Exploring the Historic Joseph Holt Home

Driving down KY-144 surrounded by nothing but farmland, you begin to feel like you are in the “middle of nowhere,” and then you catch a glimpse of the Ohio River. No sooner than you do, you drive around a slight curve, and as if plopped down by Dorothy in Oz, you see the most beautiful Italianate 3-story Villa sitting just a few feet from the road. You can’t miss it. You can’t help but see it, and if “Wow” doesn’t cross your lips, then just keep on driving. But if it does, and I know it will, you must stop and experience the home of Judge Joseph Holt – the Breckinridge County native who, in September of 1862, became the Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army for President Abraham Lincoln.

Well, as I always do, I am getting ahead of myself. To start the history of this property and home, we must go back to Revolutionary War Patriot, Richard Stephens.

Richard S. Stephens (Sept. 7, 1755 – July 2, 1831)

Richard S. Stephens (Judge Holt’s maternal grandfather) was born in Loudon County, VA in 1755 to Richard and Eleanor King Stephens. As many did, who were born in this period, Stephens served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, as the youngest Captain of George Washington’s Army. As payment for his service, Stephens received a land grant in Kentucky that ran along the Ohio River westward from present-day Louisville in parts of Jefferson, Breckinridge, and Nelson Counties.

He married Elizabeth Jennings in Virginia in September 1780 and together they had nine children; Ann (b. 1781), Eleanor (b. 1782), Robert (b. 1786), Richard (b. 1788), Elizabeth (b. 1791), Sarah (b. 1794), Daniel (b. 1796), Mary Ann (b. 1797), and Jemima (b. 1801).

I don’t know when he and Elizabeth came to Kentucky, but when they did, they brought their family with them. Richard became a slave plantation owner and later a Kentucky politician (he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1819 and the Kentucky Senate from 1823 to 1827). He amassed 93,000+ acres of land in Kentucky. He owned about a dozen enslaved people who likely worked on the large plantation he owned south of Hawesville. He also owned a large tract of land where Stephensport (the Stephens family is the namesake) sits today.

At the time of his death, he was the wealthiest landowner in Breckinridge County. It is believed he was buried in Addison Cemetery (aka the Stephens-Burk Cemetery) in Breckinridge County, KY.

Eleanor K. Stephens Holt (1782 – October 31, 1871)

Richard’s second child, Eleanor married Colonel John Washington Holt (1772 – 1838) in 1803. Upon her marriage, Richard gave the newlyweds 10,000 acres of his land. The couple began settling the farmland in 1811, building a log cabin home for their small family, including 2 children at the time; Joseph (b. 1807) and James (b. 1809). The couple would go on to have 3 more children; Thomas (b. 1812), Robert (b. 1815), and Elizabeth (b. 1819).

In 1840, the log cabin burned and the Holt family began constructing the 3-story brick home we see today. (Col. John Holt died in 1838, but he had become a very successful attorney and surveyor of roads for Breckinridge County. I would assume his money was left to Eleanor and/or Joseph which was likely used to build the home.)

The Impressive Holt Home

The west wing, seen on the left side of the home photo, was built first – completed c. 1850. It features an “ornamental cast iron porch [which] spans the width of the original 5-bay main block.” (Heritage.ky.gov) The east wing, c. 1870, features trim characteristic of the period. The kitchen and dining room were added to the back of the home in the 1920s.

The property became known as the Holt Bottoms because it was so close to the river. It included formal gardens surrounding the home along with a gazebo, a chapel, a school, servants’ quarters, barns, and several outbuildings.

The Holt family hosted guests often. They would arrive via the original state road through Cloverport or by train from Louisville to a small train station at the back of the Holt property, nearer the river. While the station no longer exists, the tracks are still used by freight trains today.

The Holt Chapel

When Eleanor died in 1871, her oldest son Joseph had a beautiful chapel built across the road from the home to honor her. It was a Gothic Revival-style Methodist Church chapel. Joseph Holt’s own funeral would later be held there in 1894. Sadly, the chapel was demolished c. 1962, but the Holt Home does have a photo of the chapel in their collection. I also found this image below from a newspaper article that you can read here.

Eleanor was buried in the family cemetery located on the property next to the home.

Judge Joseph Holt (1807 – 1894)

Upon his mother’s death, Joseph took possession of the property and the home that he never lived in, but likely visited often.

