256 DANIEL CARTER BEARD BRIDGE Smith, Larry Douglas. “The Fearns of Hunters Bottom, Kentucky,” Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, Ky.
Diane Perrine Coon
DANIEL CARTER BEARD BRIDGE. The twin-span interstate structure known as the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, which crosses the Ohio River and connects the east side of downtown Cincinnati and Newport, was completed in late 1975 and opened on January 1, 1976. Named for onetime Covington resident Daniel Carter Beard, the founder of the Boy Scouts of America, it is the northernmost section of I-471 (see Expressways) and has become an important means of travel to and from Cincinnati and beyond for commuters. Sometimes referred to as the “Big Mac” bridge because of its painted golden arches, it provides access to the new entertainment areas of Newport and Bellevue before heading into central Campbell Co. via I-471 southbound. The exit ramp southbound off the bridge onto Ky. Rt. 8 is being redesigned to avoid the dangerous traffic bottlenecks and backups onto the bridge that form there in the early evenings, as a result of the business traffic coming to Newport-on-the-Levee. Cincinnati-Transit.net. “Daniel Carter Beard ‘Big Mac’ Bridge.” www.cincinnati-transit.net (accessed October 31, 2006). “I-471 Bridge Named for Daniel Beard,” KP, October 19, 1976, 1. “To Open I-471 Bridge Jan. 1,” KP, December 15, 1975, 9K.
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. The Kentucky Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) society, orga nized in 1891, has 83 chapters, nine of which are located in the Northern Kentucky region. The local chapters are in Augusta, Erlanger, Florence, Fort Thomas (two chapters), Ghent, Grant Co., Maysville, and Owenton. The DAR’s motto is “God, Home, and Country,” and the society’s goals include historic preservation, the promotion of education, and patriotic ser vice to veterans at home or overseas. The state headquarters are housed at the Duncan Tavern Historic Center in Paris, Ky. The national society was founded in 1890. It has 50 state societies, plus one in the District of Columbia, with more than 2,900 local chapters, and many chapters overseas. The DAR’s headquarters are at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The DAR’s objectives include working together to keep the public aware of educational opportunities for youth through programs in schools and providing many different kinds of scholarships for students. To become a member of the DAR, an applicant must be 18 years of age, and she must prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving America’s independence. Documentation for each ancestor is required, including birth, marriage, and death records. Each application is sent to the National DAR Headquarters to be researched and approved. Affi liated with the DAR are organizations for the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and the Children of the
American Revolution (CAR). Women under age 30 who join the DAR have junior memberships. Some chapters are now scheduling, in addition to their regular monthly luncheon meetings, evening or Saturday meetings that generally feature speakers. Some of the chapters in Northern Kentucky assist in the bingo games held for the patients at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fort Thomas, and most chapters participate in the Fourth of July parades in their communities. Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution. www.kentuckydar.org (accessed January 15, 2006).
