Museum Without Walls

An Urban Forest Rooted in History

Since 2018, Ashland has proudly held accreditation as a Level 1 Arboretum, home to more than 600 trees representing over 44 species — a level of arboreal diversity rarely found in the Bluegrass.

Nestled in the heart of Lexington’s historic Inner Bluegrass region — one of the most environmentally distinct landscapes in the eastern United States — Ashland is a living legacy of biodiversity. Its grounds harbor a remarkable variety of native tree species that are increasingly rare in urban environments. Among them are nearly 400-year-old Blue Ash, “living fossil” Ginkgos, and Kentucky Big Tree Champions like the Paper Birch, and the favorite Tulip Poplar.

But these trees offer more than beauty and shade. Every year, they intercept 520 pounds of air pollutants, sequester nearly 25,000 pounds of carbon, and absorb over 200,000 gallons of stormwater — making Ashland a natural engine of environmental service in the city.

Maintaining these trees is no small feat. Each year, we identify trees in need of extra care and invite the community to support them through our Tree Adoption Program. By adopting a tree, you directly fund its annual maintenance — helping it thrive today and grow into the next generation of Ashland’s living history.

The Famous Grounds

Ashland’s 17 acres are open daily, offering space to wander, reflect, and recharge. The grounds invite visitors to slow down — to stroll shaded paths, admire historic trees, and consider the civic ideals that shaped this place. Whether walking the Ashland Trail or finding a quiet bench beneath the canopy, guests experience history not behind glass, but all around them.

Henry Clay designed Ashland to be as much a sanctuary as a statesman’s home — a park-like setting where nature and ideas could coexist for family and visitors alike. He often walked the back lawn to ponder the debates of the day or leave them behind altogether, finding peace in the serenity of his farm. That same walk was preserved by generations of his family as part of his enduring legacy.

When Clay left for Washington, he left strict instructions: not a single tree was to be cut in his absence. His deep passion for the natural world has shaped Ashland for over 200 years — a living landscape where history still breathes through the trees.

Structures & Features

Ashland is more than a historic home — it’s a living estate where the past lingers in every outbuilding, pathway, and preserved detail. Across 17 acres, visitors can experience the ingenuity, elegance, and complexity of 19th-century life.

Step into history at the 1817 Smokehouse, where prized hams once hung above slow-burning fires, and explore the twin brick icehouses that kept food cool long before electricity. Stroll past the Carriage House, restored with original architectural details, and glimpse Henry Clay’s magnificent 1833 coach — a gift from the people of Newark, New Jersey.

Scattered across the grounds, you’ll find powerful traces of the past: the location of the slave quarters, the Clay-era privy, and even remnants of a 19th-century gas generator, built to light the mansion, remain embedded in the landscape.

Every structure tells a story — and invites you to step into it. Come walk the grounds and see how everyday life, innovation, and legacy live on at Ashland.

The Gardens

Formal Garden
In 1950, the Henry Clay Estate asked the Garden Club of Lexington if they would help to create and maintain a formal garden at Ashland. Funds were raised for the project by selling war bonds and were used to hire Henry F. Kenney to design plans for the gardens.

Today the garden and grounds feature over 120 plant species. Maintenance of the gardens is still the responsibility of the club which meets weekly to see to its upkeep. In 2005, the Garden Club received a Historic Preservation Award honoring their more than 50 years of work on the estate.¹

Peony Garden
The Garden Club of Lexington inherited the peony collection of Alice McIlwain Prewitt after her death in 1985. Mrs. Prewitt loved gardening and helped direct the restoration of Ashland, so Ashland is a fitting place for her collection.

The peonies are all Saunders hybrids purchased in the 1950s, and these peonies won the Lindley Silver Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England in 1962 for Mrs. Prewitt and Professor Saunders’ daughter Silvia.²