Back to Fayette County Genealogy and
History
148 Barr Street,
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Built 1840s
Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.
Julius W. Adams, who designed the beautiful and inspiring Henry Clay monument in Lexington Cemetery, and his wife, Elizabeth, bought this house from Benjamin Warfield and wife, Nandy, May 23, 1853. They paid $4,500 for "a certain house and lot (100 feet) on Barr St., being Lot No. 10."
Robert Barr, for whom the street was named, owned the area from Limestone to Walnut, and from Short St. to "Thos. Hart, Jr., dec'd" (now Sayre College) when he died. His son, Robert R. Barr, made a plat of the property and it was partitioned to the heirs in 1823.
Wm. B. Victor bought the property for $5,000 in July, 1857, from Adams (1859-1860 Directory: Wm. B. Victor, Attorney, res. S.S. Barr St., bet. Limestone and Walnut Sts.) Victor married a daughter of Jos. H. Hawkins, who had met Stephen F. Austin in Lexington and, together with Moses Austin, established the first colony of Americans in Texas. Hawkins married George Ann, daughter of Col. Geo. Nicholas. Upon Hawkins' death in New Orleans in 1823, at the age of 37, Mrs. Hawkins returned to Lexington. Hawkins had had a distinguished career in Lexington. He was elected to the Legislature from Fayette County in 1810 and became Speaker of the House in 1813, filling a vacancy created by Mr. Clay's mission to Europe.
Victor, whose daughter Marie achieved prominence on the stage, under the name of "Maria Prescott" (See Augustus Hall House) wrote "Life & Events" (Cincinnati 1859) and published "A Memorial to the Legislature of Texas."
He told of the career of Hawkins in his "Life and Events," a valuable record of the pre-Republic "on to Texas" movement that had a strong hold on Lexingtonians more than a century ago.
Transcribed by P. Brinegar March 2000