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Introduction
The
Handy Farm (HR-115) lies at the north-eastern edge of Cynthiana, seat of
Harrison County, Kentucky. The property currently consists of approximately 115
acres, which includes the main residence, three barns, a corn crib and a number
of hand-operated water pumps. The area proposed for listing includes
approximately 115 acres.
The
house and farm buildings sit within a slightly larger tract, approximately
one-hundred-twenty total acres that are being planned for development into a
community recreational park. Five acres within these one-hundred-and-twenty
acres have been deeded to the Board of Health where a new
Local
Health Department Building is being constructed. There have been some walking
trails constructed on the acreage by the owners, City of Cynthiana and Harrison
County, along with a small building to house restrooms and concessions, for the
park, that also is under construction near the edge of the property. For the
park, a number of trees have recently been planted.
While
the property exhibits its identity as a productive farm, several historic
features that once stood at the site no longer are extant or changed. Colonel
William Brown would have had built the original one-and-one-half-story main
residence shortly after acquiring the property in 1816. He most likely also had
the ice house built and possibly some of the other structures, such as the log
building, (later turned into additional living quarters and referred to as the
carriage house), the old smoke house, the cellar to the west of the main
residence and the brick structure that was located to the rear of the
residence. This brick structure behind the residence was enlarged during the
twentieth century and used for additional living quarters; locals regard it as a
slave quarters. Except for the main residence, these early features have been
lost to time and man’s destructive hand. The main residence, however, was
enlarged in the later part of the nineteenth century, which allowed it to
continue as the main residence, which it had already served as for some 65 to 70
years.
Statement of Significance
The
Handy Farm (HR-115) meets National Register Criterion A and is significant
within the historic context “Agriculture in
Harrison County,
Kentucky
1820-1920.” The area on top of the hill at the Handy Farm that includes the
historic structures of Brown/Frazer/Handy house, rare early English Style Barn,
late-nineteenth-century breeding stable barn, and late-19th- or
early-20th-century tobacco barn, along with the open field that flows
downward to the creek and highway below, capture the story of farming in
Harrison County throughout the period of significance. The Handy Farm is an
excellent example of a family-owned-and-occupied farm and exemplifies prosperous
agriculture in Harrison County, Kentucky, 1820-1920.
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NOTE: The text of this web page has been taken verbatim from the
nomination documentation submitted to the National Park Service to have the
Handy House placed on the National Register of Historic Places. All
photographs of the Handy House, exterior interior, the outbuildings, and of
the August, 2006 Harrison County Historical Society meeting were taken and
provided by Sharon Fowler.
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