First Place: Isabelle Pettey - Elementary School, Historic Eclipse Place Farm
HISTORIC ECLIPSE PLACE FARM
917 CINCINNATI PIKE
GEORGETOWN, KY 40324
My grandparent’s home located in Scott County is among a few Italianate style homes in the south. The style was common before the civil war as a practical and elegant style to build. Italianate style can be identified by the flat roof, large eves, round-top windows, eyebrow arches and caps, tall and narrow windows and possibly a tower. Because of the civil war and economic hardships the style phased out. After the war a more popular design style emerged and that was the Victorian style. The Italianate style is harder to find in the south due to the changes from the war.
The first person who lived in the house was Elijah Hawkins. He lived there beginning in 1788. He sold the house to Thomas H. and Sarah Bradford in 1849. In 1878 the house was acquired by Colonel Darnaby, a Senator, Lawyer, Confederate Officer and our County Attorney for 12 years, who remodeled it into an Italianate home. Colonel Darnaby acquired the property after successfully representing a client in a murder case. It was sold long after his death by his widow in 1929 when the Hambrick family moved in. The Hollingsworths, the editor of the Blood-Horse magazine and Thoroughbred of America, were the next owners in 1963. At some point the home went to auction and the Collets bought the farm. In 1999 they sold the farm to Mark and Janet Freeman, my grandparen’s.
Originally, the house had a very tall tower, or cupola, installed by Mr. Darnaby. Another feature that is no longer on the home, but interesting was a front porch; though large and comfortable, it had no outside entrance. The families who lived there simply walked through the tall windows of the parlor and dining room. The original carriage stop is still in the front entrance. The shutters still exist, but are not attached. Entrance to the property is possible only over an iron bridge with wooden decking and black paint. The bridge has stood over Dry Run Creek since it was purchased in 1892. The bridge came from Pittsburgh, probably by railroad, and was assembled on-site. Many mysteries still puzzle our family like the beginnings of a fireplace and flue that are found in the basement, but were never completed and used. We have learned that the bricks for the home were fired on site. During a repair to the home we found horsehair and seashells packed in the plaster on the interior of the home. The twelve foot tall ceilings and ten foot tall doors and large trim work are so large and grand that my friend asked if giants used to live there.
The house currently sits on 27 acres with horse barns and paddocks in use. With Kentucky’s horse industry and history it is great we still have this space to keep our history alive. Many families have visited with our family to share pictures and neat stories of sledding on the front slopes, climbing trees, playing with their toys in the house, including who was born in the home. The home means so much to a lot of local families and generations. My grandparent’s take pride in their home and recognize how many people the home affects. I hope it is here for a very long time, because we can step back in history and see this great and unique style. My brother and I like the big tree forts and tire swing and there is plenty of room to ride our bikes.
This essay and photograph are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.