The lasting importance of Liberty Hall, one of Kentucky's oldest homes. Take a peek inside

Lennie Omalza
·6 min read

Built for John Brown, Kentucky’s first senator, the house known as Liberty Hall was one of the first homes in the Commonwealth to feature early federal-era style architecture. It is one of two houses that is part of Liberty Hall Historic Site, the more-than-four-acre property at 202 Wilkinson St. in Frankfort.

Liberty Hall Historic Site executive director Jessica Stavros says Liberty Hall was built over a period of seven years, between 1796 and 1803. It took two full years just for the floors to be laid, and lumber was continuously milled during ongoing construction.

"The Browns … did not own anyone when they began construction," Stavros recently told The Courier Journal, "but they did hire builders that used enslaved labor. Both of the houses on the property were constructed by [formerly] enslaved labor, whether it was the carpentry, or the plaster, or the finish work."

The Brown family resided in the house for more than 130 years, with the last generation living there until the 1940s. They bequeathed the property to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The Commonwealth of Kentucky, which still owns and operates the site today.

"So much of the architecture of the rest of the city is in reverence to Liberty Hall," Stavros said, adding that the last generation of Browns who lived there knew their home would eventually become a museum.

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"They knew how important they were, so they kept everything," she added. "This house is full of the family’s original items."

Aged artifacts

The Gray Lady Ghost is rumored to reside inside Liberty Hall in Frankfort. Margaretta Varick died in the house in 1817 after stopping for a brief visit to her niece. In 1965, a photograph was taken with an apparition on the stairs of the home. Oct. 5, 2022
The Gray Lady Ghost is rumored to reside inside Liberty Hall in Frankfort. Margaretta Varick died in the house in 1817 after stopping for a brief visit to her niece. In 1965, a photograph was taken with an apparition on the stairs of the home. Oct. 5, 2022

Pieces of the Brown family’s life are spread throughout the home and include an exceptional collection of dresses.

"The oldest one is from 1820," Stavros said. "It's a 200-year-old wedding dress. (We also have everything from) Parisian House of Worth gowns with bustles (to) big 1860s wedding gowns (and) 1920s flapper dresses. … I get goosebumps thinking about them. The clothes are incredible."

In the dining room, the family’s original China collection — complete and fully intact — is set on a long, oval table. Stavros tells a story of the day John Brown's wife, Margaretta Brown, had a luncheon with Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette at the home.

Known for helping to write the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Men and of the Citizen — the first step toward a constitution for the Republic of France which helped launch the French Revolution — Marquis de Lafayette is said to have left a huge party on the lawn of the old state capital to visit with Margaretta.

The formal dining room in Liberty Hall.
The formal dining room in Liberty Hall.

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"We have the China that was used (during that luncheon)," Stavros said. "(And) not only do we have every piece, but we even have the receipt from when we bought it in New Orleans."

Literary love

Liberty Hall in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 by American statesman John Brown, it was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.
Liberty Hall in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 by American statesman John Brown, it was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.

Originally a bedroom, what is now Liberty Hall's library holds the Brown family’s original collection of books — more than 3,000 in all. Officially known as The Senator John Brown Library & Archives, its shelves hold books about government, philosophy, gardening, cooking, and education, to name a few. There is also a collection of early federal publications, family bibles, classic fiction, and books published in French. Many of the books are signed by members of the Brown family, with more than 200 containing signatures from John and Margaretta Brown.

"The oldest book … is from the 1650s," Stavros said, adding that it’s the first book at the top of the first shelf, as the books are organized by age. Many of the volumes are in disrepair, but Liberty Hall Historic Site's rigorous conservation efforts are getting the collection back into shape.

Liberty Hall in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 by American statesman John Brown, it was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.
Liberty Hall in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 by American statesman John Brown, it was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.

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"Having a library, not just from John Brown but also several generations of his family," Stavros said, "is another way that we see their dedication to knowledge, learning, (and) literacy."

Glorious garden

The Kentucky River behind Liberty Hall in Frankfort.
The Kentucky River behind Liberty Hall in Frankfort.

Liberty Hall is open for twice-daily tours Monday through Saturday — even through winter — but Stavros says the most utilized part of the property is the garden.

"It is open to the public from dawn to dusk all year round," she said, explaining that the space has seen everything from weddings and yoga classes to picnics and dog walks.

"Our gardens are historic," Stavros added, "and they were redesigned by a woman named Anne Bruce Haldeman, who was the first female landscape architect in Kentucky. She (also) designed Farmington's gardens (and) many other gardens throughout the (Commonwealth)."

Though the garden's flowers aren't currently in bloom, visitors still pop by during winter months to walk its Storybook Trail, a path paved with pages of a children's book. Selections change each week and typically correspond with monthly themes, such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Indigenous History Month. Stavros also has events planned for Civic Season, as well as Frankfort Heritage Week.

Liberty Hall at 218 Wilkinson Street in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 with slave labor by American statesman John Brown. The home was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.
Liberty Hall at 218 Wilkinson Street in Frankfort was built in the years 1796-1800 with slave labor by American statesman John Brown. The home was designated in 1971 as a U.S. National Historic Landmark for its association with Brown and its Federal-style architecture.

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“We’re always trying to find ways to do a lot of education programs,” she said. “Liberty Hall has been a great influence on the fabric of downtown Frankfort (and) John Brown (is not just) important to the capital city, but to our state’s history and our nation’s history.”

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.

nuts & bolts

Owners: The original owners were Kentucky senator John Brown and his wife Margaretta brown. They lived in the home with their sons Mason and Orlando. Today, it is owned by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America - Kentucky Chapter.

Home: This is a 14,136-square-foot, early federal-era-style home in historic downtown Frankfort. Construction on the home began in 1796, and it originally had four bedrooms. It is now a nonprofit, historic house museum.

Distinctive elements: Borders the Kentucky River; designated a historic landmark in 1971; includes many of the home’s original interior furnishings; distinct Palladian window; historic gardens.

Applause! Applause! The NSCDA-KY chapter is an ardent preservationist, and its work at Liberty House has kept the home in impeccable shape. It maintains a strong commitment to a diverse array of local and regional Kentucky contractors and vendors who specialize in preservation trades including masonry, plasterwork, carpentry, and more. Liberty Hall has hired the expertise of Patrick Kennedy, Russ Taylor Woodworking, and Delbert Masterson in the past year alone.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Explore Liberty Hall Historic Site, one of Kentucky's oldest homes