National Register of Historic Places

Bird's Nest

Cropper, Shelby County, Kentucky
Listed
December 27, 1988
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
88002859

About this property

The Bird's Nest is a historic residence built c.1850 in Shelby County, Kentucky, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Cropper, Kentucky. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. The NRHP listing included two other contributing buildings and a non-contributing building. The property, with a house on it, was purchased by Philemon Bird from Amos Hall in 1845. Hall's house was demolished when the Bird's Nest house was built in 1850–51. It was a "family tradition" (meaning there is no documentation) that a Louisville "architect" built the house. It is in the Greek Revival style. One of Philomen Bird's sons, Henry Bird was given a 100 acres (40 ha) parcel across Kentucky Route 43. A barn on that property is also listed on the National Register, as Bird Octagonal Mule Barn. The Bird's Nest house property was passed to another of Philemon's sons, George Caldwell Bird, and then to his son, George Caldwell Bird Jr. The buildings have been demolished or otherwise are no longer on the site. A concrete cylinder remains (38.28040°N 85.12256°W / 38.28040; -85.12256 (Concrete cylinder)) and possibly house foundations. A likely former location of house is 38.2808°N 85.12449°W / 38.2808; -85.12449 (likely location), at the top of the rise where a metal barn or other building now stands. Another likely location is forward on the rise at Bison corral (photographed) is at 38.28259°N 85.12697°W / 38.28259; -85.12697 (Buffalo corral). Intersection of driveway with Cropper Rd., location from which Google Streetview is available: 38.28480°N 85.12766°W / 38.28480; -85.12766 (Cropper Road). Supposed location of Bird Octagonal Mule Barn: 38.28773°N 85.12725°W / 38.28773; -85.12725 (Supposed location of Bird Octagonal Mule Barn), which has also apparently disappeared. Locations may be seen together in Map of all coordinates: OpenStreetMap (clickable link available to the right of this page). Its NRHP listing followed a 1986–1987 study of the historic resources of Shelby County. It is located within study area for routing of a new highway connecting Interstate 65 and Interstate 71 avoiding Louisville. Philomen Bird House, also owned by Philomen Bird and NRHP-listed Media related to Bird's Nest site (Shelby County, Kentucky) at Wikimedia Commons

Location

Cropper, Shelby County, Kentucky
38.28183, -85.12152

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

Bird Octagonal Mule Barn
Industrial
0.5 mi
Thomas House
Early Republic
1 mi
Brown, John C., House
Industrial
1.1 mi
White House
Civil War
1.2 mi
Snook House
Civil War
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bird's Nest listed on the National Register?

Bird's Nest was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Bird's Nest?

Bird's Nest is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bird's Nest?

The period of significance for Bird's Nest is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1850.

Can I research the history near Bird's Nest?

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