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Founded in 1916 by twelve female Lexington residents, the Garden Club of Lexington aims to spread their love of gardening and to help work on environmental preservation projects throughout the city. The club joined the Garden Club of America in 1924 which has helped to more firmly establish them in the community. Prior to their work on the Henry Clay Estate, the women of the club planted trees on Richmond Road which runs along the estate’s edge. The trees have grown to create a tunnel-like atmosphere along the road.  In 1950, the Henry Clay Estate asked the Garden Club if they would help to create and maintain a formal garden at Ashland. Funds were raised for the project by selling war bonds and were used to hire Henry F. Kenney to design plans for the gardens. Today the garden and grounds feature over 120 plant species. The Garden Club members have added a peony garden behind the formal garden and a monarch waystation nearby. Maintenance of the gardens is still the responsibility of the club which meets weekly to see to its upkeep. In 2005, the Garden Club received a Historic Preservation Award honoring their more than 50 years of work on the estate.  Professional photographers and those interested in booking the gardens for an event must contact the Henry Clay Estate.

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Since 1950, a partnership between the Garden Club of Lexington and the Henry Clay Estate has helped to create and maintain a formal garden on the grounds of Ashland. Today, club members meet weekly to perform garden upkeep. The club’s work has expanded from the formal garden to include the peony garden and a monarch waystation which both lie just outside the walls of the formal garden. In 2005, the Garden Club received a Historic Preservation Award honoring their more than 50 years of work on the estate.  

Ashland Gardens

Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, the seventh son of nine to Reverend John and Elizabeth Hudson Clay. When he was only three years old, Clay witnessed a British raid of his family home. As a boy, he lived in Hanover County, Virginia, a prominent slave-holding community.  Henry Clay entered the political scene when his widowed mother's second husband, Henry Watkins, was able to secure a clerkship in Peter Tinsley's chancery office. Clay obtained a license to practice law in the state of Virginia in his early twenties. In November 1797, Henry Clay set forth to establish his practice in Kentucky. After producing his Virginia law license in Lexington, Clay was awarded a second license to practice law in the state of Kentucky.  Within the first decade that he was in Kentucky, Clay established himself as a notable trial lawyer. As an attorney Henry Clay was one of the most successful of his era, winning a majority of his cases and defending a number of notable figures including Aaron Burr. In 1803, Henry Clay was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly where he served until 1806, thus beginning this political career. He brought to the assembly his Jeffersonian views which were pitted against the more conservative views of Federalist leaders such as Humphrey Marshall. Clay's acumen as an attorney led to a moment in the national spotlight three years later when he defended former Vice President Aaron Burr in court after his duel with Alexander Hamilton. A year later, Clay was appointed to the United States Senate at the young age of twenty-nine, a position that he would hold for several terms at various points in his life.  Clay served as Speaker of the House of Representatives six times and became an important figure who helped improve American-British relations at a critical time. Clay would later serve as commissioner to the peace negotiations in Ghent, Belgium in 1814. While he served as a Speaker of the House, Clay changed the role into the influential position that it is today.  After returning to the United States, Henry Clay thrust himself into every national issue--even those such as tariffs and banking that were incredibly complex and other controversial issues such as the extension of slavery into the West. He helped to engineer the Missouri Compromise and stood against Andrew Jackson's attack on banking and support for infrastructure. Clay was a supporter of slavery and a slaveowner himself. However he supported the gradual emancipation of slavery through the proposed American Colonization Society as he felt it would be less harmful to the wealth of plantation owners.  Clay nearly became President of the United States. He ran three different campaigns, the final campaign of 1844 proved to be the most disappointing loss. Despite never becoming the head of the Executive Branch, he was the leading figure in the Legislative Branch in the decades leading up to the Civil War. He is best known for his compromises related to the extension of slavery--agreements he believed balanced states' rights and the interests of the national government. Since his death historians have credited Henry Clay with being one of the greatest Senators in United States history. The Clay home, Ashland, is situated in the heart of Fayette County, Kentucky, "The Horse Capital of the World." Clay was a lover of horse racing and a successful planter. He also demonstrated a keen scientific mind, keeping up with the latest advances in agriculture and animal husbandry. Visitors to Ashland not only learn about Clay's political career but develop a sense of his passion for agriculture through the surviving structures. The Clay’s home was built in 1812 on this property and was designed in part by famed architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the mind behind the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. When Clay's son took over ownership of the property after his father’s death, the original home was torn down as it had a number of structural issues. The current mansion was built in its place with construction beginning in 1857. The property remained the home of Clay’s descendants until 1866 when it was sold to the university we know at the University of Kentucky.  Today, the home is open for tours and the estate’s grounds are a popular place for locals to walk. There are a number of sculptures, gardens, and walking paths for visitors to enjoy. Additionally, there is a café on sight and the estate occasionally hosts public events.

