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Julian Farm

The Julian Farm encompasses approximately 336 acres of rural agricultural land in Franklin County, Kentucky. It is
situated along U.S. 60 four miles west of Frankfort, Kentucky. Immediately west of the farm is the town of
Bridgeport, which originated in the early nineteenth century as a stage stop. Although the farm has gained and
lost acreage since Charles Julian purchased it ca. 1813, it incorporates essentially the entire 300 acre plot
granted in 1784 to William Armstrong, whose heirs sold the property to Julian. This historic cultural landscape
retains many of the natural features that drew Charles Julian to this particular acreage as well as cultural
features that express certain facets of early settlement of the region, the concepts of experimental farming
held by a well educated and wealthy early nineteenth-century Kentucky settler, and the adaptations and
improvements which enabled his holdings to continue as a functioning farm to the present day.

Franklin County is located in the central portion of Kentucky on the northwestern edge of the Bluegrass
cultural landscape region, a region of national reputation for rich agricultural production associated primarily with
livestock. Characterized by a limestone base and undulating topography which permits excellent drainage and
good availability of water. The area is generally recognized for its excellent soil. Franklin County is located just
north of Woodford County and there core of the Bluegrass Region. When moving from the heart of the Bluegrass
into Franklin County one finds patches of the essential Bluegrass topography characterized by rolling hills and
limestone-rich soils, but the county as a whole lacks the soils in its northernmost.

Frankfort, established as the seat of government for the Kentucky Commonwealth in 1792, lies between Kentucky's
two largest cities: Lexington, 27 miles to the southeast and Louisville 50 miles to the west. Prior to the construction
of Interstate 64, U.S. 60, the road along the Julian Farm's northern boundary, was the major artery connecting
Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville. Although U.S. 60 achieved its present alignment during the 1930's, it was present
throughout the nineteenth century in a sightly different route. Some of the changes to this road are evidenced on
the front of the Julian farm: to the east of the entrance is a abandoned section of U.S. 60 about a half-mile in
length which remains the original road treatment including, the one-and-a-half lane width. A concrete bridge of
ca. 1930 is in excellent condition and remains in this section. Other U.S. 60 improvements to the west of the main
entrance are evidenced by missing sections of stone fence which originally ran the length of the front of the farm.

Currently there are 16 rural Franklin County properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and an
additional three districts and 16 individual properties and archaeological sites within the corporate limits of Frankfort.

National Register of Historic Places, Application - April 25, 1988
Application - Part 1 Large files will open slow
Appilcation - Part 2

Submitted by: Bill Lattin

Sources:
U. S. Department of Interior
The National Register of Historic Places, Application April 25, 1988

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me, Anne H. Lee, and I will be glad to address your questions and or comments.

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