|
SITE
1
OLD STONE JAIL
COURTHOUSE SQUARE
The first place of confinement was a pair
of stocks setup July 9, 1799 - on Water Street (one
street below Main between what is now Fourth & Fifth
Streets). At that time a stay in the stocks punished gossiping
and slander!
The former jail had experienced several
breakouts and was condemned on January 2, 1877.
It was ordered that a new jail be built and a tax
of 10 cents per $100.00 property valuation was levied to
raise funds. Enough
money was raised by January of 1897 to start the jail
project. H.P.
McDonaldson bid the contract and won.
On
March 1, 1880, the Stone Jail was turned over to Carroll
County by the jail committee with the words “(we) now
present to you the keys to the BEST PRISON in Northern
Kentucky…” Thanks to local students of the Community
Pride 4-H group, one hundred and four years later (1984)
the Old Stone Jail was renovated and is once again in
use, but this time for tourists.
The stone for the jail came from a quarry
in Louisville and was brought up the Ohio River by boat.
The steamboat bringing a load of stone was stuck
on a sandbar in the river, (this was before the river
was kept at pool stage by locks and dams as it is now)
and the boat had to stay on the sandbar and wait for the
fall rains to bring the water level high enough to float
it off the bar (three weeks).
The
Old Stone Jail is a 22’x20’ two story structure.
The walls of the jail are constructed of solid
16”x20” limestone slabs.
Windows or light openings average 3 ¼” in
width. Door
widths measure 19 ½” x 20 ½”.
All interior surfaces of the stone have a rough
hammer finish leaving an uneven surface.
The
ground level was used for men.
There were four interior cells of equal size with
a perimeter walk way.
A pot-bellied stove was the sole source of heat.
The openings in the walls did not have glass in them
while the jail was in use.
There were shutters that were hung during
inclement weather from cork posts in the walls.
The upper level was used for women and children
and was identical to that of the ground level.
The
under-ground level was used for solitary confinement. The prisoner was shackled in by their limbs and sat on the
dry laid brick floor.
There were several attempted escapes from this
old stone jail. Once the prisoners tried to blow it up
by throwing gunpowder into the pot bellied stove. Large
chunks of stone are still missing from the wall where
the stove stood, through the explosion never fully
penetrated the thick stonewall. Another time, a prisoner
tunneled his way out to the courtyard only to find the
jailers waiting to re-arrest him.
The jail was in use for almost ninety
years, until the late 1960’s when the jail was deemed
inadequate to meet State standards.
The
Old Stone Jail was scheduled to be torn-down and was
rescued by the Community Pride 4-H Group.
This group of students spent endless hours
cleaning and making the jail available for visitors to
tour. In
the fall of 1983 Carroll County received a 50/50
matching grant from the Jobs Bill Act through the
Kentucky Heritage Council to perform a historical
renovation of the Old Carroll County Stone Jail.
SITE
2
THE CARROLL COUNTY COURTHOUSE
COURTHOUSE SQUARE
The present Courthouse was built in 1884. During
the flood of 1937, water from the Ohio River flooded the
lower level of the building.
Coast Guard boats floated through the halls until
the water became so high they could not get through the
doors. A
brass plaque on the interior wall marks the high water
level along with historic photographs of the flood.
In the mid 1970’s the courthouse was
extensively remodeled to add more room.
It was converted from a two story to three-story
structure; an elevator and two wings were added.
SITE
3
THE CARROLLTON INN
218 MAIN STREET
On the corner of Third and Main is the Carrollton
Inn. The
inn began in the early 1800’s as a tavern called the
Point House. It was located on a point at the confluence of the Ohio River
and Kentucky Rivers, in what was then Port William. Soon after the Civil War, the tavern was sold to Mr. and Mrs.
Matt Houghton. In
1884, a major flood destroyed the tavern.
Hoping to avoid similar disasters, Mrs. Jemima
Houghton rebuilt the inn were it presently stands and
called it the Houghton House.
For the next 50 years the inn thrived as a
popular restaurant and hotel.
The building remains much the same today.
