"Historic Places at the Crossroads"

7th Annual Preservation Week 2005 Photo-Essay Competition

Third Place: Tamara Ocasio, Meadow View Elementary

Title: Haycraft Stagecoach Inn

The Haycraft Inn in Radcliff, Kentucky is the oldest standing structure in our city. The first part was built in 1814 by Coleman Lewis on the Old Louisville-Nashville Turnpike. This is now South Wilson Street. The builder was a veteran from the War of 1812. The next owner was Daniel Haycraft. He opened it as a stagecoach stop. It was greatly used in the stagecoach days in the years before the Civil War.

In fact there is still a cannonball stuck in an exterior wall of the building. The owner showed me this when she invited me for a tour. Instead of trying to take it out, they just plastered around it. Even though railroad travel made stagecoach travel decline, it was still in use as a stagecoach inn during 1884.

In 1917 it began to be used as a private home. Presently, the old inn has two of the original staircases and the registration desk that was used to check into the inn.

Jo Emary, the present owner, gave me a tour of the inn and showed me the original staircases and the registration desk. The wood-flooring upstairs is chestnut.

Mrs. Emary's parents, Joe and Jonny Holloway purchased the inn from Harold and Jane Tibbitts in 1957 for $11,200. In fact, Jo Emary was born in the house.

As she showed us the house she said the kitchen was tiny. This is because there was no kitchen in the original inn. It was thought ‘not proper' to have the smell of food in the house. However, they had a summer kitchen and cooked in the basement. Before I left, Jo said, “Tammy, I want to show you one more thing.” I followed her and sat in a chair. She told me about a legend her parents told her when she was a child. During the Civil War Mrs. Haycraft had silver. She didn't want anybody to steal it, so she dug a deep hole in the fern garden found in the backyard and dumped her silver in it.

However this summer, Mrs. Haycraft's great-granddaughter came to see Mrs. Emary and asked, “Do you know about Mrs. Haycraft's silver?”

“It's a legend in my house,” Jo Emary answered.

“Well, it's true and I'm going to give it to you,” said Mrs. Haycraft's great-granddaughter.

So now Jo Emary has the remaining silver which were spoons made of coin silver. This was the favorite part of my tour.

There is a historic marker in front of the inn that says the Haycraft Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

I think the Haycraft Inn is significant because it tells us about our local history. In addition, I think it should be preserved and protected for future generations because of the following reasons:

• It is the oldest standing structure in Radcliff.
• It was a valuable part of our early transportation system-the stagecoach.
• It was during the Civil War and still has a cannonball in one of the outside walls as memorabilia.
• The owner, who sometimes allows some small group tours, can take residents “back in time'.
• Two original staircases and a registration desk still remain in the house today.

I believe the Haycraft Stagecoach Inn can continue to be useful as a historic site by advertising its location. Presently it is on the Radcliff web page but not everyone has access to the Internet. Mrs. Emary still lets small groups come in to tour.

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.