Castlewood Story is a look into the history of the Loudoun House and the Castlewood neighborhood as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary Lexington's founding. The House, being of significant architectural interest and history for Lexington, will be celebrating its 175th anniversary. Originally built around 1850 on the outskirts of Lexington, the Loudoun House was a single family home built for Francis Key Hunt and designed by renowned New York-based architect Andrew Jackson Davis, most commonly referred to as A.J. Davis. As the city expanded and pieces of original estate were sold off and developed the context and cultural landscape changed as well. The House had two more owners after the Hunts and was eventually sold to the City of Lexington. While the House sat empty for a time, it eventually became a community center and the gymnasium behind it was built. It was a hub of activity for people in the neighborhood. The Lexington Art League took up residence in the mid-1980s and the cultural landscape of the House and neighborhood was changed again.
What is Gothic Architecture?
The Gothic style of architecture and art originated in the Middle Ages and was prevalent in Europe between the mid-12th and the 16th centuries. It was heavily ornate and conceptual, with its architecture characterized by pointed arches, intricate aesthetics, cavernous spaces and expansive walls and larger stained glass windows. Rib vaults and flying buttresses made the larger spaces and windows possible.
Rooted in French architectural practices, the style was originally referred to as “French Work”, and was used extensively by religious bodies, especially the Roman Catholic Church. The name “Gothic” Architecture came from a derogatory commentary on the style written by Giorgio Vasari in 1550, as the style began to decline. He described the architectural features that came to define Gothic Architecture as “barbarous German style” and blamed “the Goths” for destroying ancient buildings and replacing them with ones in this style.
There are many well known buildings that were built in the Gothic style, including Westminster Abbey, Notre-Dame, Milan Cathedral, and St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Ok, so then, what is Gothic Revival Architecture?
Beginning in 18th century Britain, the Gothic Revival style drew its inspiration from medieval architecture and the original Gothic style as part of the rise of Romanticism. The Romantic Era influenced many aspects of British and American culture creating a nostalgia for the medieval which seeped into literature, art, and architecture. The interest of architects and builders in the style was partly in response to and in competition with the Neoclassical and Italianate styles that were prevalent at the time. The Gothic Revival style spread primarily through building pattern books, including Andrew Jackson Davis’ book, Rural Residences. By the 1840s the first appearance of picturesque (asymmetrical and unpredictable) floor plans, indicated the rise of the Romantic Era in America. Medieval castles and cathedrals in Europe were reinterpreted as picturesque churches, homes and university buildings in the United States in the mid-19th Century.
The revival style was defined by a steeply pitched roof, cross-gables, decorated verge boards, pointed-arch windows, sometimes stained glass, a Gothic window above entry, and a one-story porch with flattened, Gothic arches.
The Gothic style of architecture and art originated in the Middle Ages and was prevalent in Europe between the mid-12th and the 16th centuries. It was heavily ornate and conceptual, with its architecture characterized by pointed arches, intricate aesthetics, cavernous spaces and expansive walls and larger stained glass windows. Rib vaults and flying buttresses made the larger spaces and windows possible.
Rooted in French architectural practices, the style was originally referred to as “French Work”, and was used extensively by religious bodies, especially the Roman Catholic Church. The name “Gothic” Architecture came from a derogatory commentary on the style written by Giorgio Vasari in 1550, as the style began to decline. He described the architectural features that came to define Gothic Architecture as “barbarous German style” and blamed “the Goths” for destroying ancient buildings and replacing them with ones in this style.
There are many well known buildings that were built in the Gothic style, including Westminster Abbey, Notre-Dame, Milan Cathedral, and St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Ok, so then, what is Gothic Revival Architecture?