In 1905, Mr. J.F. Jett purchased the Inn,
changing the name to Richland Hotel.
The “Roaring Twenties” were a peak for the
inn as dancing and stage shows were regular
entertainments. The
Carrollton Inn remains a favorite gathering place for
locals and visitors alike.
SITE
4
THE DeMINT HOUSE
The DeMint house, built in the early 1800’s,
stands as an example of riverfront homes still in good
condition. P.N.
DeMint bought the property in 1916 and family members
lived here until 1954. This home features two verandas
on each side to view the busy Ohio River.
In 1983 the entire building was renovated. The
house is now a specialty gift shop downstairs with
apartments on the second floor. Behind this house, on
what used to be Water Street, stood one of the earliest
taverns, opened in 1797 and owned by John S. Travis, the
same man whose lower west end room was used for
Carrollton’s (then Port William) first jail.
This area was once the heart of town.
SITE
5
CONFEDERATE LANDING
217 MAIN STREET
Built in 1816, this historic building is thought
to be the oldest standing building left in “Old Port
William”. It
is believed to have been used in the Civil War as part
of the Underground Railroad.
SITE
6
CARROLLTON POINT PARK
“THE ORIGINAL PORT WILLIAM SETTLEMENT”
2nd AND MAIN STREET
Point Park is located on land owned by the City
of Carrollton at the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky
Rivers.
Collin's History reported that in March 1751,
Christopher Gist and Company came down the Ohio River as
far as the mouth of the Kentucky River, went up it’s
banks to the headwaters, and crossed over to the Kanawha
River.
John
Filson, first Kentucky historian, recorded that in
October 1754, James McBride came down the Ohio to the
Pittsburgh in a canoe, landed at the mouth of the
Kentucky River, and there, marked a tree with his name.
Simon Kenton, the great woodsman, camped at the
point of the two Rivers in 1771. He and his companions
pitched camp and stayed the winter trapping furs.
James Harrod and his group of settlers came down
the Ohio to the Mouth of the Kentucky and made camp in
the May of 1774. They
traveled on up the Kentucky River and overland to a big
spring to build what later became Harrodsburg.
A family of Elliot’s built a cabin in 1784 at
the mouth of the Kentucky River, but in March 1785
Indians assaulted the house and killed Mr. Elliot.
The family escaped, but the Indians burned their
home.
In 1787, Captain Ellison built a blockhouse and
remained there almost two years but was continually
harassed by Indians.
In 1790, General Charles Scott built a larger
blockhouse. It
was elevated and fortified with picket palisades as a
base for his Kentucky volunteers.
The Kentucky Volunteers were a defensive militia
against the Indians. (General Scott was the Governor of
Kentucky from 1808-1812.) The Point House, a well-known
tavern, was built in 1805 on the site of General
Scott’s blockhouse and was frequented by George
Rodgers Clark and other explorers.
Much of the early history of Port William
centered around the Point and on Water Street – a
street between Main Street and the Ohio River.
This street has been completely washed away by
changes in the coarse of the Ohio River.
Port William was a radiating point for trappers
and traders paddling up and down the Kentucky and Ohio
Rivers. Later
it grew in importance commercially when boatmen
transported merchandise up the Kentucky River to
Frankfort and other settlements in the interior.
SITE
7
CITY OF CARROLLTON HISTORY
See
History of Carrollton
SITE
8
CITY OF PRESTONVILE HISTORY
See History of Prestonville
SITE
9
JOSEPH HOWE HOUSE
117 THIRD STREET
On the corner of Third and Highland is the Joseph
Howe House. An
Englishmen named Fred Caswell who was born in England,
1819, built it. Years
later the house was bought by the Howe’s, one of
Carrollton’s better known merchant families.
The old Howe Brothers Department Store supplied
the needs of Carrollton families for many years.
Mrs. James G. Howe owns the Joseph Howe House.
SITE
10
THE BAKER HOUSE
406 HIGHLAND AVENUE
Paschal
Todd Baker, a prosperous Carrollton businessman, built
this impressive residence in 1882.
