User:Abbh241/Dr. Henry Clay House

The Dr. Henry Clay House is located in Lexington,Kentucky. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Located in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, this house was built by early 19th-century Kentucky state representative Henry Clay in 1888 shortly after his arrival to Kentucky. Following his admission to the bar in Virginia in 1797, he would then build the Ashland Estate in Lexington, Kentucky, where he would remain until his death in 1852.

Henry Clay bough a land for farm in 1804.The property runs along a farm road which goes southwest from Winchester Road in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He named his estate “Ashland” because of the ash tress abundant on the property. By 1809, The house was almost done, but Henry clay wanted more rooms. Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol, helped build Ashland. The house, known locally as "the Fort", is a very early small stone house built as a rare double pen, with one-and-one-half stories with interior end chimneys. The lower floor has two rooms and stairs in the northeast corner lead up to a second floor. A frame shed was the most recent addition on the east side of the house, used to store hay. The north side of the property contains a family cemetery, where Henry and his wife, Lucretia Hart, are buried there along with other family members.

After Clay’s death, his son, James Brown Clay, bought Ashland. James realized the mansion was in bad shape, and he ended up rebuilding Ashland as a memorial to his father. He added Italianate, Greek Revival, and Victorian details while rebuilding the mansion to bring in more current styles. In 1866, John Bryan Bowman bought Ashland after James Brown Clay's death. John used the house residence until gave Kentucky University the first floor to use as a museum. In 1878, John was forced to leave the mansion because his of bad relationship with University’s Board of Directors. Later, the University rented the house until Anne Clay McDowell, Henry Clay’s great-granddaughter, and her husband purchased the house.

Lead

The Dr. Henry Clay House is located in Lexington,Kentucky. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Located in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, this house was built by early 19th-century Kentucky state representative Henry Clay in 1888 shortly after his arrival to Kentucky. Following his admission to the bar in Virginia in 1797, he would then build the Ashland Estate in Lexington, Kentucky, where he would remain until his death in 1852.

Article body (history)

Henry Clay bough a land for farm in 1804.The property runs along a farm road which goes southwest from Winchester Road in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He named his estate “Ashland” because of the ash tress abundant on the property. By 1809, The house was almost done, but Henry clay wanted more rooms. Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol, helped build Ashland. The house, known locally as "the Fort", is a very early small stone house built as a rare double pen, with one-and-one-half stories with interior end chimneys. The lower floor has two rooms and stairs in the northeast corner lead up to a second floor. A frame shed was the most recent addition on the east side of the house, used to store hay. The north side of the property contains a family cemetery, where Henry and his wife, Lucretia Hart, are buried there along with other family members.

Mansion

After Clay’s death, his son, James Brown Clay, bought Ashland. James realized the mansion was in bad shape, and he ended up rebuilding Ashland as a memorial to his father. He added Italianate, Greek Revival, and Victorian details while rebuilding the mansion to bring in more current styles. In 1866, John Bryan Bowman bought Ashland after James Brown Clay's death. John used the house residence until gave Kentucky University the first floor to use as a museum. In 1878, John was forced to leave the mansion because his of bad relationship with University’s Board of Directors. Later, the University rented the house until Anne Clay McDowell, Henry Clay’s great-granddaughter, and her husband purchased the house.

Renovation and Residence

The McDowells renovated the mansion. They changed the interior of the house to modernize it. They lived in Ashland until their deaths. Nannette, the McDowell's oldest daughter, and her husband had the title to the house. Nannette created the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation to continue Henry Clay's legacy. There were 17 acres of land left for future generations. Nannette and her husband were the last residents of Ashland.