William Whitley House State Historic Site is a park in Crab Orchard, Kentucky. It features the home of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

pioneer

William Whitley William Whitley (August 4, 1749 – October 5, 1813), was an American pioneer in what became Kentucky, in the colonial and early Federal period. Born in Virginia, he was the son of Scottish Presbyterian immigrants from northern Ireland, then the U ...

and his wife, sharpshooter Esther Whitley. The home was built as a fortress against

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

attacks sometime between 1787 and 1794. The first brick house in Kentucky, its construction marked a transition in the area from log cabins to more formal homes. The site became part of the park system in 1938, and the house was restored by locals between 1948 and 1955. Additional property has been purchased for the park by 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 ...

' Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund, including Sportsman's Hill, the first horse racing track west of the Appalachians. In 2019 management of the site was adopted by the Lincoln County Fiscal Court with assistance from local historians.

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External links

William Whitley House State Historic Site
Kentucky Department of Parks
William Whitley House Heritage Land
Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves {{Kentucky Parks Kentucky State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Lincoln County, Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky Protected areas established in 1938 Museums in Lincoln County, Kentucky Protected areas of Lincoln County, Kentucky Houses in Lincoln County, Kentucky Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky 1938 establishments in Kentucky

See also

References

External links