Robin Rider Osborne
DAVIS, DAVID (b. David Davies, September 12, 1865, Monmouthshire, Wales, U.K.; d. March 21, 1932, New York City). Architect David Davis was born in Wales to John B. and Mary Davies. When he was age two or three, his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Newport, where Davis graduated from Newport High School. The family name was originally Davies, but David changed his surname to Davis as a young man. He is reputed to have studied at both the Ohio Mechanics Institute in Cincinnati and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, although whether he actually matriculated at either institution is unknown at this time. By 1889 David Davis was practicing as a draftsman in the Johnston Building in Cincinnati, where a number of architects’ offices were located. He lived in Newport. By 1891 Davis had joined noted Cincinnati architect Alfred Oscar Elzner as a draftsman. Elzner had trained at MIT and also in the Boston office of the renowned American architect H. H. Richardson (1838–1886). It is probably through his connection to Elzner that Davis is presumed to have gone to MIT. In 1894 and 1895, Davis was listed as an architect in Newport. By 1899 he was a partner of William R. Brown and Matthew Burton in the architectural practice of Brown, Burton, and Davis in Cincinnati. By 1902 the firm had become Brown and Davis, and by 1906 it listed offices in both Cincinnati and Chicago. In late 1907, Davis set out on his own as an architect, remaining so until his association with Alexander W. Stewart in Cincinnati in 1923. Davis moved to New York City about 1926. David Davis was a very prominent architect by the early 20th century, especially in ecclesiastical architecture. Bishop Camillus Paul Maes of the Diocese of Covington greatly respected his work and hired him to complete the west facade of Covington’s magnificent Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (1908–1910); the original plans for the cathedral had been drawn by Leon Coquard. The diocese also commissioned him to design plans for St. Mark Church in Richmond (1907–1908), St. Philip Catholic Church in Melbourne (1908), Holy Guardian Angels School in Sanfordtown (1909), an addition and new front elevation to the bishop’s home at the northeast corner of 12th and
Madison Ave. in Covington (1912), St. Patrick School in Covington (1913), St. Augustine Catholic Church in Covington (1914), and St. Camillus Academy in Corbin (1914–1915). He was also commissioned by the diocese to design a threestory addition to St. Joseph Orphanage in Cold Spring (1915) and to complete architect Leon Coquard’s plans for St. Patrick Catholic Church in Maysville (1907–1909). In addition to their work for Covington’s Catholic bishop, in 1906 and 1907 the firm of Brown and Davis had commissions for churches in Ames, Iowa (First Methodist Episcopal [M.E.] ); Kansas City, Mo. (First M.E. Church and also Swope Park Methodist); Auburn, N.Y. (Trinity M.E.); Ithaca, N.Y. (First M.E.); Atertown, N.Y. (M.E.); Williamsport, Pa. (M.E.); and Aberdeen, S.Dak. (First M.E.). Also, Burton and Davis designed administrative and dormitory buildings for Union College (Methodist) at Barbourville, Ky.; a building at Kansas City University (Kans.); a 150-foot tower for Kansas City University (in conjunction with architects Garber and Woodward of Cincinnati); and a two-story addition to the Ruff ner Hotel in Charleston, W.Va. After Burton and Davis dissolved their partnership in late 1907, Davis continued his career with an impressive series of commissions. His later works included a tower for St. Mary’s Church, Auburn, N.Y.; an M.E. church in Greenfield, Ohio; a Chamber of Commerce building in Charleston, W.Va. (with Garber and Woodward); a bank at Charleston, W.Va.; and the Latonia Christian Church, Covington (1923). David Davis died in New York City in 1932 and was buried in the family lot at Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate, Ky. He lived most of his life along E. Fourth St. in Newport. “Add Dormitory for St. Joseph Orphans,” KP, September 30, 1915, 1. “The Addition to the Bishop’s House,” Christian Year (Covington), November 1, 1912, 1. Cincinnati city directories, 1889–1925. Evergreen Cemetery records, Southgate, Ky. Freiberg, Walter A. A Guide to the Cathedral. Covington, Ky.: Messenger, 1947. Painter, Sue Ann. Architecture in Cincinnati. Athens: Ohio Univ. Press, 2006. “St. Patrick’s New School,” Christian Year (Covington), May 17, 1913, 7. Tenkotte, Paul A., David E. Schroeder, and Thomas S. Ward. To Be Catholic and American in Northern, Central, and Appalachian Kentucky: The Diocese of Covington, 1853–2003. Forthcoming. “Was Architect for Catholic Cathedral: Rites Arranged for Noted New York Resident,” CTS, March 24, 1932, 1. Western Architect and Builder, 1906–1910.
Paul A. Tenkotte
DAVIS, GEOFFREY C. “GEOFF” (b. October 26, 1958, Montreal, Quebec, Canada). Congressman Geoff rey Clark Davis is the son of Barbara Clark Davis. He is a graduate of Hampton High School, Pittsburgh, Pa. While on active duty in the U.S. Army, Davis successfully obtained a rare ap-