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
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
YOU ARE HERE -> 1870s From such grand and glorious beginnings, John Bryan Bowman’s vision for Kentucky University began to unravel in the 1870s. The details of the troubles he and the university encountered could—and has—filled volumes. Ashland plays a central part in the sad story. All of the tumult made the period of 1865-1878, … More Kentucky University Leaves Ashland
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
Founder and Regent of Kentucky University, John Bryan Bowman (1824-1891) held a lofty vision for higher education in Kentucky and was devoted to the ideal of egalitarian education, proclaiming, “I want to build up a People’s Institution, a great university eventually accessible to the poorest boy in all the land…”[1] Bowman was a man of … More The Origins of Kentucky University and The Kentucky A&M …and How They Came to Ashland
YOU ARE HERE ->1866-1879 After the Civil War, Kentucky University took ownership of Ashland. (SEE ALSO: Clay Family Loses Ashland, University of Kentucky Predecessor Moves In.) Regent John B. Bowman believed that Kentucky University was to be permanently located at Ashland, so he made plans for the buildings and grounds to prepare them for University … More Historic Homestead as College Campus
YOU ARE HERE -> 1860s Although Ashland had survived its first transfer of ownership (from Henry Clay’s widow Lucretia to his son James), remaining in family hands, after the Civil War it would not. Due to James’s death in 1864, the financial hardship after the war, and complex dealings with settling the Ashland estate, James’s … More Clay Family Loses Ashland, University of Kentucky Predecessor Moves In