Beginning in 18th century Britain, the Gothic Revival style drew its inspiration from medieval architecture and the original Gothic style as part of the rise of Romanticism. The Romantic Era influenced many aspects of British and American culture creating a nostalgia for the medieval which seeped into literature, art, and architecture. The interest of architects and builders in the style was partly in response to and in competition with the Neoclassical and Italianate styles that were prevalent at the time. The Gothic Revival style spread primarily through building pattern books, including Andrew Jackson Davis’ book, Rural Residences. By the 1840s the first appearance of picturesque (asymmetrical and unpredictable) floor plans, indicated the rise of the Romantic Era in America. Medieval castles and cathedrals in Europe were reinterpreted as picturesque churches, homes and university buildings in the United States in the mid-19th Century.
The revival style was defined by a steeply pitched roof, cross-gables, decorated verge boards, pointed-arch windows, sometimes stained glass, a Gothic window above entry, and a one-story porch with flattened, Gothic arches.
Who was Francis Key Hunt?
Born February 20, 1817 in Lexington Kentucky, to John Wesley and Catherine Gorsch Hunt. John Hunt was a business man and banker who is considered the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies and was appointed to the position of postmaster in Lexington in 1799 by President John Adams. Francis Key Hunt is the first cousin once removed of Francis Scott Key, writer of the Star Spangled Banner, for whom he was named.
Hunt’s education began in Lexington at Transylvania University. After two years he left Transylvania to attended Kenyon College in Ohio where he was first introduced to the Gothic Revival architecture style. After graduating in 1837 he traveled for a time around the eastern United States before returning to Lexington in 1837 where he opened a law office, occasionally taught law at Transylvania, and served on the Transylvania Board of Trustees. In 1840 he married Julia J. Warfield and had two children, only Maria lived to adulthood.
In 1845, Hunt stepped forward as the first proponent of Gothic Revival architecture in Central Kentucky. In that year, the structural instability of the old Lexington Episcopal Church, of which he was a member, necessitated its rebuilding. Hunt chaired the building committee. Local builder, John McMurtry was chosen to build the new church and later the Loudoun House.
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In 1849, the Hunt family left Lexington to escape a cholera epidemic. They traveled through Canada and New York. While in New York City Hunt saw the recently-built W.C.H. Waddell Villa, sited on Murray Hill at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street that was designed by A. ]. Davis. It had a profound impact on him and sparked his desire to build his own castellated gothic villa in Kentucky. While the family was gone, Hunt’s father died. His cause of death is unknown, but it is likely he died of cholera.
After the family’s return to Lexington, Hunt used his inheritance to begin building his gothic villa vision. He first contacted Richard Upjohn, but Upjohn had reservations about using the castellated gothic style for a residence. Hunt then contacted A. J. Davis and after much correspondance back and forth the plans for the Loudoun House were completed and construction began. Hunt was incredibly please with his house, writing to Davis that, “It is a beautiful structure & commands universal admiration as certainly the handsomest building in Kentucky.”
In August 1861, just a few months after the Civil War began, Hunt and W. A. Dudley were made commissioners by Govenor Beriah Macgoffin and sent to Washington D. C. to see President Lincoln. They were tasked with asking the President to remove the United States troops that had recently established a camp on Kentucky soil. As Kentucky was declared neutral at this point in the war, Governor Macgoffin was eager to prevent hostilities from breaking out within his state. His request was refused in a very polite, but pointed, letter.
For many years Hunt also served as the head of the Board of Managers for the Eastern Lunatic Asylum, which is currently known as Eastern State Hospital. Although he was asked many times to run for public office and was offered political appointments and judgeships, he declined. He much preferred his law practice, his clients, and being at home with his wife and daughter.
He was loved by many people and held in high esteem by his peers and the public. Many mourned his passing in 1879.
Born February 20, 1817 in Lexington Kentucky, to John Wesley and Catherine Gorsch Hunt. John Hunt was a business man and banker who is considered the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies and was appointed to the position of postmaster in Lexington in 1799 by President John Adams. Francis Key Hunt is the first cousin once removed of Francis Scott Key, writer of the Star Spangled Banner, for whom he was named.
