Multi-era
As I share on the “About This Blog” page, I worked at Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, 2003-2009. I earned my MA in Art History at the University of Kentucky in 2008 with a Master’s Thesis entitled, “Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, As House Museum: Private Home and Public Destination” under the direction of Dr. Wallis Miller, … More About This Blog…and A Book On The Way!
While Ashland had been home to some famous human beings (Henry Clay preeminent), the estate was for about a century the birthplace, home, and burial ground for some very celebrated horses. Henry Clay began racing thoroughbreds for pleasure in 1809. He was involved with the Lexington Jockey Club until 1823 and sometimes held private races … More Ashland: A Home for Horses
YOU ARE HERE -> today Of the many hundreds of trees at Ashland today, the ginkgo biloba trees that stand so majestically in Ashland’s front lawn are treasured examples of the ancient and unusual species. Ginkgos are unique in many respects and have no close relatives in the tree family. The ginkgo tree may be … More Ashland’s Glorious Ginkgo Trees
It is the picturesque little building that most Ashland visitors first encounter: The Keeper’s – or Gardener’s – Cottage. Adjacent to today’s modern parking lot, this original structure from Henry Clay’s time is a charmer. The Cottage was designed in 1846 by Thomas Lewinski, the Lexington architect who had helped Clay with some mansion remodeling, … More The Cottage At Ashland
Children have always found Ashland to be a magical place to play. From Henry Clay’s children and grandchildren, to James and Susan’s brood, to the McDowell girls, the estate’s young occupants delighted in their surroundings. And it was not only the Clay children who grew up at Ashland: generations of African-American children of enslaved or … More Children at Ashland
YOU ARE HERE -> today Of the many hundreds of trees at Ashland today, the ginkgo biloba trees that stand so majestically in Ashland’s front lawn are treasured examples of the ancient and unusual species. Ginkgos are unique in many respects and have no close relatives in the tree family. The ginkgo tree may be … More Ashland’s Glorious Ginkgo Trees
YOU ARE HERE -> up to 1852 Ashland’s history is unique in the world of historic house museums in that there was a very early and unusual practice of displaying artifacts for a public audience …within Ashland, while it was still a private dwelling. Henry Clay himself initiated a particular manner of presenting the past … More An American History Museum …in Henry Clay’s House
