Botherum
National Register of Historic Places

Botherum

Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Listed
March 7, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
73000795

About this property

Botherum was built for Madison C. Johnson in 1850 or 1851 (sources vary) by John McMurtry, a well-known architect and builder based in Lexington. The house was intended, in part, as a shrine to Johnson's late wife Sally Ann, a sister of Cassius Marcellus Clay who died giving birth in 1828. Although McMurtry was known for his Gothic Revival architecture, and is credited with establishing the popularity of that style in central Kentucky, Botherum shows an unusual combination of Greek, Roman, and Gothic architectural elements. A large ginkgo tree that stands on the property is said to have been a gift to Johnson from Henry Clay. The original 36-acre estate faced High Street, but the house now sits on a 3/4 acre lot and is approached from Madison Place, to the side. In 1886, Johnson's heirs sold the estate to J. C. Woodward, who subdivided much of it into Woodward Heights, selling the lots individually. John Cavendish owned the house from 1983 until 2012, and in the mid-1980s he added a high stone wall that hides the single-story house from the street and a two-story guest house. The home was featured in Southern Living magazine in 2017 and is described by Jon Carloftis.

Location

341 Madison Pl.
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
38.04971, -84.50721

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

Woodward Heights Neighborhood Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Watt, Henry, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
DeLong Agricultural Implements Warehouse
Civil War
0.3 mi
Lincoln, Mary Todd, House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Peoples Federal Savings and Loan Association
Early Republic
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Morgan's Raid on Lexington, Kentucky (Sep 1862)
1862Civil War
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Botherum listed on the National Register?

Botherum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Botherum?

Botherum is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Botherum?

The period of significance for Botherum is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1828.

Can I research the history near Botherum?

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