133 W. High St.,
Lexington, Fayette
County, Kentucky
Built 1814
Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.
Colonel Abram S. Drake, "taylor" whose shop was on Main St., near
Limestone, purchased a 40 foot lot on High St., next to "Samuel Patterson's
lot where he now lives" (the latter was razed a few years ago and a
car-wash concern is now on the lot). Drake paid "240$" for the lot,
bought from Robert S. Todd, father of President Lincoln's wife, on May 27, 1814.
Colonel Drake died September 6, 1831. The house passed to his son, Abram H.
Drake, and to the latter's widow, Hannah Drake, after whose death it was sold in
1870 to Richard Adams and Wm. T. Matthews--"bounded on one side by the
property of F. Montmullin, Sr., and on the other by the property of
Charles Schultze." Col. Abram S. Drake, the records show, apprenticed four
boys between 1806 and 1816--Geo. Groyer, James Nulter, Laws Cannon and Sidney
Williams--agreeing to teach them "the art and mystery of a taylor,"
also the "3R's" - "the rule of 3."
The house has an old one-story brick addition, with porch, on the back. The
Drake home is well built, the brick construction being Flemish bond. Deeds of
the house next door, in 1852 and 1854, refer to Mrs. Hannah Drake living here.
The Drake family, after Mrs. Hannah Drake's death, seem not to have occupied the
High St. house. Three city directories from 1859 to 1867, inclusive, show that
Edward S. Duncanson, Senior and Junior, lived here. The former was a bank
cashier and the latter freight agent of the L.C. & L.R.R.
Abram S. Drake, grandson, conducted a fine school for boys. It first was located
on East Main St., and later out at Pisgah. Samuel Patterson, August 24,
1814--house was already there (City Hall
sketch)--purchased from John Pope (U.S. Senator) 82 feet on High Street, through
to Main Street. He already had built his home earlier that year on High Street
on the west half of the lot (home is pictured on adjoining
survey September 29, 1814) and sold the east half to Abram S, Drake (house
described herein under that name).
In December, the same year (1814), Patterson sold the 82 feet in Main Street to
Gabriel Tandy, the site of General Leslie Combs' residence.
In 1823, Patterson and the other three interested property owners gave the city
a 10 foot alley extending from High Street to Main Street (remains of the High
Street end may be seen today, and the Main Street end is the much used alley
between the Phoenix Hotel and Hernando Bldg.) The deed read: "Beginning on
Main Street at east corner of Robert Wilson's house wherein he now resides (now
New Phoenix Hotel) thence south-east 10 feet to the corner of Leslie Combs brick
wall (now Hernando Bldg.) thence south-west binding
thereon and on Samuel Patterson's inclosure (site of car-wash lot) to High St.,
thence northwest 10 feet to corner of Wm. Bowman's inclosure (house described
here under that name), thence binding thereon and on said Wilson's inclosure to
the beginning, being the alley now opened between said Combs and Patterson on
the one side and Wilson and Bowman on the other side." (1835 deed,
"alley between Combs' dwelling and the dwelling of Daniel Mays.")
(1827 deed, "alley between lot now occupied by Gabriel Tandy and lot of
Robert Wilson).
(1827 later deed, "alley between lot at present occupied by Geo. Norton and
lot where Robt. Wilson now lives.")
Samuel Patterson sold the house in 1833 ("at present occupied by Presley
Athey") to Jacob Ashton, who sold it in 1835 (he had just built and moved
into the "Little Inn" a few doors above) to August Hall, who in 1836
sold it to John Hutchins, whose executors sold it in 1838 to Fred Montmullin, Sr.,
it still being occupied by Presley Athey (1838 Dir).
Transcribed by pb July 2004