The T.B. Mansion: Bourbon and Beauty

My goal, albeit a lofty one, is to write a post covering at least one historic site (that can be visited or toured) for every county in Kentucky. I say it’s a lofty goal for two reasons: 1. Not every county has such a place, and 2. I try to visit each site before writing the post. This past week, I was able to get one county closer to my goal when we visited and toured the T.B. Ripy Mansion in Lawrenceburg, Anderson County, KY. Woot-woot!

My husband and I made the short trip last Sunday afternoon and met up with Millie, the event coordinator for the home. She gave us the most wonderful tour, allowing us to see every nook and cranny of the house and giving us the history along the way.

The Ripy home is an absolute beauty born from the bourbon industry. So, the history runs deep. Let’s jump in and take a look at the Ripy Family of Anderson County.

The Legacy Begins

The Anderson County line of Ripys began with James Ripy, who immigrated to America from Tyrone, Ireland, in 1830. James landed in Pennsylvania, found his way into Kentucky, and settled in Lawrenceburg, which had been established just 10 years earlier.

James began working in the dry goods business and eventually moved into the wholesale liquor business, where he was purchasing products for distilleries within the county. James was the first resident in Lawrenceburg to participate in the distillery trade.

In 1869, James established a distillery in an area just 3 miles east of Lawrenceburg, located along the Kentucky River. (James would name this area, Tyrone, for his hometown in Ireland.) The distillery turned into two: Cliff Spring Distillery and The Anderson Sour Mash, both producing about 60 barrels a day. The bonded warehouse, which I believe was shared between the two, held 80,000 barrels.

A Family Business

In 1839, James Ripy married Artemesia Walker, daughter of Randolph Walker. (The Walkers were an early prominent Kentucky family.)

James and Artemesia had five children: Mary E. (died at age 8), John R. (died at age 6), James Porter (b. April 2, 1844), Thomas Beebe (b. August 25, 1847), and Alice Mary (b. July 31, 1852).

Thomas, known as T.B., was sent off to the finest of schools, including a prep school in Louisville and college in Frankfort. By the age of 21, T.B. had begun his career in the bourbon industry, following in his father’s footsteps. T.B. was working at Cedarbrook, a distillery in Tyrone, owned by W.H. “The Judge” McBrayer. In no time, T.B. and W.H. were partnering in the distillery business. A year later, T.B. bought out The Judge and became the sole owner of the distillery.

This is where things get a little muddled. Each site I looked at for research, including the story from T.B.’s great-grandson, tells different versions of events with different distillery names. So, however it happened, T.B. came to also own the distillery that his father owned in Tyrone, and somehow these distilleries turned into T.B. Ripy Distillery. (Mind you, if I were your typical bourbon connoisseur, maybe I would understand the history better, but I am your atypical Kentuckian when it comes to bourbon. I am truly not a fan. Don’t hold that against me!)

Anyway, back to T.B.. He kept enlarging his holdings by buying out other distilleries in the county. He owned more than a dozen distilleries in his lifetime! By 1880, T.B. was the largest sour mash distiller in the world, and that lasted until 1899. By the 1890s, T.B. Distillery was the largest distillery in the world, and T.B. officially earned his title of “Bourbon Baron.” In 1893, T.B.’s bourbon was chosen to represent Kentucky at the World’s Columbian Exposition – the first world’s fair – held in Chicago. Needless to say, T.B. put Kentucky and Lawrenceburg on the map!

A Beautiful Home

In 1874, T.B. married Sarah Elizabeth “Sally” Fidler, and they would go on to have 11 children together, 10 of whom made it to adulthood. In 1883, T.B. had amassed such a fortune that he decided it was time to build his family a home that certainly displayed all that wealth.

It was 5 years in the making. It cost $85,000 to build ($2,861,359 in today’s money). Finally, in 1888, the Ripy’s had something to be proud of – their home was stunning! The Queen Anne Victorian, meshed with Romanesque Revival style, boasted 5 floors (a full basement, three living floors, and an attic), 11,000 square feet of space, 4-brick thick walls, indoor plumbing (the first in Lawrenceburg to have it), a rare carbide gas lighting system, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. The interior woodwork was to die for, (and still is!) as the home featured 12+ foot tall pocket doors, planetary-themed embellishments, wood-trimmed archways, an extraordinary main staircase, an elaborate sideboard, and hidden staircases, all made of mahogany, cherry, walnut, and oak wood that came from the property. And did I mention stained glass!?! Can you say, “WOW!?!”

The home was so large that Sally hired a staff to help run the household. She employed a butler (who called the family to dinner by ringing a bell), several cooks, maids, and gardeners. I would also think that Sally would have had someone to watch over the nursery while she was entertaining, and probably even a “pool boy.”

The End of an Era

Sadly, T.B. Ripy suffered from pernicious anemia at a time when no one really understood the disease. Likely in poor health, T.B. “sold out” of his distillery business in 1899. The Gould family purchased the business and eventually changed its name to J.T.S. Brown Distillery, which was later sold off again, becoming the distillery we know today as Wild Turkey.

