National Register of Historic Places

My Old Kentucky Home

Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
Listed
March 10, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000354

About this property

My Old Kentucky Home State Park is a state park located in Bardstown, Kentucky, United States. The park's centerpiece is Federal Hill, a former plantation home owned by United States Senator John Rowan in 1795. During the Rowan family's occupation, the mansion became a meeting place for local politicians and hosted several visiting dignitaries. The farm is best known for its association with American composer Stephen Foster's sentimental ballad "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night". Foster was a cousin of the Rowan family and reputedly an occasional visitor to Federal Hill, though Foster was likely inspired to write the ballad by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. After the popularity of the song increased throughout the United States, Federal Hill was purchased by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, dedicated as a historic site, and renamed "My Old Kentucky Home" on July 4, 1923. Foster's song by the same name was made the state song of Kentucky in 1928. The Federal Hill mansion was featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 1992, and it is one of the symbols featured on the reverse of the Kentucky state quarter issued in 2001.

Location

Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
37.80217, -85.45591

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about My Old Kentucky Home

This page lists My Old Kentucky Home. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your My Old Kentucky Home report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Kurtz Restaurant and Bardstown-Parkview Motel-Office
Industrial
0.4 mi
Beechwold
Civil War
0.5 mi
Cobblestone Path
Civil War
0.7 mi
Old Talbott Tavern
Early Republic
0.8 mi
Nelson County Jail
Early Republic
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Bardstown (Morgan's Great Raid)
1863Civil War
0.8 mi
Morgan at Bardstown (Christmas Raid 1862)
1862Civil War
0.8 mi
Morgan's Raid – Bardstown, KY
1863Civil War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was My Old Kentucky Home listed on the National Register?

My Old Kentucky Home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1971.

What type of historic resource is My Old Kentucky Home?

My Old Kentucky Home is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for My Old Kentucky Home?

The period of significance for My Old Kentucky Home is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near My Old Kentucky Home?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near My Old Kentucky Home will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Nelson County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Nelson County.

Explore NelsonCounty ›

More historic places in Kentucky

Browse all historic places in Kentucky.

View Kentuckyhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Kentucky history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Kentuckyhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near My Old Kentucky Home will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report