"LEWIS' TAVERN"
(Lafayette Studio)

Main and Mill, Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Built 1834

Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.

When the renowned Dr. Benj. W. Dudley purchased the corner property here in 1833 and built the present brick building occupied by a studio and adjoining store on Main St., he razed a large frame building that had considerable history.

In the early 1790's (when the Town Trustees were threatening to sue Col. Thomas Lewis if he did not remove the porch on his building here, which extended over the Main Street sidewalk) it was the tavern of Nicholas Lewis.

Lewis Sanders bought the entire Main Street mortgage (Inlots Nos. 6 and 7--from the Mill St. corner to the Ada Meade Theatre inclusive) and erected a three-story brick building (now Graves Block) for his commission house, to which he made the alley from Mill Street to be seen back of these buildings.

Col. Sanders sold the corner "tavern" to Joseph and Littleberry Hawkins. They sold it to John Towler, who in 1817 conveyed it to Col. Jas. Johnson and brother, Col. Richard M. Johnson ("old Tecumseh"), who operated a store here in partnership with Uriel Sebree (all of Scott County). It was listed in the 1818 Directory as: "Sebree & Johnson, Domestic Store, Main St. corner Mill."

Samuel D. McCullough, in his reminiscences, tells an interesting story of his relative, Nathan Burrowes, bring "jailed" for an inability to pay a small debt due at this store. McCullough, then a youngster, saddled Burrowes' horse and rode to "Blue Spring," the Scott County residence of Col. Richard M. Johnson to make an appeal to him for relief for Burrowes. Col. Johnson, dumfounded at learning of the action, sent three notes back by McCullough--one firing his manager, another to the jailer to release Burrowes and the third an apology to Burrowes.

After the financial crises of 1819 the building was in the hands of the Bank of the United States, from whom Dr. Benj. W. Dudley bought it (23 feet) in 1833. The same year he bought an adjoining "tin shop" from Jas. Devers (15 feet) and built this brick house.

The old tavern building had been used in 1815 by Dr. Dudley as a hospital, the following newspaper ad February 27, 1815 revealed:

"Removed--DR. DUDLEY has removed to the corner of Main and Mill Sts., immediately back of R.G. Dudley & Co. store, to the house lately occupied by Mr. Roberts (Robert). A large portion of the building being vacant, Dr. Dudley proposes converting it to the purpose of a temporary hospital for his surgical patients calling from the country."

Dr. Dudley and his heirs owned the brick building for three-quarters of a century, during which time deeds for the adjoining Main St. house said that he had built this house "9 inches into the wall of the James Weir house."

The history of the houses from the Mill Street corner to the Ada Meade Theatre, inclusive, is as follows:

Col. Thomas Lewis bought Inlots Nos. 6 and 7 here from the Town Trustees. He sold them to Lewis Sanders, one of the most prominent figures in the early life of Lexington.

Col. Sanders built a three-story brick building (Ada Meade and Graves Block today) in the early 1800's. He sold part of the large building (now Ada Meade) in 1813 to James Campbell, saying it was occupied "by John Scott, Jr., as a store" and adjoined "the house now occupied by Sanders." This store passed (1817) to George and Jonathan Robinson, to (1833) Henry Weir, (James Weir) to (1849) D.S. Goodloe, to (1857) Wm. Scott. In the deed November 10, 1813, to Jas. Campbell, Sanders said it was "a three-story Brick House lately occupied by the Lexington Branch Bank" (Bank of the United States).

Col Sanders sold the other half of the building to James Weir in 1816 (Graves Block). Wm. Riordan bought it in 1852 from Eliza Jane Weir, of Belfast, Ireland. The deed in 1816 described it as "the three-story brick house built by Sanders and now in occupancy of Barton & Craig as a store and dwelling."

James Weir made a "family" conveyance of the property to Henry Weir in 1820, when he stated that the building was occupied by Barton & Craig and Henry Weir. The next house on the east, he said, was owned Berich McCoffin.

The latter building (which completes the row) was conveyed in 18XX by W.W. Bruce's executors to John E. Anderson, as "the same property conveyed to John D. Wilgus" (who operated a bank here) by John Baker and wife July 3, 1865.

Transcribed by Pam Brinegar, March 2000