Our home is a pre-civil war era Italianate style Victorian home furnished with many period antiques. Located one hour north of Nashville in the quiet historical town of Russellville, Logan County, KY. Our property is also known as the Wallace-Byrne Home and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a Stage Coach Inn and Tavern in the early 1800's.
The home is 4600 square feet plus another 500+ square feet of covered porches. It has five (or six) ample bedrooms and beds enough to sleep up to 17 people (all linens included). There are also couches, air mattresses, and sleeping bags. Four bathrooms have all been added over time. The main floor has 10' ceilings with a formal parlor, two dining rooms, and a master bedroom suite. The other bedrooms are located upstairs. The slaves quarters and external kitchen are now replaced with a two car garage.
The kitchen is updated to modern gourmet style with stainless steel appliances including Jennair gas stove (two ovens, 6 burners, plus hotplate), dishwasher, and two refrigerators. The kitchen is fully stocked with dishes, pans, utensils, and imperishable food stock for your use.
The home is within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and seven churches and many other historically significant homes in the Russellville Historic District. Our home historically was on the outside edge of town on what used to be called “High Street” -- which made it quite suitable for being a stagecoach inn and tavern. Now we are in the center of the town on the south edge of the historic district at the foot of the hills.
The builder of the original log house (parlor and dining room with loft above) was William Wallace, possible direct descendant of the William Wallace made famous by Mel Gibson in the movie “Brave Heart”. Wallace was appointed Circuit Court Judge in 1807 with a jurisdiction covered 5 counties and some 160 miles. Wallace was a Jeffersonian in politics and was a presidential elector in the National Electoral College in 1808. One of his more famous young attorney apprentices was Joseph Emory Davis, eldest brother of Jefferson Davis who later was the President of the Southern Confederacy.
A FORMER OWNER OF OUR HOME WAS SHOT BY THE JESSE JAMES GANG - and lived. This was Mr Nimrod Long the banker who was shot in the head during the bank robbery March 20, 1868 - The James gang robbed the Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville, Kentucky for $14,000. Long & wife purchased our house in 1877 leaving it to his eldest son for $1 in 1881.
The Victorian home was originally heated by eight coal fireplaces. You can still see the original coal shoot, including its own little driveway ramp up from the street, at the southwest corner. A young slave was responsible for keeping the coal bins full during winter. You can see the remains of coal throughout the coal cellar located under the Parlor. In the north yard closest to the NE entrance is a Buckeye tree (thought to be over 150 years old). This is the tree made famous by the Ohio State University mascot (but most Ohioans have never seen this kind of tree or its nut). Unfortunately this tree was damaged by a storm in 2010 and only partially stands today. But we still have a bucket of buck-eye nuts. On the north east corner of the property behind the garage by the stone fence is a concrete pad that we understand was approximately where the slave quarters were located. The original kitchen was located about where the garage is today.
Consequently, this is an older home with some updated ammenities. Our neighbors are mostly current or retired educators that love history and are very friendly and helpful. Many neighbors are active in the areas historic societies and civil war groups. If your party is really seeking a condo or set of hotel rooms style outing, please do not contact me about renting our house. This is for people who can enjoy the country and appreciate the differences of an older home.
Free WIFI Access - After long holding out that the modern era has no place in a pre-civil war home, we installed a new N-Router to provide secured internet service throughout the grounds. If you enjoy the historic aumbiance, you can ignore the wifi -- however, if you need access for work or other reasons...it is now available free with your stay. We have also have a wifi enabled DVD/blue ray player and free NetFlix for our guests to enjoy downloadable movies from a large list of options.
We recently added a 'bicycle built for two'. The tandum bike is available for check out from our in town manager.
Upon your arrival, our in-town manager will meet you with the keys, show you the house, answer questions and will try to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The whole house will be yours....its like staying in a historic home museum, yet reasonably priced. Feel free to ask the owner for more details and non-profit discounts.
Keywords: Historic Home / Museum Like / Free Wifi & Netflicks/ Quaint Historic Town 50 Miles N. of Nashville
