Civil War Spencer County
Civil War Spencer County: Sites, Stories, Cemeteries & the Buffalo Soldier From Little Mount
Spencer County’s Civil War era lives on in roadside markers, church steeples, quiet cemeteries, and in the brief but remarkable life of a Buffalo Soldier whose headstone still stands in Little Mount. This guide takes visitors from downtown Taylorsville to the rural ridges where history survives in stone, soil, and story.
1) Downtown Taylorsville: Markers That Tell the War
The Courthouse Burned (January 1865)
A historical marker on the courthouse lawn explains how guerrillas set fire to the Spencer County Courthouse during one of the final, chaotic months of the Civil War. Federal scouts pursued the raiders toward Mt. Eden the next morning, but the courthouse was lost—though its records survived.
All Saints Catholic Church (Established 1830)
Just a short walk from the courthouse stands All Saints Catholic Church, Spencer County’s only Catholic parish. Founded in the 1830s, the parish witnessed the courthouse burning and remains one of the county’s oldest continuously active religious institutions.
Local tradition: Parishioners have long repeated this story. The night of the Courthouse burning by Confederate raiders, the city fathers were meeting within All Saints Catholic Church. Somehow they recieved word that the courthouse was to be attacked and so they all ran to collect the record books from the hall. As they ran back to the church with their arms full of papers and books the raiders arrived and because to chase them with bulltefire! A stray bullet struck the church steeple! While the story is not formally documented, it remains one of the community’s most enduring tales and can be verified by the staff at the church. It was just a legend until the original steeple was damaged in a storm. The steeple was taken down and rebuilt on the front of the church. As this was done, a civil war bullet was indeed found and was interred in the structure as it was rebuilt.
Guerrilla Quantrill in Wakefield
Five miles south of Taylorsville, a wayside on KY‑55 marks the spot where William Clarke Quantrill—the infamous guerrilla leader—was ambushed in May 1865. He attempted to flee, was shot and paralyzed, and taken into custody.
How Quantrill reached Louisville:
After being wounded in the Wakefield ambush, Quantrill was carried under military guard to the U.S. Military Prison Hospital in Louisville, where he died on June 6, 1865. No surviving documentation specifies how he was transported (wagon, ambulance, or otherwise), only that he was captured in Spencer County and died in Louisville several weeks later.
2) Cemeteries: Where Civil War‑Era Kentuckians Rest
Spencer County’s cemeteries preserve the lives of frontier settlers, enslaved and free African Americans, and families divided by the war. Many of these resting places sit on rural hillsides or behind churches that still serve their communities today.
- Little Mount Colored Cemetery (Little Mount) — Historic African American cemetery and burial site of Buffalo Soldier Lewis T. Baker.
- Little Mount Cemetery — Adjacent to the Colored Cemetery, with numerous 19th‑century burials.
- Pleasant Union Cemetery (Little Mount) — A small rural cemetery historically associated with the Little Mount community.
- Elk Creek Baptist Church Cemetery — One of the county’s larger traditional cemeteries.
- Riverview Baptist Church Cemetery — Located along Louisville Road in the Cox’s Creek area near the county line.
- Briar Ridge Christian Church Cemetery — A historic cemetery on the eastern side of the county near Taylorsville Lake.
- Valley Cemetery (Taylorsville) — The city’s principal cemetery, located one mile west of town.
- Patrick McGee Pioneer Cemetery (Waterford) — A small pioneer cemetery containing some of the county’s earliest settlers.
- Carlin Family Cemetery (Normandy) — A private family burial ground on rural property east of the Normandy community.
- Yoder Farm Cemetery — A small private or semi‑private family cemetery without published coordinates.
The Old Taylorsville (Pioneer) Cemetery
Historic narrative accounts describe early burials here from the 1830s onward. African American burials were historically located on the southern slope while white burials clustered toward the west. Over the decades the cemetery saw damage, vandalism, and neglect, though local efforts have periodically restored portions of the grounds.
3) Spotlight: Buffalo Soldier Lewis T. Baker (1887–1910)
Lewis T. Baker was born in Spencer County in January 1887 to A.B. (“Oscar”) Baker and Mary Avery Baker. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1909 and was assigned to Troop M of the 10th U.S. Cavalry, one of the original “Buffalo Soldier” regiments.
The 10th Cavalry served across the American West, in Cuba during the Spanish‑American War, and in the Philippines. In 1909 the regiment was posted to Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont, where Baker served until his death “in the line of duty” on August 7, 1910, at age 23.
His body was returned home and buried in Little Mount Colored Cemetery, where his headstone reads:
“L.E.W.I.S. T. B.A.K.E.R.
CO. M.
10 U.S. CAV.”His story links Spencer County directly to the national history of African American military service.
4) Notable 19th‑Century Figures of Spencer County
Richard Taylor – Founder of Taylorsville
In 1799, Richard Taylor donated 60 acres at the fork of Brashear’s Creek and the Salt River to establish Taylorsville. Early trustees included Robert Jeffries, George Cravinston, Philip W. Taylor, and Benjamin Bourne.
Captain Spier Spencer – County Namesake
Spier Spencer, leader of the Kentucky “Yellow Jackets,” was killed in the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. Spencer County, founded in 1824, honors his name.
George Gilmore Gilbert (1849–1909)
Born in Taylorsville, Gilbert became a lawyer, served as Spencer County’s prosecuting attorney, then in the Kentucky State Senate, and represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives for four consecutive terms (1899–1907).
5) Self‑Guided Heritage Tour (Half‑Day)
- Courthouse Lawn (Downtown Taylorsville): Begin with the “Courthouse Burned” marker.
- All Saints Catholic Church: Walk uphill to the church built in the 1830s and explore parish history.
- Wakefield (KY‑55): Visit the Quantrill ambush marker.
- Little Mount: Explore the Little Mount Colored Cemetery (Lewis T. Baker’s grave), Little Mount Cemetery, and surrounding ridge‑top community.
6) Enjoy our Google Earth tour!
APPENDIX: Sites, Addresses & Coordinates
Below is the fully compiled list of all locations used in the blog post.
A. Markers & Churches
Taylorsville Courthouse / “Courthouse Burned” Marker
Address: 2 W Main St, Taylorsville, KY 40071
All Saints Catholic Church
Address: 410 Main Cross St, Taylorsville, KY 40071
Guerrilla Quantrill Marker (Wakefield)
Address: KY‑55, approximately 0.3 miles south of Greens Lane, Wakefield, KY
Coordinates: 37.97225, –85.31032
Felix G. Stidger Marker (“The Spy Who Saved the Union”)
Address: Downtown Taylorsville on Garrard Street
B. Cemeteries
Little Mount Colored Cemetery
Address: Little Mount Rd, Little Mount, KY
Coordinates: 38.08412, –85.26735
Little Mount Cemetery
Address: Little Mount Rd, Little Mount, KY
Coordinates: 38.085337, –85.2680053
Pleasant Union Cemetery (Little Mount)
Address: Little Mount community (rural)
Coordinates: Not published
Elk Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
Address: Elk Creek, KY 40071
Coordinates: 38.09567, –85.36980
Riverview Baptist Church Cemetery
Address: 1850 Louisville Rd, Cox’s Creek, KY 40013
Coordinates: 37.99800, –85.48810
Briar Ridge Christian Church Cemetery
Address: Briar Ridge Rd, Spencer County, KY
Coordinates: 38.02120, –85.20800
Valley Cemetery (Taylorsville)
Address: KY‑44, approximately 1 mile west of Taylorsville
Coordinates: 38.029778, –85.362726
