Exhibits

Smokehouse: The Scientific Farmer

While the world remembers Henry Clay as a politician, few realize that he was equally skilled as a progressive farmer and livestock breeder. It was in this role that Clay was happiest. In the spirit of Washington and Jefferson, Henry Clay embraced the emerging scientific approach to agriculture and animal husbandry developing Ashland into a national model of progressive farming.

Visitors to Ashland can view the Scientific Farmer exhibit located in the smokehouse.  This exhibit goes into depth about both the cultivation hemp as a cash crop on the estate, and the enslaved people who made the economic success of Ashland possible.


Laundry/Privy: Traces & Fragments

This exhibit reveals how Ashland’s curatorial staff use legal documents, such as deeds and wills, family correspondence, farm ledgers, and archeological artifacts to stitch together the story of the people enslaved at Ashland.

This exhibit was made possible with generous support from Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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