“I don’t get nearly enough credit for the things I manage not to say.” ~ Meg Rosoff
This month’s BGT deTour took us to Woodford County at Elkwood Farm, home of Bluegrass Distillery. The company started in Lexington and acquired many acres of this farm to expand the business. The center of the farm is an 1830s Federal-style house designed and built by Gideon Shryock, one of Kentucky’s earliest architects. They’ve replaced the original porch with something quite large. Inside, the spiral staircase is a showpiece. For me, though, the most compelling part of the farm is the quarters of the enslaved behind the main house. I couldn’t hear very well what was said during the talk, but I believe they said at the farm’s height, the owner possessed over fifty (50) enslaved people. The remaining quarters are brick, just like the main house (all the brick was fired on the property as was the practice in the early 1800’s). It is spacious, and the speculation is that it was meant for families as there was another building on the property for individual field workers. I’ll post some photos of it later. For now, enjoy the spiral staircase and try to sleep through the increasing fireworks.
Leave a Reply