N.W. Cor. Mill and Church Sts.
Lexington, Fayette
County, Kentucky
Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.
Selecting a name for this house, from the lengthy roll of its distinguished occupants, is like trying to select a President to associate solely with the White House at Washington.
Dr. Benjamin W. Dudley, the world-renowned surgeon, owned and used it for nearly 35 years, so his long occupancy accounts for its being designated "Dr. Dudley's Office."
Henry Clay called it "William Dailey's House," and William Dailey's it was in 1800, which incidentally dates it back to the 1890's. Dailey, "a free man of color," was one of the earliest stage-coach drivers and was employed by Mr. Clay on his stage line to Olympian Springs when Dailey was living here. So, our "hunch" is that Mr. Clay built the house, as he owned the lot and when Mr. Clay sold the property he scratched the word "purchased" from the line "purchased from William Dailey" in the recorded deed.
Senator John Pope's deed for the property opposite this on Church Street said it extended back to "William Dailey's House," and deeds for lots north of this one on Mill Street made the same reference. Deeds on this property itself for many years referred to it, so the old colored stage-coach driver is eternally memorialized therein--to say nothing of the fact that the north-west corner of the building is Dailey's original house. (Its lines may be traced in the wall of this added structure, which is old itself, as attested by record of Dr. Samuel Brown. Either Dailey or Dr. Dudley at an early date expanded the house. Dr. Dudley taught large classes of Transylvania Medical College students here soon after he acquired it.
A deed of trust filed by Dailey October 29, 1800, cites his residence here at that time.
The deed of trust was for 33 feet "on Mill St., the most northeastwardly half of the lot whereon the said Dailey now resides, for the benefit of Sally Dailey, wife, in consequence of a transfer this day made by Sarah to William of all her rights in 75 Pounds which Andrew Ronald, dec'd, late of Richmond, Va., promised to give Sally should her inclination or distress at any time induce her to apply for it, which 75 Pounds was paid by Dailey to Andrew Ronald on Sept. 5, 1794" to "set free Sally, who is now the wife of Wm. Dailey."
An ad in the Kentucky Gazette in November and December, 1800, revealed that the house was known as "William Dailey's Hotel," and that a dancing school was being conducted there by Charles V. Lorumer. The ad read:
"The subscriber notifies the public that he has opened "DANCING SCHOOL in Mr. William Dailey's Hotel on Mill Street and hopes, from his attention to business he will meet the approbation of the public--and scholars will be received on the following terms at Four Dollars per quarter, the one-half in advance, the remainder at the conclusion of the quarter. He will likewise keep evening SCHOOL for the young Gentlemen."
The same "Ch. V. Lorumer" had advertised up to October 27 that he had "opened DANCING SCHOOL in Mr. Martin Hawkins's house, opposite the District Court Clerk's office."
Porter Clay, younger brother of Henry Clay, had a cabinet shop here in 1803-04-05. The 1806 Directory (made in 1805) cites: "Porter Clay, Cabinet Maker, Mill St."
The Kentucky Gazette, March 15, 1803, stated that "On Tuesday evening last, about 9 o'clock, a fire broke out in the shop of Mr. Porter Clay, cabinet maker, in this place. By the exertions of the citizens the house was saved without being very materially injured. Mr. Clay lost about 300 dollars in tools and furniture." (Later he removed his shop to "Bank Alley.")
Porter Clay had purchased the entire area bounded by Broadway, Short, Limestone and Second Streets from the Francis McDermid heirs. In 1808 he sold his purchase to Thomas Dye Owings, with Henry Clay, who had bought part of it, assenting. The deed stated that Porter Clay had given the Town of Lexington Market and Church Streets.
Thomas Dye Owings' deed to Henry Clay the same day "Lot No. 48 lately in the occupation of Wm. Dailey and by him sold to the said Henry Clay, now occupied by Will T. Barry."
Hugh McDermid, in a deed September 22, 1804, to Stephens & Winslow for Lot. No. 47 in McDermid's Square, said it fronted on Mill and adjoins on one side Wm. Dailey's lot, on the other the lot of John McNair estate, on the third the lot of Stephens & Winslow and lies opposite Col. Thos. Hart's lot (now the parking lot across the street next to the Y.W.C.A.).
And now for the record in the deed books of the notables who occupied the house from shortly after 1800 to the 1860's--which is long enough for any story.
