Diamond Point: *(488 Price Avenue)

Diamond Point is one ofKentucky’s finest examplesof Greek Revival architec-ture with its textbookMinard Lafever doorway.An unusual portico featurestwo round columns flankedby two square piers and anarrow balcony accessed bythree upstairs doors orna-ments the façade on the sec-ond level.

Pulliam/CurryHouse: (414

North Main Street) Thiscirca 1857 house was builtby Monroe Pulliam andcompleted by Kentucky legislator Daniel Curry and his wife, Martha JaneForsythe. The GothicRevival style is shown by the board and batten siding and lacy bargeboards.

John L. BridgesHouse/ Burford

Hill: (North end ofGreenville Street) Thiscirca 1817 house was built for John L. Bridges and his wife, Anna AdairBridges, the daughter ofGovernor John Adair.Bridges was a MercerCounty Representative to the State Legislature and a circuit judge.Contains Matthew P.Lowery woodwork.

Spring HillCemetery: *

(Greenville Street) SpringHill Cemetery was establishedin 1860. Prior to this thecommunity used a cemetery

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off Beaumont Avenue, knownas the Harrodsburg Cemetery,on property given by theMagoffin family. The oldstone vault was built in 1869by J. O’Toole and served as atemporary tomb during severeweather. A walk through thiscemetery is a walk throughthe history of Harrodsburgand Mercer County.

Tewmey/Armstrong

House: (367 NorthMain Street) This circa1850 house was built byJohn A. Tewmey, a descen-dant of the Low Dutch.Entablature above the dooris carved with a honeysucklemotif. In the Armstrongfamily for almost 100 years, it was the home of artist Jestabell Armstrong Matherly.

Courtview: (362North Main Street)

Occupying out-lot 5,Courtview is so named forits view of the courthousewhen this Federal brick resi-dence was built in 1823 byCol. Richard M. Sutfieldand his first wife, ElizabethThomas. Contains MatthewP. Lowery woodwork withunique mantel pieces forevery room.

BenjaminPassmore House

and Hotel: (111West Broadway) The hotelwas built circa 1843 andthe house built circa 1853by Benjamin Passmore,Harrodsburg blacksmith andentrepreneur. The house is ahall and parlor plan. Duringthe era of stage coach travel,the hotel provided popularaccommodations. It alsoserved as a residential hotelfor young married couples.The former hotel hashoused the offices and presses of the HarrodsburgHerald since 1951.

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Cardwellton:(103 East Broadway)

Located on in-lot 86, thishouse of timberframe con-struction with brick nogginghas a log nucleus which maybe as early as 1786. Home to the Chenoweth, Slavensand Cardwell families, it waspurchased circa 1863 byJohn and Sophia TaylorCardwell and remains inthat family. Contains wood-work by Matthew P. Lowery.

Hogue/WilliamsHouse: (224 East

Factory Street) Wattle, dauband hewn log house built inthe early 1800s by SamuelHogue containing much of its original woodwork and cabinetry. Purchased as a residence in 1856 by John Augustus Williams, President ofDaughters’ College.

Charles Ficklin/Alexander

Buchanan House:(North East Street) Builtcirca 1830 by Charles Ficklin and sold in 1833 toAlexander Buchanan, thisfive bay, story and a halfhouse with a façade laid in

Flemish bond, featuresMatthew P. Lowery interiorwoodwork. Lowery woodworkalso framed the exterior frontdoorway and has been covered in modern times.

Woodsland: (129North East Street)

All materials for thisVirginia style house camefrom the immediate proper-ty with the hand fired brickon the front wall laid inFlemish bond. It was built in1810 by Archibald andAnnie Adams Woods andstill remains in the family.

Muscoe GarnettHouse: (506 East

Lexington Street) Built byHarrodsburg tailor MuscoeF. Garnett and wife,Margaret E. Hunt Garnett,in 1852. This substantialbrick home was subsequent-

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ly owned by long timeMercer Circuit Court ClerkBen C. Allin, and later byT. C. Bell, prominentMercer County attorney.Contains a Matthew P.Lowery mantel.

Isaac HippleHouse: (354 East

Lexington Street) Built byIsaac Hipple circa 1845, the façade is divided intofive bays by brick pilasterstopped with Doric capitals.The windows have slightlypedimented wooden lintelsthat have an acanthus leafmotif. Later owned by the Garnett and Thompson families.

Thompson/Wickliffe House:

(344 East Lexington Street)Built in 1887 after his original home burned, thisItalianate residence was thehome of renowned criminallawyer Philip B. and MarthaMontgomery Thompson.Graced by exquisitely crafted cherry woodwork.Note Celtic cross on tower.

Lucy NewtonCogar House:

(304 East Lexington Street)Built circa 1878 as thehome of Jesse and LucyNewton Cogar. This houseis a fine example of GoldenAge architecture with cherry and oak inlaid floors,intricate moldings, stainedglass windows and pargeting.

