Garrard likely came to Kentucky in claim of land from a grant he would have received from his service in the American Revolution. Garrard also came to Kentucky as a land surveyor, so he was able to quickly acquire additional land once he arrived. It is said he amassed 40,000+ acres throughout the District of Kentucky. Over time, he went on to not only run his farm, but also a grist and lumber mill and a whiskey distilling business.

Fairfield & Mt. Lebanon

When the Garrard Family settled along a bend in Stoner Creek, they built a comfortable native limestone home, and Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard named the site Fairfield. She also named the nearby small stream off of Stoner Creek, Acquia Run, after a stream near her hometown in Virginia.

In 1786, while James was away attending to his political role(s), Elizabeth decided that her home on the lowland along the creek was unsafe, either because of Native Indian attacks or because of health concerns. So, Elizabeth decided a new home needed to be built in a new location.

“Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard, the governor’s wife, did not like the low area in which [her home] was built. She suspected the location so close to the creek was not a healthful place to live so a second house, called Mount Lebanon was built across the creek on a high cliff overlooking the creek and Fairfield.”

~ Hopewell Museum

High on the cliffside, John Metcalfe, renowned stonemason and half-brother of the future Governor of Kentucky, Thomas Metcalfe, was hired to build the Garrards’ new limestone home. The home featured 18-inch thick walls, two stories, a full attic, and a full cellar. The home was originally a single room on each side of the central staircase. An addition was built out the back of the home at a later time, along with a single-story stone wing added in 1954.

“…the two-story, central passage ashlar house with one-story ell exhibits excellent workmanship. Facade bays are accented by jackarches with keystones, and the central entrance is lighted by a simple transom. Interior gable-end chimneys, each flanked by two windows, anchor the main block. The gable ends of the roof retain carpenters’ Gothic bargeboards, which were added in 1854.”

~ Fronteir Folk

Left: The Gothic bargeboards and flanking windows are noted in this photo. Right: The 18-inch-thick wall is easily noticed in this window casing. /Photos Property of KHT

Political Career Continues

When we left off discussing James Garrard’s political career, it was 1799, and he was representing Stafford County, VA, in the Virginia House of Delegates. In 1785, Garrard was reelected to the VA House of Delegates, but this time he represented Fayette County within the District of Kentucky. During the 1785-1786 legislative session, Garrard pushed for the rapidly growing Fayette County to be divided into smaller counties. In May 1785, Garrard got his wish. Bourbon County was formed from a part of Fayette. As “luck” would have it, Garrard’s home was located within the boundaries of the newly formed Bourbon County.

Now, remember I told you that at this time, Kentucky was the District of Kentucky, which allowed Kentuckians to hold court within their own counties, and they no longer had to travel to Richmond, VA. The very first court held within the newly formed Bourbon County was held in James Garrard’s home on May 16, 1786. In attendance were: James Garrard – Justice of the Peace, John Edwards – Clerk, Alvin Mountjoy, Edward Waller, John Gregg, Benjamin Harrison – Sheriff, and others.² Court continued to be held in Garrard’s home for several years.

Around this same time frame of 1784-1785, Kentucky statehood discussions started taking place. Garrard was absolutely in favor of Kentucky becoming its own state. He was in attendance at the 1785, 1787, and 1788 statehood conventions held in Danville, KY, and he was a delegate, representing Bourbon County, at the 1792 KY Constitutional Convention, where he helped write Kentucky’s first state Constitution.³ It was also in May of 1792 that Isaac Shelby was unanimously elected Kentucky’s first Governor.

Becoming Governor

In 1795, when it was time for a new Governor to be elected for the 1796-1799 term, four men were on the ballot: John Brown, James Garrard, Benjamin Logan, and Thomas Todd. Now, I’ll tell you this next part doesn’t make sense to me. For whatever reason, there was a 1st and 2nd-ballot vote. On the 1st ballot, all four men were a part of the vote. Benjamin Logan received the most votes, with James Garrard coming in second. A second ballot was issued with just Logan and Garrard in the running. Kentucky’s electoral college elected James Garrard on May 27, 1795, and he was sworn in as Kentucky’s 2nd Governor on June 7, 1796.

“No better illustration of Garrard’s popularity can be given than the fact that in the race for Governor, he defeated Gen. Benjamin Logan, the founder of St. Asaphs, and one of the ablest of all the statesmen of pioneer Kentucky, and one of the most popular of her militarry officers… the victory of Garrard is the stronger testimonial to his worth and character.”

~ Anna Russell des Cognetts

In 1799, James and Elizabeth Garrard moved into the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort. They were the first to reside in the home that had just been completed in 1798. It is noted that the couple “dispensed lavish hospitality”⁴ from the Governor’s Mansion.

