Major Samuel Bray surveyed here in 1779 and returned with his family in 1796, building the original two-story house about 1800. Bray served in the Kentucky legislature in 1820. In 1851, former slaves Henry and Eliza Tevis bought 40 acres from Nancy Bray and established the Petersburg-Newburg African American community. In 1862, Union troops camped near Beargrass Creek. In 1888, George Scoggan founded a thoroughbred farm here, known for 1889 Derby favorite Proctor Knott and 1893 Kentucky Derby winner Lookout. His daughter Mary and her husband Alonzo Jones inherited and ran the farm, home to many race horses, until it was divided in the 1950s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.