Berea City Records

The Village of Berea was incorporated as a 6th class city on May 9, 1890, at a meeting held in the office of the treasurer of Berea College, P.D. Dodge. The location suggests that the College community initiated the creation of a formal government structure for the town. Berea was governed by a five-man Board of Trustees until 1909, when it became a 5th class city and was therefore entitled to have a mayor. During the period covered by the ledger, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees carried out the duties of a mayor.

The early Berea Village Trustees nominated a police judge and marshal, and began to collect taxes. They signed a contract to put up telephone wires between the train depot and the post office, and licensed refreshment booths at the annual Berea College graduation ceremonies. Some of their ordinances were controversial; for example, in the summer of 1894 a petition was presented with the names of 57 voters in regard to the most recent (of many) ordinances restricting hogs.

When Kentucky’s laws governing 5th class cities were altered in 1895, the trustees proposed new bylaws, which are preserved in the folder of city ordinances. The folder also contains provisions made by the city and the college in respect to redesigning the roads running through the campus.

In October of 1896 John L. Gay was chosen to be Clerk to the Board, and served until 1898, when he became magistrate. He was son-in-law to the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Josiah Burdette. In 1901, Gay was involved in an intense political contest. As Mayor Steve Connolly tells it, "The election for governor in 1899, which culminated in Republican charges that Democrats had stolen the race and the assassination of candidate William Goebel, created a climate of political mistrust and suspicion that affected the 1901 local elections in Berea.” The controversy arose when the Berea town council nominated S.E. Welch Jr., a prominent Republican and business leader, as its new police judge, but the Democratic governor, J.C.W. Beckham, appointed Democrat H.C. Kinnard.

"Outraged by this action, Republicans in Berea chose a straight Republican ticket for the fall elections. In the past, though Berea was a Republican bastion in Madison County, the town elections had customarily been nonpartisan. John L. Gay withdrew from the magistrate's race and filed for police judge. Wm. J. Tatum agreed to run for marshal. W.R. Gabbard, S.E. Welch Jr., T.J. Osborne, J.W. Stephens, and Josiah Burdette ran for town council. As a result, a rival caucus met and nominated a nonpartisan slate consisting of both Democrats and Republicans: E.T. Fish for police judge; Hiram Richardson for marshal; and Jas. Stigal, L.V. Dodge, J.J. Branaman, R.G. Ramsey, and R.W. Todd for town council. . . . On November 5, 1901, the entire Republican slate was elected by a wide margin. John L. Gay went on to serve as police judge until 1909 when he was elected the first mayor of Berea, a position he held for 48 years." (http://www.bereaencyclopedia.blogspot.com/)

By 1909 a town-gown political division was evident; the Berea Citizen, commenting on the opposition ticket in the municipal election that year, wrote, "No pretense is made that there is anything against Messrs. Dinsmore or Seale except they draw their salaries from the College." (10/17/1909, p. 1, col. 6)