Henry Clary, "The Great Compromiser", built the core of his home in 1805 on the first 125 acres of what later became a 600-acre estate. Henry Clay named his estate Ashland for the majestic ash trees that towered over his property. Between 1811 and 1813 Henry added wings designed by architect Benjamin Latroube, who also designed the Whitehouse and the Capitol.
The present-day 8,100 square-foot building, finished in 1857, is a replica of the original.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
Special features include pocket shutters very much like those of the Fulton Mansion. Slaves moved between servant quarters at the rear of the house and various floors via a narrow servants' stairway. A double pocket door opens between the dining room and the drawing room.
An embossed lincrusta wainscoat adds a sense of warmth and richness to the dining room. No doubt this feature came along more than twenty years after completion of the present structure because lincrusta was invented in 1877 by Frederick Walton who also invented linoleum. He manufactured both products from linseed oil and wood pulp.
HEATING
Plentiful and inexpensive bituminous Kentucky coal, a resource continuously in use for over 250 years, heated the mansion and its cooking stoves. Today, miners extract coal from 45 different seams running through Eastern Kentucky and 10 in Western Kentucky.
LIGHTING
A Springfield Gas Machine, installed around 1882, provided fuel for gaslight fixtures throughout the mansion. Original gaslight fixtures, converted to electrical, remain in use.
REFRIGERATION
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