National Register of Historic Places

Berry, Richard, Jr., House

Springfield, Washington County, Kentucky
Listed
February 10, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88003400

About this property

The Richard Berry Jr. House is located in Springfield, Kentucky, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places listing in Washington County, Kentucky since 1989. About 1785 Richard Berry Sr. moved to Kentucky from Virginia with his wife, Rachel Shipley. From his will proven on December 4, 1798, Richard and Rachel had seven children: "Joanna, Sarah, Rachel, Richard, Francis, Jane, [and] Edward". The 2 storied log, frame dwelling has a brick chimney, 3 bays and a gabled roof. It was originally located north of Highway 438 about 8 miles from Springfield, Kentucky in Litsey. It was the best example of a log single cell dwelling in the county. The Beechland neighborhood was sometimes called Poortown, which actually was home to successful landowners and the small cabins of people who worked for them. Richard Berry was well-to-do, and his double, hewn-log cabin, that fronted the road a short distance from the ford at Beech Fork, was one of the largest houses in Washington County. Thomas Lincoln on June 12, 1806, married Nancy Hanks in the Richard Berry home. The day after the wedding the Lincolns enjoyed a "luxurious" infare supper of lamb, venison, bear steak, turkey, duck, and a wide range of dishes at the Richard Berry home. Nancy, an excellent seamstress, worked for Richard Berry Jr. before her marriage. Nancy was brought to the home by her friend Polly Ewing Berry, the wife of Richard Berry Jr. Polly was a friend of Nancys from Mercer County, Kentucky and Richard Berry Jr. was a good friend of Thomas Lincoln. Nancy's marriage bond was signed by Richard Berry Jr. who identified himself as her guardian. The Francis Berry house, or Berry House, was originally located about a mile east of its present location in the Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield, Kentucky. Francis Berry was a brother to another early settler, Richard Berry. It is one theory that it was this house, the Francis Berry House, where Nancy Hanks was courted by and married to Thomas Lincoln. The couple were the parents of the 16th United States President, Abraham Lincoln. The home, originally in the Beechland section, and now in the Lincoln Homestead State Park, is furnished with "pioneer relics of the Lincoln Age."

Location

Springfield, Washington County, Kentucky
37.76962, -85.19245

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hatchett Tobacco Barn
Industrial
0.9 mi
Litsey, John, House
Industrial
1.1 mi
Brown, Stephen Cooke, House
Industrial
1.2 mi
Beechfork Presbyterian Church
Early Republic
1.4 mi
Lincoln, Mordecai, House
Industrial
1.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Quantrill — Springfield-area Operations (Kentucky, spring 1865)
1865Civil War
5.4 mi
Morgan's Christmas Raid - Springfield KY
1862Civil War
6 mi
Morgan at Springfield (First Raid)
1862Civil War
6.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Berry, Richard, Jr., House listed on the National Register?

Berry, Richard, Jr., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 10, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Berry, Richard, Jr., House?

Berry, Richard, Jr., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Berry, Richard, Jr., House?

The period of significance for Berry, Richard, Jr., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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