Blackacre Nature Preserve And Historic Homestead
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Blackacre State Nature Preserve is a nature preserve and historic homestead in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. The preserve features rolling fields, streams, forests, and a homestead dating back to the 18th century. For visitors, the preserve features several farm animals including horses, goats, and cows, hiking trails, and a visitor's center in the 1844-built Presley Tyler home. Since 1981, it has been used by the Jefferson County Public Schools as the site of a continuing
environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...
program. About 10,000 students visit the outdoor classroom each year. The preserve was created in 1979 when the land was given to the
Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. The agency's primary focus is protecting rare and endangered species habitat. It o ...
by Judge Macauley and Mrs. Emilie Smith creating the first nature preserve in the Commonwealth's system. The Blackacre Conservancy, founded in 1983, operates the historic homestead and conducts cultural and historical programs while the Office retains ownership of the preserve and manages its natural resources. Blackacre is part of the old Moses Tyler farm, several original farm buildings remain, including the 1844 Presley Tyler home, an
Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...
n-style barn and a reconstructed stone
spring house A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building, usually of a single room, constructed over a spring. While the original purpose of a springhouse was to keep the spring water clean by excluding fallen leaves, animals, etc., the enclosing stru ...
. The entire settlement has been named a national historic rural settlement. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as Tyler Settlement Rural Historic District in 1986. With . The name
Blackacre Blackacre, Whiteacre, Greenacre, Brownacre, and variations are the placeholder names used for fictitious estate (law), estates in land. The names are used by professors of law in common law jurisdictions, particularly in the area of real property ...
is used as a generic name in legal contexts, particularly in law school and on bar exams, to refer to a parcel of land. The Smith family gave the land the name Blackacre; previously it was known as Land O'Skye.


History

Blackacre was first settled by the Tyler Family, who arrived in Louisville in 1780. Edward Tyler II purchased a Treasury Warrant allowing him to lay claim to a parcel of land. Moses Tyler was transferred, a portion of that, the that now compromise the majority of Blackacre. Later the land was given to Moses's son, Presley. Moses Tyler had already built a barn, a stone cottage and
springhouse A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building, usually of a single room, constructed over a spring. While the original purpose of a springhouse was to keep the spring water clean by excluding fallen leaves, animals, etc., the enclosing stru ...
, but Presley decided to add an impressive two-story farmhouse. In 1884 Presley sold the property to the Kroeger family, who were stewards of the property until 1902. After a series of other owners, the property was bought by the Smith family in 1950. In 1979 Emilie and Macauley Smith, seeing the immense beauty and value of the land, donated it to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, allowing Blackacre to become the first State Nature Preserve of Kentucky.


Buildings

The barn is one of the three original Blackacre buildings. Built in 1790, the double-crib Appalachian barn was made out of large poplar boards harvested from the Blackacre property. Today the barn displays the pre-industrial farm tools that would have been used at Blackacre. The stone cottage is the second original 1790 building. The springhouse is the last of the original buildings. Springhouses acted as a refrigeration unit. Perishable food that could not be salted or smoked would be stored. A second floor of the spring was built to allow residents to cool off on hot days. The spring that lies next to the springhouse is man-made. The farmhouse was built in 1844. Architecturally, it displays the influence of Greek-revival design. The farmhouse now holds the Blackacre's Visitors' Center.


Gallery

Springhouse_winter.jpg, 18th Century Spring house show during the wintertime Mainhouse3blackacre.jpg, 19th Century Presley Tyler Farmhouse and Historic Homestead redbuds at blackacre.jpg, Redbuds


See also

*
List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area This is a list of visitor attractions and annual events in the Louisville metropolitan area. Annual festivals and other events Spring * Abbey Road on the River, a salute to The Beatles with many bands, held Memorial Day weekend in Louisville ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Kentucky __NOTOC__ The table below includes sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Jefferson County, Kentucky except those in the following neighborhoods/districts of Louisville: Anchorage, Downtown, The Highlands, Old Louisv ...


References


External links


Blackacre ConservancyOffice of Kentucky Nature Preserves
{{National Register of Historic Places Greek Revival houses in Kentucky Infrastructure completed in 1790 Houses completed in 1844 Houses in Louisville, Kentucky History of Louisville, Kentucky Nature reserves in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky Tourist attractions in Louisville, Kentucky Protected areas established in 1979 Protected areas of Jefferson County, Kentucky Nature centers in Kentucky 1790 establishments in Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Environmental education in the United States Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky) 1844 establishments in Kentucky 1979 establishments in Kentucky Springs of Kentucky Spring houses