Hunt’s education began in Lexington at Transylvania University. After two years he left Transylvania to attended Kenyon College in Ohio where he was first introduced to the Gothic Revival architecture style. After graduating in 1837 he traveled for a time around the eastern United States before returning to Lexington in 1837 where he opened a law office, occasionally taught law at Transylvania, and served on the Transylvania Board of Trustees. In 1840 he married Julia J. Warfield and had two children, only Maria lived to adulthood.
In 1845, Hunt stepped forward as the first proponent of Gothic Revival architecture in Central Kentucky. In that year, the structural instability of the old Lexington Episcopal Church, of which he was a member, necessitated its rebuilding. Hunt chaired the building committee. Local builder, John McMurtry was chosen to build the new church and later the Loudoun House.
ss
In 1849, the Hunt family left Lexington to escape a cholera epidemic. They traveled through Canada and New York. While in New York City Hunt saw the recently-built W.C.H. Waddell Villa, sited on Murray Hill at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street that was designed by A. ]. Davis. It had a profound impact on him and sparked his desire to build his own castellated gothic villa in Kentucky. While the family was gone, Hunt’s father died. His cause of death is unknown, but it is likely he died of cholera.
After the family’s return to Lexington, Hunt used his inheritance to begin building his gothic villa vision. He first contacted Richard Upjohn, but Upjohn had reservations about using the castellated gothic style for a residence. Hunt then contacted A. J. Davis and after much correspondance back and forth the plans for the Loudoun House were completed and construction began. Hunt was incredibly please with his house, writing to Davis that, “It is a beautiful structure & commands universal admiration as certainly the handsomest building in Kentucky.”
In August 1861, just a few months after the Civil War began, Hunt and W. A. Dudley were made commissioners by Govenor Beriah Macgoffin and sent to Washington D. C. to see President Lincoln. They were tasked with asking the President to remove the United States troops that had recently established a camp on Kentucky soil. As Kentucky was declared neutral at this point in the war, Governor Macgoffin was eager to prevent hostilities from breaking out within his state. His request was refused in a very polite, but pointed, letter.
For many years Hunt also served as the head of the Board of Managers for the Eastern Lunatic Asylum, which is currently known as Eastern State Hospital. Although he was asked many times to run for public office and was offered political appointments and judgeships, he declined. He much preferred his law practice, his clients, and being at home with his wife and daughter.
He was loved by many people and held in high esteem by his peers and the public. Many mourned his passing in 1879.
Who was Andrew Jackson Davis?
Written by Amelia Peck for The Metropolitan Museum of Art
October 2004
America’s greatest architect of the mid-nineteenth century, a designer of picturesque buildings in myriad styles, Alexander J. Davis was born in New York City on July 24, 1803. The son of a relatively poor bookseller and publisher of religious tracts who moved around the Northeast in search of a market for his works, Davis grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and then the rapidly growing towns of Utica and Auburn in central New York State. Just before he turned fifteen years old, he was sent to Alexandria, Virginia, to learn the printing trade in a half-brother’s newspaper office. Bored by the work, Davis spent much of his time reading romantic novels and acting in amateur theatricals, for which he may have also designed the stage sets.
When his apprenticeship was completed in 1823, he returned to New York City, having decided to become an artist. Davis studied at the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the Antique School of the National Academy of Design. He befriended many of the most important artists of the day, including John Trumbull, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Rembrandt Peale, who advised him to concentrate on architecture. Rapidly learning the skills of an architectural illustrator, his work was printed by many prominent publishers.
Davis’ talent as an architectural illustrator had an important effect on his architectural career. Design, not structure or theory, was his chief interest and strength. His artistic temperament and eye imbued his work with its special, imaginative quality. He was a superb watercolorist, and throughout his career, did almost all of his own drafting and drawing.