Hugh McGaryHouse: (123 South

East Street) This house wasowned by Hugh and KatieYocum McGary in 1795 butconstruction methods indi-cate an earlier building date.The house is of timberframeconstruction with brick nog-ging. Much original wood-work remains. McGary wasa pioneer in Mercer Countyand a Major at the Battle ofBlue Licks. He married firstthe widow Mary Buntin Raywho was the mother ofGeneral James Ray. McGarywas an extensive landownerand businessman in MercerCounty and Harrodsburg.Among his properties was atavern on Main Street.

Maria ThompsonDaviess House:

(122 East Poplar Street)This house has been the residence of two MercerCounty literary figures. Itwas built in the mid 1800s

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While this tour includes widely spaced areas in MercerCounty, many of the Harrodsburg sites are most enjoyable on foot. You will be following a city plat laid out in 1786which divided a one square mile area into 200 in-lots and 83 out-lots. Each city block was comprised of four one halfacre in-lots, and the downtown area was bordered on all four sides by out-lots of 5 to 6 acres.

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by Maria Thompson Daviessthe author of “The Historyof Mercer and BoyleCounties”. ElizabethPendleton Hardin, whopenned “The Private War ofLizzie Hardin”, spent thelast years of her life here.Long time home of the J. EliBrown family.

Blue FrontBuilding: (200 block

of South Main Street) This

Queen Anne building withRomanesque details built in1887 by the Isenbergs servesas a commercial building.An upper floor theater isnotable for decorative paint-ing on walls and ceiling.

Court HouseSquare: * A 1786

plat of Harrodsburg desig-nates a public square onwhich four courthouses have been located. A stonecourthouse was built in1788 followed by a brickstructure and separate clerk’soffice in 1818. A largerbrick building replaced thesein 1912. It burned in 1927and the present structurewas built in 1928.

HarrodsburgChristian Church:

(305 South Main Street)Located on in-lot 152, thiswas the site of Rev. JesseHead’s cabinetry shop andlater the offices of theBohon Buggy Factory.The 1928 church houses an historic Disciples ofChrist congregation chartered in 1803.

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HarrodsburgBaptist Church:

(312 South Main Street)This historic congregationwas organized in 1839 by Dr. William Vaughn andworshipped in the OldRepublican Meeting Houselocated behind this structureand facing the Courthouse.The present building wascompleted in 1961.

UnitedPresbyterian

Church: (326 SouthMain Street) Built in 1853and expanded in 1913, thisGothic Revival buildinghouses a congregation whichoriginally worshipped atCane Run. They moved toHarrodsburg and built on thissite in 1818. Differences

caused by the Civil War pre-cipitated a split in the con-gregation. The Confederatefaction continued to use thisbuilding until both factionsreunited in 1913.

The Academy:(South Main

Street) In 1847, under thesupervision of Rev. JohnMontgomery, the PresbyterianChurch hired James Curry toconstruct the HarrodsburgFemale Academy on landpurchased from ChristopherColumbus Graham. HousedCivil War wounded from theBattle of Perryville.

Old MercerCounty Jail: (320

South Chiles Street) Builtin 1827, the large buildingserved as a home for thejailer and his family and asjail cells for the prisoners.Most famous inmate wasLizzie Hardin, a Confederate

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sympathizer, jailed for waving her handkerchief atJohn Hunt Morgan and hismen as they rode throughHarrodsburg. The ladies ofthe town emptied theirlarders to prepare a grandfeast for Morgan and hismen. A great celebrationwas held marking his visit aschronicled in “The PrivateWar of Lizzie Hardin”. Therear building served as thecounty jail from the 1870suntil 1983.

Morgan Row:(220-232 South

Chiles Street) “Built bySquire Joseph Morgan andextended by John G. Chilesfor whom the street wasnamed, who had stage contracts extending largelyover Kentucky that keptHarrodsburg wide awake

with the rattle of the wheelsand the echoes of the merrystage horn.” ContainsMatthew P. Lowery woodwork. Along with other commercial enterprises,it currently houses theHarrodsburg HistoricalSociety and Research Library.

St. Philip’sEpiscopal Church:

(NE Corner of Chiles andShort Streets) The churchbuilding cornerstone waslaid in 1860, and the build-ing opened for services in1861 at the outbreak of theCivil War. This gem ofGothic Revival architecturewas designed by the RightRev. Benjamin BosworthSmith, first EpiscopalBishop of Kentucky.Concerning the designsource, legend maintains

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that Smith provided awooden model of a churchin England he had visited asa boy; also, the only trulycentered window is the oneback of the altar, as Smithtaught: “Only Providence isperfect, and man shouldever be mindful of such.”

Lawyer’s Row:(Short Street)

In 1810 the Trustees ofHarrodsburg sold certain lotsfrom the Public Square forthe sites of workshops andoffices and Lawyer’s Row was born. This street was traditionally home tolawyers’ offices due to itsproximity to the Courthouse.

William McBrideHouse: (Corner of

West Poplar and Chiles)Built in 1822 by Williamand Jane Haggin McBrideparents of ConfederateGeneral James HagginMcBride. Once the home

of Terah Templin Haggin,McBride’s brother-in-lawand father of James Ben AliHaggin. Contains MatthewP. Lowery woodwork.

