The Mansion - Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate, Lexington, KY

The magnificent two-story brick house is the centerpiece of the Henry Clay estate. Its status as a National Historic Landmark reflects the prominence of the great statesman who developed this beautiful property and resided here for more than forty years. After Henry and Lucretia Hart Clay married in 1799, they moved into a residence on Mill Street purchased from Lucretia's father, Col. Thomas Hart. By 1804, Henry and Lucretia Clay had four children, making for quite a crowd in the downtown house.

In 1804 Henry Clay acquired the first 125 acres of what would become the Ashland estate. It has been said that Col. Hart provided the funds for the purchase of the property. Later that year the central section of the house was built. The wings, designed by Benjamin Latrobe, were added by Clay in 1813-1815. The house became the focal point of the 600 acre Bluegrass farm. Henry Clay christened the farm "Ash Land" due to the great number of majestic ash trees that stood on the property.

For more than forty years, Henry Clay lived at Ashland, the place he loved best. When he was at home he could be seen frequently pacing the "Henry Clay Walk" that still runs through the trees behind the main house. Many of the great speeches which he delivered in Congress were composed along these peaceful walks.

Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate has undergone several changes since it was first developed by Henry Clay. Today the estate includes the main house, outbuildings, and a formal garden situated on a twenty-acre lot.

The mansion stands on the site of the original Ashland, home of Henry Clay from 1806 to 1852. The present Italianate style house was completed by Clay’s son James in 1857. The interior was remodeled in the Victorian style by Anne Clay McDowell, one of Clay’s granddaughters, in the 1880s.

The First Floor

The octagonal Entrance Hall remains much as it appeared in the early 1880s after the installation of the Eastlake-style staircase. Ash woodwork, Pompeiian red walls and the gilt cornice and medallion are all features of the formal entrance into the house.

The Henry Clay Study is just to the left of the main entry. Artifacts in the room, many once belonging to Clay, illustrate his success as both a lawyer and "The Farmer of Ashland."

The Drawing Room, the most formal room of the house, is where guests would have gathered for conversation and music. Displayed here are Clay family pieces from different generations. Of particular importance is the diamond dust backed mirror which was installed by James Clay in 1856 and the Italian marble mantel which is one of the twelve that replaced the wooden mantels when Henry Clay lived at Ashland.

The Dining Room table belonged to the McDowell family and has been in the house since 1883. It is American Empire in style and has two banquet ends that extend the table to accommodate large formal dinners. Prominently displayed are portraits of Anne Clay McDowell, her husband Henry Clay McDowell, and her parents Henry Clay, Jr. and Julia Prather Clay.

The Library is the most unique room in the house because of the octagonal plan and vaulted, domed ceiling. The two wings of the house, including this domed library, reportedly were designed by Benjamin Latrobe, the architect of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The Second Floor

The Master Bedroom is set up as Henry Clay’s bedroom and displays many of the objects that belonged to him and were in the original house. The bed had been in the home of a descendant until the 1960s when it was given to Ashland. The banner over the mantel is from his 1844 presidential campaign.

The small bedroom adjacent to the Master Bedroom is the children’s nursery and playroom. The two cribs (one a Sheraton style crib) were used by the Clay children and grandchildren.

Aunt Mag's Room is set up as a Victorian bedroom. The furniture in this room belonged to the Bullock family, the last of the Clay descendants to live at Ashland. Magdalene McDowell lived at Ashland in the early part of the 20th century and was the sister of Ashland's owner at that time, Henry Clay McDowell. She was an artist, architect and patented inventor.

The Daughter’s Bedroom is arranged to look like the bedroom of one of the McDowell’s daughters. The furniture is American Empire style. Placed around the room are memorabilia from Nannette's, Julia's and Madeline’s lives during their time at Ashland.

Springfield Gas Machine

In the front lawn of the main house are the remains of a Springfield Gas Machine that operated in the late 19th century. Gas works systems provided gas for lighting large homes or other buildings that were beyond the range of municipal gas works. The Springfield system was fueled with gasoline emptied into a generator unit, or evaporating tank, that was placed underground some distance away to protect the residence in case of explosion. A pair of pipes connected to an air pump, the other to a network of pipes that supplied gas to the fixtures in the house. Forced air from the air pump passed over the gasoline in the generator. As the gasoline vaporized in the chambers, the pressurized gas-air mixture was forced into the house through the other connecting pipe and then to the fixtures in the house through a network of pipes. The system made it possible for gas to be constantly present at the burners in the light fixtures. As long as the system worked properly, and the burners were closed when lights were not in use, gas would not escape, and a constant pressure of air was maintained in the air pipe, the gas generator, and in the burners in the house's fixtures.

Ashland is making plans to reconstruct the shelter over the remnants of the existing gas works to show what it would have looked like when the McDowells used the system.

120 Sycamore Road
Lexington, Kentucky 40502
(859) 266-8581
Email: ebrooks@henryclay.org