The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-10-14
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A STREETLESS TOWN.

Parkless and All but Aouseless.
The most remarkable town in Ken
lucky lies in Fayette county and is
known as Granard.
The town site consists of 521a acres
lying adjacent to the city limits OF the
city of Lexington on the north. Every
foot of the ground is owned by Dennis
Mulligan, who came to this country
more than go years ago and had been
in business until last summer in. the
same house, ON the corner of Lime
stone and Vine streets. for 30 years as
a grocer He amassed a large fortune
in the business and many years ago
bought from old Tommy Mccoy the
farm which now forms the town of
Granard.
Granard has no streets, no alleys, no
waterworks, no electric or other lights,
no street cars, no fire department, no
mayor, no policemen, no aldermen or
councilmen, no trustees or any kind of
town officers, no lots, parks or any OF
those things which are usually found
in a town. But Granard is a town, as
the general statutes of Kentucky show
that it was incorporated about - years
ago by Dennis Mulligan. James II.
Mulligan, Louis H. Mulligan, James
]. Mulligan and Paul Conlon. The last
named incorporation, who was a warm
friend of the Mulligans, died several
years ago. James H. Mulligan is the
we'll known Judge Mulligan, who has
been conspicuous member of the Ken
lucky legislature, was consul general to
r1nuplan6
is now an agent of the treasury depart
ment He is the only child of Dennis
Mulligan. Louis Fl. Mulligan, son of
the Judge, is a young physician. James
]. Mulligan is a younger son of the
Judge, and he is with his father in
clerical place.
Nobody ever knew the exact reason
for the incorporation of this town,
which has existed only on paper for
decade It is stated by old inhabitants
that at about the time Granard was in
corporated there was a movement on
foot to extend the city limits of Lexing-
ton, which, had the plan been accom-
plished, would have put Dennis Multi
gan to the necessity of paying city taxes
on the larger part of the farm he had
bought from old man Mccoy. Whether
or not this is true cannot be learned
now. The city limits of Lexington have
not been extended. SO that the question
of the elder Mulligan paying city taxes
on the old farm has never been raised.
Mr.. Mulligan is a remarkable man.
He came here poor boy about 1882.
He went to work in a grocery store and
| by diligence and economy soon accumu-
| lated enough money to begin business
| for himself. His grocery was always
headquarters for the hundreds of his
| fellow countrymen who had settled in
| this city and vicinity and were engaged
| largely in building central Kentucky g
| magnificent system of highways. They
| did nearly all their trading with Null
| ligan, and thus it was that he rapidly
| accumulated money. He invested the
| earnings of his business in real estate,
and when the historic Maxwell Springs
| property was offered for sale be bong hi
| it and built thereon the pa1atial subur-
| ban home, Maxwell Place, where his
daughter-in-law,M Mrs. Judge Mulligan,
entertains lavishly, and where some Of
the most distinguished politicians and
| public men of Kentucky have assembled.
| Dennis Mulligan was for many years
| member of Lexington g common coun
| Gil and afterward ran for mayor. He
was always great friend of Lexington,
and her progress was in many ways as
sisted by him, but he was always op
posed to street cars, especially in mar
row streets, and when the present stree
railroads charter passed the Legislature
the only street exempted was Ross
street, which extends alongside of Max
| we'll Place.
Mr.. Mulligan's town of Granard il
now leased to German dairyman, Free
Haldeman, who occupies the only hous
in the town, the old Mccoy residence
1t is a neat "a story brick house of tn
style of 60 years ago, and here within
its shadow almost Mr.. Haldeman milk
his cows and sings his German songs.
It is proposed to put Granard to new
use now that the city authorities O
Lexington seem determined to prohibi
poolrooms in this city. 1t is planned t.
build a poolroom in the confines o
Granard at a point nearest the stree
car line where the belt railroad crosse
North Broadway and within sight O
the house of the late General w. 7
Withers, in which General Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes and King Kala
kaua were entertained. The gram
juries of Fayette county are not oftel
SO severe on the poolroom operators a
to make the fines prohibitive, and it j
believed that poolroom establishment
would prove a paying enterprise il
Granard. No definite steps have bee
taken to carry out the plan. and it
likely that nothing will be done befor
next spring. Should the city authoritie
continue to wage war on the poolroor
men it is more than likely that Granar
will begin to grow in the springtime.-
| New York Sun