Background
Kay was born in England in 1830.
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John Kay
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By 1854, he was living in Columbia, South Carolina, and was a master Mason in Richland Lodge #39. He became involved with the construction of the South Carolina State House in 1854, first as Peter H. Hammarskold"s project superintendent, and later as assistant architect under George East. Walker. He also co-authored a report on the construction of the structure with engineer John R. Niernsee.
In 1859, Kay designed the Hillsborough Military Academy barracks building and commandant"s house, in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Kay enlisted in the Confederate military"s Richland Rifles, serving as an engineer He served as a non-commissioned officer during the campaign to capture Fort Sumter in April 1861.
After the end of the war, he again became involved with the continued construction of the South Carolina State House, which was damaged in the shelling and subsequent burning of Columbia. In August 1869, he moved to Saint Charles, Missouri.
His date and place of death are currently unknown.