Dr. A. D. PriceHouse: (115 West

Poplar Street) BrickItalianate residence built in1884 by Dr. Anselm Danieland Caroline S. HenryPrice. Dr. Price practicedmedicine in Harrodsburg for40 years. This house servedas his medical office andoperating room. Notable forits Victorian gingerbreadand parquet flooring.

UnitedMethodist

Church andParsonage: (120-128South Chiles Street)Reconstructed in 1940 onthe foundations of the 1840and 1889 Methodist Churchafter a devastating fire. Has

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original bell from the firstchurch. The congregationhas been meeting here since1828. The circa 1840 GreekRevival house is the oldestcontinually inhabitedMethodist parsonage west ofthe Alleghenies. Churchand parsonage housed thewounded following the CivilWar Battle of Perryville.

White Hall: (104South Chiles Street)

Situated on in-lot 37, por-tions of house built as early as1840 by Robert and PriscillaRobertson. Purchased in 1891by Thomas and Mary GrimesHardin. Remained in Hardinfamily until 1959. Is presentlyowned and occupied by afinancial institution.

Clay Hill: (433Beaumont Avenue)

Built circa 1814 by BeriahMagoffin, Sr. and his wife,Jane McAfee, on out-lot 40.It was the birthplace ofKentucky’s Civil WarGovernor Beriah Magoffin,

Jr. and his equally successfulsiblings, including JamesWiley Magoffin who found-ed El Paso, Texas. Anotherbrother, Samuel Magoffin,helped open the Santa FeTrail. His wife, Susan HartShelby, granddaughter ofIsaac Shelby, was the firstAnglo-American woman totravel west on the Trail. TheGeorgian style portico wasadded to the house in 1845.Notable for its handsomeMatthew P. Lowery doorwayand woodwork.

Magoffin/Mills/Gaither

House: (464Beaumont Avenue) Built byBeriah Magoffin, Sr., BeriahMagoffin, Jr. and his wifeAnne Shelby, granddaughterof Isaac Shelby, first gover-nor of Kentucky, resided hereafter 1839. Later owned byBenjamin Mills noted gun-smith and commander ofHarper’s Ferry at the time ofJohn Brown’s famous raid.Purchased by M. R. Gaitherin 1870, the family held titleto the property for over acentury. Construction methods indicate a pre-1830building date. Unusualtamped clay insulation isbetween basement and firstfloor living quarters.

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Tabler House:(504 Beaumont

Avenue) This Queen Annestyle house built in the 1880sby Dr. Moshiem Tabler wassubsequently used as a par-sonage for the HarrodsburgPresbyterian Church beforereverting to private owner-ship in the 1940s.

Poteet House:(512 Beaumont Avenue)Located on out-lot 81, thisQueen Anne style housewas built by BenjaminFranklin Poteet in 1883.The home was designed by nationally recognizedarchitect George Barber and is listed as design # 29in “The Cottage SouvenirNo. 2” design book.

VanArsdall/SaleHouse: (520

Beaumont Avenue) ThisBeaux Arts style home wasbuilt in 1905 for G. AlfredCurry. In 1919, it was purchased by Dr. Condit B. VanArsdall, Sr. whosedaughter Elizabeth marriedForest “Aggie” Sale. Mr.Sale was a Captain of the1933 University ofKentucky basketball team and two-time All-America. The home continues ownership in the same family.

Dedman House:(528 Beaumont

Avenue) Built in 1884 byCharles M. and Mary(Mollie) Curry Dedman,

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34this Queen Anne styleVictorian house is notablefor the pargeting gable deco-ration. Mrs. Dedman chosethe lot, plans and oversawconstruction. Long time res-idence of the Ruby family.

G. A. CurryHouse: (538

Beaumont Avenue) Built in1896 by G. A. and ZelettaGraveson Curry, this QueenAnne style house stayed inthe Curry Family for twodecades. It retains its originalwrap around porch and beau-tiful leaded and stained glasswindows. Under the owner-ship of Frank and LouiseForsythe Curry, this house wasthe scene of traditional south-ern living with balls, teas, andcandlelight dinners. It laterbecame a funeral home asBruner and Sims, thenMcClellan, before reverting to a private residence.

Aspen Hall/ Dr.James Shannon

House: (558 AspenHall Drive) Built on landoriginally part of GreenvilleSprings, this imposingGreek Revival house wasbuilt in 1840 by Dr. JamesShannon, President ofBacon College. Later theresidence of John BryanBowman, Mercer Countyfarmer and crusader forhigher education inKentucky.

Greystone: (618Beaumont Inn

Drive) Greystone was builtin 1931 by Mrs. A. G. Kyle,a niece of Eli Lilly of phar-maceutical fame. HughMeriweather, noted for hiscommercial and residentialdesigns, was the architect.

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Built of Kentucky limestone,it is now associated withneighboring Beaumont Inn.

Beaumont Inn: *(638 Beaumont Inn

Drive) Constructed in 1845,this building served for overseven decades as one of theSouth’s leading female col-leges, known in order as theGreenville Female Instituteafter the old GreenvilleSprings that occupied thesame property; Daughters’College; and finally,Beaumont College. Since1917, it has been owned andoperated by five generationsof the Dedman family as acountry inn that is reminis-cent of the Old South andwhich has attained an inter-national reputation. Threeauxiliary buildings – GoddardHall, Bell Cottage, andGreystone – also houseBeaumont guests, and theproperty contains severalancient trees of varied species.

