Bibb-Burnley House
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Bibb-Burnley House. Site of first house lived in on street, 1786, by John Instone, who came here from England to build boats for Gen. Wilkinson. Wapping Street named by Instone for one of that name in London. John B. Bibb, Lt., War of 1812, represented Logan Co. in Ky. House, 1827-28, Senate, 1830-34. Bought property and built present house, 1845. He developed Bibb variety of lettuce here.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In 1786 the English boatbuilder John Instone settled on this Frankfort street—naming it Wapping Street for a district of London—to build river vessels for General James Wilkinson's Ohio Valley trade. Decades later John B. Bibb, a War of 1812 veteran and state legislator, built the present house in 1845 and cultivated the tender, sweet Bibb lettuce that still bears his name.
Why it matters
It ties Kentucky's frontier river commerce to a homegrown horticultural creation that spread to American tables nationwide.
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Related people
- · John Instone
- · John B. Bibb
- · James Wilkinson
Themes & tags
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