James Garrard was elected to a second term as governor in 1800. (Alexander Scott Bullitt became Kentucky’s very first Lieutenant Governor.) Governor Garrard just happened to slip under the wire of a provision that was written into the 1799 Kentucky Constitution that prohibited governors from succeeding themselves within seven years of their terms. In 1992, an amendment was added to the KY Constitution that changed the restriction to allow a two-term limit. Until then, Garrard had been our only two-term governor. Since 1992, Paul Patton, Steve Beshear, and our current governor, Andy Beshear, have served two terms.

During Garrard’s time as governor, the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 and 1799 were endorsed, new towns were developed (including Hopewell, which was later renamed Paris, KY), 26 new counties were formed, the circuit court system was developed, and an insurance company was commissioned with banking privileges.

After his term ended, James Garrard returned to Mt. Lebanon Farm in Paris, KY, where he continued to run his farm and businesses.

Cooper’s Run Baptist Church

As if we needed to add anything else to James Garrard’s list of accomplishments, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in 1791, Garrard became an ordained Baptist Minister after helping establish Cooper’s Run Baptist Church – Kentucky’s very first Baptist church – in 1789. He served as the congregation’s very first minister and served them for ten years. (Their register dates to June 1787, but they didn’t gather in a house of worship until 1789.) In 1803, a physical church was built along Stoner Creek near the Garrards’ original Fairfield home.⁵

By 1816, the congregation had grown considerably, and a new building was needed. The site of the church changed, and the limestone church on Stoner Creek was sold to Garrard. He later sold the property to Brutus J. Clay I, who began Runnymeade Farm. The original church building still stands today, but is used to house hay for the farm.

What Happened to Fairfield?

Remember that original stone home built on Stoner Creek that Elizabeth Garrard thought was unsafe? Well, that house eventually became the home of General James Garrard Jr. and his family. (Garrard Jr. was the Governor’s second son. He served in the War of 1812.) He actually ran Fairfield and Mt. Lebanon while his father served the state.

In 1830, Charles Todd Garrard, the grandson of the Governor, acquired the farm and built a larger home – Locust Grove – on the property.⁶

After the Civil War, Fairfield was sold to Colonel Ezekiel Field Clay, the son of Brutus J. Clay, who had purchased the Cooper’s Run Church property. At that time, Clay incorporated Fairfield into Runnymeade, becoming one large farm.

In 1924, the two farms were divided again, this time between two of Col. Ezekiel Clay’s children. The name Fairfield returned, and that farm is still called that today. In 1951, the old stone home, originally built along Stoner Creek by the Garrards, caught fire. The stone was used for the face of the Anne Duncan House at Duncan Tavern, in Paris, KY.

“The remaining stone was used to build a 4-room house on the bank of Stoner Creek directly in front of the site of the original structure. The site of Fairfield remains in possession of descendants of E.F. Clay.”

~ Hopewell Museum

Back to Mt. Lebanon

Governor James Garrard died on January 19, 1822, at the age of 74. He was buried on his farm just a few feet from his home. His wife, Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard, died on August 28, 1832. She was buried next to her husband in the small family cemetery.

It is said that James “helped the helpless, aided the weak, fed the hungry, and was a generous and warm-hearted friend to all mankind.” Elizabeth was said to have been a “very superior woman, a devoted wife, and a tender, loving mother.”⁷

The Garrards’ Mt. Lebanon Home descended to the Governor’s grandson, William Garrard Talbot I (1813-1866), who was the son of Margaret “Peggy” Garrard Talbot. From there, the home stayed in the family’s hands, passing from William Talbot I to William Talbot II, then to William Talbot III and his wife, Elizabeth Hinton Talbot. (You know that I love making connections! So, here’s a little extra tidbit. Elizabeth Hinton Talbot was a student at Science Hill Women’s School in Shelbyville, KY, and she was the great niece of J.T. Hinton of the Hinton Building in downtown Paris, KY. That building was just reopened as Hotel Thoroughbred.)

Now, William III and Elizabeth Hinton Talbot’s daughter, Betsy, was raised in the beautiful Garrard home. She is the lovely lady I met on the day of my visit. Her sons, John and Michael (and their wives), are now the proud owners of this extraordinary property with extraordinary history. It was actually Jennifer, Michael’s wife, who so kindly offered the visit that led to this incredible story.