Henry Clay, in preparing to convey "Lot No. 48, in McDermid's Square," had a deed recorded in 1806-07, showing he had purchased it from Francis McDermid's heirs and stating it was "the lot upon which a certain William Dailey, a man of colour, who lately owned the lot, built a brick house, which is at present occupied by William Barry, Esq." The 1806 Directory lists "William T. Barry, Attorney at Law, Mill St."
The above deed further described it as "a corner lot on Mill St. nearly opposite to Col. Thomas Hart's lot." Col. Thomas Hart, Sr., then was residing in a house he had built next to the opposite corner on Mill St., known in latter years as the Emmal House, which was razed a few years ago to provide the present parking lot.
On September 29, 1806, Mr. Clay had a deed of conveyance recorded in which Lot. No. 48 was described as "lately in occupation on Wm. Dailey on which Dailey erected a brick house and other improvements." Thus the genesis and exodus of Dailey, so far as the story is concerned.
Henry Clay, "Esqr." and Lucretia, his wife, finally deeded the house and lot (66 feet on Mill St.) cornering on "Church Alley" to David Dodge, Clark Co., July 10 1817. The deed named the distinguished occupants meantime, as follows" "The house and lot formerly owned by William Daily, and which was sold by Henry Clay to Stephens and Winslow by them to Matthew Elder, by him to William T. Barry, by him to John D. Young, by him to Daniel Bradford and by him to David Dodge, as appears by their respective orders directed to said Clay."
David Dodge, who had been one of the early hemp manufacturers in Lexington and had removed to Clark County some time after a fire had destroyed his mammoth "rope walk" on High Street, conveyed the Dailey house and lot to Dr. Caleb W. Cloud in August, 1817, (who conveyed it temporarily two months later to General John M. McCalla).
Dr. Cloud and wife, Polly, sold the house and lot to Dr. Benj. W. Dudley in 1818. (1818 Directory: "B.W. Dudley, physician and surgeon, Mill St.)
The famous Rev. Ambrose Dudley died here at his son's house. The local press stated: "Rev. Ambrose Dudley died at the Lexington residence of Dr. B.W. Dudley, Thursday morning (January 27, 1825) aged 72."
Dr. Dudley resided as well as maintained his office here until November 8, 1822, when he bought Henry Clay's former home on the opposite side of the street near Second (razed several years ago) from John Tilford. He retained the office (both are listed in the 1838 Directory until he sold it in 1852 to the Baptist Church).
(Dr. Dudley's wife--"Mrs. Anna Maria Dudley, consort of Dr. B.W. Dudley"--died in the Henry Clay house October 23, 1827).
The 1838 Directory shows Dr. Dudley as having his office here and his residence near Second St. on the opposite side of Mill St.--the latter also verified by the deeds. Dr. Dudley's famous career during his tenure here for more than 34 years is too well-known and lengthy to recite in this story, except that he built the remainder of the large house here, after acquiring "Wm. Dailey's house."
In July, 1852, the trustees of the First Baptist Church purchased from Dr. Dudley "all that messuage, tenement and lot of ground on the corner of Mill St. and Church Alley, fronting 100 feet on Mill St. and running back along Church Alley 84 feet to the City Hall of the City of Lexington." The following excerpts from the history of the First Baptist Church are appropriate in this connection:
The First Baptist Church was constituted in 1817. The congregation at that time met in the chapel of Transylvania University, and that year purchased a lot on Mill St., between New and Third Sts., opposite the university, where they erected their first church and occupied it in October, 1819. Dr. James Fishback was made the pastor and served 1817-1826.
Why they located here instead of building on the lot on West Main St. (through to Short St.) where their edifice is today, is not apparent. They had been deeded the West Main St. lot on April 11, 1818, by the Town Fork Baptist Church, the history of which is briefly recorded in the deed books as follows:
The Town Trustees "granted Rev. John Gano, Edward Payne, Thos. Lewis, William Payne, William Stone, Jr., and Elisha Winters, in trust for the sole use of the Baptist Church holding the doctrine and maintaining the discipline set forth in the Baptist Confession of Faith accepted by a number of churches in London and the country adjacent in the year 1643 and by the Baptist Association met in Philadelphia Sept. 25, 1742, and in 1785 by the ministers and messengers of several churches in the District of Kentucky" the lot where the church is today on West Main St.