Joseph Holt was born in Breckinridge County, KY, and would have grown up in the log cabin that had originally been built on the property. He attended St. Joseph College in Bardstown and later moved to Louisville where he apprenticed to be an attorney. He went on to practice law in Elizabethtown, KY and became an assistant editor of the Louisville Advertiser and Jefferson County’s Commonwealth Attorney.

It was in 1837 (a year before his father died and 3 years before the home was built), that Holt moved to Jackson, MS to practice law. He built a very successful practice there along with major wealth. He was said to be an incredible public speaker. His law partner at the time was James O. Harrison. He said that Holt “was one of the greatest attorneys and public speakers he had ever heard.” (Army Historical Foundation) Holt was truly seen as a man who possessed integrity, character, and a strong work ethic.

Two Marriages

In 1839, Holt married Mary Louise Harrison (1811 – 1846). They were married for a short 7 years before she died of tuberculosis in 1846. Joseph and Mary did not have any children. She was buried in the Hynes-Talbott Cemetery in Bardstown, KY.

After contracting tuberculosis himself, Joseph returned to Kentucky for a short while and then traveled through Europe and Asia, in semi-retirement from law.

In 1850, Joseph remarried, this time to Margaret Wickliffe (1821 – 1860). Margaret was the daughter of former Kentucky Governor Charles Wickliffe. It was during this marriage that Joseph became politically active. Sadly, Joseph and Margaret never had any children either. She died just 10 years after their marriage, at the age of 39. She was buried in the Bardstown City Cemetery.

A Turn to Politics

In 1856, Joseph supported James Buchanan for president and was appointed the Commissioner of Patents.

In 1859, he became Post Master General. In this role, Holt prohibited mail from being sent that promoted insurrection or incited rebellion, as the country was on the edge of the Civil War.

In 1861, Joseph became the Secretary of War and became a strong advocate for the preservation of the Union. Going back to his public speaking roots, he traveled throughout the U.S. speaking of the Union and the “fallacy of neutrality.” Thousands attended his speeches. It is believed that Holt’s influence kept Kentucky in the Union.

“One-time slave owner and Douglas Democrat became a Republican, strongly supporting the Union, he made many enemies in the South, even among his own relatives.”

Army Historical Foundation

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Holt as The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) over the newly created Bureau of Military Justice. (Library of Congress)

“Judge Advocates provide legal advice to Soldiers, dependents, and retirees on personal legal issues.”

LAW.EDU – JAG Core Brochure

In this new role, Holt oversaw military commissions with jurisdiction over military and civilian offenders. He provided guidance on military law and reviewed court-martial cases requiring Lincoln’s attention. He summarized cases not only for Lincoln but also for VP Andrew Johnson and Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

The Trial of the Conspirators

As a part of Holt’s role as TJAG, he was required to collect evidence, and try by military commission, the conspirators who were charged with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt received death sentences and were hanged on July 7, 1865. Surratt (who was the owner of the boarding house where John Wilkes Booth was living while plotting the president’s assassination) was the first woman ever convicted and executed in the United States.

Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlen, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Edmund Sprangler received life sentences.

(Interested in knowing more about the trial and assassination of Lincoln? Check out this resource from PBS.)

Retirement & Beyond

For his faithful services during the Civil War, Holt was brevetted Major General, but the damage to his reputation was already done. Holt voluntarily retired in 1875 after 13 years of service. (Holt is the longest-serving TJAG in U.S. history.) He returned to his home in Washington, D.C., largely as a recluse, and defender of his past actions. You see, while he had received many accolades in his early years, many people began to question his tactics during his work as TJAG. People thought him very heavy-handed during trials and also believed he had suppressed evidence during the Lincoln conspiracy trials. Top that off with the “gross miscarriage of justice [that] came to light when it later was discovered that Mrs. Surratt had not been a party to the conspiracy,” (Newspaper.com) Joseph’s name was forever linked to the execution of an innocent woman. Just when his career could have catapulted further into politics, he was forced to retire and hide from the public.

Judge Joseph Holt died in 1894 in Washington D.C. He was given a military funeral there and then returned to Kentucky where a service was held in the chapel he built for his mother. He was buried in the family cemetery on the property with his mother.

With no children and no will to be found, his nieces and nephews began fighting over his estate, worth between $150,000 and $300,000.

