(The following information is from the brochure "Plant a Tree as a Living Memorial: Help preserve the Historic Landscape at Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate." )

Henry and Lucretia Clay had a home at Ashland from around 1804 until 1852. They took intense interest in the development of Ashland as a landscape reflective of a progressive Kentucky farm. Henry Clay delighted in the pleasure that the grounds near the house provided to his guests and he extended frequent invitations to travelers to visit his farm and grounds.

Ownership of Ashland passed from the Clay family to Kentucky University, the McDowell family, the Bullock family, and finally to the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation. All the owners maintained the Clay legacy in the landscape to a great extent, and the basic configuration of the grounds represents the Clay family’s work. The twenty acres that now comprise the estate include most of the original domestic landscape of Ashland. The grounds also include the edges of what were savanna pastures when the Clays and the McDowells lived at Ashland.

Incremental change combined with disastrous storms in the 1990s have threatened the historic legacy represented in Ashland’s grounds. Many trees that once defined the great lawns and pathways are gone. Remaining trees that were planted during or before Henry Clay’s lifetime are at an advanced age.

A large number of the youngest trees on the grounds are volunteers and many are poor specimens of their species. If something wasn’t done soon, the appearance of the grounds would be dramatically changed in 20 to 50 years.

The work was done by a professional landscape architect with the consultation of an arborist and input from a diverse volunteer committee. Funds for the project were received from the Division of Forestry, the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, the Lexington/Fayette Urban County Government and the Garden Club of Lexington.

Historic sources that were consulted in the planning process for the master plan included historic photographs, accounts written by visitors and residents of Ashland, and period descriptions of the estate by journalists and other authors. This historic information was used to understand the evolution of the Ashland landscape. Historic land uses and specific features were located on plans of the grounds and then correlated with old photographs to develop a sense of landscape character in each location. Plant species were also identified in the photographs to supplement information for a historic plant. list.

A detailed inventory was made of all trees, which required a major volunteer effort to record the location, species, and size of nearly 500 trees. The age of each tree was determined and then an assessment of maintenance conditions and recommendations were made. The plan called for restoring and replacing over 200 trees. Phase I of the Landscape Master Plan is complete. The memorial tree program resulted in 229 new tree plantings on the property, which serves as a lovely and lasting tribute to many local citizens.

(For a free copy of this brochure or more information about Ashland’s Landscape Master Plan, call 606 266-8581, fax 606-268-7266 or write Ashland, 120 Sycamore, Lexington, KY 40502)

The Grounds of Ashland
The Flora of Ashland
Archeology at Ashland

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

©Copyright, The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, 2001