News & Updates
The Kirkpatrick & Co Blog
Bluegrass History & Culture
Can you tear down a home on the National Register? Should you?
We’re historic home experts, and we often encounter a great deal of misinformation and even apprehension regarding preservation. Our brokerage helps clients navigate the process of buying or selling heritage properties with sensitivity. It is our aim to provide clarity and encouragement through keen expertise. Here, we’d like to share [...]
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August 28, 2023
Limestone: The Secret Ingredient
Shallow Seas, Bountiful Bourbon, & Hearty Horses
We know limestone-rich water makes for hardy horses & tasty bourbon in the Bluegrass. How, exactly, has this humble rock altered the course of history?
‘“The water is a very important ingredient and is a key reason why the bourbon industry has flourished in Kentucky,” [...]
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July 24, 2023
What’s behind those columns?
Discover the hidden past of many Bluegrass Greek Revival homes
Kentucky is famed for its genteel horse farms boasting white-columned Greek Revival estates. Visitors are often surprised to discover many of these “Greek Revival” manses date from much earlier than that period (c.1830-60) in Kentucky.
As now, homeowners were eager to demonstrate [...]
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July 11, 2023
Why do tobacco barns make good horse barns?
While an ever more rare sight, many Kentuckians have fond memories of tobacco hanging across the Bluegrass. Many warmly recall the scent of barns filled with one of Kentucky’s most successful cash crops of yore.
Old tobacco barn on 2527 & 2439 Grimes Mill, sold by Kirkpatrick & Co.
Kentucky’s rich [...]
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June 30, 2023
Brick by Brick: Beauty & History in Central Kentucky
Brick construction lends gravitas and permanence to the Bluegrass’s historic homes
The Greek Revival façade of the Elkton Farm’s John Suggett House expanded an earlier stone structure
We’re known for our representation of buyers & sellers of historic homes and estates. In particular, we’re praised for the historic and cultural research we conduct, adding [...]
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June 8, 2023
Historic Bluegrass Spring Houses
Exploring these indispensable outbuildings of the past
You’ll find the lovingly-restored historic spring house pictured here on our listing at 4750 KY Hwy 1842 North.
Spring houses were traditionally used in the Bluegrass as a way to keep food and other perishable items cool before the invention of refrigeration. They were small, [...]
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May 15, 2023
Why is that street named…?
A sampler of stories about Lexington streets & roads
Lexington, Kentucky scene as captured by drone
Who decides? Historically, street names typically signified landmarks (Higbee Mill), people (Patterson) or topography (High Street). Today, most residential roads have been named by developers.
Limestone – Originally called Mulberry Street, the road was renamed to signify [...]
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May 6, 2023
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