HoneysuckleHill/Fair Oaks:

(712 Beaumont Avenue)Designed and built by Dr.Guilford Runyon in theearly 1840s for his fiancéKitty Ferrel who died ofcholera. Runyon was anorphan reared by theShakers at Pleasant Hilluntil he was expelled afterannouncing his intention tomarry. Noted for its MinardLafever style ornamentation.

Mercer CountyFair and Horse

Show: (Linden Avenue)Recognized as the oldestcontinuous Fair and HorseShow in the United States,dating from 1828, the pres-ent location was purchasedin 1904 having been the siteof an African AmericanFair. The property was oncea part of the HarrodsburgSprings. As Mercer Countymoved out of the settlementperiod and the threat ofIndian depredations dimin-ished, agricultural advance-

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ment and livestock breedingbecame a major focus. TheFair flourished with theexhibition of fine blood-stock exhibited by the likesof Henry Clay and theShakers. The MercerCounty Fair was not onlywitness to the creation ofthe American Saddlebred,but after the horse was nolonger the primary means oftransportation, venues suchas this were responsible forthe preservation andadvancement of the breed.

Judge JamesHaggin House:

(Park Avenue) This Federalhome was built by JamesHaggin in 1810 for his brideHenrietta Humphries. Thethird owner of the homewas Thomas Patrick Moore,Ambassador to Columbiaunder President AndrewJackson. This architecturallysuperior home is Flemishbond on all four sides and

contains Matthew P. Lowerywoodwork. Haggin was ajudge for the Kentucky NewCourt of Appeals during atumultuous and volatileperiod of Kentucky politicsthat almost brought thestate to civil war. The housewas originally located onover 400 acres of farm landwith its lawn sweepingdown to what is nowCollege Street. JamesHaggin was the son of theold pioneer, John Haggin,founder of the KentuckyHaggin family of note in thethoroughbred industry.

Fort Harrod: *(College Street, US

127, and Lexington Street,US 68) Begun in 1774 byJames Harrod and Company,the Fort was crucial to thesettlement of Harrodsburgand Kentucky. Situated onthe Wilderness Road, itsimportance as a refuge intimes of Indian depredationscannot be underestimated. Itwas the site of many firsts:George Rogers Clark plannedhis northwest territory strate-gy in one of the originalblockhouses; Mrs. WilliamCoomes taught the firstschool in Kentucky withinthe Fort; Ann McGintybrought the first spinningwheel and made the firstlinen from the lint of nettleswithin the Fort. The present

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replica was erected in 1927on Old Fort Hill also knownas Seminary Hill. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt visitedthe Fort in 1934 to dedicatethe granite monument commemorating the first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. Also on the park grounds are the Pioneer Cemetery, arelocated log cabin (nowhoused inside the LincolnMarriage Temple), and theMatheny-Taylor House(Mansion Museum).

St. PeterAfrican

MethodistEpiscopal Church: (NECorner of Lexington Street,US 68, and College Street,US 127) This congregationwas formed circa 1839. In1885 they founded WaymanInstitute to provide highereducation for AfricanAmerican youth. The present Classical Revivalbuilding was erected in 1917with much of the labor beingprovided by church members.

West SideSchool:

(Intersection of LexingtonStreet and Magnolia) ThisAfrican American Schoolwas erected in 1930 with adonation from the JuliusRosenwald Fund and becamethe only elementary andhigh school for AfricanAmericans in MercerCounty. It is located near thesite where Sally Ann Taylor,African American educator,conducted schools in herhome after the Civil War.The three principals whoserved the school were Mrs.Maynette Elliott Sneed(1930-38), Miss Clara B.Clelland (1938-59), and Mr.Robert Jackson, Jr. (1959-61). Closed 1961 whenMercer schools desegregated.

First BaptistChurch: (349 West

Broadway) This rectangularbrick structure has its princi-pal three-bay façade in thegable end. Front façade consists of two equally-spaced doorways separatedby a window. The doors anda stained glass transom areenclosed in a Gothic archood molding made of

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brick. Building cornice hasbrick corbelling. Organizedby white Baptists of SouthDistrict during 1840s asAfrican Baptist Church.Small brick building servedas house of worship and aschool. One of first pastorschanged name to FirstBaptist Church. A newchurch by that name organ-ized in 1897. Present sanctu-ary built in 1873; annexesadded 1915 & 1983.

The Maples:(328 North College

Street) This Gothic Revivalhouse was built adjacent tohis tanyard by FrederickCurry and Cornelia, hiswife, in 1856. Curry was adescendant of a pioneerMercer County family whocame to the area with theMcAfees. An original bricksmokehouse is still part ofthe property. Prior to theconstruction of this house,in-lot 128 was owned byAfrican American entrepre-neurs Dennis and DiademiaDoram whose portraits byPatrick Henry Davenportare housed in the KentuckyHistory Center.

