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{_ On the Richmond Pike, one mile east of Lexington, is Ashland, the
g picturesque home originally built by Henry Clay, Kentucky's brilliant
i" statesman and orator. Erected in l806 on a six hundred acre tract of
g land, the house was dismantled after having been occupied nearly fifty A
§ years but was reconstructed a short time later. Lathrobe, the English _
§ architect, designed the original structure while L'Enfant, the landscape l
i engineer who drew the plans for the nation's capitol, planned the land- .
E scaping. Clay's choice of the name Ashland probably resulted from his 1
Q selection of the building site, which was almost surrounded by ash trees. Q
ir ,-t
§ Ashland was built on the plan of a large house connected by narrow 1
Q halls, or galleries, to lower wings. The main structure was two stories Q
Q in height, with one—story wings. It had six chimneys, a distinctive feature
§ of most of the big houses built before the Civil War. Brick was used in I
g the exterior construction. The interior displayed woodwork fashioned from `
§ ash trees growing on the estate. Many of the rooms, including the master's `
Q study, were octagonal in shape. The old slave cabins, carriage houses, ,
Ԥ bath houses and ice house are still standing.
i Sixty varieties of trees, many of which Clay planted, spread their [
{L foliage about the estate. Myrtle, planted by Mrs. Clay, fringes the walks A
Y` of the grounds. Trailing ivy, honeysuckle and Virginia creeper cover the
Ei masonry. Above the doorway, which has full length windows on either side, { i
{{ is a small balcony with wrought—iron railing. This front entrance opens
C into an octagonal hall with a stairway at the right and a study on the
it left. An entrance to the drawing room is directly opposite the main door. (
In the hall, with its original, ash woodwork, the doorknobs and hinges are
ji silver. The walls are a deep red and most of the rooms are in keeping ` Z
;C with the rich decorations of this entry. The narrow arched windows have I
~I shuttered blinds. In the wings are two bedrooms and a billiard room, ·
» also the kitchen, storerooms and servants' quarters. Four bedrooms and J A
I a bath open off the hall on the second floor. “ 3
[T Many famous people have been entertained at Ashland, among them
{ LaFayette, Daniel Webster, the Earl of Derby, President Van Buren, Gen- j
{ eral Bertrand and Abraham Lincoln. Clay, prevented from spending much E
L time there because of the demands of his political career, evinced a 4 j
i keen interest in the social activities centered in his home and main- '
i tained a close contact by correspondence. ;
j After the death of Clay, his widow went to live with a son, John I
Y M. Clay; and Ashland was neglected. In l853 the house, with three hun- 4 ‘
dred and thirty—seven acres of land, was offered at auction and was i
5 purchased by another son, James B. Clay. Because parts of the house were ·
fp in need of repair and considered unsafe for use, the old home was torn
k down and rebuilt on the original plan, with brick and other material _
if salvaged. j
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