mason County, by G. Glenn Clift, the families "had been looking about for a good tract of land upon which to settle," since their arrival in Limestone (now Maysville). "Finally they found just what they wanted in the following advertisement: For Sale - A tract of land containing 1,400 acres on the waters of the North Fork of Licking, lying on the road from Limestone to the lower blue lick; being May's settlement ..."
The men purchased the 1,400 acres and decided to call their new settlement, May's Lick.
According to Parker, upon division of the property, each family's acreage bordered a spring providing fresh water.
"The spring house is still there," said Peggy, noting the spring is located in the heart of the community on Main Street. Peggy said, and Clift's book confirms, when Isaac Drake arrived in Limestone, he had one dollar in his pocket, the price of one bushel of corn.
This year marks the 220th anniversary of the founding of May's Lick, which is home to two of America's most notable persons: Dr. Daniel Drake and Charles Young. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of May's Lick Community Development, an organization of both old and new May's Lick citizens who have worked tirelessly to revitalize the community and to attract visitors to the area to share the story of its founding and famous citizens.
Peggy grew up in May's Lick and then moved away as an adult; 20 years ago, she retraced the route her ancestors traveled to reach their new homeland. She moved back home in 1996 and has been active within the community ever since. She owns Burrwal Farm, which is the original site of the Isaac Drake homesite.
Robyn Jones moved to May's Lick from Fleming County 16 years ago; Robyn has been the president of May's Lick Community Development since its inception and owns Jones' May's Lick Market.
Both women credit the other for the successes the community has achieved in recent years: the annual Asparagus Festival, which takes place today, Roff Park, a new community center and fire hall and the restoration May's Lick Negro School projects.
As much as they credit each other, they are both just as quick to credit the citizens of the community for pitching in and working to keep their town alive and moving forward under the umbrella of the May's Lick Community Development group.
"Boy, was I ever glad to see Peggy," Robyn said, after rattling off a list of events that saw the demise of its business district: the closing of the local hardware store, the May's Lick school, and Holman's Grocery, just to name a few.
Going back to the fortitude of the communities founding fathers, the May's Lick Community Development group has worked to bring attention to the fact that Dr. Daniel Drake was only 2 years old when his family settled May's Lick and he went on to become one of America's most notable physicians.
Drake, the son of Isaac Drake, graduated in the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania in 1815, and settled in Cincinnati, where he became known as a physician and writer. In 1820, he organized the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinnati and secured a state appropriation for its support and that of a hospital. In 1827, he founded the Western Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences, which he continued to edit until 1848. In 1846 he, William Maclay Awl and other members of the Ohio medical profession established the Ohio State Medical Society. He was connected, either as a lecturer or professor, at different times, with Transylvania University in Lexington, the University of Louisville, and Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Penn. A very illustrious career for a child who was run over by a wagon and thought to be dead while his family traveled the American frontier to reach its new home.
At some point after his death in 1852, Daniel Drake's children compiled his writings describing his early childhood in Kentucky and published a book entitled Pioneer Life in Kentucky.
A second citizen of May's Lick who also reached national attention is Charles Young, who was born in a log cabin on a farm near Helena. Young's parents moved to Ripley, Ohio, while he was just a child, as free persons of color. Young was the third African-American graduate of West Point, first black U.S. National Park superintendent, first African-American military attaché, and highest ranking black officer in the United States Army until his death in 1922.
"Daniel Drake and Charles Young are our most famous citizens," Peggy said of the two men.
Moving from the past to present day, the citizens of May's Lick are currently working on three important community projects which will benefit them in the future.
Plans for a new community center and fire hall are on the drawing board and construction is about to begin soon on the building. Robyn said funding for the projects has been secured because of the hard work of local politicians State Rep. Mike Denham, Mason County Judge-Executive James L. "Buddy" Gallenstein and State Sen. Charlie Borders.
Another project under way and gaining momentum is the restoration of the May's Lick Negro School. Robyn said when the opportunity came about to purchase the property, she decided to write the president of Oak Hill Bank to see if it would be interested in donating the property. Knowing it was a long shot, she was surprised when President Gene Kaufman wrote back.
"He said 'let's meet,'" Robyn said.
Roff Park has been undergoing changes and expansion for several years and Peggy said that is now her focus, while Robyn leads the community on other projects. The Asparagus Festival was developed to benefit the park, which is named in honor of one of Peggy's ancestors through marriage to a Shotwell.
"It becomes part of your life," Robyn said about her work within the community. "There's more people than just us ... it involves everybody."
"But the coolest thing is that May's Lick keeps going," Peggy said
Information for this article obtained from Peggy Parker, G. Glenn Clift's History of Maysville and Mason County and Wikipedia.
Contact Marla Toncray at marla.toncray@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 275.
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