Well over a hundred years later, it still
maintains the original character and taste of the late
Victorian era. It
is distinguished by its ornate “gingerbread” which
accentuates the exterior.
The interior consists of a beautiful hand carved
cherry staircase, imposing walnut woodwork, oil lamp
chandeliers, seven fireplaces, interior wood shutters
and antique furnishings.
SITE
11
R.W. MASTERSON HOUSE
700 HIGHLAND AVENUE
This brick house on the corner of Highland Avenue
and Seventh Street was built in 1858 by Judge R.W.
Masterson and his wife Margaret Jane R.W. Masterson was
the grandson of Richard and Sarah who built the old
Masterson house located east of town on highway 42,
(Site #15).
The foundation had already been laid when the
Mastersons purchased this property.
They made the interior plan conform to the
interior of the General William O. Butler home just
across the street (Site #12) and to the interior of the
William White house, which was Mrs. Masterson’s
girlhood home in Hunters Bottom of Carroll County.
Both the exterior and interior have been somewhat
altered in remodeling throughout the years.
The downstairs floor plan still follows; the
layout of a wide central hall with two rooms on the west
side and three on the east side.
The house has had many different owners since the
Masterson sold it in the 1870’s.
SITE
12
WILLIAM O. BUTLER HOUSE
713 HIGHLAND AVENUE
General William O. Butler, for whom the General
State Park is named, was a soldier, statesmen, lawyer,
farmer and poet. He
was a young poet. He
was a young lieutenant in the war of 1812 and
distinguished himself as a hero in the battle of New
Orleans. In
1825, he built his home, an example of Southern Georgian
architecture, on the Ohio River for his wife, Eliza
Todd. He
incorporated many features of New Orleans homes in the
spacious nine-room house.
Gracious Palladian windows at the front and side
entrances, and a rear courtyard patio overlook the
river.
SITE
13
THE SEPPENFELD HOUSE
Bed & Breakfast
714 HIGHLAND AVENUE
The
Seppenfeld House located at 714 Highland Avenue is a
unique “transitional house” reflecting traditional
architectural styles from the early part of the century
up to the mid-1880’s.
The house constructed in the 1850-60’s, is a
five-bay two-story brick structure with a
straightforward ell plan.
The ell features a full-length side porch and
matching second story veranda.
It sits on a stone foundation with a protector
belt of stone at the water table level. The brick is common bond.
Paired interior chimneys are located at the east
and west ends of the house with interior chimneys on the
ell as well.
The front entrance, located in the center bay,
contains a portico in traditional rural vernacular
style, with square columns and balustrade balcony.
Its straightforward plainness acts as
counterpoint to the fancy Italianate details of the main
façade. The
heavy façade decoration of the fancy metal reflects the
development of cast iron and pressed metal technology
permitted mass production of decorative features such as
the cast iron fronts masquerading as Italian palaces.
The interior front rooms extend off the front
center hallway. Other
rooms extend off the ell on the right side facing the
house. The
stairway is typical balusters with cherry handrail.
The door and window moldings are of a wide
Italianate rounded wood style.
Front bay windows extend nearly from ceiling to
floor. Second
floor openings form segmental arches.
The mantelpieces on the first floor are ornate
painted cast iron.
The second floor mantels are simple Greek Revival
with plan pilasters supporting an unadorned frieze.
The original high baseboard and wide plank
flooring remain throughout the house.
Seppenfield was known for his unique taste in
architecture. The Seppenfield building that contained the family business
is described in the historic registry as one of the most
unique structures within Carrollton’s commercial
downtown district.
Mr. Seppenfield was the town’s first butcher. The original butcher business of the Seppenfield family was
located at the corner of 6th and Highland.
His business prospered and led him to build his
impressive structure on Main Street.
The Seppenfield name was originally Zeppenfelt.
The name was changed after the family came to
America.
SITE
14
R.M. BARKER HOUSE
(RICHLAWN FARM)
Bed & Breafast
1705 HIGHLAND AVENUE
Ralph M. Barker built this interesting example of
early 20th century architecture around 1923
as his residence for his 500-acre farm, Richlawn.