Rykon: (338 NorthCollege Street) Built

circa 1844 by partners DanielStagg and James Curry. Mr.Curry purchased Stagg’sinterest. Called Rykon forthe Riker family who pur-chased it in 1861 and heldtitle for a century. The Rikerfamily were descendants ofthe Low Dutch.

Forest Pillars:(350 North College

Street) Enlarged by Madisonand Mary Worthington usingtimberframe construction,portions of this house werebuilt as early as 1820 byMary May. The house’s nameis derived from the solidpoplar tree trunks formingthe four Doric columns. Son of Edward Worthington,both served as early Trusteesof Harrodsburg. Madison also served on the Board ofCentre College.

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Dr. JamesHarrison Moore

House: (367 NorthCollege Street) This halland parlor home was builtcirca 1848 as a town houseby Dr. James Harrison andMary Messinger Moore.Important in the early economic development ofthis community, Dr. Mooreand his wife had extensivelandholdings and bankinginterests in Mercer Countyand Mississippi.

Bataan WarMemorial: *

(Veterans Park Road – offand beside U.S. Highway127 North, immediatelynorth of Warwick Road)Sixty-six men from MercerCounty left San Francisco27 October 1941 undersealed orders with the192nd G.H.Q. TankBattalion and arrived inManila, Philippine Islands,20 November 1941. Theyfought to defend Bataan andCorregidor during a criticalbattle of World War II.These brave men enduredthe battle, “The BataanDeath March”, and morethan three years as prisonersof war before returning toKentucky. Twenty-nine losttheir lives. The tank is aWorld War II M-4.

William McAfeesStation/ Round

Ridge: (1060 IndustryRoad) Part of a 1773 survey,the station was built byWilliam and Rebecca CurryMcAfee in 1779. He waswith George Rogers Clarkand the group who marchedon Chillicothe and Piqua in1781. McAfee was badlywounded by the Indians andwas taken to Floyd’s Station(near Louisville) where heheld onto life until his wifearrived at his side, dyingsoon after. WilliamMcAfee’s Station is theprobable site of Fort Liberty.The land and station sitelater became the property ofJoseph Morgan who builtRound Ridge in 1817 for hisbride, Ann Bryan.

FontaineBleau/Hite’s Station:

(Highway 390 1.6 miles westoff US 127) Site of thefamous boiling blue spring,this cabin/station was locatedon land occupied by IsaacHite but later assigned toPeter Casey. Here JamesHarrod’s surveyors, JohnCowan and James Hamilton,were killed by Indians in 1774while tending their corn crop.This caused Harrod andCompany to leave Kentuckyand join the Virginia troopsfighting Lord Dunmore’s War.

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James McAfeeCemetery:

(West .8 mile on KentuckyHighway 1160 off US 127then right .65 mile on ManO’War Drive) Pioneercemetery of James McAfeeand his wife Agnes “Nancy”Clark McAfee. He was thehead of the McAfeeCompany of 1773 and wasthe founder of McAfeeStation for whom this areawas named. The cemeteryincludes many unmarkedgraves. One of the first buri-als here may have been thatof Isaac Clunendike whowas killed in an Indianattack while with SamuelMcAfee a quarter of a milefrom McAfee Station on9 May 1781.

James McAfeeStation: (West 1.2

miles on Kentucky Highway1160 off US 127) JamesMcAfee chose this site forhis settlement in 1773 whilesurveying with the McAfeeCompany. This stockadedstation was built by Jamesand Agnes “Nancy” ClarkMcAfee and used as a refugeby settlers in the region

during times of Indianattack. Before the end of theeighteenth century, thestone house, modeled afterthe family home in CountyArmagh, Ireland, was builtnortheast of the station.

James McCoun’sStation/Millwood:

(493 Garriott Lane) Jamesand Margaret WalkerMcCoun located their sta-tion on land which was partof the 1773 surveys made bythe McAfee Company ofwhich he was a member.Not a strongly fortified sta-tion, the McCouns lived atJames McAfee’s Station dur-ing times of danger. JamesMcCoun helped to organizeand was one of the first eld-ers of New ProvidencePresbyterian Church.Portions of McCoun’s home,Millwood, were built in1790. The house is orna-mented with Matthew P.Lowery woodwork.

JohnMeaux’sStation: (592

Garriott Lane) Leaving a lifeof ease in New Kent County,Virginia, the widowed JohnMeaux settled this station in1784. It became the seat ofhis vast landholdings andfarming operation. Meauxmay have been an earlyabolitionist, making provi-

sions for freeing his slaves in

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his will. He died in 1828.Young Joseph McCoun wascaptured by Indians nearhere and later killed.

Nathaniel Burrus House:

(955 Vanarsdall Road) A veteran of theRevolutionary War where he participated in the 1781 siege of Yorktown,Burrus and his wife MaryThrelkeld, built this transi-tional Federal brick homecirca 1830. The kitchen isof hand hewn walnut logs.Burrus amassed a fortunewith his extensive farmingoperations and producetrading conducted on nearby Kentucky River. This 1830 house is listed on the National Register ofHistoric Places and the site

contains many original outbuildings. An early loghouse has been moved andreconstructed from its near-by location on the SaltRiver. All are situated onthe George McAfee settle-ment and preemption.