My Visit

As I stated at the beginning, I was quite surprised on the day of my visit to not only meet Jennifer, but also the direct descendants of Governor Garrard. I can not say enough kind words about these fellow Kentuckians. Seriously. I can’t. Both John and Michael had taken time out of their very busy day of farm work to show me around the home they visited while growing up. To them, the home was their grandparents’ home. We all remember going to Grandma and Papaw’s house as kids. That’s what Mt. Lebanon is to them: Grandma’s house. John, Michael, and Jennifer didn’t call her Grandma; they had another affectionate name for her, which I now can’t remember, but you get my point.

Their grandmother (Elizabeth Hinton Talbot) outlived their grandfather (William Talbot III) by 10 years. Betsy (John and Michael’s mother) spoke briefly of her mother, who lived in her family home until she was 99. (Elizabeth lived to be 101.) She said her mother just didn’t want to leave, but due to the condition of the home at. that time, it was necessary. I can imagine it broke not only her heart, but everyone’s heart, when she finally left her home for the final time.

I made a comment to Betsy about how wonderful it must have been to grow up in such a beautiful home, full of so much history. She responded with something like, “There wasn’t a lot to do, except to get into trouble.” I had to laugh. I could only imagine the kinds of stories she had to tell.

It was then that John, Michael, and Jennifer began to show me around the home that they have lovingly restored. They discussed removing worn-out wallpaper and replacing cracked and crumbling plaster with drywall. They pointed out the burn marks on the original flooring near the fireplace hearths. I was told the history behind family heirloom pieces, from a baby bassinet to the Governor’s desk, and the grandfather clock in the entry to the cherry bed posts on the double and single beds.

It was quite clear that the home holds a special place in all their hearts. They are all so very proud of their family’s heritage – our Kentucky heritage. They knew all the stories and shared them all with me.

Once we completed a tour of the home, we exited out the front door, and walked out to the front lawn where you could see the path of the old road that ran parallel to Stoner Creek below. I was told about the house build and when the additions were completed on the home. I learned about the 1811 New Madrid Earthquake that negatively impacted the home. That’s when the S-shaped masonry anchors were installed on the home. (They run from the front of the home to the back, holding the walls in place. You often see these with stars on the ends. They took the place of buttresses.)

From there, we visited the smokehouse and the family cemetery, where I learned about the monument erected by the state and the markings completed by the SAR and DAR. I was shown the one set of log cabins still standing on the property. These log homes were likely originally used as slave quarters. (Garrard owned approximately 23 enslaved people, even though he opposed slavery and called it a “horrid evil.”) Finally, I was shown the old barn structure where I “oohed and aahed” over the hand-hewn logs marked with Roman Numerals. I’m not sure of the exact date of the barn, but it’s an old one!

At this point, I waved goodbye to John and Michael, who headed back to their work on the farm, and Jennifer led me along a trail on the property that ended along Acquia Run, the very stream that Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard had named over 230 years ago. It was such a beautiful spot, and the sound of the gurgling stream was so relaxing. I really didn’t want to leave. I was standing and walking in the same places as the famous men and women in our history books. I simply couldn’t get enough, and I simply didn’t have enough words of thanks for the opportunity I was given. I could have spent all day talking with Jennifer. We finally made our way back to my car, and I knew it was time to say goodbye to Jennifer. I had taken two hours of her Saturday, and she had so generously given those hours to me. I thanked her for her time and bid her farewell with a promise that I would write this post in a timely manner.

All Photos Property of KHT unless otherwise noted.

I got back in my car and headed out to the grand opening of Hotel Thoroughbred, where I met my daughter. I finished the day with her in downtown Paris, KY, and finally headed for home about 8:30 PM that evening. It had been a full day, but one that I would not soon forget.

My Reflection

Isn’t this home incredible? I can’t get enough of this home! Mt. Lebanon Farm is being so lovingly cared for by Governor Garrard’s descendants. I just know he is smiling down proudly. They are doing such a beautiful job, and his home is just stunning! John and Michael, along with their wives, have opened the home as an Airbnb. While I have not stayed in the home, I know it would be the perfect place for a larger group. The kitchen has been beautifully updated and blends perfectly with the home. Four bedrooms can comfortably sleep eight people. The grounds are beautiful with a fire pit for s’mores, and I can’t imagine a better place to see the stars once the sun goes down.

I would absolutely choose this home for a stay! What an incredible opportunity it would be to stay in a home that is older than our state! And I can’t say enough about the kindness of the family. I believe they would be absolutely wonderful hosts, and I just know you’d have an amazing experience. I would put money on it!

If you are interested in staying in this home, you can find the listing on VRBO and Airbnb under “Historic Mt. Lebanon, The Governor’s Estate.”

Go on! Get out and see Kentucky! Until next time….

Happy Travels!

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