For many residents of central Kentucky, Lexington and even the neighboring Ashland and Chevy Chase areas, the acres of preserved land and imposing home are a recreational location for kids and dogs, a serene place to take walks, a lovely garden, a great spot for a quiet lunch, or a sought-after wedding venue.
Locals don't always appreciate the treasure of significance this historic location represents. Sure, they may bring their kids or out-of-town guests by to take one of the tours that run daily (except Mondays when the estate is closed)-there are certainly enough bussed-in groups that come through on sightseeing trips from around the country and even the world to visit the home of the great statesman Henry Clay-but few have a good understanding of everything this historic site has to offer. And some who live even within walking distance have never been inside the home before. I was one of those people.
When I got the opportunity to take a personal tour with Ashland's Executive Director Ann Hagan-Michel, I was excited to finally see inside the stately home, learn about the history and the people, and hear more about this great statesman, Henry Clay. I had no idea how much more I would learn about what the staff and the foundation that supports the estate are doing to make Ashland and Clay's legacy a relevant and important part of Lexington's future, instead of only maintaining it as a part of Lexington's past.
There is no doubt that, as one walks through the halls of Ashland, an aura can be sensed. Even knowing that the house that now stands is the second incarnation of Ashland (the first was built in 1806 with substandard building materials and sustained damage during the New Madrid Fault Earthquake. Clay's son, James, made the difficult choice to rebuild the structure), the family's impact on society in Kentucky and across the nation can be felt in the carefully preserved vignettes.
"The heart of the house is HC (Henry Clay), but it certainly is representative of the five generations of the family that lived here," Hagan-Michel said. And they were an exceptional family, with many Clay relatives participating in wars, farming, politics, business, education, welfare, voting rights and philanthropy.
As Hagan-Michel indicated, the legacy of Henry Clay, a man Lincoln referred to as his ideal model of a statesman, is the one which persists most prominently (especially in the height of the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration) at Ashland, and in history, but testaments to the contributions of other members of the Clay family-especially the women-are hidden gems to be discovered.
Nannette McDowell Bullock, one of the last generations of Henry Clay's family to live at Ashland, established the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation that now makes it possible for the estate to operate and grow. Her siblings had developed the neighborhood that now surrounds the home, but Nannette preserved the 17-acre parcel that still exists and spent her time fundraising to support the foundation until her death in the 1940s. The foundation purchased the land in 1950 and the property has been operated as a historic house ever since.
Though the estate as a museum is a crucial piece of preserving the tradition of the Clay family, the moniker of "historic site" may be one of the most concerning for Hagan-Michel. "We're so much more than a historic site," she explains. "What I really want to tell the community is, yes, we're going to preserve the history and it's here and we're going to educate, but we're thinking about how to take this history and this legacy and use it today and for the future. It's still so relevant."
For historic sites around the nation, the greatest concern is staying relevant and relating to the communities in which they are located. There is an audience of visitors, and tourism is important but, as Hagan-Michel points out, "The research says that the ones that are successful are those that can develop a relationship and be a resource for their communities."
One of the most recent endeavors of the foundation is to establish the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, which is a program for college students who are studying history or political science, for example, and who might benefit from special leadership training in the vein of Clay's commitment to compromise.
"We've been working on creating that for four years. The first one just happened this past summer. It exceeded our expectations and I fully believe that it exceeded the students' expectations," Hagan-Michel said. "It was in cooperation with the Patterson School, so we knew it would be a high level of operation, and these kids were the best and the brightest."
The endeavor has support on many levels including the foundation's board, staff and supporters of the foundation, as well as high-level national and international figures who were involved in the week-long program, such as ambassadors, news correspondents and journalists.
Another big name is Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is the national advisor to the Center for Statesmanship. Her ties to Henry Clay stretch back generations. "There were lots of children named in honor of great leaders at the time," Hagan-Michel said. "Sandra Day OConnor's grandfather was born in Vermont in the 1840s and he was named Henry Clay Day."
Ashland, though it will remain a historic site, has again become a moving, working, living estate in recent years thanks to a commitment by the staff and board to what Hagan-Michel says are important elements: innovation, experimentation and collaboration.
As an example, one of the first places she'd like to collaborate is with the neighborhoods. "Wouldn't it be great if the two Ashland Park neighborhood associations, the Chevy Chase neighborhood association, the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau could utilize Ashland as a resource for community needs and that gets people here and we could incorporate exhibits in a new structure - traveling, local exhibits. There are just endless possibilities."
For information on events, volunteer opportunities, tours or more history on Ashland, visit www.henryclay.org.
Campaign Buzz
The Ashland Estate will hold a special event on Tuesday Oct. 21 that will explore Henry Clay as a three-time presidential candidate. A special evening tour (7 p.m.) and presentation will be conducted and the event will feature campaign artifacts.
Media Frenzy
If you think that there is a media circus nowadays over controversial issues, imagine this: when James, the son of Henry and Lucretia Clay, took over Ashland in its state of significant disrepair in 1852, he had a big decision to make. He conferred with the best architect in town and decided to rebuild the home exactly on the same footprint. "He got a lot of negative publicity both locally and nationally for tearing down the great HC's house and people didn't realize it couldn't be renovated. In those days, you didn't renovate like you do today," Hagan-Michel said. "He could have done anything he wanted with that farm, but he didn't. And he did us a great favor. If he hadn't rebuilt it, we wouldn't have this site today."
Even so, newspapers across the country decried James' decision. "We've done a lot of research and the New York papers-all across the country-they were just giving him what for, when really he did a wonderful thing in honor of his father." The house, as it is now, was rebuilt in 1856.
School Days at Ashland
After James rebuilt the house and after the Civil War, it left the family for 16 years and became thecampus of Kentucky University, including the Agriculture and Mechanical College, which was the predecessor of UK. There was also a museum of natural history on the first floor of Ashland during that time and many of the specimens that were on display are currently in storage at Transylvania University. The home returned to the family in the 1880s, when the college split, moved on, and later became Transylvania University and University of Kentucky.
The Exceptional Women of Ashland
Lucretia, Henry Clay's wife, not only maintained the Ashland home, bore and raised children and entertained, she also kept the farm running while her husband was in Washington for long periods of time.
Josephine, wife of John Clay (Henry Clay's grandson), was an exceptional horsewoman and one who insisted on being involved in every part of the process-including business meetings at the Phoenix Hotel in downtown Lexington that were usually reserved for only men.
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, the great granddaughter of Henry Clay, was well-known and respected for her tireless work for children's education and healthcare. She was also a Suffragette and was in Frankfort when the 19th Amendment was signed. It was said that she inherited Clay's intelligence and command of the language.
Stately Presence
Lincoln was a great admirer or Clay. He campaigned for Clay, he wrote a eulogy for him when he died and Lincoln's funeral was modeled after Clay's. Henry Clay's body was also the first to lie in state in the rotunda in Washington.
Party Like a Rock Star
"Henry Clay was like a rock star," Hagan-Michel said. "The country was much smaller back then, but he never got out of the public eye, even though he came to Ashland and to Lexington for rest and solace." Clay also drank, gambled and dueled before finding faith later in life.