Thomas Huey Farm
Encyclopedia
Thomas Huey Farm is a registered historic place
in Big Bone, Kentucky
.
It is a Gothic Revival house, built in 1865, according to family history. It is a -story brick structure with a three-bay facade
. It incorporates a central entrance with side-lights, and a transom
window with Italianate brackets
. It has been called the "Old Brick" from time immemorial. The brick house behind the building has long been called the "slave quarters", and Thomas Huey owned half a dozen slaves; however none of them ever lived here, as the house was built after the war was over. It was placed on the National Register in 2000.
According to family legend Mr. Huey, who was born at Big Bone, in 1805, buried his money, all gold
and silver
, in a great chest before the war. He dug it up after the war and used the money to build the house. Burying money is a very common story, though it is common because so many people actually did it; in this case it may or may not have actually been so, but there can be little doubt that many people probably did bury their money before or during the war with so many rascally Yankee
s about.
A great-granddaughter purchased the house in the 1930s and lived there for years. She (and many of the other members of the family) claimed the house to be haunted
. She engaged in lengthy on-again-off-again shooting duel
with her sister, who lived across the road, and it is possible the family ghost
s left during her tenure. According to this occupant, she could "hear grandma chasing great-grandma through the attic
at night." This is supposed to have been the result of the two women being frozen to death in the attic by a wicked in-law. It is unusual, according to Kentucky historian
(and "ghostwriter") Professor Lynwood Montell, but not unheard of, for two ghosts to reside in the same Kentucky
house.
People who have moved into the area not knowing the old story have told me that from observation they believe the house is haunted. They were very interested, of course, to hear confirmation of a conclusion they had arrived at independently.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in Big Bone, Kentucky
Big Bone, Kentucky
Big Bone is an unincorporated community in southern Boone County, Kentucky, United States. It is bounded on the west by the Ohio River, and Rabbit Hash, on the south by Big Bone Creek, which empties into the river at Big Bone Landing. The northern extent is along Hathaway Road, and the eastern...
.
It is a Gothic Revival house, built in 1865, according to family history. It is a -story brick structure with a three-bay facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. It incorporates a central entrance with side-lights, and a transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
window with Italianate brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
. It has been called the "Old Brick" from time immemorial. The brick house behind the building has long been called the "slave quarters", and Thomas Huey owned half a dozen slaves; however none of them ever lived here, as the house was built after the war was over. It was placed on the National Register in 2000.
According to family legend Mr. Huey, who was born at Big Bone, in 1805, buried his money, all gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, in a great chest before the war. He dug it up after the war and used the money to build the house. Burying money is a very common story, though it is common because so many people actually did it; in this case it may or may not have actually been so, but there can be little doubt that many people probably did bury their money before or during the war with so many rascally Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
s about.
A great-granddaughter purchased the house in the 1930s and lived there for years. She (and many of the other members of the family) claimed the house to be haunted
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
. She engaged in lengthy on-again-off-again shooting duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
with her sister, who lived across the road, and it is possible the family ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s left during her tenure. According to this occupant, she could "hear grandma chasing great-grandma through the attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
at night." This is supposed to have been the result of the two women being frozen to death in the attic by a wicked in-law. It is unusual, according to Kentucky historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
(and "ghostwriter") Professor Lynwood Montell, but not unheard of, for two ghosts to reside in the same Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
house.
People who have moved into the area not knowing the old story have told me that from observation they believe the house is haunted. They were very interested, of course, to hear confirmation of a conclusion they had arrived at independently.