New ProvidencePresbyterian

Church: (East side of US 127, 7 miles north of Harrodsburg) This 1862-64 house of worship is a Greek Revival buildingserving one of the oldestPresbyterian congregationsin Kentucky. Begun in 1784by the Rev. David Rice, firstPresbyterian minister in thestate, the historic religiousbody erected this fourthchurch building on a promi-nent crest site along the OldWilderness Trail. The CivilWar greatly slowed its con-struction, and the steeple(non-characteristic of thebuilding’s historic style) is asomewhat recent addition.The initial church wasnamed “New Providence” ingratitude for certain provi-dential interventions in theearly settlers’ behalf. Seehistorical highway markers.

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Ambrose BurtonHouse: (560 Unity

Pike) In 1797 RevolutionaryWar veteran AmbroseBurton constructed this twostory 18 by 24 feet single penlog house. Burton’s construc-tion of the east limestonechimney on the inside ratherthan the outside is unusualfor this area. An early addi-tion on the west side of thehouse was built of mortiseand tenon beams filled withwattle and daub. Burton’sinitials are incised in the eastfireplace surround.

Walnut Hall/David W.

Thompson House:(664 Mundays Landing)David W. and Sara M.Thompson built this five bayGreek Revival house circa1840 on the northwest cornerof his grandfather’s, DavidWilliams, original preemp-tion. The west and northfacades are laid in Flemishbond, and a two story pedi-mented portico supported byfour Ionic columns graces thecentral entrance. The massivelimestone foundation andbasement alone took almost a year to build.

David Williams’Station: (North on

Warwick 3.5 miles from itsintersection with 127 By-Pass) David Williamsachieved distinction in theAmerican Revolution, fight-ing under GeorgeWashington and GeneralLaFayette. He survivedValley Forge and was anoriginal member of theSociety of Cincinnati. He was with the party whofirst surveyed the site ofHarrodsburg 16 June 1774,and later established his station on the waters ofShawnee Run.

Hugh McGary’sStation: (North on

Warwick 2.6 miles from itsintersection with 127 By-Pass) Hugh McGary broughthis wife Mary Buntin RayMcGary and family toKentucky in 1775 withDaniel Boone. McGary and his stepson, James Ray,established this stationaround 1779 on McGary’s400 acre settlement atShawnee Springs. McGarypurportedly led the chargethat began the ill-fatedBattle of Blue Licks. Draper

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and Robert B. McAfee indi-cate a first McGary’s Stationwas within sight of FortHarrod. He was a justice inKentucky’s first court, waspromoted from Captain, toMajor, then Colonel in theKentucky Militia, and was atrustee of the town ofWarwick.

Thomas Denton’sStation: (986

Curry Pike) Established byThomas and Sarah Dentonas early as 1776 on thewaters of Shawnee Run.The land belonged to Diana

Denton, widow of JohnDenton who had been killedby Indians. Among the firstwomen to settle inKentucky were the Dentons,McGarys, Hogans, andBoones. This is the familyfor whom Denton, Texaswas named.

William W.Goddard

House/Wildwood:(388 Curry Pike) Thishandsome Italianate villawith its three story towerwas built by William W. andSarah Eliza Goddard circa1870. W. W. Goddard’s lifeand deeds are recorded in“Uncle Will of Wildwood”.Goddard was a tobaccogrower, cattle breeder, horse-man, and fervent supporterof the southern cause duringthe Civil War. He namedone of his children Rebel tocommemorate the conflict.The family lived in a logstructure located to the rearof this house prior to thebuilding of their home.

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Abraham ChaplinePlantation/Rufus

Henry VandarsdallHouse: (1561 LexingtonRoad) Abraham Chaplineat 19 was the youngest of the original settlers toaccompany James Harrod toKentucky. This is the site ofhis 1400 acre settlementand preemption. He marriedElizabeth Higgins in 1793,and their restored pioneercemetery is located nearhere. Another pioneer settler Azariah Davis wasburied here as well. Thepresent house, an exquisitelydetailed late Victorian man-sion, was built circa 1900 byRufus Henry Vanarsdall ofLow Dutch descent.

MatthiasYocum’s Station:

(East on US 68 – LexingtonRoad – 3 miles from 127 By-Pass on right) The Yocumfamily lived on the edge ofthe frontier in Virginia,North Carolina, and finallyMercer County, Kentucky.Matthias Yocum establishedthe station on his excellentand well watered settlementand preemption. His daugh-ters married into the Rayand McGary families. SonJesse Yocum survived theBattle of Blue Licks.

Fairview: (2408Lexington Road)

Located on the land ofGabriel Slaughter, Governorof Kentucky 1816 – 1820, the present Carpenter’sGothic house was the homeof Robert E. Coleman who,along with Crit Davis, wereamong the first to developMercer’s reputation for prize-winning trotters and pacers.William Jennings Bryan wasentertained here in the 1890s.

