The Old Mansion
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
The Old Mansion. Home of thirty-three Governors during their terms of office and scene of elaborate political and social functions, 1797 to 1914. Thomas Metcalfe, who laid the stone foundation in 1797, later occupied the mansion as the tenth Kentucky Governor, 1828-32. Not used from 1914 to 1956. Then it was renovated and made residence for the Lieutenant Governors.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Begun in 1797 on a stone foundation laid by future governor Thomas Metcalfe, this was Kentucky's executive residence for well over a century, home to thirty-three governors and the setting of the young state's political and social life until 1914. After decades of disuse it was renovated in the 1950s to serve as the lieutenant governors' residence.
Why it matters
As one of the oldest official governors' residences in the United States, it embodies the continuity of Kentucky's civic life from the frontier republic into the modern era.
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Related people
- · Thomas Metcalfe
Themes & tags
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