By KEVIN J. DONALDSON
Crossville Life Features Editor
There are situations across the country where a city and a college are closely intertwined. It would be fair to say there are dozens and dozens, or perhaps even a few hundred of such situations.
A college becomes a big part of the identity of any city, and the smaller the city, the bigger a part of that identity the college becomes.
There’s a small city in Kentucky where that’s particularly evident – Berea. In that town just south of Richmond (and Lexington), it’s almost hard to say where Berea College ends and Berea the city begins.
You can basically say the same thing about the founding of the city and the unique college that bears its name. Their founding happened almost at the same time, over a century and a half ago, and it seems the identities of the two overlap more than most colleges and the cities they’re located in. Even after reading the history of the two, it’s difficult to say which one came first.
Berea College was founded in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, the school’s website says. The college charges no tuition and admits only “academically promising students,” mostly from the Appalachian region, the site says. Students work a minimum of 10 hours per week as part of their education.
The college was started as a one-room school by John G. Fee, a strong anti-slavery preacher. Cassius M. Clay, a well-to-do Kentucky landowner and leader in the movement for gradual emancipation, also figured prominently into the picture, providing financial help and moral support for the school and the town. Both are named after the Biblical town.
A great place to visit
The purpose of this story isn’t to educate you on Berea, though, but to urge you to visit there. My wife, Jayne, and I visited there in late spring and had a wonderful trip. The only bad thing about our visit: it was just too short – less than two full days.
But we had a great time in that short span – walking the gorgeous campus virtually by ourselves, staying in historic Boone Tavern Hotel and eating a great meal in the restaurant there, and visiting the Kentucky Artisan Center. We also had time to walk the downtown area, which is full of arts, crafts and other things.
We started our first day there by visiting the downtown area and the visitor welcome center there. We had just enough time before our check-in time at Boone Tavern to visit a few shops and saw some top-flight work in that area by local and non-local craftspeople. I’m not an expert on these matters, but the prices seemed in the moderate range to me. They certainly weren’t exorbitant.
We also had just enough time to visit the Kentucky Artisan Center, a state-of-the-art facility that’s a part of the state’s Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet. Here, you’ll find exhibits, visiting artists showing their specialities, and a variety of products for sale – all produced by Kentucky artists and artisans. A watercolor artist was painting for anyone who wanted to watch the day we were there. You can tour the facility on your own and group tours are available.
Berea also hosts the headquarters of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen. It truly is the state’s arts and craft capital. As Berea.com says, it’s “home to a thriving population of weavers, instrument makers, furniture artisans, jewelry designers, glass workers, potters, painters, sculptors, and musicians.”
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The Berea College campus, surprisingly large for around 1,600 students, may be the most attractive I’ve ever been on. To say that it’s immaculate and well-kept is an enormous understatement. The buildings are a mix of very old and new, and the new has been blended in very well.
Trees that are hundreds of years old line the campus, and make for a largely shaded environment. The temperatures were in the mid-70’s that day, with a nice breeze, creating a perfect day to walk the campus. My words won’t do it justice. Just make it a point to park your car on your visit and get out and walk.
The Boone Tavern Hotel
Now to where we spent most of our short trip in Berea, and the highlight of our trip: The Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant. The century-old hotel is owned by Berea College, and is adjacent to the campus.
Boone Tavern was built in 1909 at the suggestion of Nellie Frost, wife of college president William G. Frost. As the college’s reputation grew, history says that the number of guests the Frosts hosted grew proportionately. When the number reached 300 in one summer, construction began and the facility now hosts thousands of visitors annually. The “tavern” portion of the name comes from the old historic definition that refers to a public inn for travelers.
The original facility cost $20,000 to build and it recently underwent an $11 million renovation. How times have changed. The facility places a big emphasis on being “green,” and is a LEED certified green hotel.
Despite the renovations, the hotel maintains that “old-timey hotel” feel. The original charm and elegance you would have seen a century ago is still there, and much of the handcrafted furniture, bedding and mirrors were made by Berea College students. Fifty percent of the hotel’s employees are enrolled at the college. The hotel has both regular-sized rooms and suites.
The restaurant
We enjoyed the rooms at Boone Tavern, but we enjoyed the meal even more. The menu is not extensive; in this instance, quality overcomes quantity by a quantum leap.
I won’t go over the whole menu. Suffice it to say you can get pork chops two different ways, likewise for lamb, and seafood, chicken and steak are all served. There are roughly an equal number of appetizers of a wide variety. The restaurant is dedicated to using locally grown and “Kentucky Proud” ingredients, with many of them coming from the college farm.
Jayne and I got two different things and shared some. She had seared scallops with asparagus and ricotta ravioli, tossed in creole lobster broth, finished with spinach pesto. I had shaved, slow-roasted Kentucky lamb, served with goat cheese smashed potatoes, summer squash and carrot threads and sweet and sour green tomato relish.
We viewed this as one of our “only once or twice a year” meals and splurged on a grilled marinated quail appetizer. That was served on walnut and feta cheese crostini (bread), topped with sorghum vinaigrette.
Quite simply, it was one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten. If you go to Berea, whether you stay at the Tavern or not, you must eat there.
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Berea is about a three-hour drive from Crossville. You can get there by taking either Highway 127 or Highway 27 to I-75, whichever you prefer. The drive will be roughly three hours either way.
