Waveland State Historic Site, also known as the Joseph Bryan House, in Lexington, Kentucky is the site of a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

home and 10 acres now maintained and operated as part of the Kentucky state park system. It was the home of the Joseph Bryan family, their descendants and the people they enslaved in the nineteenth century. Bryan's father William had befriended

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

and they migrated west through the

Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...

. Joseph Bryan, William's grandson, became an early planter here and established a plantation for

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

and hemp as commodity crops. He also began to breed thoroughbred race horses. settler and horseman of this region.

History

The Daniel Boone and William Bryan families met in the

Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, p ...

valley, North Carolina, where they lived near each other. William Bryan married Mary Boone, a sister of

. William and Mary had a son, Daniel Boone Bryan. Daniel Boone surveyed the land in what became Kentucky that he would give to his nephew, Daniel Boone Bryan. The young man became known as a historian, frontiersman, and poet. Boone surveyed a large area of about about six miles from present-day downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

Daniel Boone Bryan

Daniel Boone Bryan settled this land around 1786. The property was later named Waveland for the appearance of the fields of grain and hemp when the wind blew through them. Central Kentucky, known as the

Bluegrass Region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. The Bluegrass region is characteriz ...

, had the largest hemp and rope producers of the nation in the nineteenth century. When Bryan first moved to his property, he built a small stone cabin.

Joseph Bryan

Daniel Boone Bryan's son, Joseph, inherited Waveland and constructed the Big House of the plantation about 1844 to 1848. He had married Elizabeth, and they eventually had twelve children together. Bryan decided to build a classic

structure. Inspired by the work of Lexington architect John McMurtry, Bryan hired Washington Allen, a well-known Lexington contractor, to oversee the construction of his new home.Kentucky State Parks Online It had a portico and spacious entry hall. The main doorway of the mansion is considered to be an exact replica of the doorway of the north entrance to the

Erechtheion The Erechtheion (latinized as Erechtheum /ɪˈrɛkθiəm, ˌɛrɪkˈθiːəm/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρέχθειον, Greek: Ερέχθειο) or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple- telesterion on the north side of the Acropoli ...

at the Acropolis in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece. A porch was built on either side of the house, with views to surrounding country side. The rooms were constructed to be fourteen-feet-high on the first floor, making them cooler in summer. As did many planters, who essentially had to operate self-sufficient villages, Bryan had developed minor industries on his plantation. A gunsmith shop employed twenty-five men at one time; he manufactured

saltpeter Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate Salt (chemistry), salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ...

and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

. Both a gristmill and paper mill (which also processed lumber) were operated on the plantation, as were a blacksmith shop, and a distillery. (Kentucky was known for its bourbon.) He was able to manage all of these successfully. Bryan also allowed space on the plantation for a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

church and a private female seminary. There was no public education in Kentucky until it was established during the Reconstruction era. As was typical of many large plantations with in-house industries, Bryan drew from his own products for construction of the house. The lumber was harvested and trimmed at Waveland, the wrought iron was made at his blacksmith, the bricks used in the buildings were made from clay gathered on the land, and fired in a kiln on site. Stones for the house's foundation and some decorative work were quarried and dressed at Tyrone on the

Kentucky River The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. The river and its tri ...

and moved to Waveland. To reduce construction costs, Bryan had the stairway rail built from flat pieces of wood instead of rounded ones. His wife wanted expensive

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

baseboards, but Bryan used cheaper stones and had them painted to look like marble. Joseph Bryan constructed his office with seven doors, each for a different part of his life. One door connected to the formal dining room, where he and guests would eat. One door led into the family parlor, where he could be with his children. Another door, which locked from his office, was to stairs to two second-floor rooms that he rented out to travelers. He made sure he could lock the strangers in for his family's safety. The travelers could not leave their room until Bryan Joseph unlocked the door, so he was safe from being robbed or attacked by them at night. Another door led outside to the back of the house and outbuildings, and the fields where enslaved African Americans worked. Thus he had quick access and easier communication with them. Another door led from his office to the road by which businessmen would arrive to see him. As a successful businessman in Kentucky, Bryan was often visited by others. The remaining two doors were closets, which he used as safes.Christen interview In the antebellum years, the Bryans were slaveholders. They held thirteen slaves, three women and ten men. The women conducted all the domestic work of cleaning the house, laundering and ironing clothes and linens, as well as to process meat and produce, and do all the cooking. Margaret Cartmell Bryan, Joseph's wife, made the clothing for the slaves and for her own family. The invention of the sewing machine significantly reduced the time it took her to make clothing. The male slaves worked the farm. Each one had to keep of land. In order to save time traveling, the Bryans allowed the slaves to build houses on the property they kept. The slaves at Waveland enjoyed freedoms that were uncommon for other slaves of the day. When they were not working, they were allowed to hunt for themselves. They were also allowed to buy and sell produce, meat and other goods at the local markets, and to keep any profits. Joseph Bryan allowed the slaves to keep weapons. The slave quarters were two bricks thick, making them better insulated than many homes in Kentucky. Joseph Bryan supported the Confederacy during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and gave them supplies such as horses and food produced on his land. When

