A Greek Revival Puzzle along Russell Cave Road, Lexington, Kentucky

As I’ve groused many times before, the problem with taking so many photographs of historic buildings is labelling those photographs. But how to choose the best sort of label/name that will survive changes in ownership, land divisions, or (most frightening) technology changes that render my thousands of photographs obsolete? This point was driven home to me after I shared a photograph labeled as the “Himes House.” This image, taken by Clay Lancaster in 1941, features a stately brick Greek Revival style house. While Clay’s collection has fortunately been well archived at the University of Kentucky’s Special Collections, sometimes the notations or labels are less than clear.

The Himes House, Russell Cave Pike (as labeled in the collection). Circa 1941 image by Clay Lancaster, Clay Lancaster Slide Collection at the University of Kentucky.
https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt7tb27ps028_1776_1

And when one particular image (see above photograph) appears twice with two different captions – oh, let me wail and gnash my teeth. Thankfully, more observant eyes than mine saw this image and I was able, after much peering at Greek Revival houses along Russell Cave Road, to match the photo up with the right name. The Himes House is more commonly known as Corinthia, a house built for a member of the Innes family. And it was the chickens in the side yard that confirmed it for me.

Corinthia, constructed for Charles Webb Innes in 1854, is a two-story, three bay wide brick central passage house, with distinctive Corinthian columns supporting the impressively large portico.

A façade shot that was correctly labeled (note the fowl off to the left). Circa 1941 photograph by Clay Lancaster from the Clay Lancaster Slide Collection at the University of Kentucky. https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt7tb27ps028_1026_4

Compounding my initial confusion was the fact that several Greek Revival houses from the mid-19th century tend to look a great deal alike – in no small part because builder-architect John McMurtry was responsible for their design. McMurtry + members of the same family (the Innes clan of Fayette County) + misleading labels=one confused me. (I was also attempting to sort this out prior to my first cup of tea this morning – never a good idea.)

Floor plan of Corinthia, by Clay Lancaster. Image from the Clay Lancaster Slide Collection at the University of Kentucky.  https://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt7tb27ps028_1025_1

However, it’s not really a painful ordeal to shift through photographs of striking historic houses – so I thought I would share!

Façade and side elevation of Buenna Hill. Photograph by Richard S. DeCamp, circa 1980.

Across the road from Corinthia is McMurtry house #2, Buenna Hill. This brick dwelling, constructed for Robert Innes, has an equally massive but more sedate portico (the Doric columns just seem more somber). It predates Corinthia by a decade or so. I did not dig into the history of the Innes family, but one interesting sidenote from Robert’s agricultural operations is his prizewinning bull named the “Second Duke of Cannondale.”*

The Baron Booth of Lancaster – just to provide a sense of the majesty and comeliness of the Shorthorn bull. Image from the Heritage Shorthorn Society, https://www.heritageshorthorn.org/historical-shorthorns/prior-to-1890

Shorthorn cattle became very popular in Kentucky after the Civil War, and many of the bulls boasted glamorous names. One story handed down in my family (from the 1870s) is about a particular shorthorn bull in Bourbon County. But that’s a story for another day.

Side elevation of Buenna Hill. Photograph by Richard S. DeCamp, circa 1980.

A third Innes House can’t be confused with its Greek Revival cousins, but it is magnificent (and much more on my scale). This 1.5-story brick Federal style house was built for either James or Henry Innes.

Side elevation and facade of the Innes House, built circa 1810. Photograph by Richard S. DeCamp, circa 1980.

The central cross gable contains an exquisite Palladian window, while the entry door is topped with a fanlight and flanked by reeded trim with bullseye blocks.

Detail of the doorway on the early 19th century Innes House. Photograph by Richard S. DeCamp, circa 1980.

There are worse ways to spend time than pouring over historic photographs, but while I enjoyed my foray into the Innes family houses, my anxiety about labeling my own photographs remains dizzyingly high.

*There’s a good article by Lucian Beckner about the shorthorn craze in Kentucky, and also a Heritage Shorthorn Society, if you want to investigate further!

**All three Innes Houses were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. I do not know the current condition of any of them.