Mayo Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John C.C. Mayo Mansion and Office
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | 405 Third Street, Paintsville, Kentucky |
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| Built | 1905–1912 |
| Architect | Herman Geisky |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000887 |
| Added to NRHP | May 3, 1974 |
The Mayo Mansion is a beautiful old house located in Paintsville, Kentucky. It's so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today, this grand mansion is home to Our Lady of the Mountains School. It was built for a famous American businessman named John C. C. Mayo, with Herman Geisky as the main architect.
Contents
Building the Mayo Mansion
John C. C. Mayo started planning his dream home in Paintsville. At first, he thought about building a house with about twenty rooms. But after seeing other large mansions in Kentucky, he decided to build something much bigger!
Starting Construction in 1905
Mayo hired an architect named Herman Geisky. He also brought in over one hundred Italian stonemasons from Cincinnati. Construction on the mansion began in 1905.
Overcoming Building Challenges
Building a huge mansion in Paintsville back then was not easy. The town was not very developed.
- First, the land had to be drained and filled before the foundation could be built.
- Paintsville did not have a public water system. So, a private system was made for the mansion. It pumped water from a well into a large tank called a cistern. Rainwater from the roof was also collected in another cistern. This water could then be pumped into the house.
- When construction started, Paintsville did not have electricity. The first plans called for gas lights. But during the building process, electric power lines reached Paintsville. So, the mansion got electricity instead of gas lights!
Moving Giant Stones
The outside of the mansion was built with sandstone. This stone was cut and shaped at John Mayo's father's farm. The farm was located across Paint Creek.
The large sandstone blocks were moved across the valley to the building site. They traveled on a special overhead tram that was almost a mile long! Even bigger stone columns were moved in three separate pieces. A team of oxen pulled these heavy pieces. They had to pull them through Paint Creek when the water was low.
In December 1912, the mansion was finished. It cost about $250,000, which was a huge amount of money back then! The house has three stories and 43 rooms.
Life After John Mayo
John C. C. Mayo passed away on May 11, 1914. Three years later, his wife, Alice Jane Mayo, and their two children moved away. They went to Ashland, Kentucky, because Paintsville felt too isolated.
The Mansion's New Purpose
Much of the mansion's inside, like the marble, tiles, and furniture, was moved to Ashland. The family built a new mansion there. The Paintsville estate was then sold to the Sandy Valley Seminary. This school was renamed John C. C. Mayo College.
The college faced money problems and closed in 1936. The property went back to Alice Mayo. She then sold it to E. J. Evans, a friend of her husband.
Our Lady of the Mountains School
In 1945, Evans sold the mansion to Most Reverend William T. Mulloy. He was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky. In October of that same year, the Sisters of Divine Providence started Our Lady of the Mountains School. This school still uses the mansion today.