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

authorities discovered this, they sought to arrest him. Bryan fled to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, returning years later after the war had ended. The slaves at Waveland were emancipated at war's end, but most chose to stay and continue working for Bryan. He paid them for their labor, and charged them rent.

Joseph Henry Bryan

Joseph Henry Bryan, one of Bryan's eleven children, lost his house, so he and his wife and children moved back into Waveland with his father.Bryan Family Online Eventually, Joseph Bryan Sr. moved out, leaving Joseph Henry Bryan as the owner of Waveland. He developed horse racing stock and established Waveland as one of the premier

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

and

standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

(trotters) farms in Kentucky. Waveland produced some great horses such as "Waveland Chief", "Ben-Hur", "Eric", "Olaf" and "Wild Rake", who never lost a heat and was sold to

William Rockefeller William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also part owner of the Anaconda ...

for $7800 in the 1880s. Joseph Henry Bryan also built a race track across from the mansion. He and other businessmen watched the races from near the track. This was not considered a suitable environment for women of their class, and Bryan's wife, daughters and female guests would often go up to the top floor of the house and watch the races with their binoculars. Joseph Henry Bryan was a notorious gambler. In less than seven years, he lost over one million dollars. Another family member had to sell their home so that they could try to keep Joseph Henry Bryan from losing the Waveland property. Eventually, however, Bryan was unable to pay his debt. For this, he was never forgiven by his family. He had to sell the house at auction just to try to pay off his debt. Salle A. Scott bought Waveland in 1894. She sold the property in 1899 to James A Hullet. In 1956, the Commonwealth of Kentucky bought the house and about of the original for preservation (the house) and use by the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

of the larger farmland for research and experimental agriculture.

Museum

In 1957, Waveland was adapted as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. Its exhibits depict and interpret Kentucky life from pioneer days to the Civil War. Ten acres are included with the house property, which has been renovated and furnished to show antebellum life on a plantation during the 1840s. Period-appropriate furniture was donated to the site. Many of the ancillary buildings did not survive the decades after the Civil War. Waveland's buildings include the mansion, decorated in antebellum style, and four outbuildings: the ice house, a two-story brick building that was the slavequarters, a barn, and a

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.

. Tours are given daily for much of the year, and tour guides dress in the style of the 1840s. Tours include the historic house, the slave quarters, smokehouse and ice house. They focus on the Bryan family and life on a 19th-century Bluegrass Kentucky

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

Notes

References

"Historic Homes and Historic Sites in Lexington, KY"
Horse Capital of the World: Lexington, Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau. 7 November 2011.
"History – Waveland – Historic Sites – Kentucky State Parks"
6 November 2011. * Kleber, John E. "Waveland." ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia''. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 1992. Print. * Tapp, Hambleton. ''Waveland Home of the Bryans.'' Lexington, KY: S.n., 1956. Print.

U.S. National Park Service, 6 November 2011. * Young-Brown, Fiona
"Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, KY"

Jarvis Family and Other Relatives. 26 November 2011.

External links

Waveland State Historic Site
* Christen, Waveland tour guide. Interviewed on November 12, 2011 {{Fayette County/Lexington, Kentucky Houses completed in 1848 Greek Revival houses in Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Lexington, Kentucky Museums in Lexington, Kentucky Kentucky State Historic Sites Protected areas of Fayette County, Kentucky Houses in Lexington, Kentucky Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Plantation houses in Kentucky Museums established in 1957 1957 establishments in Kentucky Slave cabins and quarters in the United States 1848 establishments in Kentucky