Ward Hall
Encyclopedia
Ward Hall is a Greek Revival antebellum
plantation mansion located in Georgetown
, Kentucky
. The 12000 square foot, with 27 feet (8.2 m) high Corinthian
fluted columns, is a Greek Revival house in Kentucky, and one of the finest examples of a mid-nineteenth classical building in the United States.
, Kentucky. The mansion was built as a summer residence; their plantation house located near Leota Landing, Washington County
, Mississippi
served as their winter residence.
Junius Ward was the grandson of the Col Robert and Jemima Suggett Johnson family of Scott County, Kentucky, an extraordinarily powerful political and economic family dynasty whose members extended their influence throughout the Mississippi River Delta
and who also had plantations along the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi
and Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village, Arkansas
. Many of these family members had plantation houses in the deep South and summer residences in Scott County, Kentucky. Matilda Viley was the daughter of pioneer thoroughbred breeder, Capt. Willa Viley of Scott County.
Junius Ward was forced to sell the plantation in 1867, due to financial reverses following the Civil War. The home was offered by a later owner to the Commonwealth of Kentucky
, if they would use it as the state capitol. The offer was not accepted.
The floor plan is based on #17/18 of the 20 permutations within the Palladian grammar by 16th century architect, Andrea Palladio
. At each end of the central corridor on the main floor are front and rear entrances with cutglass transom and side lights. The servants working rooms and sleeping rooms in the basement represent one of the most intact antebellum basements in the country. Forty acres of the original plantation remain with the house.
Ward Hall is a Kentucky Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
plantation mansion located in Georgetown
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...
, 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...
. The 12000 square foot, with 27 feet (8.2 m) high Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
fluted columns, is a Greek Revival house in Kentucky, and one of the finest examples of a mid-nineteenth classical building in the United States.
History
The mansion was built by Junius Richard Ward (1802–1883) and his wife Matilda Viley Ward circa 1857 in Scott CountyScott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 47,173 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Georgetown.Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Kentucky. The mansion was built as a summer residence; their plantation house located near Leota Landing, Washington County
Washington County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge *Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
served as their winter residence.
Junius Ward was the grandson of the Col Robert and Jemima Suggett Johnson family of Scott County, Kentucky, an extraordinarily powerful political and economic family dynasty whose members extended their influence throughout the Mississippi River Delta
Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta is the modern area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico...
and who also had plantations along the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
and Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village, Arkansas
Lake Village, Arkansas
Lake Village is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,823 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Chicot County.Lake Village is named for its location on Lake Chicot, an oxbow lake formed from the Mississippi River...
. Many of these family members had plantation houses in the deep South and summer residences in Scott County, Kentucky. Matilda Viley was the daughter of pioneer thoroughbred breeder, Capt. Willa Viley of Scott County.
Junius Ward was forced to sell the plantation in 1867, due to financial reverses following the Civil War. The home was offered by a later owner to the Commonwealth of 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...
, if they would use it as the state capitol. The offer was not accepted.
Design
The mansion is attributed to Major Thomas Lewinski and is the embodiment of numerous Minard Lafever design elements from his 1829 and 1835 pattern books. It was built by Taylor Buffington, measures 62 ft (18.9 m) and 69 ft (21 m), four stories, with a 14 feet (4.3 m), 65 feet (19.8 m) central corridor on three floors. There are three rooms on each side of the centnral corridor, with the exception of the area set aside for the nautilus-chambered double elliptical staircase which rises three floors.The floor plan is based on #17/18 of the 20 permutations within the Palladian grammar by 16th century architect, Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
. At each end of the central corridor on the main floor are front and rear entrances with cutglass transom and side lights. The servants working rooms and sleeping rooms in the basement represent one of the most intact antebellum basements in the country. Forty acres of the original plantation remain with the house.
Preservation
Ward Hall is now the home of the The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc. The foundation raised one million dollars to purchase the estate 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), and is dedicated to raising the funds necessary to restore the estate in order to operate the facility as the Ward Hall Plantation of 1857, a cultural and educational facility dedicated to teaching the culture of Kentucky. The historic site depicts an interpretative period from 1857–1867Ward Hall is a Kentucky Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places
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...
.
External links
- Official Ward Hall website
- Lakeport Plantation website - Johnson family plantation in Arkansas