Ralph Barker, the son of Myron Barker, tobacco
broker, re-established the local tobacco warehouse and
redrying operations in 1910, started the Carrollton
Phone System, Carrollton Cannery and was a prominent
local businessman.
The setting on the Ohio River is a harmonious
example of the eclectic style with features borrowed
from many popular forms.
The stucco façade and glazed clay tile roof are
Mediterranean revival.
The Palladian window and fanlight over the
entryway are Federal.
Groupings of 3 and 4 windows are Arts &
Crafts. The
multi-diamond paned windows are Tudor and the subtle use
of half-hidden fluted columns in the façade echoes the
Greek revival style.
Changes to the original structure include the
addition of screened-in porch, the conversion of the
eastern portico to a porch and the addition of wrought
iron to the second floor balcony.
The interior features Arts and Crafts style
beams, oak picture frame floors, and an unusual cast
concrete mantel in the living room.
Recently restored by owners Don & Ruth Mougey,
the home is now operated as a Bed and Breakfast.
The home was placed on the National Register in
the year 2000.
SITE
15
MASTERSON HOUSE
HIGHLAND AVENUE
Two of the earlier settlers in this community,
Richard and Sarah Masterson built their home in the
early 1790s. It
holds claim to being one of the oldest two-story brick
house still in existence on the Ohio River between
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cairo, Illinois.
Slave labor was used to build the house out pf
native bricks burned on the site.
The bricks were laid in Flemish Bond style.
The Mastersons were very influential and
hospitable citizens.
Being early converts to Methodism, they were
hosts to the first Methodist meetings in this area. Bishop Asbury stayed in the home during his last visit to the
frontier.
Presently owned by the Port William Historical
Society, Inc., the Masterson house was restored in 1980
with a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior
and the Kentucky Heritage Commission.
The house and five acres of land were deeded to
the Society by Atofina (which is located directly across
the road). Host
Heritage Saturdays each year.
SITE
16
REBEL LANDING
U.S. HIGHWAY 42 EAST
Between Carrollton and Ghent is a hospitable
white-painted brick house that makes many a passerby
slow down for another glimpse.
This place is named “Rebel Landing,” and is
owned by Nancy Jo Grobmyer.
When this house was young, its main entrance
faced the Ohio River and it played an important role in
river activities when this stream was the main system of
transportation in Kentucky.
The small gate house that you see on the roadside
was built by Mrs. Fitchen, the granddaughter of Benjamin
and Nancy Sturman Craig, from the brick of a house built
by Benjamin Craig, one of the founders of Port William.
In 1830, she had this larger new brick house
built for her family.
SITE
17
QUINN ACRES
U.S. HIGHWAY 42 EAST
Located one and one-half miles east of Carrollton
is Quinn Acres, also known as the Ogburn House, which
was built in 1795 by Henry Ogburn, first Methodist
minister to locate in the area.
From 1795 to 1810 Methodist services alternated
between this home and the Masterson House.
This house remained in the Ogburn family for
about130 years until it was purchased and extensively
renovated by Mrs. Ralph Quinn around 1940.
The imposing front entrance was added at that
time, changing the unrelieved Georgian lines of the
exterior.
At the time the house was built, the hill behind
it was the home of a group of friendly Indians who lived
in one of the caves. Mr. and Mrs. John Tilley privately own the home.
SITE
18
RIVERVIEW
U.S. HIGHWAY 42 EAST
Benjamin Craig II built this stately home in
1805. Benjamin
Craig II was known in pioneer history as the “lost
baby” having been overlooked as the family continued
traveling the Wilderness Road from Virginia, and found
again as the father and others returned to look for him.
Although Benjamin Craig, Jr. escaped a tragic
death at this time, he met with one later in January
1847, when he, his son, and four others were drowned in
the Ohio River during a storm.
In 1886, this home was the scene of a tragic
murder and suicide.
The home at this time was owned by Captain Tom
Barrett, and in the spring of that year the Barrett’s
had as governess, Miss Laura Harwood, a lovely young
woman from Vevay, Indiana.