Later, a mysterious will appeared in the mail, sending the family to court – all the way to the Supreme Court! The case was the “first will-contest the U.S. Supreme Court ever considered.” (Army Historical Foundation) The case went on for eight years! The final ruling was that the will was a fake! I found the court record and tried to decipher who ended up with the property, but I am clearly not legal-minded. Ultimately, I gave up.

Vandilization and Rehabilitation

While I don’t know who ended up with the home, I do know that eventually, the home ended up sitting empty and destroyed in the hands of vandals who stripped the home of all its interior architectural features.

Somehow, the exterior remained in decent shape with most of its original features intact.

“Through the relentless efforts of Susan B. Dyer and The Friends of the Holt Home, the historical importance of Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt and the Holt Home is being made well known to people all across Breckinridge County, Kentucky and across the nation. The home is currently undergoing a complete restoration.”

Joseph Holt Home

Fundraising for restoration money began somewhere around 2008. The Friends of the Holt Home Facebook Page was started in September 2012, with their first post sharing information about the 4th Annual Community Day being held at the home. Now, nearly 17 years later, the Holt Home is a beautiful community (and state) treasure, again! While Judge Joseph Holt never really lived in the home, his ownership of it was enough to – eventually – help save the home!

“The Judge Joseph Holt Home is the only home in America of an Army TJAG to be restored! The remaining 19.5 acres of the Holt grounds was once a vibrant plantation of 10,000 acres in northern Breckinridge County!”

Hancock Clarion

Interior Photos of the Renovated Joseph Holt Home / All Photos Courtesy of KHT

Our Visit

As you all know, I am always looking for wonderful historic places that are not well-known to bring attention to them and help with preservation and/or tourism. I came across the Joseph Holt Home many years ago and was patiently watching their preservation progress. I wanted to visit the home, but at first, it wasn’t open for tours (of course), and then later on, it was only open a few times a year and my schedule didn’t align.

Finally, this past Summer, with the home open for more tours, I was able to make it out to Breckinridge County to see this beauty. My mom joined me on this trip and she will tell you that she was thrilled that she did. She’ll tell you this home is well worth a visit!

We had the luck of having Ian Brockman – a Breckinridge County native who was serving as the first-ever intern for the Friends of the Holt Home – as our tour guide. Ian was so very knowledgeable and passionate about the home, and we enjoyed such a wonderful discussion with him about Kentucky’s history. He informed us of the home’s history, Holt’s career, the steps of the restoration, and the continued plans for the home – to one day replace all of the missing interior architectural details, such as the window draperies (like the ones you see in the red room pictured above). We finished our tour in the dining room where photos of the home, before renovation, were on display. My mom and I were both floored at the transformation. It is truly a miracle the home wasn’t demolished. It’s no wonder it has taken 17 years to get it back to where it is today.

We wrapped up our tour and headed out to the grounds and family cemetery, where I took even more photos.

Exterior Photos of the Joseph Holt Home highlighting the Architectural Details / All Photos Courtesy of KHT

My Reflection

I am so very thrilled to have finally toured this home, and I’m even more thrilled that this home has been saved.

Some of our Kentucky counties have so little history remaining beyond their historic courthouses, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see historic homes like this one saved – both for the history (which I knew nothing about) and for the tourism (which will be of benefit to the citizens of the county).

The renovation of this home is incredible. Without the photos, you would never believe this home was so far into disrepair.

I am also pleased with the efforts the Friends of the Holt Home has made to tell the few stories that are known of the enslaved people on the property. There is a well behind the home where a young 12-year-old enslaved girl named Betsey drowned. Beside the well is a sign telling of Betsey and the other 21 enslaved people that can be named at this time. The stones along the walkway to the well are engraved with the names that have been identified, bringing them out of the shadows and into the light.

Betsey’s Wishing Well and signage in memory of those enslaved on the property. / Photos Courtesy of KHT

If you have the opportunity to visit this home, you absolutely must! You can also donate to the Friends of the Holt Home for future projects and continued preservation if you feel so inclined. Make sure to follow them on Facebook for their most up-to-date community events, including their Christmas Home Tour taking place December 8th and 15th, 2024 from 2 – 5 CST.

I do hope you’ll get out and see Kentucky when you have the chance! Until next time…

Happy Travels!