Ashland is the historic estate of Henry Clay, one of the most influential political leaders of the early 19th century. Clay earned a reputation as both a skillful orator and a diplomatic negotiator in Congress and served as Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams. Clay is best known for his willingness to confront the most controversial issue of the early 19th century-the extension of slavery in the West. Clay was the architect of the Compromise of 1850 and several other laws that facilitated Western expansion and allowed for the creation of free states while appeasing the slaveowners of the South. 

When Clay first purchased Ashland in 1804 the farm covered 125 acres. The farm had expanded to be 660 acres in 1850 and was highly profitable. The Ashland Estate was dependent on the labor of enslaved African American people for the daily activities in both the home and the farm. Henry Clay himself purchased 60 African Americans to work as slaves on the property.  The Clay farm was primarily a hemp farm which was sold as a cash crop and then used to create ropes and bags for use in the cotton industry. Clay became known as an expert on hemp. Animals were also bred and raised at the farm; most notable were the sheep and cattle raised during Henry Clay’s time. After his death in 1852, Clay’s son James began to raise horses and participate in local horseraces. James even made a racetrack on the property where he hosted horseraces for others interested in the sport.  The farm was operational until the 20th century when sections began to be sold for development. Today, the agricultural history of Ashland is preserved by the estate. A small enclosure of hemp grows yearly on the property and was first harvested in 2016. This was the first hemp harvest on the property in over 130 years. Other signs of the former farm are nearby, including the smokehouse and icehouse. The smokehouse was used for the slaughter of animals and was also where meat was cured. An icehouse was used to keep dairy products cool by placing ice from nearby water sources in the cellar which was connected to dairy storage by a pipe. As the ice melted, the cool water flowed to the dairy storage cellar and helped to keep it cool.

Though the Ashland Estate today takes up about 16 acres of land, the farm at one point covered nearly 660 acres. On this property, Henry Clay and his family grew hemp as a cash crop, raised sheep, cattle, and chickens. Clay’s farm was known especially for their hemp and wool exports and Clay himself was considered an expert on both subjects. The Clay family profited from slave labor and Henry Clay purchased at least 60 African American people who were forced to work on his farm or in his home. The operation of the farm at Ashland was entirely dependent on slave labor. Today a small enclosure on the property is dedicated to the growth of hemp which was harvested for the first time in over 130 years in August of 2016.  

Agriculture of Ashland

At one point spanning 660 acres, the Clay’s farm and home were worked by enslaved African American people. The family relied on the labor of over 120 people from 1804-1865. Henry Clay himself bought nearly half of the enslaved people who worked at Ashland. Despite owning a large number of slaves, Clay supported plans for the gradual emancipation of slaves and potential relocation to Africa. The Clay’s farm was large and prosperous because of the hard work of the Black people who they had enslaved. They produced hemp, cattle, sheep, and racehorses. The slaves were also responsible for the upkeep of the home, raising the Clay’s children, and other skilled labor. No remnants of the slave quarters at Ashland remain, but historians have indicated that they were located along the former farm road.  Unfortunately, little is known about most of those who lived at Ashland as slaves other than their work or purchase. The Dupuy family is an exception as much more is known about their lives. Charlotte “Lotty” Dupuy, her husband Aaron, and their two children Charles and Mary Anne. Charlotte had another son named Henry of whom little is known. Henry was likely born after Charlotte had been raped as he was described as mixed, unlike Charlotte’s children with Aaron who were both described as being Black. Charlotte and Aaron were both born into slavery as were their children. Charlotte and Aaron were married while Charlotte was still owned by James Condon to whom she had been sold at 7 years old. After her marriage to Aaron, Charlotte convinced Condon to sell her to Clay so that she could join her husband.  The Dupuys lived at Ashland where they raised their own children and Charlotte was made to raise the Clay family children. Aaron worked as Henry Clay’s valet and coach driver. Charlotte sued Clay for her freedom after he became Secretary of State and relocated the Dupuys to Washington DC, arguing that her mother was a free woman when she was born, so Charlotte and her children should also be free. The suit was denied and when Charlotte refused to return to Ashland, she was put in jail. Clay forced Charlotte to separate from her family and work for his relatives in New Orleans for 3 and a half years. Sometime after her return to Ashland, Clay freed Charlotte, Mary Anne, and Charles. Historical records do not make clear whether Aaron Dupuy was ever freed by the Clays, but he would have been a free man for several months between the ratification of the 13th Amendment and his death in 1866.

