Telling the Story of Kentucky’s Historic Houses (in a Book!)

I visited some old friends yesterday. Some were still standing, prompting a visceral thrill of recognition and delight at their survival – while others eluded me as I scoured in vain small hollows and gravel roads. The sun was out, the air was sweet, and the hunt for historic houses to tell the story of domestic architecture in Kentucky was underfoot!

Domestic architecture, of course, refers to houses – and I am starting work on a new book that will examine the development of house types and architectural styles in Kentucky.

This won’t be just a coffee table that only looks at the houses or rich or famous Kentuckians – I want to tell the story of Kentucky through everyday Kentuckian’s houses. I’m lucky to be working with the very talented photographer Carol Peachee, whose photographs will accompany my stories of these houses.

Big house, small houses – log houses from 1820 and Sears Roebuck mail-order houses from the 1930s – Kentucky has some amazing buildings, and those buildings have wonderful stories that deserve to be told.

I’ve had several people ask me how this book will be arranged, and what I am looking sorts of houses might be included – so here’s a basic outline of what may be covered in the book.

Houses are everywhere, and may just seem so commonplace that a house focusing on the ordinary historic houses of Kentuckians (as opposed to only the largest, fanciest, or most opulent of houses) seems unremarkable.

But houses hold a great deal of history and culture, and the way in which the house developed and changed tells us a great deal about our own past, and what forces were shaping those changes.

Take for instance the change in form (or plan) and material. Single pen (one room) log houses gave way to frame dwellings of two or more rooms. Not only does this change hint at technological changes (the development of saw mills, the mechanization of nail manufacturing, and the invention of balloon framing), but it also reflects societal changes.

Many books I’ve seen published recently focus on style and ornamentation (and the interior decorating prowess of the residents). I love architectural styles – but the form and plan of a house relate more about how a family used a building.

Extant houses in  Kentucky ranging from the late 18th century up to 1960 will be included in our book. When I consider a house and whether or not it would be a good candidate, there are two basic questions I ask myself: if the original builder/owner came back and looked at this house today, would it be recognizable? No house is pristine, and change is part of a house’s history. But severely modified or overly updated dwellings, with all original materials removed on exterior and interior, probably won’t make the cut.

The second question: how does the house fits into the timeline/chronology of house types and styles in Kentucky, and what can I learn about the house’s past residents and history?

I’m not necessarily looking for the oldest house in a county, or the home of the most famous or wealthy resident. Instead, I’m looking for a house that helps fill in the puzzle of house construction and change in Kentucky.

We will be working on the book through the fall of 2020, with an expected publication date in the fall of 2021. With that timeline, you can see that we really just are at the tip of this project!

If you have a house you would like to suggest, please email me at gardens2gables@gmail.com. I will add that this book project is a labor of love – and we’re not getting paid for it, and it is in addition to our everyday jobs and lives. If it takes a few days for me to get back with you, please be patient! I’ve already heard from folks from Whitesburg to Paducah, and I want to cover as many of our 120 counties as possible.

Already, we have confirmed houses in Bath, Cumberland, Fayette, Franklin, Mercer, and Metcalfe counties – and as quickly as I can confirm with folks and do a bit of research (and set up dates to photograph the buildings), we are adding to that list!