Today Katherine wanted to stay here with Cathy. Ok with us. We got a good start and headed south to My Old Kentucky Home State Park, where the house is located. The Park is beautiful with old Oak trees dotting the lush green grass landscape. The house is nestled among the trees and has six rooms included in the tour. As with almost all ante-bellum mansions, the designs are nearly identical. You enter into a grand wide hall that stretches to the back of the house. My Old Kentucky Home is a bit different, being “L” shaped. There are two rooms on the left and one on the right. As both the first and second floors have 16’ ceilings, the staircase is “U” shaped with a landing. The original 3rd floor had 16’ ceilings but burned off. When the house was repaired the ceiling heights were lowered. This floor is closed to the public. Three generations of the Brown family lived in the house. The property was sold to the state in 1922.
Stephen Foster was a family cousin. He was visiting this house when he wrote “My Old Kentucky Home,” the Kentucky State song that is sung before every Kentucky Derby. Much of the furnishings are original with the rest being period pieces. Interestingly, the house never had indoor plumbing! When the house was last refurbished to 1840’s decor, they used period wallpapers. To say the least, the patterns are bold and busy! The windows must be 10’ tall and the heavy curtains are “puddled” on the floor. No pictures are allowed in the house.
The Guides told of several macabre happenings in the house. During the first generation, a party was held for some family celebration. Attendees drank well water contaminated with cholera, nine died, including 3 family members. The second event involved the second-generation occupant. He and his wife were caring for a sick young child. She left the room, he sat on the windowsill for some air, drifted off to sleep, and fell out the window to his death. The sick child grew up and married but had no children. She lived to the age of 84 and died two years after selling the house to the State.
We stopped and walked around the old downtown of Bardstown. Several buildings appear to have cast iron decorations of the front. There is an old drug store that still has a functioning lunch counter!
Our final stop was the Heaven Hill Distilleries and the Bourbon Heritage Center. We could have signed up for a tour, but the next was the 1 ½ hour Deluxe Tour. We passed on that but enjoyed the small museum. I was good, no tasting! And yes it was free!
We passed on tonight’s entertainment, a Neil Diamond imitator. Reports were the band was good but the lead singer was NOT anywhere close to the real thing! Glad we did not rush dinner!
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