The wealth of Henry Clay’s family and the prosperity of his farm were built because of the family’s reliance on the labor of enslaved African American people. Records show that over 120 persons were enslaved at the Ashland Estate between Clay’s purchase of the property in 1804 and the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865. Of those enslaved at Ashland, Henry Clay himself purchased over 60 people. Though a few of the slaves at Ashland were freed by Clay, the vast majority were enslaved up until slavery was made illegal. The slave community at Ashland was made to work in the hemp fields, raise livestock, cook, clean, and raise the Clays' children.  

Slavery at Ashland

The USS Ashland was first launched in 1942 and was in service for 23 years. As the first LSD (Landing Ship Dock) model, the ship was a part of the Navy’s amphibious transport fleet which was designed to carry land, sea, and air vehicles for battle. When the ship launched, World War II had already been underway for 3 years. The ship and crew quickly began a series of deliveries and training exercises and began assisting in combat by 1944. During the war, the ship was involved in battles at Tarawa, Tinian, Kwajalein, Iwo Jima, the Lingayen Gulf, Leyte, and Saipan and was awarded a battle star for each.  After the end of World War II, the USS Ashland was out of commission and in reserve at San Diego from 1946-50.  After being reinstated in 1950, the ship executed a number of transport missions in Korea through the 1950s. In the following decade, the ship would transport personnel and equipment for missions throughout the Atlantic, Arctic, Caribbean and the Mediterranean.  The USS Ashland’s bell is now on display on the grounds of the Ashland Estate. It was donated to the estate in 1995. The second USS Ashland, which is also an LSD model ship, was launched in 1989 and is still in service today.

Donated to the Henry Clay Estate in 1995, the bell was made for the first USS Ashland. The ship launched in 1942 and was in the Navy’s service until 1969. During World War II, the Ashland and its crew were awarded seven battle stars. The USS Ashland also served on missions in Korea from 1950-57 and for short periods in the Atlantic, Arctic, Caribbean, and the Mediterranean in the 1960s. This was the first ship to be named after the Ashland Estate, but another was launched in 1989. The bell is on display near the parking lot at the Ashland Estate and features a plaque with details of the ship’s service record.  

USS Ashland Bell

Madeline McDowell Breckinridge, great-granddaughter of famed Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, moved from Franklin County to the Ashland Estate in Lexington in 1882 when she was just 10 years old. She would remain at the Clay family home until after her marriage to Desha Breckinridge. Her husband was the editor of the Lexington Herald and would later use his position to assist Breckinridge in advocating for women’s suffrage and child labor laws.  It was in 1900, just two years after her marriage, that Breckinridge was first involved in a social project. Breckinridge helped to establish a social settlement in a nearby rural town. Social settlements were generally established to improve the quality of life of residents by helping connect them with resources they may need and encouraging participation in social clubs. Due to her own tuberculosis diagnosis, Breckinridge was also a passionate advocate for the creation of hospitals and the compassionate care for tuberculosis patients. In 1912, she helped to form the Kentucky Tuberculosis Commission for this purpose.  Breckinridge is most famous, however, for her work advocating for women’s suffrage. She served as president of the state’s Equal Rights Association for a total of 4 years and the vice president for the National American Women Suffrage Association for 2 years. Both of these positions allowed Breckinridge to spread her beliefs widely and her husband published ads and articles advocating for suffrage in the Lexington Herald.  Breckinridge lived to see the fruition of her work with the ratification of the 19th amendment in August of 1920. She died just a few months later. Breckinridge’s funeral was held at the Ashland Estate. Today, Breckinridge is buried at the Lexington Cemetery and this marker stands in honor of Breckinridge at her former home.

