Here's a "sneak peek" at the setting for the 2010 CCL Conference at the
Lexington Downtown Hotel and Conference Center in Lexington, Ky.
 Henry and Lucretia Clay had a home at Ashland from around 1806 until 1852. At first it was their country home while they maintained their town house in Lexington, and then in 1809, they moved their growing family to Ashland where they resided until his death. The Clays delighted in the pleasure that the grounds near the house provided to their guests, and Henry Clay frequently invited travelers to visit his farm and grounds.
At its largest the estate covered up to 600 acres. Hemp, tobacco and grains were grown and livestock was raised. Clay was very interested in stock breeding and imported pure bred stock, particularly sheep and cattle, from all over the world. During Clay's long stays in Washington, the farm was usually managed by his wife, Lucretia, and an overseer. The labor was performed by up to 50 slaves.
 Mary Todd, who would become Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s most controversial First Ladies, was born in Lexington in 1818. Her father, Robert Todd, was a successful businessman and Whig politician; her grandfather, Levi Todd, was one of Lexington’s founders. Her mother died when she was six. In 1832, her father and his new wife moved the family to this brick house on West Main Street. Mary lived here until she was 21, when she went to Springfield, Illinois to live with her sister.
 America’s largest restored Shaker community. About 25 miles southwest of Lexington via US 68 is Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. More than 30 beautifully restored buildings display Shaker furniture, crafts, textiles, and other artifacts. There also are gardens, craftmaking demonstrations, an interpretive center and many special events. Spring through fall, you can take a paddlewheel ride down the Kentucky River, the state’s most historic waterway. Open daily. Admission charged. (859) 734-5411
 Although there are none to be found in "Madison County", Kentucky, the state boasts 13 remaining "timbered tunnels." Nestled along backroads like hidden jewels, they are the perfect excuse for a leisurely drive in the country.
Horse Farm Tours
 Beautiful horse farms have been part of the Bluegrass since the region was first settled. So have horse farm visitors. Early 19th-century travelers remarked on the beautiful country estates of the Bluegrass noting, as one put it, “a handsome horse is the highest pride of a Kentuckian.”
When great 20th-century Thoroughbred Man o' War retired to stud in the Bluegrass, visitors from around the world flocked to see him. Man o' War's groomer, Will Harbut, kept ledgers for visitors to sign. When Man o' War died in 1947, there were 63 ledgers containing over 1.3 million names.
Ready to do your part to uphold this great Bluegrass tradition? Visiting a horse farm while you're in town is a uniquely Bluegrass kind of experience you'll long remember. And it's easier than you might think.
There are about 450 horse farms in the region (about 150 in Lexington/Fayette County alone). They're all working farms— which means you should never just “drop by” —but more than a few allow visitors by appointment or through arrangements with professional tour companies.
 In 1804, a small group of Presbyterian ministers from Kentucky and Ohio, including Stone, penned and signed a document, "The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery", at Cane Ridge that resulted in the birth of a movement seeking unity among Christians along non-sectarian lines. They would call themselves simply "Christians".
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Churches of Christ (non-instrumental), and the Christian Churches (independent) of the Stone-Campbell movement trace their origins here. This movement is often noted as the first one indigenous to American soil. |
