Miss C's Kitchen and Pantry

We are proud to be showcasing our first company profile of a Butchertown business. It was only right and fitting that our first selection was that of Miss C's Kitchen located at 1319 Story Ave. Charlotte and Chris have been Butchertown advocates and involved in the BNA since moving into their location two years ago. As their website proclaims the famous words of Kentucky environmental writer, Wendall Berry, "eating is an agricultural act," these ladies turn out some of the finest Kentucky Proud foods in the region.

They maintain three local gardens in town in which they use sustainable, pesticide free farming methods to produce some of the tastiest jams, jellys, and preserves I have ever had. Apparently the whole state agrees, and it is proven by their numerous State Fair Champion recipes. Miss C's is also the only Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Roadside Farm Market in the city of Louisville which allows them to produce and sell products made from local farmers. This helps when the demand is too great on their gardens and they locally source fresh produce for some of their products.

They offer private chef services, catering for private parties, businesses, and events. In the summers you can find them at the St Mathew's Farmer's Market, and if you are gearing up for your Derby party, they only have a few openings left for that special day in May! Speaking of springtime, you must try their ice-cream and top it off with one of their amazing fruit preserves- a hit amongst any group. Also starting this spring, they will be serving breakfast on Saturday mornings at their Story Ave location, and all Butchertown residents will be receiving 10% off!!!!!

You may contact Charlotte and Chris at 795-1085, but even better yet, stop in and say hello while you enjoy this Butchertown treat!

Butchertown Home and Garden Tour May 17th

Even though we are still in the midst of winter, the Thomas Edison House is making plans for the annual Butchertown Home and Garden Tour, held in conjunction with the Butchertown Air Fair. This is a chance to show off your gorgeous garden and historic home to the public. We're not only looking for the biggest and most elaborate homes and gardens, we just want to show the visitors what Butchertown has to offer. We know how beautiful Butchertown is- it's time to let everyone else in on the best kept secert in Louisville!

This event is a fundraiser for the Thomas Edison House. If you are interested in sharing your home or garden, please contact Kristen Lutes at Thomas Edison House at 585-5247 or at edisonhouse@historichomes.org.

Not Swift Enough

As you may recall, back in November of 2008 the Air Pollution Control Board fined the Butchertown foe, Swift and Company. Part of the $250,000 plus agreement was to be put towards a new scrubber system which is supposed to keep odors down, that is, if the employees know how to work and balance the chemicals in it properly. After calling to complain about the odors for five days in a row, I asked our friends at the APCD how the progress on this new system was coming along. We were informed that Swift is in the process of replacing the scrubber that was brought online in 1995 with a new and updated version. Likely what has happened is that they have upped their production so much over the years that the current scrubber doesn't have the guts to keep up with all the swine flowing through the plant.

The bad news is that this new peice of "air cleaning" equiptment is not supposed to arrive until July. So hold your noses, pick up your phone and keep the complaints rolling in when they are impeading on your rights to be able to enjoy your own property.

On another note, they are also doing some construction around the livestock pen area. Word on the street is that they are trying to close up that area more in order to contain the "farm-like" smell that graces the area. Good luck with that one.

Click HERE for a link to the Air Pollution Control District's website where you can access their contact information.

Ice Storm Clean Up

The city has just outlined the process that will clean up the debris from the epic ice storm of 2009. If you check into their website you will see that we are in section "C1" and "C2." They haven't said exactly which day they will be by yet, so check the link and let me know if you see it before we do! What they did say however, was that they will only be going down each street one time, so take the time this weekend to cut your debris up into sections under six feet in length and place it between the curb and your sidewalk.

Please also keep in mind that we are a historical district in which you NEED a permit to cut down any trees. The trees that line our neighborhood add so much to the character and we don't want to loose any that we don't have to. If you have a serious problem with a weakened tree, please email butchertown@gmail.com and we can walk through the process of what needs to happen.

Who is having their 162nd birthday party??

Yes! It's Thomas Edison, and you are all invited to the Edison House at 729 E Washington St. This is a great museum with all sorts of early gadgets, light bulbs, and motion picture gear. The party starts this Saturday at 10 am and goes until 4 pm. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors. $3 for students; and free for children 5 and under. Unfortunately Thomas has prior commitments, so this will just be in his honor. Hope to see you all there!

