Ridgeway, 4095 Massey Avenue, Saint Matthews

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,56-SAMA,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

An excellent example of Federal architecture in Kentucky, Ridgeway has been meticulously restored to its former elegance and purpose as a residence. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A.

Physical History: ri^ Date of erection: Circa From deeds it is known that Henry Massie, the builder, acquired the property in under a mortgage which was released in It is unlikely, therefore, that he built the house before Tax records for Jefferson County reveal the following information: Year/Acreage/Blacks Over 16/Total Blacks/Horses/Total Value 400 6 11 9 400 15 33 13 400 18 37 13 tax book missing tax book missing 434 24 41 14 434 23 42 17 434 23 39 16 tax book missing 434 16 33 13 434 12 26 7 From the above information, it can be concluded that the house was probably constructed within the years of the growth of the value of the property. Architect: Not known. Ridgeway 0* HABS No. (Page 20 3.

Original and subsequent owners: The house is located on tract 113 of plat 19 in Jefferson County. The following references to the title of the house and its immediate surrounding tract of land are found in the Clerk's Office in the Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky.

Deed, December 25, recorded in Deed Book K, page Henry Massie and Helen Massie mortgaged 400 acres of land for to Benjamin Sebastian, which mortgage was released December 3, by deed, recorded in Deed Book K, page Deed, December 25, recorded in Deed Book 9, page Benjamin Sebastian and Amelia Sebastian sold to Henry Massie a 400 acre tract of land for Deed, April 6, recorded in Deed Book page Deed of partition of farm under the will of Helen Massie Martin Key, recorded in Will Book 7, page The land, under this deed of partition, was divided among William C. Bullitt, Henry M. Bullitt, William B. Howard, Anne C, Courtney, Henry M. Love, Florence T. Love, Robert H. Love, Amanthus B. Love, Elizabeth H. Thompson and R. H. Thompson,, Annette L. Carson and I.

Charles Carlson, John Thompson, William L. Price) Helen M. Fulton, Priscilla L. Gordon and A.A. Gordon, Helen M, Chenowith and Henry Chenowith, Helen Lowry and James Lowry, Willitt Bullitt, Cuthbert Bullitt, William G. Bullitt, Eliza Pitzhugh and H. Fitzhugh, Harriet Fitzhugh and John Fitzhugh, Virginia Cook and John Cook, Helen Bate, and Virginia Thompson, all represented by I.W. Henning, special commissioner. William C. Bullitt received a tract of land containing the house. Deed, April 24, recorded in Deed Book page William C. Bullitt conveyed to Joshua F. Bullitt his tract of land under the previous deed. Deed, June 25, recorded in Deed Book page Joshua F. Bullitt and Elizabeth R. Bullitt conveyed acres to John C. Bullitt and Theresa L.

Bullitt in exchange for acres from the second party to the first. Deed, February 3, recorded in Deed Book page John C. Bullitt conveyed to Joshua F. Bullitt his rights, title, and interest to the land inherited from Helen Massie Martin Key. Ridgeway 4? HABS No. {Page ^J Deed, April 1, recorded in Deed Book page James B. Bullitt, executor of the will of Joshua F. Bullitt, Joshua F. Bullitt and Maggie T. Bullitt, James B. Bullitt and Clare Ralston Bullitt, and Fidelity Trust and Safety Vault Company sold to Charles Kaelin, Jr. and Edward L. Kaelin a tract of land (hereinafter known as tract no. 1 for the sake of clarity). Deed, March 21, recorded in Deed Book page Mary Kaelin and Edward L. Kaelin sold to Theresa Bisig tract no. 1. Deed, April 4, recorded in Deed Book page James B.

Bullitt and Clare Ralston Bullitt, Joshua F. Bullitt and Maggie T. Bullitt, James B. Bullitt, executor of the will of Elisabeth R. Bullitt, and Fidelity Trust Company, trustee, sold to Louis Bauer the second tract of land composing present-day Ridgeway. (For clarity, this tract will be called no. 2). Deed, February 9, recorded in Desed Book page Theresa Bisig sold tract no. 1 to Mary Kaelin. Deed, December 23, recorded in Deed Book page Edward L. kaelin and Mary Kaelin sold tract no. 1 to Maud Woodson Cossar. Deed, December 28, recorded in Deed Book page Louis Bauer and Eva Bauer sold tract no. 2 to Maud Woodson Cossar. Deed, October 23, recorded in Deed Book page Maud woodson Cossar and Aubrey Cossar, Fidelity and Columbia Trust Company, Farmers Bank and Trust Company of St.