On Sunday evening the young lady accompanied by
her suitor, Fuqua Whitehead of the Carrollton community,
returned from a buggy ride.
Upon entering the front hallway, she appeared in
an emotional state and fled in haste up the stairway.
The young man pursued her to an upper room where
he shot her through her heart. He then ended his own life.
The bloodstains remained indelible in the wood of
the floors for many years.
The
late Senator Perry Gaines and his family owned this home
for many years. At
that time, the farm was nationally known for its dairy
cattle. Extensive
renovations to the home were done in 1914.
Owen and Linda Harris have owned the home since
1976.
SITE
19
CITY OF GHENT HISTORY
See
Ghent
History
SITE
20
THE GHENT HOUSE
Bed & Breakfast
GHENT, KENTUCKY
Located at 411 Main Street in the City of Ghent,
this home was built on Lot # 24, which was purchased for
$20.00 in 1832. A
gracious reminder of the antebellum days of the great
steam boating on the Ohio River, the house was built
with the usual style of the central hall, with rooms on
either side, kitchen and dining room in the rear. A beautiful fantail window and two English coach lights
enhance the front entrance.
Two slave walls and a rose garden grace the rear
of the home. The Ghent House has a spectacular view of the Ohio River and
the Ohio River homes of Vevay, Indiana.
The home is presently owned, occupied and
operated as a bed and breakfast by Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Young.
SITE
21
THE POET’S HOUSE
Bed & Breakfast
HOME OF JAMES TANDY ELLIS
GHENT, KENTUCKY
James Tandy Ellis was born June 9, 1868 and lived
until 1942. As
a young lad, he attended the local school, graduated
from the Old Ghent College, later attended the
University of Kentucky, and graduated as an excellent
musician from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Ellis was well known for his sense of humor
and warm hospitality.
In 1898 he accepted the position of secretary to
A.O. Stanley, who organized the Burley Tobacco Growers
Co-Op and later served as Adjutant General of Kentucky.
Due to his many talents, Mr. Ellis became
recognized throughout Kentucky and the country as an
author and poet, publishing several novels concerning
Kentucky life and numerous poems.
Mr. Ellis also wrote a daily column, which
appeared in the Louisville Times, Cincinnati Times
Star, Lexington Herald, and local newspapers.
The column was entitled “Tang of the South.”
Carroll Countians remember Mr. Ellis for his
poem, “A Song of Carroll”.
The present owners, Bob and Lonnie Sundermeyer,
now welcome guests for an overnight stay of rest and
relaxation.
SITE
22
ADCOCK HOUSE
616 SEMINARY STREET
The Adcock House was built between 1860 and 1862.
In 1865, Mr. Hayden S. Wright sold the house,
four lots, all out houses, plus a strip of land between
First Street and the Kentucky River with a ferry right
established thereon across the Kentucky River and Ohio
River, and a strip of ground in Prestonville on the
Kentucky River with the ferry road and ferry privileges
across the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers. After several owners, the house and property were sold to Mr.
H.H. and Annie Brown Adcock; thus, it became known as
the Adcock House.
SITE
23
SCOTT PLACE
314 SEVENTH STREET
On May 27,1850, Emily W. Hawkins of Logan County,
Kentucky, daughter of James Hawkins, one of the original
owners of Port William sold Lot No. 289 to Samuel Hinkle
of Oldham County, Kentucky for $80.00.
Mr. Hinkle also bought adjacent Lot No. 288, on
which before he sold it in 1853, he had built the now
standing house. The
house was transferred to several owners from 1853 to
1865.
In 1865, Mr. Walter Whitaker and John W. Dean
sold the house and land to Alice A. Scott.
The Scotts owned the house for 26 years.
Thus, the cycle of being owned by several owners
began again until 1916, when it was sold to C.S. Tandy,
Sr. The Tandy family owned the property for 60 years.
Judge and Mrs. Stan Billingsley presently own the house.
SITE
24
FORBES HOUSE
313 SEVENTH STREET
The Forbes House is located at 313 Seventh
Street. Hamilton
Lathrop, an early merchant of Carrollton, built this
house in 1850. Originally one story, with the second
story added in 1869, this site included eight lots,
which included alleys and streets.