After selling off his business, T.B. Ripy traveled to Battle Creek, Michigan, to have his anemia treated at the Kellogg Medical Clinic. (Yes, as in the inventor of Kellogg’s Cereal.) It was there on June 30th, 1902, that T.B. Ripy died at the age of 54. His body was returned to Lawrenceburg, where he was buried in the Lawrenceburg Cemetery, just a half mile from his home.

T.B. had done so well financially that Sally was able to stay in their home until her death in 1948. At that time, one of T.B. and Sally’s daughters, along with their son-in-law, moved into the home and lived there until 1965. The home was then sold to the Gilbert family. They took great care of the mansion, even getting the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Sadly, after the Gilberts sold the home, it fell into disrepair. The home ended up in foreclosure and went to auction. It was there, in 2010, that the Ripys bought back their family home. Thank goodness they did, because otherwise, the house probably would have been demolished.

Saving the Ripy Home

Presently, cousins T.B. Ripy IV and George Geoghagen own the property and have been working on restoration since their purchase in 2010. Right away, they put on a new roof and gutters to stop the rain from continuing to pour into the home. They cleared away brush that had grown up around the home, practically hiding it from passers-by. They hauled out junk from every floor and filled in the collapsed pool. They even had a 70-pound beehive removed from the 2nd-floor porch roof!

Since then, they have been continuing to work with preservationists to restore the home to its former glory. The first floor is now beautifully restored. The wooden shutters and trim work have been stripped of layers of paint. The plaster walls have had layers of wallpaper removed. Brickwork, plaster, and ornate crown moldings have been repaired. The original wood floors have been sanded and stained, and the stained glass has been stabilized and now shines with sunlight gleaming through it.

But… that’s just the first floor. Sadly, the remaining floors of the home need the same amount of work and repair, and sadly, that takes a lot of money. In the remainder of the home, plaster has crumbled, trim work and crown moldings have fallen, wallpaper is peeling, and what would have been gorgeous woodwork is covered in layers of peeling paint. It is an amazing site to see the before and after, just one floor apart. Standing on the landing of the stunning mahogany staircase, you look up to the second floor to see what still needs to be done, while looking down to the first floor to view how far they’ve come. You honestly can’t believe it until you see it.

Basement, and 2nd & 3rd floor Rooms still in need of Restoration / All Photos Courtesy of KHT

After spending more money than I’ll ever be able to imagine on the first floor restoration, the Ripys are now looking for ways to fundraise to help with the very long list of things that still need to be done to bring this Bourbon Beauty fully back to its glory days. It’s truly a daunting task.

Our Visit & Reflection

This home goes on and on for days! The first floor doesn’t necessarily feel that big. I think that’s because it includes a modern-day kitchen and several bathrooms. But once you are on the 2nd and 3rd floors, the home doesn’t seem to ever come to an end. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you turn a corner and there’s more. Honestly, it feels bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. The City of Lawrenceburg’s website says it has 24 rooms. I suppose they would know, but I would swear to you there are more than that. I believe this is the largest historic home I have ever toured, and even in its rough state, it’s totally worth seeing.

I really do love this home. I know. I always say, “I really love this home.” But, I do. The truth is, I love all historic homes, just some more than others. They seem to call to me. And when I see one in such horrific shape as this one, I just want to pull it into my arms and hug it. Yep, I’m a little bit weird like that. I truly want to tell her it will be okay. (Historic homes seem feminine to me.) I want her to know that I see her for what she used to be and what she can be again. I want so badly to wave a magic wand and whisk away all her imperfections and make her elaborately gorgeous again.

But alas, I don’t have a magic wand. So, the next best thing I can do is bring attention to her through my visit and tell her story through my blog.

She needs more love. Rotting wood needs to be replaced, and new period windows need to be installed in order to shore her up from the elements. Without that, any money spent on the upper floors would be wasted. Maybe there’s someone out there with money (or skills) to donate to the cause. You never know, right?

I do think the City of Lawrenceburg has a lot of pride in this home. I know the Ripys do. Because of that, the first floor of the home can now be rented out for special events, such as weddings, baby showers, and graduation parties. The money is basically used to keep the lights on. The Ripys also hold Bourbon Sessions in the mansion. This is where master distillers, from surrounding distilleries, come to share their knowledge, and visitors get to sample some of their wares. These ticketed events help raise money for future restoration projects. (You can find these events on their Facebook page as well as on their website. Not into bourbon? I’m sure the Ripys would welcome a donation of any kind.)

Because the home is being used as an event space for fundraising purposes, tours are not regularly offered. However, if you are interested in seeing the home, all you have to do is contact Millie, the Events Coordinator. She will absolutely get a tour scheduled for you. You can contact her through their website linked above, under the “Contact Us” tab.

Honestly, Kentucky doesn’t really have Queen Anne style homes from the 1880s that can be toured. Most of those homes have become either funeral homes or B&Bs. I think it’s wonderful that the Ripys and the City of Lawrenceburg are trying so hard to keep her open to the community. So, if you have the chance, I recommend checking out the Ripy Mansion. She’s certainly a diamond in the rough, but she deserves all the love we can give her. Go ahead, contact Millie and get a tour scheduled. The Ripy Mansion is a rare jewel that deserves to be seen. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Until next time…

Happy Travels!

All photos, unless otherwise noted, are property of KHT.