In 1826, Davis went to work for Ithiel Town and Martin E. Thompson. In 1829, Town made Davis a partner. Working with Town gave Davis, at age twenty-six, extraordinary opportunities. It brought him to the cutting edge of American architecture—Town was an innovative leader in the Greek Revival style, as well as a respected engineer and expert in bridge construction. Davis spent many happy hours in Town’s architectural library, at the time the best in America. Town also had important social contacts, some of which were used by Davis to great benefit. In the six years Davis spent with Town, he developed into a brilliantly original designer with a sound knowledge of architectural form and structure.
Davis’ first executed design was a house for James A. Hillhouse in New Haven, Connecticut (1829–31). The monumental house in the Greek Revival style brought Davis immediate recognition. From then on, Town & Davis, and occasionally Davis alone, designed a series of influential and distinguished Neoclassical buildings. Two of the most notable were Indiana’s State Capitol in Indianapolis (1831–35) and New York City’s Custom House (1833–42). At this time, Davis developed an innovative fenestration system for vertically unified windows that he later called “Davisean.”
They were multistoried, recessed windows that were paneled at floor level, and anticipated the modern strip window found on twentieth-century skyscrapers.
After the partnership with Town was dissolved in 1835, Davis worked primarily without an architectural partner for the remainder of his career. In 1836, he began writing his book entitled Rural Residences. The first American book about the design of country houses, it was illustrated with hand-colored lithographs that helped introduce the concepts of picturesque architecture to the United States. Unfortunately, because of a financial panic in 1837, only two of the proposed six parts of the book were issued in 1838. Although relatively few copies were sold, the publication of the book had a positive effect on Davis’ career. In 1839, he joined with influential landscape and architectural theorist A. J. Downing in a most important collaboration. Davis designed and drew illustrations for Downing’s widely read books, such as The Architecture of Country Houses (1850) and his journal, The Horticulturist. Together, they popularized the ideas and styles of the picturesque.
During the 1840s and 1850s, Davis was America’s leading architect of country houses in a variety of picturesque styles, the most popular among them being Gothic Revival and Italianate. Over 100 of his designs for villas and cottages were built. For some houses he drew interior details, and occasionally he designed furniture. He received commissions from patrons on the east coast of the United States from Massachusetts to Kentucky, as well as from people interested in building as far west as Ohio and Indiana. Most houses constructed from his designs outside of the New York City area were supervised by local builders; Davis provided only a set of drawings and specifications.
In the late 1850s, Davis worked with businessman Llewellyn S. Haskell to create Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey, a residential park that was one of the earliest planned suburbs in America. Davis designed many of the houses and park structures, and probably influenced the picturesque landscape.
With the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, building in America came to a halt. Davis fell on hard times, along with everyone in the building trades. After the war, architectural taste changed; the Second Empire and High Victorian Gothic styles gained popularity, but Davis refused to work in either idiom. Although Davis did work on a few buildings in his later years, he spent much of the last twenty-five years of his life drawing large projects that were never built, copying and revising earlier work, and preserving his own history.
Written by Amelia Peck for The Metropolitan Museum of Art
October 2004
America’s greatest architect of the mid-nineteenth century, a designer of picturesque buildings in myriad styles, Alexander J. Davis was born in New York City on July 24, 1803. The son of a relatively poor bookseller and publisher of religious tracts who moved around the Northeast in search of a market for his works, Davis grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and then the rapidly growing towns of Utica and Auburn in central New York State. Just before he turned fifteen years old, he was sent to Alexandria, Virginia, to learn the printing trade in a half-brother’s newspaper office. Bored by the work, Davis spent much of his time reading romantic novels and acting in amateur theatricals, for which he may have also designed the stage sets.
When his apprenticeship was completed in 1823, he returned to New York City, having decided to become an artist. Davis studied at the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the Antique School of the National Academy of Design. He befriended many of the most important artists of the day, including John Trumbull, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Rembrandt Peale, who advised him to concentrate on architecture. Rapidly learning the skills of an architectural illustrator, his work was printed by many prominent publishers.