The house and in lots were deeded in 1874 from
Mr. T.W. Bates to Mahala Forbes, his daughter, “for
love and etc”. Mr. and Mrs. William J. Welty presently
own this residence.
SITE
25
LOWE-SCHUERMAN HOUSE
303 FOURTH STREET
This house dates from sometime before 1859 as Mr.
James Lowe stated in his will of 1894, “I purchased a
house and lot, and I, my mother, my wife, and Charley
Webster moved into town in 1859.”
In 1892, he leased his home on lot 170 and all of
lot 169 to William F. Schuerman, a principal of the
Carrollton Furniture Factory.
Mr. Schuerman agreed to pay $12 per month and
“to pay all taxes that may be assessed against the
property, and to keep the dwelling house now situated
thereon insured for the benefit of said Lowe in the sum
of at least $1,000.”
Mr. Lowe agreed to sell said property at the
price of $3,000 upon expiration of the lease.
During the time of this lease and around the turn
of the century, the refinements of the house were added.
These include beautifully inlaid and parquet
floors, sugar maple blinds and shutters, and most
unusual fireplace surrounds of embossed tiles with
raised designs depicting flowers and human figures,
typical of Victorian fireplaces.
Interior woodwork included elaborate festoons on
mantles, and over windows and doors. Large beveled mirrors sit above each mantle.
Elaborate cornices with brackets were also added
to the exterior at this time.
SITE
26
SCHUERMAN HOUSE
301 FOURTH STREET
The Schuerman-Martin House, located on the corner
of Fourth and Sycamore Streets was built by Henry
Schuerman in 1899 on property he purchased from his son,
William F. Schuerman, for the sum of $1340.00 The
property was previously owned by James Lose.
Henry Schuerman, Sr. was born in 1836 in Germany.
He was the father of W.F. Schuerman and Henry
Schuerman Jr. who were principals in the Carrollton
Furniture Factory. Henry Sr. lived in the house until his death in 1908.
The house, a Queen Anne style Victorian, features
much of the grace of the late Victorian era and there is
no doubt that the craftsmen from the Carrollton
Furniture Factory were available to add the beautiful
trim and woodwork.
Evidence of this includes the mahogany crown and
corner moldings in every room, the oak and walnut inlaid
floors in the entrance hall, parlor and front upstairs
bedroom, and oak, maple, and walnut parquet floor in the
dining room. Mahogany
French doors separate all the rooms on the first level.
SITE
27
BUTLER TURPIN HOME
GENERAL BUTLER STATE RESORT PARK
Percival Butler settled here in 1796.
In 1797 he purchased the land composing the
western side of what is now General Butler State Resort
Park and built a house on the knoll almost due west of
the family cemetery.
Built before 1800, it was a large, two-room log
cabin with a runway between the two rooms.
From this typical log cabin came General William
Orlando Butler and Major Thomas Langford Butler, whose
political and military careers brought added glory to
the Butler name. This
cabin was destroyed by fire in 1862.
In 1859, William O. Butler sold this portion of
the land to Phillip O. Turpin, who had married Mary
Eleanor Butler, daughter of Major Thomas L. Butler.
In the same year Phillip O. Turpin built his
home, along with carriage house, stables and other
necessary buildings.
The home is furnished in a manner in which the
Turpin family may have had it.
The Butler Family Cemetery is located to the east
of this home. Here
are buried General Percival Butler, his wife, Mildred
Hawkins Butler, and other members of the Butler family.
SITE
28
LOCK #1 OF KENTUCKY RIVER
LOCK ROAD
Construction of Lock #1 on the Kentucky River
began in 1836; the lock was opened in 1839.
Located at the south end of 11th
Street (Lock Road), the lock was constructed by W.W.
Darling and Brothers of timber cribbing filled with rock
and earth, which was later capped with concrete.
It is recorded that the bones of prehistoric
animals were found during the construction of the lock.
The bones were claimed to have been found 30 feet
down and 50 feet from the water’s edge.
