Danville, Ky : "The Cottage"
History of The Cottage
The Cottage Bed and Breakfast Suite is located on a historic farmstead just to the east of Danville, Kentucky. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the T.B. Bright House and Farmstead.
Calvin Fackler in Historic Houses of Danville notes that John Barbee of Culpepper County, Virginia, came to Kentucky sometime after the close of the Revolution but prior to 1788. Quoting from Charles Fosdick’s “Centennial History of the Kentucky School for the Deaf”:
‘He (John Barbee) was accompanied by six sons, Thomas, John, Daniel, William, Joshua and Elias. The father and all his sons had served in the patriot army during the Revolutionary War, Elias being, when he enlisted, but a boy of 14 years. John Barbee died in 1805 and his sons moved to other sections.”
Mr. Fackler goes on to say that there were two younger sons and that Mrs. Barbee who came to Kentucky was John’s second wife. One of these sons was named Ezekiel, who lived in the T.B.Bright house.The first recorded reference to the house is found in John Barbee’s testament as follows:
“It is my will that my son Ezekiel is from the day of my decease to hold and occupy the lands on which he now resides to contain 100 acres, free of rent.”
Ezekiel lived in the house until his death in 1826, at which time the house was left to his daughter Harriet Barbee, who married James P. Bryan. When Harriet died, the house was left to her husband, who married Eliza. They sold the house and 212 acres to Thomas Shelton in September 1845. In 1871, Thomas Shelton left this tract to his daughters, Mary P. Stone and Jane H. St.Clair, jointly. In 1882 Mrs. Stone and her husband conveyed their undivided interest to W.T.St.Clair, the son of her sister Jane. The St.Clairs sold the house and 201 acres to T.B.Bright on September 8, 1893.
The Statement of Significance in the National Register of Historic Places application notes the following: “Soon after obtaining the property, Bright added to and modified the existing double pen residence, creating the current Victorian dwelling (as seen in the photograph directly above). At the same time, Bright oversaw the construction of several out buildings in the domestic yard and farm buildings in the associated fields.”
The Cottage is one of the buildings constructed at this time. It was built in the side yard for the boys, assorted uncles who lived with the family and the men who drove the mules raised on the farm to the 
sales in Calhoon, Georgia. It is a one-story, frame dwelling, build on a two room plan. Facing the main residence, the front (west) façade has two side entry doors, each leading into a separate room. A hipped porch extends half the length of the façade with turned supports. A central interior brick chimney is shared by each of the two rooms as is a deck across the rear elevation (a late-twentieth century addition). Additional features include decorative sawnwork in the gable ends and a continuous stone foundation.
The mule barn (pictured below), dated 1897 is one of the contributing structures, as is the equipment shed, meathouse, garage, tobacco barns and the dry-laid stone springhouse built into the side of the hill located between the main residence and the road.
For more information on the history of The Cottage, please contact us via phone or email.
Contact Us
The Cottage Bed & Breakfast
2826 Lexington Road
Danville, KY 40422
859-236-9642
info@cottageofdanville.com