Locust Grove: A Look Back at Early Kentucky Life
Once the home of Revolutionary War hero and Louisville founder George Rogers Clark, Locust Grove mansion serves as a window through time — showing Kentucky as it was before and soon after statehood. Visitors to Locust Grove are transported back two centuries to when Kentucky was still the nation's wild frontier.
In addition to tours of the house and nine outbuildings, Locust Grove also offers lectures on Kentucky history and crafts and hosts field trips for schoolchildren. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
This Georgian mansion, built about 1790, shows the lives of the landed gentry, their slaves and their indentured servants in Kentucky's early years.
Early explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark celebrated their homecoming at Locust Grove with William Clark's sister upon their return in 1806, staying at the mansion. Clark's sister, Mary Croghan, and her husband were prominent in what was then the up-and-coming city of Louisville, and theirs was one of the finest homes in the area.
Reflecting their status, both President James Monroe and General (and future president) Andrew Jackson were guests of the Croghans in 1819. Vice President Aaron Burr and naturalist and painter John James Audubon also visited.
Sometimes things got too exciting at Locust Grove: Anti-slavery leader Cassius Marcellus Clay fought a duel there in 1841!
Locust Grove has a wide variety of interesting programs, from lectures on early quilt making to chamber music concerts, antiques appraisals, woodworking camps for youngsters, school field trips and more.
Locust Grove provides discounts for AAA members and group rates for groups of 10 or more. Group tours must be scheduled in advance by calling (502) 897-9845.
Posted on Jan 13, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