Davis’ talent as an architectural illustrator had an important effect on his architectural career. Design, not structure or theory, was his chief interest and strength. His artistic temperament and eye imbued his work with its special, imaginative quality. He was a superb watercolorist, and throughout his career, did almost all of his own drafting and drawing.
In 1826, Davis went to work for Ithiel Town and Martin E. Thompson. In 1829, Town made Davis a partner. Working with Town gave Davis, at age twenty-six, extraordinary opportunities. It brought him to the cutting edge of American architecture—Town was an innovative leader in the Greek Revival style, as well as a respected engineer and expert in bridge construction. Davis spent many happy hours in Town’s architectural library, at the time the best in America. Town also had important social contacts, some of which were used by Davis to great benefit. In the six years Davis spent with Town, he developed into a brilliantly original designer with a sound knowledge of architectural form and structure.
Davis’ first executed design was a house for James A. Hillhouse in New Haven, Connecticut (1829–31). The monumental house in the Greek Revival style brought Davis immediate recognition. From then on, Town & Davis, and occasionally Davis alone, designed a series of influential and distinguished Neoclassical buildings. Two of the most notable were Indiana’s State Capitol in Indianapolis (1831–35) and New York City’s Custom House (1833–42). At this time, Davis developed an innovative fenestration system for vertically unified windows that he later called “Davisean.”
They were multistoried, recessed windows that were paneled at floor level, and anticipated the modern strip window found on twentieth-century skyscrapers.
After the partnership with Town was dissolved in 1835, Davis worked primarily without an architectural partner for the remainder of his career. In 1836, he began writing his book entitled Rural Residences. The first American book about the design of country houses, it was illustrated with hand-colored lithographs that helped introduce the concepts of picturesque architecture to the United States. Unfortunately, because of a financial panic in 1837, only two of the proposed six parts of the book were issued in 1838. Although relatively few copies were sold, the publication of the book had a positive effect on Davis’ career. In 1839, he joined with influential landscape and architectural theorist A. J. Downing in a most important collaboration. Davis designed and drew illustrations for Downing’s widely read books, such as The Architecture of Country Houses (1850) and his journal, The Horticulturist. Together, they popularized the ideas and styles of the picturesque.
During the 1840s and 1850s, Davis was America’s leading architect of country houses in a variety of picturesque styles, the most popular among them being Gothic Revival and Italianate. Over 100 of his designs for villas and cottages were built. For some houses he drew interior details, and occasionally he designed furniture. He received commissions from patrons on the east coast of the United States from Massachusetts to Kentucky, as well as from people interested in building as far west as Ohio and Indiana. Most houses constructed from his designs outside of the New York City area were supervised by local builders; Davis provided only a set of drawings and specifications.
In the late 1850s, Davis worked with businessman Llewellyn S. Haskell to create Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey, a residential park that was one of the earliest planned suburbs in America. Davis designed many of the houses and park structures, and probably influenced the picturesque landscape.
With the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, building in America came to a halt. Davis fell on hard times, along with everyone in the building trades. After the war, architectural taste changed; the Second Empire and High Victorian Gothic styles gained popularity, but Davis refused to work in either idiom. Although Davis did work on a few buildings in his later years, he spent much of the last twenty-five years of his life drawing large projects that were never built, copying and revising earlier work, and preserving his own history.
Who was William Cassius Goodloe?
William Cassius Goodloe was born June 27, 1841 in Madison County Kentucky. The son of Gen. D. S. Goodloe, a successful merchant and planter, many of his progenitors were prominent pioneers and political figures in Kentucky and the United States. He was educated at private schools in Lexington, at Transylvania University and Kentucky University. In 1861, during his senior year at KU, he was given the rank of private and accompanied his great uncle, General Cassius M. Clay, recently named United States Minister to Russia, to St. Petersburg as Clay’s private secretary. . Goodloe spent about 12 months in St. Petersburg then returned to Kentucky as he felt that it was his duty to be of service to the Union army.