"Dits, Dahs and Dots"

Thomas Edison House and the Museum of the American Printing House
for the Blind will present "Dits, Dahs, & Dots" on Saturday, February 21st.
Learn all about Morse Code, braille, and try a little coding yourself!
"Dits and Dahs" are the sounds created by Morse Code. Dots, of course, are the dots of braille. This hands-on code workshop takes place at APH with a visit to the nearby Thomas Edison House.

The program is free, but registration is required. Recommended for 4th grade and up.
10 a.m.-Noon. Call 899-2365 by February 19 to register.
Click here to visit the Edison House's webpage

CANCELED- Landmarks Commission on 155 North Campbell MEETING CANCELED!!

Please pass this information on to anyone who was planning on attending the Landmarks Commission meeting on Thursday morning for the property at 155 North Campbell Street. The owners are appealing the decision which denied the them a demolition permit. The meeting will be rescheduled and I will do my best to make sure it is at a time when we can all attend.


On another note, we are pleased to announce that the Architectural Review Committee has ruled in favor of the applicants for church-to-residence project at 801 East Main St. Pip Pullen and Susan Swope presented a well planned case to the committee and we are looking forward to seeing the owner-occupied building come back to life!

155 North Campbell

Not since the the flood of 1937 has Butchertown seen such a destructive force. Unfortunately, this force happens to be that of the human hand which belongs to a Butchertown landowner. For the residents who have been here a while, they can tell you all about the cozy shotguns and camelbacks that once lined North Campbell. All but one have seemed to disappear, and that very disappearance is what helped forge the way for the historic designations and protection of buildings that we now have.

155 North Campbell, above, has been allowed to decay due to neglect from it's owners. The classic yet clean lines of the structure take us back to a time when craftsmen and woodworkers spent their hot summer days in Butchertown building these wonderful homes which have weathered all sorts of storms for the last one hundred years. The old growth timber used to build this home has stood the test of time. As seen in the first picture, it once had a beautiful iron fence that lined its property line. There were planter boxes with seasonal flowers, and two large windows that faced the westerly sunsets over the Ohio River. But what speaks the most, is that in the first picture there were two other adjacent properties still standing. Where did they go?

Over the last 20 years a total of six properties all next to each other, all owned by the same people have come down. 155 is the only abode standing in the way of these people having a huge, uninterrupted parcel of land on "wet" side of the flood wall. The word "wet" is used very loosely, but a term the owners seem to have coined when describing the lack of use for the property, and the partial reasoning behind them asking the city for a demolition permit. A short trip down Quincy Street will show anyone in question how properties on this side of the flood wall have thrived in recent years. Many properties have been purchased and brought back to life, and two major developments are in the works for that side of the flood wall.

155 North Campbell still has one more battle this week. On Thursday, January 15 at 8:30 am in the Old Jail building downtown, the property owners will be appealing the Landmarks Commission's decision NOT to grant them a demolition permit. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! At last week's Neighborhood Association meeting, we agreed that every resident who is able to attend the meeting should, to voice our opinions on the importance of this building to our neighborhood's fabric. After a good conversation with David Marchal, who is the Urban Design Supervisor for Landmarks, he informed us the that all decisions have the right to appeal. The property owners who were denied the demolition permit wanted to have the ruling reexamined. David said that only an error in the initial denial could spark the decision to be overturned and the property to be demoed. However, it is possible for the owner to appeal such a decision in the courts.

With that said, and the possibility that the house could come down still hanging out there- we would love to see as many of you at this hearing as we can! Please come out and support the preservation of our neighborhood.

1866 Breakfast Buffet

St. Joseph's Church on East Washington is proud to announce that they will now be holding a weekly breakfast buffet in their parish hall. Father David Sanchez has informed us that they will be open every Sunday from 8am to 2pm. The chef Michele Melillo, of Melillo's Italian restaurant on Market St., will be managing and the chef of the operation. Weather permitting, they are also planning on having outdoor seating in their courtyard! Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to visit.

It is wonderful that they are opening their doors and we welcome them with open arms. I can't stress how important it is in times like these to support our local businesses and restaurants. They play a vital role in shaping and creating a desirable place for us to live. We have many choices when dining out, and we hope that you choose to keep it local.