Liberty Hall
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Liberty Hall: A National Historic Landmark. This Georgian mansion was begun 1796, by John Brown and named for Lexington, Va., academy he attended. His wife Margaretta and Elizabeth Love began first Sunday School west of Alleghenies in garden. Guests have included James Monroe, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson and Gen. Lafayette. In 1937 property deeded to Liberty Hall, Inc. Over. (Reverse) John Brown (1757-1837) - A member of the Continental Congress and one of Kentucky's first two U.S. senators, 1792-1805, John Brown was in the Revolutionary War under Washington and served as aide to Lafayette. After reading law with Thomas Jefferson, he came to Kentucky and purchased this square from Andrew Holmes. In 1799 John married Margaretta Mason of New York; brought her here, 1801.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
John Brown began this Georgian mansion in 1796, naming it for the Virginia academy he had attended, and its garden hosted what is remembered as the first Sunday School west of the Alleghenies, started by his wife Margaretta and Elizabeth Love. Brown (1757-1837) was a Revolutionary War veteran and aide to Lafayette who read law with Thomas Jefferson before becoming one of Kentucky's first two U.S. senators. Presidents James Monroe and Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, and Lafayette himself were among the guests welcomed here.
Why it matters
Home to a founding-era senator and a magnet for the leaders of the young nation, Liberty Hall embodies how frontier Kentucky quickly took its place in the political life of the early republic.
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Related people
- · John Brown
- · Margaretta Mason Brown
- · Elizabeth Love
- · James Monroe
- · Zachary Taylor
- · Andrew Jackson
- · Marquis de Lafayette
Themes & tags
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