Bowling Green Armory

The National Guard has a long history in Bowling Green, beginning in the 1840s when the 1st Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry and the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry militia units were stationed there. In 1860, the militia groups in the state were organized into the Lexington Battalion and the Kentucky River Battalion. Shortly after the start of the Civil War, the groups aligned along Union and Confederate lines. The militia group in Bowling Green, sympathetic to the Confederate cause, became part of the 1st Kentucky Brigade, also known as the Orphan Brigade. This group went to Camp Boone in Tennessee where they were mustered into service.

"The Lexington Rifles withdrew on September 20, 1861 from the Kentucky State Guard, reorganized as a separate cavalry company, and mustered into Confederate service at Bowling Green. The Rifles were consolidated in October 1861 with two other cavalry companies and redesignated in June 1862 as the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (Morgan's Men). Morgan's Men surrendered on May 8, 1865 near Woodstock, Georgia."

In the 1880s, the 3rd Infantry Regiment was organized and established its headquarters in Bowling Green. The unit was called up for Federal service in the Mexican War of 1898, where they fought at the Battle of Buena Vista. In 1899, the 3rd Regiment became the Kentucky State Guard (redesignated as the Kentucky National Guard in 1912). The unit (still infantry) was called up for Federal service for World War I in 1917 at Camp Stanley, Kentucky. The unit was mustered out of service in January 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky.

The unit was also called up for Federal service during World War II, where they fought in the Pacific theater, including New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon. World War II marked the last time the entire Bowling Green unit went to war. In 1961, the Bowling Green unit was mobilized for the Berlin crisis, but they never went overseas.

Currently, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 2/123rd Armor and the Headquarters of the 2123rd Transportation Company (HET) are stationed at the armory in Bowling Green. The 2123rd went to Desert Storm for several months, where they hauled equipment for units of the National Guard and the regular Army. The 2/123rd was not called up for federal service during Desert Storm. The 2123rd has been in Bowling Green since 1973, and the Armor companies have been there since 1982. Before the current companies were in Bowling Green, there were two Signal companies, a Maintenance Company, a Truck Company, and units of Infantry and Engineers stationed there.

Besides their Federal service, the units in Bowling Green have participated in many state active duties, including snowstorms in 1996, and floods in March of 1997. Snowstorms that paralyzed much of the state in February 1998 did not touch Bowling Green, so they were not called up for active duty. The armory in Bowling Green functions as both a community and military center for the city. The National Guard participates in the July Balloon races in Bowling Green, 4th of July festivities, and parades, such as the Veterans Day parade.

Bowling Green's Denhardt Armory

The old Bowling Green Armory, built in 1927 by Louisville architect Brinton B. Davis, is one of the oldest and most architecturally significant armories in the state. The armory is located in downtown Bowling Green at the corner of 10th and Chestnut Streets, with the address being 537 E. 10th Street. The armory consists of a three-story Bowling Green limestone administration building with attached two-and-a -half story brick drill hall on the back. The first floor is rusticated, giving the building a touch of the Beaux Arts architectural style popular for public buildings in the 1910s and 1920s. Keystones are located above the windows, and there is a small balcony above the front doors.

The National Guard occupied the building until 1965, when the new armory on Morgantown Rd. was completed. There was a Headquarters unit of the 3/123rd Armor in Bowling Green when it moved to the new armory. Perhaps the Guard needed more space for their equipment when they became an armored unit. Earlier in the century, units of Infantry and Medical detachments were located at the armory.

While the National Guard occupied the armory, two fires occurred there. The first one happened in 1933, damaging the armory. The section of the armory that was damaged was re-built. In 1946, a more severe fire occurred; this one damaged the entire drill hall, which had to be rebuilt. In 1947, a new brick drill hall and offices were completed by the firm of Lucas & Murphy. The new drill hall, though not a full three stories like its predecessor, maintained the same features, such as an interior balcony wrapping around the entire second floor, and a large stage area at one end.

After the Guard left the building in 1965, it was bought by television station WBKO, who used the building for several years. After they left, the building sat empty for a number of years before it was bought at auction by David Downey, owner of Heritage Builders, in 1991. The interior of the building was renovated for law offices and Heritage Builders in 1994. Fire walls were also erected between the administrative section and the drill hall and the rear one-story addition and the drill hall. The exterior of the building was sandblasted, and they tried to remove the words 'Denhardt Hall' and 'Armory' off the front of the building. New doors and windows were put in, also.

Originally, the first floor of the armory administration building was rented out to other businesses, according to Romer Holland, a retired Guardsman that served in the old building. The Guard used the top two floors, and doors on the second level led out to the second-floor balcony of the drill hall. The drill hall maintains some of its original features, such as part of the hardwood floor, the second-floor balcony, and part of the stage. The hall was built with a seating capacity of 2,500, and was meant to be both a community and military center for Bowling Green. The old armory has been designated a local landmark in Bowling Green.

The current armory is not eligible for the National Register due to its fairly recent date of construction.

Bowling Green Organizational Maintenance Shop

The OMS shop, built in the late 1940s, has always functioned as a maintenance shop. A retired National Guardsman donated the land for the building. A few changes have been made to the concrete block building, such as the addition of interior office space and another garage bay on one side of the building. The garage door at the rear of the building (west facade) was closed up several years ago. The OMS shop maintains its external features, which are original, and its original function is the same. Therefore the OMS is eligible for the National Register under Criterion A, historic associations, and Criterion C, for type of construction.

Adjutant General Henry Denhardt

Editor's Note: At this time we are not sure if Denhardt Hall was on the front of the building when it was constructed or added in one of the renovations after damage by fire. There is some suspicion that the Denhardt in Denhardt Hall refers to is actually Henry Herman Denhardt who served as Adjutant General of Kentucky from 14 March 1932 until 10 December 1935. Denhardt was born in Bowling Green and died 20 September 1937, Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky. According to an article entitled "Murder in the Moonlight" by Joseph Weoodson Oglesby aned Marianna Oglesby published in May 2002, Denhardt was a native of Bowling Green and served as the city's prosecuting attorney and Warren County Judge. Denhardt was a veteran of World War I and saw action in the Argonne Forest and St. Mihiel and was cited for valor in the St. Mihiel offenseive and promoted to lieutenant colonel of field Artillery. According to the Oglesby article, when Denhardt returned to Bowling Green after the war he assisted in organizing the 149th Infantry and was named colonel of the regiment. Denhardt was promoted to Brigadier General of the 75th Brigade and also was elected as Lieutenant Governor serving until 1927 under Governor William Jason Fields before being appointed Adjutant General.

Photos and information courtesy Kentucky Heritage Council -- Report No. 25" Inventory and Evaluation of National Guard Armories in the State of Kentucky" - 1999 by Kate Carothers.