Plans for an early start went awry as we slept in. At least we were up before our friends left for the State Capitol tour. Everyone else is heading south for Mammoth Cave today. Tomorrow we head there. We intended to try to do 4 old houses today. No way that was going to happen. We drove through downtown Lexington, which is undergoing finishing construction touches to get ready for the World Equestrian Championships. Brightly decorated and painted horse statues dot the downtown area.
Our first house was the childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln. The house is an in town example of simple elegance and is the only featured home of a first lady. The Lincoln’s did visit one time shortly after he was elected to the House. The Todd’s were well to do as exemplified by the interior furnishings. The house is of common design with no ostentatious features. Our tour lasted 1 hour. Most of our guide’s discussion focused on the life of Mary Todd and was excellent. The furnishings are period but only a few are original family pieces.
Herb Garden in back of the house
Back of Mary Todd Lincoln House
Mary’s mother died at an early age and she did not get along well with her stepmother. Her father treated her well and she was educated more than most men of her time. She was an outspoken critic of slavery even though they were present in her household. She knew and spoke often with Henry Clay who shared those views. Mary left the house at age 21 to move to Illinois and make her life. Her father died shortly thereafter and the house and contents were auctioned off to settle the estate. The Inventory from that auction was used for the restoration. The house was used for many commercial ventures thereafter (including a brothel) until saved in recent years.
OK Mom, Grand mom and Aunt Alice, I visited Henry Clay’s estate, Ashland. You can rest easy now. Yes, that was our next stop. This house is big and flashy. However, it is not the house Henry Clay lived in, but most of the furnishings are original. The house was demolished after his death and rebuilt to original design. Why? It was damaged in the New Madrid earthquake many years before. Our guide was Charlie and he did an outstanding job. He was informative on both the interior and family history. Since we only had 5 of us on the tour, it went overtime. The house has a central building with 2 wings and is 3 stories high. The main entry way is a rectangular octagon. It is quite airy and light despite the heavy oak woodwork. The most impressive room was the library in the left wing. It has a domed ceiling with skylights. Virtually all of the downstairs has the original furnishings, including artwork, with many of Henry Clay’s personal items.
Ashland - Home of Henry Clay
One major accomplishment of Henry Clay was as a farmer. Early in his career accumulated over 10,000 acres. He was involved in the early days of Kentucky horse racing and introduced Hereford cattle into the US. Henry Clay was described as possibly the greatest orator and Senator of all time. He is the only person elected Speaker on his first day in the House. His compromises likely delayed the Civil War for 20-30 years, but he never achieved his goal of being elected President. He died in office at the age of 75 after forging the Missouri Compromise. His funeral was massive and served as the blueprint for both the Lincoln and Kennedy funerals. Abraham Lincoln used Clay as his model for his political life. The role Mary Todd Lincoln played in this cannot be underestimated. Both of these houses are a must when visiting Lexington.
After leaving Ashland we drove southeast through Lexington. The houses are magnificent. We then drove towards home using the back roads to see the many horse farms and famous stables. The countryside is lush green dotted with big trees and unfortunately with “for sale’ signs, even on some of the bigger horse farms.
Typical pasture.
The traditional Kentucky stone walls from times past.
Just another country road.
Our final stop was at a gastronomical landmark…The White Castle on US 60 south of Frankfort. Burgers are a bit more than a nickel now. But oh my, they haven’t changed: a wafer thin burger, a dollop of greasy cooked onions, a dill pickle slice, jammed between 2 halves of a steamed micro roll. Of course it is still square and tastes just as crappy as they did 40 years ago! We ate a dozen. Burrrp! They sell them in pairs, so when you order “six,” you get 12 of these tasty morsels! Be forewarned!
Yes, White Castle lives on in Kentucky.
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