Far too many of the historic homes in this part of the county have fallen to disrepair and the dozer.   

We desperately want to prevent this old house from becoming another victim of ‘demolition by neglect’.

This once beautiful old home sits a couple of blocks off Dixie Highway, just south of Shively, Kentucky.  It’s behind Neil Huffman, at 4902 Ranchland Drive. 

It was “most likely” built circa 1813.  We say this in quotes  because the researcher that did the National Register Of Historic Places application, July 1, 1980, said that. The application went on to say the home had some of the finest interior woodworking in  Jefferson County, and remained in the same family for 49 years.   However, the same researcher went on to cite “The Early History of Valley Station, Kentucky” as a source. 

That little booklet, done by the Valley Station Woman’s Club in 1959, said the house was built in 1798.   And Mary Jane Yann Stapp , the writer of the little history book, had the ability to speak with the real estate agent responsible for development of the subdivision surrounding the house.  He did extensive research on the property during development.  And he believed the home to have been built around 1798.

The fact that the Lewis men had a habit of repeating male given names through multiple generations, and the entire Lewis clan seemed inclined to marry first cousins, it is easy to get lost in Lewis genealogy

According to the NHR, the house originally  sat on almost 600 acres.  When the Louisville Nashville Turnpike was built in 1835, the house was the very close to the first toll gate.

The gracious  home has a Flemish bond facade, built from bricks that were burned on the property.  Records indicate there is/was a family cemetery on the property.  We are still trying to find out what happened to those graves.

Lewiston Place raised hogs, hemp, and corn.   The impressive home welcomed some of early Louisville’s most influential families.  We believe the  home’s story touches the Lewises, the Meriwethers, the Fields, the Swindlers, The Corp Of Discovery, and possibly two Presidents.

We believe William’s father was Stephen Lewis.  Stephen was the son of Thomas Lewis, and Ann Hickman.  Stephen was born on March 17, 1778.  And like so many other settlers of this area , he was from Loudon County, Virginia.

Stephen Lewis had four children:. William, Betsey, Thomas, and Anna.  Apparently he brought his young family to Jefferson County around 1800.  Two of his children married children of  Abraham Field.

In 1807, William Lewis married Cynthia Field.  According to the The National Historic Register,  Lewis purchased the property in 1813. 

As it turns out, two of Cynthia’s brothers just happened to be members of The Corp of Discovery.

The clipping on the left, from the Courier in the 1860’s speaks to the family’s recovery of property that had been donated by William years prior, to be used as a schoolhouse for the children of early settlers to the area known as Lochland.

In 1879, we find a Thomas Lewis owning a 360 acre plantation close to the river, adjoining the Alsop family, on Johnsontown Road.  This property was known as Beechwood.  We believe Thomas was William’s younger brother.

 

 

 

 

And this is what it looks like today

(Swipe left for more photos)

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The owners have been fined thousands of dollars by the city of Louisville due to the condition of the house and yard.

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