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 Locust
Grove, including 55 surrounding acres and extant buildings,
was purchased in 1961 by Jefferson County (KY) and the
Commonwealth of Kentucky to save the circa 1790 historic
structures from demolition. County government then contracted
with the Historic Homes Foundation, Inc. to manage the
restoration and future operation of the site. The Historic
Homes Foundation created the Locust Grove Board of Regents
to oversee these responsibilities. Restoration began
in earnest in 1962 under the direction of Walter Macomber
of Virginia. In 1963 a circa 1810 log cabin was moved
from the neighboring property to serve as a residence
for the first curator. Following an extensive and detailed
restoration, the site opened to the public in 1964.
Initial outbuildings research and reconstruction took
place over the next ten years with the completion of
the kitchen, ice house, spring house and dairy, restoration
of the smokehouse and construction of a log cabin. In
1980 the Locust Grove Board of Regents created the first
Visitors' Center, adding an auditorium, storage areas
and restrooms to the curator's cabin. This allowed for
broader program opportunities and removed administrative
functions from the historic house, making its interpretation
more complete. The Visitors' Center was expanded in
1992 to accommodate growing student numbers and other
programming more effectively. In 1996 the museum erected
a log barn on its original foundation and installed
a climate control system in the historic house. In the
same year the site built a split-rail fence along its
quarter-mile boundary with the adjacent road. In 1998
a new log building was constructed on the site of an
original foundation. It houses the Hands On History
center featuring interactive learning opportunities
as an extension of the education program.
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Locust Grove
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