In 1864 he was seriously injured when his horse became unmanageable while crossing a suspension bridge and had to resign from service. After leaving the army he began studying the law and was admitted to the bar. He married Mary Elizabeth Man from Manville, RI on June 8, 1865, they had eight children. In January 1867 he began publishing the Kentucky Statesman, a tri-weekly paper devoted to the interests of the Republican party. In June of the same year he was chosen by his party to be the Fayette County representative in the state legislature.
As a member of the Republican party he was a supporter of a lot of legislation that was not popular in Kentucky at the time; the admission of “negro” testimony in the State courts, and the adoption of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments. He was opposed in many of his convictions by most in his community and among his own friends, but he stood firm. While the Goodloe family owned slaves, after the end of the civil war all servants and workers of the Goodloe family were paid and taken care of to a degree that was unusual for the time and place.
In 1871 he was elected to the state legislature and became the leader of the Republican minority. At the term’s end he was nominated by his party for the State Senate and was elected. Then in 1875 he was nominated for Attorney General of Kentucky. He was incredibly active on the national stage for the Republican Party acting as delegate, delegate from the state at large, Chairman of the Kentucky delegation, and as the Kentucky member of the National Republican Committee. He was an avid and admired political speaker who was asked to canvas in elections all over Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and more.
His success led to appointment as the Minister Resident of the United States near the Court of Belgium in March of 1878. His wife and family accompanied him to Brussels and they stayed for just over two years. He returned to Lexington after his resignation in 1880 and picked up his life and neglected business affairs. He kept his law office open close to the courthouse through the 1880s.
In 1884 Goodloe purchased the Loudoun House and 56 acre estate from Julia Warfield Hunt for $25,000, a considerable sum, but a vastly deflated value. Soon after taking up residence he purchased an additional 40 acres and began operating part of the estate as Loudoun Stud, specializing in thoroughbreds, trotters, and Shetland ponies. He kept many, if not all, of their servants (former slaves) and hired more. It was noted by a frequent visitor that they had four times as many servants as was needed to run the house and estate as Goodloe felt responsible for their well-being. He purchased many well-bred mares and stallions and eventually gained national recognition for his high-bred horses.
In 1888 at the Republican State convention in Louisville, where the delegates to the national convention in Chicago were being selected, Goodloe and political rival Armsted Milner Swope exchanged some bitter remarks. After they both returned to Lexington they had another confrontation at the Phoenix Hotel, a duel was agreed to but the cooler heads of their companions prevailed and both withdrew their mutually belligerent statements.
On November 9th, 1889, another chance encounter brought the two men together at the Lexington Post Office when they both happened to stop in to check their respective P. O. boxes. More bitter words were exchanged and both drew weapons, Swope a pistol and Goodloe a large knife. A tussle ensued, Swope fired once and missed, Goodloe stabbed Swope repeatedly, Swope fired a second time hitting Goodloe in the abdomen. Swope then fell to the floor and died from thirteen stab wounds while Goodloe managed to walk to the stairs and reportedly called for help stating, “Call a carriage, I’m shot clear through. Call me a doctor.”
He died of his wound two days later at the Phoenix Hotel. The altercation and deaths were reported on all over the nation and both men were mourned by many people. Goodloe was laid to rest in the Lexington Cemetery.
William Cassius Goodloe was born June 27, 1841 in Madison County Kentucky. The son of Gen. D. S. Goodloe, a successful merchant and planter, many of his progenitors were prominent pioneers and political figures in Kentucky and the United States. He was educated at private schools in Lexington, at Transylvania University and Kentucky University. In 1861, during his senior year at KU, he was given the rank of private and accompanied his great uncle, General Cassius M. Clay, recently named United States Minister to Russia, to St. Petersburg as Clay’s private secretary. . Goodloe spent about 12 months in St. Petersburg then returned to Kentucky as he felt that it was his duty to be of service to the Union army.