After the lock’s completion, Mr. Darling
decided to settle in Carrollton.
He bought some land in Prestonville and built a
distillery and flourmill.
The distillery produced millions of barrels of
whiskey, which were shipped to New Orleans by flatboats.
Mr. Darling retired from his very successful
business in 1880. The
distillery was sold to the Whiskey Trust Corporation.
Darling Distillery had become so famous that the
Whiskey Trust paid Darling a substantial sum to keep the
name “Old Darling”.
SITE
29
JAMES’ HILL FARM
PRESTONVILLE, KENTUCKY
James Hill Farm is located across the Kentucky
River from Carrollton on Highway 55.
Standing at the foot of Mound Hill in
Prestonville, this historic house overlooks the Ohio and
Kentucky Rivers. Bland
Ballard Elston of Henry County had the house constructed
in 1854. Mr.
Elston was engaged in the mercantile business and the
handling of fine horses.
He married Miss Lydia A. Hisle, daughter of Col.
James Hisle of Henry County.
During the Civil War, Federal soldiers camped
here for several weeks on two different occasions.
The following interesting story has been told: A
young clerk in Mr. Elson’s store once tacked a yellow
cotton cloth to a board on the gate post (Yellow cloth
symbolized small pox).
This immediately routed the soldiers from their
camp.
The property has changed hands several times
through the years.
Mr. and Mrs. Ed James and family presently own
it.
SITE
30
HISTORY OF HUNTER’S BOTTOM
U.S. HIGHWAY 42 WEST
The district bordering the Ohio River west of
Carrollton and stretching for nine miles between Locust
Bridge and Canip Creek was named for Mr. Joseph Hunter,
who along with George Boone, Daniel Boone’s brother,
was the first white man to camp in this area.
At that time the land was an unbroken forest,
where deer and wild turkey roamed, and in the distance
could be seen the curling smoke from Indiana wigwams
where Madison, Indiana, now stands.
In 1799 Cornelius Hoagland, a veteran of the
American Revolution, purchased a large tract of this
territory and returned to help settle Hunter’s Bottom
in the big migration of 1801, which flowed across the
new state of Kentucky and into what was then Gallatin
County. Other
pioneers of this period were the Conways, Deweeses,
Ferns, Giltners, Snyders, and Whites.
At the close of the War Between the States,
German settlers came here to settle in Hunter’s
Bottom.
Hunter’s Bottom soon prospered as a farming
district, and the growing river traffic of the
Nineteenth Century gave access to markets as far away as
New Orleans. Several
of the fine old houses still lining the river road were
built between 1830 and 1850.
SITE
31
FERN HILL
HUNTER’S BOTTOM
Fern Hill is situated in historic Hunter’s
Bottom on the Ohio River.
The brick mansion was built in 1840 for George
Fern; son of Samuel Fern, Sr. Fern Hill is a Greek
Revival structure of quality workmanship by fine
craftsmen. A
similar model, the well-known Carneal House in
Covington, Kentucky, directly inspired the original two
story main house of 1840.
To complete the 1800’s setting of this
beautiful home is a grouping of outbuildings.
Included in this grouping is a kitchen, a
smokehouse, a small brick slave house and a plantation
office building.
The Samuel Fern Sr. family settled in Hunter’s
Bottom about 1800 after coming down the Ohio River from
Virginia. Sam
Fern, Sr. owned the Federal House ½ mile toward Milton,
Kentucky in 1804, and his nephew, Sam Fern III, built
the Richwood Plantation about 1 mile beyond.
SITE
32
CITY OF WORTHVILLE HISTORY
See
History of Worthville
SITE
33
CITY OF SANDERS HISTORY
See
History of Sanders
Information
for this tour was obtained from the following:
Sarah
Catharine Salyers, Local Historian, Editor
A
History of Carroll County, Kentucky, By Mary Ann
Gentry
Nancy
Jo Grobmyer, Port William Historic Society
A
Short History of Carroll County, By Anna Virginia Parker
The
Sanders Family of Grass Hills, By Anna Virginia Parker
Owners
of the Historic Homes
|