The above deed stated further that "in case of the death, removal or resignation of any of the aforesaid Trustees, a majority of those remaining shall and may appoint others to fill the vacancies...provided that always and forever hereafter the Trustees for the time being or a majority of them shall preserve the premises hereinafter mentioned to the Church maintaining the principles above mentioned." The deed was dated Sept. 29, 1789, and originally recorded in April, 1790.
On March 19, 1806, there was filed the following: "We, the majority of the Trustees for the Baptist Society, to a lot of ground in the Town of Lexington do hereby appoint James Beatty in the room of the Rev. John Gano, dec'd.; Henry Payne in the room of Elder Wm. Payne, who has removed to the County of Mason, and Lewis E. Turner in the room of Elisha Winters, who has removed out of this State."
On April 11, 1818--"We, the Trustees for the lot of ground in Lexington for the Baptist Society do hereby appoint Richard Gray in the place of Edward Payne dec'd and James Fishback in the place of Thos. Lewis, dec'd. We, a majority of the Trustees to a lot of ground in Lexington for the Baptist Church, the Town Fork Church having relinquished her right, do hereby vest the First Baptist Church in Lexington with the right to use it for the purpose designated in a deed executed Sept. 9, 1789, acknowledged April 6, 1790, by the Trustees of said Town."
Yet, the church trustees on May 5, 1818, purchased on Thomas January and wife, Daniel Bradford and wife, and John Fowler and wife the Mill St. lot "for the purpose of erecting a Meeting House thereon." The lot fronted 87 feet on Mill St., between New and Third, and was part of "Outlot No. 5, known by its general name of Mount Hope."
In 1826, the church history continues, the influence of the movement headed by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell caused the introduction of a resolution into the First Baptist Church to change its name to "The Church of Christ." After a long discussion, the party favoring the resolution "swarmed out" under the leadership of Dr. Fishback and organized the Church of Christ, worshipping in an office on Short St., between Upper and Limestone Sts. This church eventually was dissolved, many of the congregation going back to the First Baptist Church and the remainder connecting themselves with the body now called the Christian Church.
In 1845, Rev. Wm. M. Pratt was invited to take charge of the church and accepted August 1 of that year. In the spring of 1853 the church resolved to erect a new house of worship and "secured a lot with a good dwelling on Mill St."--the house and lot here of Dr. Dudley's.
On November 19, 1854, the last services were held at the old Meeting House. The congregation assembled in the basement of the church that was being erected here, until it was completed and dedicated August 19, 1855. The church cost $15,000, the contractors allowing $2,500 for materials in the old house. The new church here burned to the ground on the night of January 3, 1859--a burning shingle from a stable on fire on the opposite side of the street was blown into the cupola. It was a number of months before the members could agree as to location for another church. Some wanted to rebuild here, others on the West Main St. lot--"the old Baptist graveyard"--because of the spacious grounds. The latter was finally selected, and on January 1, 1860, the congregation met in the basement of their new building, and a year later in the auditorium. In the meantime they worshipped in the old City Hall and in "the Theatre." The West Main St. church burned in 1867, by the way.
The church trustees in August, 1859, sold this house and the church lot to Ephraim D. Sayre. The lot extended "back along Church Alley to old City Hall, now the Independent Methodist Church." Mr. Sayre resided here for many years.
That Dr. Dudley resided here in 1818 (listed that year in the directory merely as "Mill St.") is attested to by an ad he inserted in the Kentucky Reporter June 24, 1818, as follows:
"DOCTOR DUDLEY has removed on Poplar Row, and resides in the Corner House immediately opposite Mr. Barry."
The Hon. Wm. T. Barry was residing in a house that later became the Bank of the United States.
Dr. L.P. Yandell and other famous men of early days also occupied it. After the bank removed, it again became a noted residence. David Sutton, prominent merchant, died here in 1840 (Deed Book 18, page 50). The Y.W.C.A. building today occupies the site of the famous residence. Until recently, as an adjunct to the Y.W.C.A. building, there stood next to it (now a parking lot) the old residence of Col. Thomas Hart, Sr. Here Colonel Hart (1808) and his widow (1832) died. The next occupant was Judge Fielding L. Turner. It was last well known as the Emmal House.
Transcribed by pb July 2004