Bardstown in Nelson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
McLean House
1820
Photographed by Karl Stelly, June 2, 2014
1. McLean House Marker
Inscription.
This remarkable commercial building was built for the brothers Samuel & Hector McLean, patterned on circa 1800 examples found in Philadelphia & Baltimore. Each ground floor room could serve a separate purpose, with the southwest room designed for the Bardstown Post Office, when all patrons called for their letters. On the 2nd floor, spanning the entire west end, the McLean brothers had a commercial ballroom, with elegant woodwork and dressing rooms. This rental space hosted galas, dances, and meetings, also fencing classes. An outside back stair gave access to the patrons, and the east side 2nd floor was living quarters, ultimately used by Wm. Rose Hynes, who acquired McLean house through a mortgage, and also owned the Talbott Tavern at the time of his death in 1837. The Hynes family was still in residence during the Civil War, when Union troops were billeted in the upper floors, and left unit rosters penciled on the plaster walls, adding to the graffiti, profile sketches, and Judge John Rowan's signature from an earlier time. The ground floor shops have hosted general merchants, cabinet makers with fine furniture, undertakers,
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and the local printer who produced the weekly paper in 1828. About the year 1890, County Judge J.W. Thomas converted the commercial ground floor to residential use for his family. Owners-in-residence continued after 1930 with the new title, The John Fitch Inn, where visitors occupied 2nd floor rooms in the new era of tourism. It was The Olde Inn under Mrs. Tom McKay through the 1950 - 1970 era and her famous antiques in the great corner room. Now, this remarkable double-door, corner entrance has witnessed the passage of famous visitors, legions of customers and patrons, both commoners and would-be kings, for nearly two centuries. Each step has served to wear the old stone threshold smooth. It marks well McLean House service to Bardstown.
Location. 37° 48.535′ N, 85° 27.989′ W. Marker is in Bardstown, Kentucky, in Nelson County. It is at the intersection of East Stephen Foster Avenue (U.S. 62/150) and Court Square (U.S. 31E), on the right when traveling east on
Photographed by Karl Stelly, June 2, 2014
2. The McLean House and Marker
This view is taken looking toward the southeast
East Stephen Foster Avenue. Marker is in the Southeast quadrant of the town square (or town circle). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 East Stephen Foster Avenue, Bardstown KY 40004, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Louisville Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2014, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,424 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2014, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
