James W. Adams
James W. Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Wood Adams 1867 |
| Died | December 8, 1941 (aged 73–74) |
Burial place | Grove Hill Cemetery |
| Occupations | Contractor, carpenter, and building designer |
James Wood Adams (1867 – December 8, 1941) was an American contractor, carpenter, and building designer. He worked in south-central Shelby County, Kentucky in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Architecture
[edit]James W. Adams was a contractor, carpenter, designer, and builder from Southville, Kentucky. He worked in South Central Shelby County, Kentucky in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1][2][3] Adams designed buildings in a vernacular style that was within traditional standards, but also showed his creativity and adaptability.[1]
The best-surviving example of his residential architecture is the Gray House on Zaring Mill Road in Shelbyville, Kentucky.[1][4] Built in 1908, the Gray House is in vernacular Princess Anne style, with clapboard, a limestone foundation, and a decorative wood trim.[4] A 1986 survey conducted by the Shelby County Historical Society identified at least four other originally identical houses built by Adams between 1900 and 1910.[4][1] The survey noted that, "Although buildings such as Adams' houses sometimes appear almost identical, attention to detail and craft inform each work and permit a wide diversity within a traditional framework."[1]
Adams also designed and built the Dr. William Morris office and house in Southville, Kentucky.[5] Like the Gray House, the Morris house is a two-story clapboard house with a stone foundation.[5] It was built around 1899 or 1900, and included a free-standing, one-story office building for Morris's medical practice.[5] Adams lived across the street on Mt. Eden Road (Kentucky Route 53) in a Queen Anne inspired house that he designed in 1901.[5][1]
In addition to the Dr. Morris office, Adams designed and built at least two other commercial structures in Southville, making him responsible for more than half of the commercial architecture in a focal crossroads in the early 20th century.[6] Carris's Store is located at the corner of Kentucky Route 714 and Kentucky Route 53.[7] Carriss's Feed Store is a clapboard, single-room retail building.[6] Also attributed to Adams, the Carriss's Feed Store or Southville Feed Store is located on the corner of Kentucky Route 44 and Kentucky Route 55.[6] Similar to Carriss's Store, Carriss's Feed Store is a clapboard, single-room retail building that dates to around 1915.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Adams was born in 1867 in Mercer County, Kentucky.[3][8] He was the son of Sarah and Ebb Adams, a farmer in McAfee, Kentucky.[9] Adams married Bettie Kate Shelburne of Southville on December 2, 1903, in Louisville, Kentucky.[10] He was a member of the Presbyterian Church.[8]
On November 19, 1941, Adams was admitted to Norton Infirmary in Louisville.[8] He died there on December 8, 1941, at the age of 75 years.[8] He was buried in Grove Hill Cemetery in Southville.[8]
Selected works
[edit]| Building | Date | Location | Status | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. William Morris Office and House | c. 1899 | Southville, Kentucky | National Register of Historic Places | [5] |
| James W. Adams House | 1901 | Southville, Kentucky | [1] | |
| Gray House | 1908 | Shelbyville, Kentucky | National Register of Historic Places | [4] |
| Carriss's Feed Store | c. 1915 | Southville, Kentucky | National Register of Historic Places | [6] |
| Carriss's Store | c. 1915 | Southville, Kentucky | National Register of Historic Places | [7] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Worsham, Gibson; Worsham, Charlotte; Amos, Christine (January 1987). "Historic Resources of Shelby County outside Shelbyville: National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ↑ "Kentucky - Shelby County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- 1 2 Year: 1910; Census Place: Harrisonville, Shelby, Kentucky; Roll: T624_502; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0125; FHL microfilm: 1374515. via Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
- 1 2 3 4 "National Register Information System – Gray House (#88002913)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 27, 1988. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "National Register Information System – Dr. William Morris Office and House (#88002909)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 27, 1988. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "National Register Information System – Carriss's Feed Store (#88002909)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 27, 1988. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- 1 2 "National Register Information System – Carriss's Store (#88002898)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 27, 1988. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "James W. Adams, Retired Contractor Died Monday at Norton Infirmary". The Shelby Sentinel. 1941-12-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Year: 1880; Census Place: McAfee, Mercer, Kentucky; Roll: 434; Page: 124d; Enumeration District: 137. via Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA.
- ↑ "Twenty Years Ago". The Shelby Sentinel. 1923-12-07. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
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