John Jacob Niles pictured at his historic Boot Hill Farm property. Photo provided courtesy UK SCRC
Twelve miles south from downtown Lexington along Athens-Boonsboro Road, through the rolling hills of the Bluegrass’ countryside and just a hop across the bubbling Boone Creek into Clark County, sits Boot Hill Farm. Once home to Kentucky musician, composer and ballad collector John Jacob Niles, the farm was chosen as the location for the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s monthly deTour this past April. (Blue Grass Trust deTours are a monthly series highlighting a unique historic location in the Lexington area; the series has been virtual since the beginning of the pandemic.) In conjunction with this month’s Creative Types article about Appalachian music scholar Ron Pen, who studied Niles’ life closely, we felt this would be a good opportunity to highlight this unique and historic property to Smiley Pete’s audience.
While John Jacob Niles’ name and legacy is familiar to many, it’s fair to say that in terms of notoriety, his work and influence on the world of music is not as well-known as some of his other musical Kentucky counterparts, such as Loretta Lynn and Bill Monroe. However, his contribution to the music community was just as influential in helping shape the folk music movement in the United States.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Niles hailed from a musical family. While working for the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, he often traveled into Eastern Kentucky, where he was drawn to the traditional ballads commonly sung in the mountains. Eventually, he would record the songs performed by the locals he met during his travels, transcribing them into music and adding melody and verses. His interest in traditional song would eventually lead to a career in music, as he became a concert performer known for his dramatic style. Bob Dylan once described Niles as a “switched on character, almost like a sorcerer,” with Niles eventually earning national accolades from appearing on the cover of Life magazine to headlining the first Newport Folk Festival, performing at the White House and being the first folk artist to perform at Carnegie Hall. Ron Pen, a professor emeritus of the University of Kentucky who penned a biography on Niles, referred to the musician as “the most famous Kentuckian of his time, aside from Harland Sanders.”
With a life of fame and great travel, Niles needed a place to find tranquility with the music that had shaped his life. It was with these goals in mind that he came to Boot Hill Farm, a home that would be as unique as Niles’ own “boy from Boone Creek” persona.
Named for an oddly squared patch of tobacco grown on the property, Boot Hill Farm was vacant when discovered by Niles, who described the property to his wife, Rena, as having “enough stone to build the Empire State Building.” Those qualities made for the perfect spot to build out his vision for their homestead, which included a rambling stone-and-framed house at the center that still stands today. The home would eventually consist of three wings, each made in different styles and materials, and ornamented with Nile’s unique approach to design, which included hand-carved doors and the sporadic placement of different ceramic tiles cemented into both the building’s exterior and interior.
The first addition to Boot Hill, built in 1939, was a Gunnison prefabricated home, a precursor to the doublewide; it was followed in 1940 by the living room wing, which was built from stone found on the property. In 1948, Ernst Johnston, the architect of both UK’s Coliseum and its Fine Arts Guignol Building, designed the attached kitchen and dining area, ultimately creating a distinctive U-shape layout with a courtyard in the middle. The home was a picturesque space to sit out on the screen porch overlooking Boone Creek while enjoying a soft summer breeze and a cool drink.
Niles and his wife have both passed on, laid to rest in the nearby St. Hubert’s Episcopal Cemetery. But Boot Hill remains. While it is no longer the majestic home next to Boone Creek that it once was, perhaps the home will someday be returned to its original glory and musical roots, thanks to a newfound interest in the legacy of Niles and historic preservation efforts currently underway by the organization that currently owns the home (Blue Grass Christian Camp).
More information about Boot Hill Farm and Niles can be found in a video located at the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s web page, www.bluegrasstrust.or/past-detours.
1 of 4
Though it has fallen into disrepair, the historic home that once belonged to famous Kentucky musician John Jacob Niles still stands on Boot Hill Farm. Blue Grass Trust recently produced a short video about the property, hosted by Ron Pen. Photo furnished
2 of 4
Though it has fallen into disrepair, the historic home that once belonged to famous Kentucky musician John Jacob Niles still stands on Boot Hill Farm. Blue Grass Trust recently produced a short video about the property, hosted by Ron Pen. Photo furnished
3 of 4
Though it has fallen into disrepair, the historic home that once belonged to famous Kentucky musician John Jacob Niles still stands on Boot Hill Farm. Blue Grass Trust recently produced a short video about the property, hosted by Ron Pen. Photo furnished
4 of 4
Though it has fallen into disrepair, the historic home that once belonged to famous Kentucky musician John Jacob Niles still stands on Boot Hill Farm. Blue Grass Trust recently produced a short video about the property, hosted by Ron Pen. Photo furnished