Transylvania grad was one of nation’s most-revered novelists

Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history - some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.

Feb. 18, 1925: American novelist James Lane Allen dies.

Allen was one of Kentucky’s first best-selling novelists. Widely read in the late 1800s and early 1900s, his writing captures the culture and dialects of Kentucky and is considered part of the “local color” era when writers tried to capture the vernacular in their works.

His novel, A Kentucky Cardinal, paints a picture of rural life in 19th-century Kentucky.

The novel, Allen’s third, revolves around John Gray, a naturalist and bird lover, who discovers his connection to nature through his encounters with a cardinal.

As Gray moves through life with his wife Annie, the cardinal becomes a symbol of hope and the power of the natural world around him.

Born in Lexington, Allen lived a life of privilege at his family’s Scarlet Gate estate. The youngest of seven, Allen knew a life of the Antebellum South, as well as the life brought about by the end of the Civil War.

He attended Transylvania University in 1872 and obtained a master’s degree from there in 1877. After graduating, he taught at various schools in Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia before moving to New York City in 1893 to focus on his writing career.

A Kentucky Cardinal was released the next year and made him a commercial and critical success. In 1897 his best-selling novel, The Choir Invisible, received high praise for being both set in an “idealistic, romantic world filled with honor and chivalry,” as well as dealing with such controversial topics as evolution, religious doubt, sex and infidelity.

“Although his works were very pleasing in their flowing style, they were also substantive, dealing with important themes of the day, often at the cutting edge of discourse,” critic George Brosi wrote.

During his career in New York City, Allen contributed to Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly and other popular magazines. His last book, The Landmark, was published just before his death.

Allen suffered from “chronic insomnia” and died in New York City’s Roosevelt Hospital in 1925. He is buried in Lexington Cemetery.

Scarlett Gate, his childhood home, still stands on Lane Allen Road, and is owned by The Lexington School. James Lane Allen Elementary School is named after him.

In 2016, he was inducted into the Kentucky Writers’ Hall of Fame.

Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com

This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM.