CORRESPONDENCE - 75A SEXLINGER FARMHOUSE

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National Register properties classified as districts include college campuses, business districts, commercial areas, residential areas, villages, estates, plantations, transportation networks, and landscaped parks. Historic districts often include contributing archeological resources that should be considered when evaluating signifi- cance and selecting boundaries. Examples of such properties are included in the discussions of districts in rural settings. Examples of archeo- logical districts are presented in the discussion of archeological sites. Boundaries of historic districts are often difficult to describe verbally. Consider using a scale map instead of a narrative verbal boundary descrip- tion to define the boundaries. Contiguous Districts in Urban Settings Taylorsville Historic District, Taylorsville, Spencer County, Ken- tucky, encompasses 34 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites in the center of the town. The district includes the contiguous, intact, historic resources at the center of the community, which comprise the residential, commercial, governmen- tal, and religious resources that document the development of Taylorsville from its early days through the 1930s. These buildings, along with the streets, alleys, and lots on which they are located, provide an excellent picture of the development of Taylorsville from 1818, the date of the earliest extant house, to 1938, the construction date of the most recent historic building in the district. The district is eligible under Criterion A because it reflects the effects of a number of key events in the town's history, including designation in 1824 as the seat of newly formed Spencer County and the destruction and rebuilding of its commercial area and courthouse after fires in 1898, 1899, and 1913. The district also reflects gradual trends, such as changing patterns in siting and housing types and styles and the development of the community into a commercial and supply center for the surrounding agricultural county. The district is also significant for its representation of community planning and develop- ment: the streets, lots, and buildings in the district document Taylorsville's growth from a tiny, early 19th century settlement to an antebellum govern- ment center and into a small early 20th century county seat. Legal lot descriptions and a reasonable limit were used to define the boundaries of the National Register district. Verbal boundary description: The district is clearly delineated on the accompany- ing sketch map. With one exception, it follows the rear property lines of the properties included in the district. At the Enoch Holsclaw House on Garrard Street ( #1), the western 50 feet of the property where a 1980s house is located have been excluded. Boundary justification: Excluded from the district are other areas of historic Taylorsville where small pockets of historic buildings and individual buildings have been isolated from the district by nonhistoric construction. The historic development along Main Cross Street north of Main Street was considered for inclusion in the district but deter- mined ineligible. Although the area contains a number of historic and contributing buildings including the Taylorsville Public Library, All Saints Church, and some historic houses, the large percentage of nonhistoric and other noncontributing buildings along the street makes it a poor representa- tion of the historic character of the town. Two other collections of historic buildings have also been considered for National Register listing but considered ineligible. Along Reasor Street and Maple Avenue, in an area developed begin- ning in 1899 as "Reason's Addition;' is a collection of small, modest houses dating from about 1900 through the 1940s. A large number of these houses have been seriously altered by the addition of new siding, major changes to front porches, and lateral additions that alter the form of the house. They no longer constitute an intact historic district. At the east end of Main Street, east of Railroad Street, is another collection of 12 historic houses. Although many of these houses retain a significant number of their identifying features, it was determined that they were too dispar- ate a group, with no theme to unite them, to justify a district. Ten historic buildings in Taylorsville have been determined to be individually eligible for the National Register and will be nominated as part of the current project. The district encompasses the contiguous intact historic properties along Main Street and Garrard Street that help to document the district's area of significance— community planning and development. The district boundaries are determined by concentrations of nonhistoric proper- ties that surround the district on all sides. To the east are nonhistoric and noncontributing commercial build- ings. To the south is the 1948 flood wall. To the west, a few remaining historic houses are interspersed with several nonhistoric governmental buildings, including a post office and Spencer County School office and a number of late 1940s infill houses. To the north along Washington Street and Main Cross Street, a number of historic houses at the north ends of the streets are separated from the district by a 1950s church and single - family houses and apartments, all dating from the late 1940s through the 1980s. . o•�' et° e P ao m�a v v� Taylorsville Historic District, Taylorsville, Kentucky. Detail of Spencer County Property Identification Map T -2 showing contributing and non- contributing resources, photo views, and National Register boundaries. 13