White Hall State Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Whitehall
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White Hall in 2009
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | 500 White Hall Shrine Road |
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| Nearest city | Richmond, Kentucky |
| Area | 13.6 acres (5.5 ha) |
| Built | 1799 |
| Architect | Gen. Green Clay; Thomas Lewinski |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000352 |
| Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
White Hall State Historic Site is a 14-acre park located in Richmond, Kentucky. This historic site is southeast of Lexington. White Hall was once the home of two important Kentucky leaders: General Green Clay and his son, General Cassius Marcellus Clay. It was also home to Mary Barr Clay and Laura Clay, who were famous for fighting for women's right to vote. On April 12, 2011, White Hall was recognized as a national historic site for journalism. This was because Cassius M. Clay had a long career as a newspaper publisher.
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The Story of White Hall
White Hall is the main building at this historic site. It was the home of Kentucky politician Cassius Marcellus Clay and his wife, Mary Jane Warfield Clay. Cassius M. Clay was a strong supporter of ending slavery. He was also a newspaper publisher, a politician, a soldier, and served as a diplomat to Russia. He worked for Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. For almost 25 years, he published an anti-slavery newspaper called True American.
From Clermont to White Hall
The house started as an 8-room building in 1798–1799. General Green Clay built it in the Georgian style and called it Clermont. Later, Mary Jane Warfield Clay oversaw a big expansion of Clermont. It became the much larger White Hall we see today. Thomas Lewinski was the architect for this project. The house changed from the Georgian style to the Italianate style. The entrance of the house was also moved to face East.
White Hall was also special for its indoor plumbing. Rainwater was collected from the roof into a tub. This water then flowed down to a toilet and a copper bathtub. This was very modern for its time!
Outbuildings at White Hall
The White Hall property has two smaller buildings outside the main house. The kitchen was built around 1790 when Green Clay owned the land. It was the main kitchen for Clermont. Food was then carried to a warming kitchen inside the main house. This kitchen has what is thought to be the largest fireplace from the 1800s that still exists. The other, larger building was used as living quarters for the enslaved people who worked on the White Hall estate.
Important People Who Lived Here
General Green Clay
White Hall was first home to General Green Clay. He built the original house, Clermont. Clay was one of the first settlers in Kentucky and worked as a land surveyor. He became very wealthy by surveying land. He would keep a part of the land he surveyed as payment. By the time he died, Green Clay was one of the biggest landowners and slaveholders in Kentucky.
Cassius M. Clay: A Champion for Change
Cassius M. Clay was a Kentucky politician who wanted to free enslaved people. This was unusual because his father was a large slaveholder. Clay fought many duels over his beliefs throughout his life. He also served in the Mexican War and was seen as a hero when he returned home.
Clay started an anti-slavery newspaper called The True American in Lexington, Kentucky. He later had to move his newspaper's production to Cincinnati, Ohio. Clay was also one of the early founders of the Republican Party. During the American Civil War, he served as President Lincoln's Ambassador to Russia. While he was in Russia, his wife, Mary Jane Warfield Clay, changed Clermont into the White Hall we know today.
Women's Rights Leaders
Cassius M. Clay's daughters, Mary Barr Clay, Sally Clay, and Laura Clay, also lived at White Hall. Mary Barr Clay was an early supporter of women's right to vote. She greatly influenced her younger sisters, especially Laura. Laura Clay became a leader in the women's suffrage movement. She was even the first woman to be nominated for a major political party's presidential ticket.
Saving and Restoring White Hall
Becoming a State Park
Members of the Madison County Garden Club worked hard to save this historic home. They talked with many people and groups who wanted to protect old buildings. Governor Edward Breathitt agreed to buy White Hall from its owners. In 1968, the family members who owned White Hall sold the land around the house to the state of Kentucky for $18,000. The house itself was donated. White Hall became part of the state park system in 1968.
The house was fully restored and opened to the public in 1971. This project was led by Kentucky's First Lady Beula C. Nunn. She had help from the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation.
White Hall Today
In February 2019, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) decided to take over White Hall State Historic Site from the State of Kentucky. The State will pay EKU $50,000 for two years to help with any unexpected costs. EKU plans to use the building as a real-world learning place for students studying Recreation and Park Administration.
Special Items Donated to White Hall
Finding Lost Treasures
After Cassius M. Clay died, an estate sale was held at White Hall on October 8, 1903. Records of who bought furniture from the auction were kept. These lists helped people find and return many of these items to White Hall.
Bruce Ferguson donated Cassius M. Clay's original document appointing him as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. This important paper has President Abraham Lincoln's signature on it. You can see it on display at White Hall State Historic Site.
Unique Family Heirlooms
Annabell Olsen of Somerset, Kentucky, donated two tapestry rugs and a Louis XV table. These items once belonged to Green Clay and Cassius M. Clay. The tapestry rugs are from the Ming Dynasty, dating back before 1300. Their blue, red, and gold colors have faded a bit. Olsen found the rugs in a stove pipe in the White Hall kitchen. They were likely put there to keep out soot when the wind blew.
The Louis XV table was a gift to General Green Clay from General Lafayette. Green Clay met Lafayette when he visited Europe for the Continental Congress. Cassius M. Clay loved this table so much that he wouldn't let anyone touch it. When one of its legs broke, Clay was so worried that he fixed it himself. The table is about 36 inches wide and as tall as a modern coffee table. It is painted olive green, brick red, and gold. We don't know what kind of wood is underneath the paint.
China and a Special Bed
Mrs. William C. Benton of Denver, Colorado, donated pieces of a China set that belonged to Cassius M. Clay. This China is part of the original 104-piece set that Clay used when he was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. The plates have a gold design in the middle. Their outer edges are decorated with gold and magenta bands. Other pieces of this set were already on display at White Hall.
A bed that belonged to Brutus Junius Clay II was donated by Cecil Salter. Salter's father, Samuel, bought the bed at an auction from an apartment. Brutus Junius Clay II was the son of Cassius M. Clay. Junius became known for serving as a commissioner to the Paris Exposition in 1900. He then served as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland from 1905 to 1912. Junius also donated land in Richmond, Kentucky, to create the first hospital in Madison County. He did this in memory of his wife, Pattie A. Clay.