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Shaker Village ofPleasant Hill: *

(Off U.S. 68 at junction ofKY 33, 7 miles northeast ofHarrodsburg) The restoredcommunity of nineteenthcentury buildings surround-ed by rolling bluegrass farm-land features structures ofstone, brick and frame con-structed between 1809 and1859. Notable are the 1820Meeting House with itsinterlocking cantilever-typetrusses; the 1839 Trustees’Office with its twin spiralstaircases; and the massiveCenter Family Dwelling(1824-34). The ShakerVillage of Pleasant Hill wasthe third largest communityestablished by the UnitedSociety of Believers inChrist’s Second Appearing,

commonly called “Shakers”because of their ritualisticreligious dances. Since 1961,the village has been ownedand operated by a nonprofitcorporation committed topreserving and interpretingthe Shaker experience inKentucky. The entireacreage is also listed in theNational Register ofHistoric Places and is desig-nated a National HistoricLandmark District.

JohnMcMurtry’s

Station: (4170Lexington Road) John and Elizabeth McCounMcMurtry established thisstation around 1780, and thelog house presumed to bepart of the station still exists

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71within this structure. Postmolds indicate that it mayhave been a stockaded fort.Captain McMurtry survivedthe Battle of Blue Licks butwas captured, required to runthe gauntlet several times,and ransomed at Detroit. He made his way back toKentucky only to be killed byIndians at Harmar’s Defeat in1790. He is noted for build-ing the first water poweredgrist mill in Kentucky.

John Gordon’sStation: (1490

Shakertown Road –Kentucky Highway 33) This is the site of John andElizabeth Grayson Gordon’ssecond station, with the firststation becoming the prop-erty of Stephen Trigg. John

Gordon was killed at theBattle of Blue Licks, and hisland was inherited by hisson Ambrose Gordon. The site for Shawnee RunBaptist Church, organized in 1788 under ReverendJohn Rice, was deeded fromthis property. This was theparent church to many areacongregations.

Stephen Trigg’sStation: (1305

Handy Road) Trigg’s Station(settled by Stephen and MaryChristian Trigg) was alsoHaggin’s Station, Gordon’sOld Station and VineyGrove. Trigg had risen toprominence in Virginia as amember of the House ofBurgesses and was appointedCommissioner of the

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Kentucky County Land Courtin 1779. He died within threeyears of coming to Kentuckyat the Battle of Blue Licksand was a Lieutenant Colonelin the Militia at the time ofhis death.

Jacob Froman’sStation: (532

Bailey Pike) Built by Jacoband Barbara Mercer Fromanon his settlement and preemption, a log house presumed to be part of thestation still exists inside the present residence.Froman was a member ofthe Convention of 1792which drew up the firstConstitution of Kentucky,and was elected a state representative in that year.

George Corn’sStation:

(960 Shakertown Rd.)Established by George Cornon a branch of Cane Runaround 1780. The CornFamily proved invaluable in guarding theirs and otherearly Mercer County stations. George and EdwardCorn were survivors of theBattle of Blue Licks.

Lewis Rose’sStation:

(West Main St., Burgin)Lewis Rose was born inGermany and served in thePennsylvania Militia prior

to coming to Kentucky in1779. Lewis and BarbaraFair Rose located their station on 400 acresassigned to them byStephen Trigg. Rose wascaptured at the Battle ofBlue Licks where his brotherMatthias was killed. While aprisoner after the battle, hewas required to run thegauntlet several times onthe march to Detroit. Hewas ransomed there andreturned to Kentucky a yearlater. During that time, hiswife, assuming him dead,probated his will and inven-toried and sold his property.He became a ruling elder inthe Cane Run Church.

AlexanderRobertson’s

Station:(Intersection of Highway 33 and 152) In 1778,Alexander Robertson andhis wife Margaret Robinsonestablished their stockadedstation near here. Robertsonwas the first Sheriff ofMercer County and fatherof famous Justice GeorgeRobertson. Their daughterCharlotte married Robert P. Letcher who becameGovernor of Kentucky.

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GabrielMadison’s

Station: (DanvilleRoad) Site of a cabin/stationbuilt on land settled byGabriel and Mariam LewisMadison. Madison, a cousinof President James Madison,survived the Battle of BlueLicks. Captain JosephBowman and the militiafought the Battle of theCorn Cribs here in 1778.Noted for its cove spring.

Old MudMeeting House:

(Dry Branch Road, 3 milessouthwest of Harrodsburg) Acelebrated house of worship,this building was erected in1800 to serve as the first LowDutch Reformed Churchbuilding west of theAllegheny Mountains. Acolony of Dutch settlerscame to Kentucky from

Pennsylvania in 1781, organ-izing a church in 1796 anderecting this building fouryears later. The structuralframework is of hewn oaktimbers, with the walls beinga mixture of packed mud,straw, and other material.This historic landmark hasbeen owned and maintainedby the HarrodsburgHistorical Society since1927. The Society also main-tains the adjacent cemeterywhere numerous early Dutchsettlers are interred. The history of this Church goesback well over 400 yearsfrom Holland to New York toNew Jersey to Pennsylvaniaand finally to Kentucky.

