Ashland

Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate is an important National Historic Landmark where many African Americans lived and worked for over 140 years. Henry Clay enslaved as many as 40 persons at a time and more than 60 throughout his lifetime.

Clay was philosophically against the institution of slavery but saw it as a “necessary evil.” Because of his views, Clay was seen as a hypocrite. He walked a fine line between abhorring the institution and yet participating in it. Clay’s position on slavery cost him his highest goal- that of becoming President of the United States.

Aaron Dupuy

There were two groups of enslaved persons at Ashland: domestic workers and field hands. The domestic workers were employed in the main house, taking care of everyday household tasks. They were usually better clothed than the field hands since the domestic workers many times wore “cast-offs” from the master or would sometimes have special clothes purchased for them. Domestic workers lived in brick dwellings near the house. The field hands had the responsibility of harvesting the agricultural produce of the estate such as hemp, the estate’s main cash crop. The field hands lived in quarters near the fields and barns possibly along present day Tates Creek Road. No slave dwellings exist at Ashland today but interpretive panels mark the location of some of the domestic quarters near the modern formal garden.

Charles Dupuy

The papers and memoirs of Henry Clay give many accounts of slave life and note the contributions of enslaved persons to the operation of Ashland. One enslaved family prominently mentioned in Clay literature is the Dupuy family. The Dupuys were enslaved as personal and household servants. Aaron Dupuy, his wife Charlotte (Lottie), and their children, Charles and Mary Ann, were enslaved for many years. Though Lottie, Charles, and Mary Ann ultimately received their freedom, Aaron always refused offers of his.

African Americans not only contributed to the success and prosperity of Ashland, they also were employed by later generations of the Clay family. Henry Clay’s granddaughter, Anne Clay McDowell, and her husband, Henry Clay McDowell, employed a number of African Americans during their residency at Ashland. Many, such as Bob and Agnes Holton (driver and cook), worked in and around the house. Others, like famed horse trainer Courtney Lee and Kentucky Derby winning jockey Jimmy Winkfield, worked in the family horse operations.

Agnes and Bob Holton

Neither Ashland nor its owners could have been successful without the contributions of African Americans enslaved and free. Our goal is to recognize and include African Americans as part of the history of Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate.