About this property
The Old Governor's Mansion, also known as Lieutenant Governor's Mansion, is located at 420 High Street, Frankfort, Kentucky. It is reputed to be the oldest official executive residence officially still in use in the Contiguous United States, as the mansion is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Kentucky. In 1796, the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to provide a house to accommodate the governor. Construction was completed in 1798. The home barely survived fires and neglect through the years. It has undergone several style changes as evidenced by some Victorian design elements that were added. The Mansion was often referred to as the "Palace" in its early days. Dignitaries including Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Louis-Philippe of France, Henry Clay, William Jennings Bryan, and the Marquis de Lafayette have been guests of the Mansion. The last occupants of the mansion were Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry and his wife Heather French Henry. Since Henry, lieutenant governors chose not to live in the mansion but to maintain residences in their hometowns and travel to Frankfort as needed. Because of this, the mansion was turned over to the Kentucky Historical Society. Both a bricklayer and stonemason who helped build the house, Robert P. Letcher and Thomas Metcalf, later became governors and lived there. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Old Governor's Mansion
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Questions about this property
When was Old Governor's Mansion listed on the National Register?
Old Governor's Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Old Governor's Mansion?
Old Governor's Mansion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Old Governor's Mansion?
The period of significance for Old Governor's Mansion is recorded as the colonial era, specifically around 1796.
Can I research the history near Old Governor's Mansion?
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 Old Governor's Mansion will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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