Liberty Hall

​​​​​​​​In the late 1970s, archaeologists from the University of Kentucky conducted investigations at Liberty Hall, the home of the prominent Kentucky statesman John Brown. The building, which stands only a block from the Kentucky River in downtown Frankfort, was undergoing renovations. 

John Brown was a leading lawyer and politician, and Kentucky's first United States senator.  Born in Stanton, Virginia, and educated at Princeton and the College of William and Mary, he moved to Danville, Kentucky in 1783. In 1796, he began building a brick home, which he named Liberty Hall, on a 4-acre lot in the city.  He and his family lived there until his death in 1837.  His son Mason inherited the property and continued to live at Liberty Hall into the late 1800s.

Archaeologists found several interesting architectural features during their investigations. Their findings contributed to a better understanding of how the house was originally constructed and what changes were made to it over time.  

Later, in 2010, researchers with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey conducted an archaeological survey of the property's side- and back yards to locate possible outbuildings. This included looking for the houses of the people enslaved by the Brown family. Though investigators found the possible remains of a nineteenth-century structure in the side yard, and possible outbuildings in the back yard, they did not​ locate any of the slave cabins.

​​Drainage and Water System

​During investigations in the Liberty Hall basement in the late 1970s, archaeologists documented a network of drains under the floor of the cellar in the rear ell of the house.  The drains were narrow channels with clay bases, formed by parallel lines of brick. Most were covered with limestone slabs.  In several locations where the drainage system entered and exited the house, investigators found metal drain grates.  

The drainage system appears to have been constructed in the early 1800s. It delivered water to the kitchen to be used for washing and laundry. It led waste water out of the house.  

Archaeological research at Liberty Hall indicates that the Brown family was involved with innovative water management practices on their property.​Investigators found remnants of pipes made from cedar wood just outside the house, near where one of the drains entered.  These pipes were likely associated with Frankfort's first water system, developed in 1805. John Brown was one of the investors. 

Cedar pipes were laid to Brown's property from Cove Springs, which was located three miles away.  At Cove Springs, a dam was built to create a reservoir to supply the system with water.  It appears that this early water works delivered water to Liberty Hall via its interior drain system. ​​The Cove Springs water works was in operation until the mid-1880s. Liberty Hall was likely one of the first houses in Frankfort connected to this water system.​