In 1864 he was seriously injured when his horse became unmanageable while crossing a suspension bridge and had to resign from service. After leaving the army he began studying the law and was admitted to the bar. He married Mary Elizabeth Man from Manville, RI on June 8, 1865, they had eight children. In January 1867 he began publishing the Kentucky Statesman, a tri-weekly paper devoted to the interests of the Republican party. In June of the same year he was chosen by his party to be the Fayette County representative in the state legislature.
As a member of the Republican party he was a supporter of a lot of legislation that was not popular in Kentucky at the time; the admission of “negro” testimony in the State courts, and the adoption of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments. He was opposed in many of his convictions by most in his community and among his own friends, but he stood firm. While the Goodloe family owned slaves, after the end of the civil war all servants and workers of the Goodloe family were paid and taken care of to a degree that was unusual for the time and place.
In 1871 he was elected to the state legislature and became the leader of the Republican minority. At the term’s end he was nominated by his party for the State Senate and was elected. Then in 1875 he was nominated for Attorney General of Kentucky. He was incredibly active on the national stage for the Republican Party acting as delegate, delegate from the state at large, Chairman of the Kentucky delegation, and as the Kentucky member of the National Republican Committee. He was an avid and admired political speaker who was asked to canvas in elections all over Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and more.
His success led to appointment as the Minister Resident of the United States near the Court of Belgium in March of 1878. His wife and family accompanied him to Brussels and they stayed for just over two years. He returned to Lexington after his resignation in 1880 and picked up his life and neglected business affairs. He kept his law office open close to the courthouse through the 1880s.
In 1884 Goodloe purchased the Loudoun House and 56 acre estate from Julia Warfield Hunt for $25,000, a considerable sum, but a vastly deflated value. Soon after taking up residence he purchased an additional 40 acres and began operating part of the estate as Loudoun Stud, specializing in thoroughbreds, trotters, and Shetland ponies. He kept many, if not all, of their servants (former slaves) and hired more. It was noted by a frequent visitor that they had four times as many servants as was needed to run the house and estate as Goodloe felt responsible for their well-being. He purchased many well-bred mares and stallions and eventually gained national recognition for his high-bred horses.
In 1888 at the Republican State convention in Louisville, where the delegates to the national convention in Chicago were being selected, Goodloe and political rival Armsted Milner Swope exchanged some bitter remarks. After they both returned to Lexington they had another confrontation at the Phoenix Hotel, a duel was agreed to but the cooler heads of their companions prevailed and both withdrew their mutually belligerent statements.
On November 9th, 1889, another chance encounter brought the two men together at the Lexington Post Office when they both happened to stop in to check their respective P. O. boxes. More bitter words were exchanged and both drew weapons, Swope a pistol and Goodloe a large knife. A tussle ensued, Swope fired once and missed, Goodloe stabbed Swope repeatedly, Swope fired a second time hitting Goodloe in the abdomen. Swope then fell to the floor and died from thirteen stab wounds while Goodloe managed to walk to the stairs and reportedly called for help stating, “Call a carriage, I’m shot clear through. Call me a doctor.”
He died of his wound two days later at the Phoenix Hotel. The altercation and deaths were reported on all over the nation and both men were mourned by many people. Goodloe was laid to rest in the Lexington Cemetery.
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Public Gallery Hours
Wednesday 12pm-5pm
Thursday 12pm-5pm Friday 12pm-5pm Saturday 12pm - 5pm Viewings also available by appointment |
The Loudoun House
209 Castlewood Dr. Lexington, Ky. 40505 Email: [email protected]
Phone 859-254-7024 |
All Lexington Art League programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts.
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The Kentucky Arts Council, a state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Art League with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Lexington Parks & Recreation.
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A yearly online giving challenge from the Bluegrass Community Foundation.
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