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Ashland was Henry Clay’s cherished home for nearly half a century. His historic estate has been preserved for your discovery today.
A self-guided tour of the grounds is a great way to explore the estate. We encourage visitors to spend time discovering our peaceful grounds, outbuildings, gardens, and historic walking trails. Learn how ice houses work. See how many different tree species you can identify.
Ashland was Henry Clay’s cherished home for nearly half a century. His historic estate has been preserved for your discovery today.
Ashland was Henry Clay’s cherished home for nearly half a century. His historic estate has been preserved for your discovery today.
Ashland is the name of the plantation of the 19th-century Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, located in Lexington, Kentucky, in the central Bluegrass region of the state. The buildings were built by enslaved African Americans, and enslaved people grew and harvested hemp, farmed livestock, and cooked and cleaned for the Clays.
On October 18, 1862, as Confederate troops were retreating from the Battle of Perryville, action took place on the grounds of Henry Clay's "Ashland" Estate.
Ashland was Henry Clay’s cherished home for nearly half a century. His historic estate has been preserved for your discovery today.
Ashland preserves the main house, gardens, and core grounds of the estate of Henry Clay, one of the nation’s most influential statesmen during the Antebellum period. Opened to the public in 1950, Ashland is a National Historic Landmark.
The estate has undergone several changes since it was first developed in the early nineteenth century, yet Clay’s imprint remains. Today the wooded estate includes original Henry Clay structures such as the Keepers Cottage, smokehouse, and icehouse/dairy cellar system.
ABOUT THE SIGNATURE HENRY CLAY TOUR. Ashland’s essential 60-minute guided experience includes both floors of the 19th-century mansion filled with authentic artifacts and furnishings.
