The Squire
If one would know the real Bluegrass charm,
He first must stop at Winburn Farm
And meet the Squire.
Nobody here is ever bored,
Gray shadows dance on Morgan’s sword
Above the fire.
The Squire leans back among his books,
Pioneers emerge from leafy nooks
With powder horn.
“Let’s talk of Boone and Clark,” he’ll say,
“Zac Taylor, too, at Monterey,
And sip our corn.”
—William H. Townsend
“The Squire” was dedicated by Kentucky attorney, poet, and Civil War scholar William H. Townsend to his friend J. Winston Coleman Jr., also known as “the Squire.” The bluegrass charm that it evokes is tied to Kentucky history along with America’s native spirit—bourbon. The two are inexorably intertwined in Kentucky.
While bourbon tracks the history of our developing nation, bourbon law similarly tracks the history of the development of American law. The Squire might have told some of the stories that you are about to read along with his tales about Boone, Clark, and Taylor, so please enjoy, possibly while you sip your corn.