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The Bray Place in Louisville, Kentucky refers to the early farmstead and home built in 1796 by Major Samuel E. Bray and his wife, Nancy Lyle Bray from Virginia. The was granted by Thomas Jefferson (through William Fleming) to Bray as payment for serving in the Revolutionary War and surveying what was then Virginia. It was bordered by what is now Bardstown Road, Goldsmith Lane and Hikes Lane. The original neighbors were Edward Hikes, Andrew Hikes, and John & Lucy Speed who were parents of Joshua & James Speed. Abraham Lincoln visited the area in August, 1841 for 3 weeks after breaking his engagement with Mary Todd due to her parent's disapproval of the match. The visit to Farmington and the neighboring Bray family restored his happiness and was known to be one of the happiest times of his life. ==Building details== The two-story home is of the same architectural style (Federal) as nearby Farmington Historic Home which was built a few years later in 1815 (and interestingly has the same setback from Bardstown Road). The house and land have seen several changes over their lifetime. A front addition to reorient the house to face Bardstown Road was created in 1820. A front porch was added in 1890. A back porch conversion from a laundry room and servant's quarters into a structure to house the latest invention (an automobile) was made in 1914. The sun-room built off the original south-facing front door was added in 1920. Parts of the property were parceled off and sold due to pressure for suburban growth after World War II. Seneca High School and Goldsmith Elementary School were built on parcels from the farm in the 1950s. More land was sold off due to demand from the ever growing suburbs and it was eventually reduced to roughly 2 and a half acres to create a remnant green space in its suburban context. A rain garden, extensive landscaping, along with structural improvements and cosmetic enhancements were made in 2007-2008. Since Samuel Bray the house has also seen several changes in ownership: Milton Smith (President of L&N RR)and his wife Anna in 1885; George Scoggan (1888) who turned it into a horse farm which produced several Ky Derby contestants and a Derby winner ("Lookout" in 1893); the MODYS family (1977) who had connections to Farmington & placed the home on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; the Sanders family (1996) who helped it become a Bellarmine Showcase Home; and Cynthia Cooke (2007) who made many improvements to the land and house and turned it into Bashford Manor Bed and Breakfast (www.bashfordmanor.com). It is on the National Register of Historic Places. This home is one of the oldest surviving residences within the Louisville City limits. The structure consists of 3 sections of various construction dates which combine to create a very unusual and aesthetic architectural work. It is a significant element of the community both architecturally and historically. The original Bray dwelling was a two-story, 3 bay brick Federal structure with an asymmetric façade built c1796. The staircase in this section leads to the attic. The front door faced Beargrass Creek to the south, now leading into a 1920 sun-room addition. The main block of the house oriented to face Bardstown Road is a Federal I type structure. The construction date of this section is 1820, funded by the original Samuel Bray family. It is typical of the Federal farmhouse, with a five bay, symmetrical façade and a hall-parlor plan. The one story front porch was added c1890 by the George Scoggan family, who transformed the farm in 1888 to a horse farm/stable and thoroughbred training facility. The Victorian-style addition of c1890 is the back 1-story 3 room addition, connected on the east wall of the original structure. All parts of the house contain most of their original features, included presses that flank the fireplaces in the original section of the house. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bray Place」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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