Matthews, and Ridgeway Farms sold both tracts of land to Martha L. Humphrey and Churchill Humphrey. Will, dated June 1, with codicil dated January 22, recorded in Will Book page Churchill Humphrey devised Ridgeway to his wife, Martha L. Humphrey. Alterations and additions: Under the ownership of the Cossars restoration was undertaken by Frederic L. Morgan of the firm of Nevin, Morgan and Kolbrook. Included in the restoration "were installation of electricity and lighting, plumbing, bathrooms, kitchen equipment, heating (central) , skylights in the roof of the central pavilion for a new room constructed in the attic, hexagonal concrete flagging in the front porch floor and front walk, windows in the place of former doors at the front sides of Ridgeway 7 HABS No.

{Page i) the hyphens, and a plan for relandscaping, partially executed. Previously it had found use as a combination residence and barn for a truck farm. Churchill Humphrey installed a trap door with ladder leading to the basement in the closet of the northwest corner bedroom. The bookshelves and book ladder of this bedroom date from the earlier restoration. B. Historical Context: Helen Massie, wife of Henry Massie, is best known for her three marriages. Following the death of Henry Massie in she married again in to John L. Martin.

Following his death she was married once again to Marshall Key, brother of Francis Scott Key, in Following his death, she remained a widow until her death at the age of 80 in Special contracts, recorded in Deed Book NN, page 146 and in Deed Book 98, page were drawn up for her second and third martiages in which both parties disavowed inheritance rights in the other's property. Legend has it that her first two marriages were to men of wealth, but her last was to her true love who, on their wedding day, drove to Ridgeway with a coach and swept his blushing bride over the threshold. Doubt is cast on this story by the fact that Helen Massie was 65 years old at the time.

Childless, she left the farm to nieces and nephews, several of them belonging to the Bullitt family, another prominent Louisville family. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION ' General description: The brick Federal style house is flanked by a wing on either side. A projecting pedimented porch is in the center of the main house, providing shelter for the front entrance. Simple long, narrow columns support the gable roof of the porch. A small elliptical window decorates the tympanum of the gable. The front doorway has an exquisite elliptical fanlight with 4-paned sidelights and long narrow pilasters flanking the paneled double doors. Two narrow, towering brick chimneys occupy either side wall of the main house.

Between either wing and the main house, in the front facade, is an elliptical window with similar Federal features of the front doorway, with the exception of sidelights. It was originally a door, which was reached by a stoop. Both the main house and the end wings have hipped roofs. Interior features include elliptical doorways, some with fanlight-like transoms, molded chair railings and simple paneled doors. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,56-SAMA,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

1. Primary and unpublished sources: Deed Books located in the Clerk's Office of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisvilie, Kentucky. Ridge way <g HABS No. (Page 5) Will Books located in the Probate Office of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky. 2. Secondary and published sources: Leopold, Helen, "Portrait Poems Offer Insight Into Ridgeway's First Mistress," Louisville Times, April 13, Leopold, Helen, "Romantic Ridgeway," Louisville Times, March 27, Prepared by: David Arbogast, Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey Summer and Susan McCown, Staff Historian Historic American Buildings Survey Spring PART IV.

PROJECT INFORMATION The project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in cooperation with the Preservation Alliance of Louisville and Jefferson County, Inc. Under the direction of John Poppeliers, chief of HABS, the project was completed during the summer of at the HABS Field Office in Louisville by Prof. John Haggard, (Syracuse University), Project Supervisor; David Arbogast (Columbia University), Project Historian; Mary Oehrlein, Project Foreman; Bayer Lee (City College of New York), Architect; and Mary M. Herd (University of Tennessee) and Charles Raith (University of Cincinnati) , student assistant architects.

Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, edited the written descriptive data in the spring, of for transmittal to the Library of Congress. HABS staff photographer Jack E. Boucher took the photographs of the structures in ADDENDUM TO: HABS RIDGEWAY KY,56-SAMA,2- (Judge Churchill Humphrey House) Massey Avenue Saint Matthews Jefferson County Kentucky PAPER COPIES OF COLOR TRANSPARENCIES HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior C Street NW Washington, DC