Madeline McDowell Breckinridge spent 16 years living at Ashland until her marriage in 1898. Breckinridge is a descendant of Henry Clay and the powerful McDowell family. Breckinridge made a name for herself as an advocate for social change fighting for child protection laws and the rights of women. Her work built on foundations laid by her cousins Laura and Mary Barr Clay who had helped establish the women’s suffrage movement in Kentucky. Breckinridge’s 1920 funeral was held at the Ashland Estate before she was buried in the nearby Lexington Cemetery. This marker at Ashland commemorates her life and work.  

Madeline M. Breckinridge Marker

When the Civil War began in 1861, the Ashland Estate was the home of Henry Clay’s son, James B. Clay. Clay was a Transylvania University graduate and had finished a term in the House of Representatives for the state of Kentucky just two years prior. He had been appointed to attend the 1861 peace conference in Washington D.C. but felt that the efforts to prevent war were pointless. When the war officially began later that year, Clay aligned himself with the Confederate cause despite the largely Union sympathies in Lexington and the commonwealth’s initial attempts to remain neutral.  Clay’s beliefs put him at odds with many in the Lexington area. Fearing for the safety of himself and his family, Clay attempted to flee the commonwealth but was captured and imprisoned at Camp Dick Robinson. Eventually, Clay was allowed to return to Ashland. During the summer of 1862, Lexington was under Confederate control after attacks led by Major General William Nelson, and Clay became more outspoken in his support of the Confederate states.  Yet, when Confederate troops led by General Braxton Bragg were defeated by Union General Don Carlos Buell at the Battle of Perryville, the Confederacy began to retreat from the region. After the battle, Union troops were occupying the Ashland Estate. Confederate General John Hunt Morgan led an ambush against the small Union troops stationed at Ashland. The Union forces were overwhelmed and defeated in less than 15 minutes due to the surprise nature of Morgan’s attack and the fact that they were vastly outnumbered. Just four Union soldiers were killed while the remaining 290 men were held briefly as prisoners while the Confederates raided their supplies before releasing them and continuing their retreat.  After the Confederates pulled out of the city, Clay fled fearing prosecution for his role in supporting the Confederates. He fled to Cuba in 1862 where he remained until the following year when he joined a number of Confederate sympathizers in Montreal. Clay never returned to Kentucky as he became very ill with tuberculosis in Montreal where he died of the illness in 1864.  This monument on the grounds of Ashland stands in honor of the battle. It gives a brief account of the battle and stands just near the gardens of the estate.

The Ashland Estate became a hub of activity during the Civil War for a brief period in 1862. James B. Clay, son of Henry Clay, was the owner of the estate at this time and was a known Confederate sympathizer. Union troops began to occupy the property after the Battle of Perryville but were defeated by Confederate troops led by General John Hunt Morgan. This marker stands in honor of those who died in the Battle of Ashland and gives a brief account of the battle.  

Battle of Ashland Memorial

The installation of the three steel sculptures on the grounds of the Ashland Estate is meant to reflect the influence of Henry Clay, who built the original home at Ashland, and the human influence in the design of the grounds. Artist John Henry designed each piece and oversaw the installation. Henry was raised in Lexington and graduated from the nearby University of Kentucky. Henry’s work is also featured at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Large-scale sculptures like those at Ashland are what Henry is best known for.  The tallest of the sculptures is Publisher which reaches 70 ft at its tallest point. Publisher is painted white. Next is La Tour or The Tower which is 50 ft tall and is a rust-like reddish brown color. The smallest of the sculptures is the bright yellow Rocher du Diamant or Diamond Rock which is just 13 ft tall and lies near the front of the home. The installation process for all three pieces was finished in a week during July of 2019. The estate has not announced a planned end date for the installation but have stated that it will be temporary. Visitors interested in learning more about these pieces can book an Art and Grounds Tour. Other art installations on the grounds include the wooden horse head sculpture called Maji Mazuri or Good Waters by Kiptoo Tarus which lies near Richmond Road and the Woven Vessel sculpture by Justin Roberts near the parking area.

These three steel sculptures on the grounds of the Ashland Estate were designed by artist John Henry who is a Lexington-native. The pieces are entitled La Tour, Rocher du Diamant, and Publisher. Henry has stated in interviews that the sculptures are intended to reflect both the power and influence of Henry Clay and the deliberate and planned design of the grounds. The pieces were installed in July of 2019 and are temporary features, however, an exact date for their removal has not been determined. The Henry Clay Estate hopes that the sculptures will draw more visitors to the grounds and have revised their grounds tour to feature the pieces.  

Ashland, Henry Clay's Home

Ashland Gardens

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

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