Henry Wilson’sStation: (627 Dry

Branch Road) Henry Wilsonwas one of the fortunatemembers of the militia tosurvive the Battle of BlueLicks. He and his wife,Elizabeth Mahan, built their circa 1779 station large enough to accommo-date the first Kentucky landcourt and George May’s surveying office.

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83John Bowman’sStation: (See State

Marker near intersection of Highway 33 and 152)Established the winter of 1779by Colonel John Bowman andhis wife, Elizabeth Bryan.Bowman was the first CountyLieutenant and MilitaryGovernor of Kentucky. Thestation grew to accommodatearound thirty families andserved as an important desti-nation and refuge for earlyMercer County settlers.

Azor Rees’Station: (750

Buster Pike) Rees came toMercer County with JamesHarrod’s Company in May1774. He and his wife,Dinah, located their stationnear here on their 1400 acresettlement and preemption.The western section of thisland, under the later owner-ship of John Haggin,became the site of CaneRun Presbyterian Church. It was one of the firstPresbyterian Churchesfounded in Kentucky byReverend David Rice.

Glenworth/Robert Mosby

Davis House: (781Buster Pike) Built in 1848by Robert Mosby Davis andSarah Harris, his wife, thisbeautifully situated GreekRevival house features afaçade laid in Flemish bond,a central two story porticowith four Ionic columns,and a widow’s walk accessi-ble by an attic stairway. Theattic walls bear the names ofCivil War soldiers. Retainsmany of its original out-buildings including icehouse, servants’ quarters,three bay hen house, octag-onal summer kitchen,weather boarded log smoke-house, and a nineteenthcentury horse breeding barn.

John Bunton’sStation: (1236

Buster Pike) One of the earlysettlers in Kentucky, this sta-tion was erected by JohnBunton around 1781 on a 400acre settlement. The land waslater assigned to WilliamMcBride, and Buntonremoved to a 400 acre tractnear the Kentucky River onpresent day McAfee Lane.

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MOORELAND AVE.

BEAUMONT AVE.

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W. POPLAR ST.

W. OFFICE ST.

PRICE AVE.

JACKSON PIKE

S.COLLEGEST.

NORTH LANE

CUMMINS FERRY RD.

COMMERCIAL DR.

To: KENTUCKY RIVER

To: PERRYVILLE

E. POPLAR ST.

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BEAUMONT INN DR.

Chinn Ln

Bellows Mill Rd

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JACKSON

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MAYO

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SHAKERTOWN

HARRODSBURG

Bardstown Rd.

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OREGON

EBENEZER

Cummins Ferry Rd

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Historic HarrodsburgKentucky’s First Settlement – 1774

Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission488 Price Avenue

Harrodsburg, KY 40330859-734-2364 or 800-355-9192

Research, text and photography by James Harrod Trust

638 Beaumont Inn DriveHarrodsburg, KY 40330

859-734-3381This project is funded by Transportation Enhancement funds

administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and financedby the Federal Highway Administration.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Additional assistance provided by the Kentucky Heritage Council,the State Historic Preservation Office.

www.heritage.ky.gov

Matching funds provided by Mercer County Fiscal Court, City of Harrodsburg, and citizens of Mercer County.

Welcome to historic Harrodsburg and Mercer County.Harrodsburg was named for Captain James Harrod (1742-92), a native of Pennsylvania who learned of Kentucky – then part of Virginia – through Daniel Boone. Leading a party of 32 men in 1774, he founded Fort Harrod, now Harrodsburg, on June 16 ofthat year. Importantly, Harrodsburg historically ranks as Kentucky’soldest town, as well as the first permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. Mercer County was named for

General Hugh Mercer (1725-77) who was killed in action while leading American forces in theRevolutionary War’s 1777 Battle of Princeton. General Mercer was never to lay eyes on the place named in his honor.

The historic homes and attractions of this locale play a tremendous role in the heritage of its peo-ple and serve as a lesson book in the changing modes of American architecture—from Kentucky’spioneer days of the late 1700s, up to the Great Depression ofthe 1930s. Where possible we havementioned the architects and craftsmen responsible for creating these wonderful homes such asMatthew P. Lowery, a Mercer County woodworker, who produced the intricate carvings whichembellished the interiors and exteriors of fine Central Kentucky homes until his death in 1835.

We have also included in this tour historically significant sites located throughout Mercer County. These encompass the majority of early stations located within our borders during the earliest period of Kentucky’s settlement. A station was considered a place of refuge for settlers andtravelers during Indian raids. It could be an actual stockade or simply a fortified cabin where thepopulace would remain during an attack. From these forts and stations came the volunteer militiawho protected the frontier and formed the backbone of the fighting force at the Battle of BlueLicks, the last battle of the American Revolution. Nearly every family in this area suffered the lossof a relative or close friend in the 1782 Battle. As one views the area designated, envision a landyet undeveloped with high cane breaks and forests. The log structures and stockades are longgone, but the springs and fertile land that enticed us across the Appalachians still remain.

Again, welcome. We are truly gratified by your interest in our historical and architecturaltreasures. Also, we request that you respect the matter of private ownership: unless otherwise indicated with an asterisk (*), the properties described herein are privately owned and are notaccessible to the public.

HARRODSBURGKENTUCKY

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