Historic Botherum

Major Madison C. Johnson, a lawyer and friend of Henry Clay, commissioned Lexington architect John McMurtry to construct Botherum in 1851. The house combines Greek and Gothic Revival styles in a unique cottage and also served as a shrine to Johnson's late wife, Sally Ann, sister of emancipationist Cassius M. Clay, who served as President Lincoln's minister to Russia. The original estate included 30 acres on the edge of Lexington, and in the 1880s it was subdivided into lots for the Woodward Heights neighborhood. In a town once called "The Athens of the West," the home stands as a testament to the legacy of Kentucky's 19th century statesmen and their passion for classic architectural styles.

Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky · United States