Johnston's Inn, Georgetown Road, Paris, Kentucky
The 1782 Johnston's Inn, the first house built in Paris, Kentucky, brings to mind that old philosophical Ship of Theseus question -- if every board on the ship has been changed, is it still the same ship?
While that answer is up for debate, what is clear is that the old inn is a pretty great place to celebrate Christmas.
It first appears as a simple two story block house on "This Map of Kentucke" from 1784:
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Now it appears as a gleaming white beacon for travelers.
It still shows up pretty well in an aerial map:
It's very grand today, but it probably looked a little more like that simple block drawing during its heyday as an inn, when it had dozens of covered wagons parked in front of it.
Then as now, it was a gleaming white beacon.
{1934 photo source}
However, for many years it looked like the photo below, with the white paint stripped to reveal the original brick. It may have seemed more historically appropriate, but it's not the way the house spent much of its life. It first was whitewashed in an overall attempt to sanitize after an 1854 cholera epidemic, and it stayed that color for over a hundred years.
Although renovations like stripping the brick were done to preserve the authenticity of the house, it was sold in "as-is condition" when it came on the market three years ago.
It came on the market again this past October -- but only just long enough for me to grab the new photos of what it looks like now. (Since it's no longer for sale, Zillow reverted back to the older listing photos. That initially confused me, but ultimately led to a much better post with "befores and afters." 😀)
The wall to the left in the foyer was removed, as was the ceiling to expose the rafters and floorboards above. The hardwood floors are now slate tile.
If it were mine, I'd take full advantage of all that space at Christmastime:
Here's the view looking the opposite way...
and how it could look at Christmas:
The foyer now opens to the kitchen:
The kitchen used to showcase an original fireplace, although the property's very first kitchen was detached from the house.
Now the kitchen's focal point is the Italian Lofra range:
The new space also includes a pretty powder room:
While the kitchen and bath are totally new, the inn's parlor still retains its walnut woodwork. I'm not sure what's going on with the floors, though:
They appear to have been stripped and bleached in these old listing photos:
Also, that window to the left of the armoire is gone now.
That's not the only room that's keeping me guessing, but I think it's largely due to the recent addition:
It houses the new living room and dining room:
The dining room was behind it:
I'm not sure what if anything remains of this charming room that may have hosted the inn's first guests.
So, is the house still a historic inn? It's definitely been taken it back to its roots as a center of hospitality. Just like Stonehedge that I featured last week, it's been serving as a wedding venue and airbnb.
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Stay tuned, we'll tour the upstairs -- and find more Christmas decorating inspiration -- next week!
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Robert Johnston, a Revolutionary War captain, was born in Virginia in 1749. He and his wife operated a tavern in their house here from 1796-1812. Located on what was the main road between Maysville and Lexington, this inn served stage and horseback passengers in its 30-foot tavern room with sleeping accommodations overhead. This house appears on first Ky. map of 1784.
