The Mary Todd Lincoln House

One of my Christmas presents last year was a biography on Mary Todd Lincoln.  I knew about Abraham Lincoln but my knowledge of Mary Todd was limited.  After reading the biography, I knew I wanted to visit a place where she had lived which is how we arrived at the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington, KY.

The Mary Todd Lincoln House was built between 1803 and 1806.  Mary Todd (that's what I call her) born in 1818 was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd and Elizabeth (Eliza) Parker.  Her mother passed away died in 1825 after the birth of her 6th child.  Mr. Todd married Elizabeth (Betsy) Humphreys in 1826.  The Todd's moved to what is now known as the Mary Todd Lincoln House in 1832 and remained there until the mid 1840s when Robert Todd died of cholera (there was a cholera epidemic in July of 1849).

Front(ish) of the house.  (The house sits very close to a busy road so crossing the street wasn't a safe idea)

 Back of the house.

Ready for a house tour?!?!

 Family Parlor.  The table is original to the Todd family.

 Back Parlor.  Did I mention that Henry Clay ("the Great Compromiser") would have been a guest in this house.  Ever since I was a little girl I have always gotten the chills when I'm standing somewhere a historical figure has stood.

 Todd family chairs.

 Todd family members in their Confederate uniforms.

 The Dining Room.  The silver candelabras are original to Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.  They used them during their time in the White House.  (I seriously got the chills when our tour guide told us about the candelabras...can you imagine all the people coming in and out of the White House that saw these candelabras...chills!)

 Mary Todd's China, including a piece from her White House China (the piece with the purple rim and eagle in the middle).

 A portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln (1864).  She loved to wear flowers in her hair which caused a lot of teasing (to put it lightly) from some of the Washington socialites (yep, I'm talking about you Kate Chase (to say that she and Mary Todd didn't get along is an understatement)).

 The Master Bedroom.

 My favorite piece of furniture in the entire house!

Mary Todd Lincoln's perfume bottles.  These bottles are so beautiful!

 The top shelf includes photos, Mary Todd's chocolate pot, and a mourning badge worn when Mary Todd passed away in 1882.  The bottom shelf is Mary Todd's mourning attire that she wore after the assassination of President Lincoln.

When Mary Todd married Abraham Lincoln, they visited this house and stayed for a couple of weeks (1847).  After the Todd's, the house became several different things from a boarding house to a brothel.  The brothel was run by Belle Brezing.  Belle Brezing was the 'lady' who inspired the character of Belle Watling in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind.  After the brothel, the house became a warehouse.  It fell into disrepair and the city wanted to demolish it.  However, Beula C. Nunn stepped in and was able to raise the funds to save the house and have it restored to it's early 1800s time period.  The house has been opened for tours since the late 1970s/early 1980s, and they do a beautiful job of telling the story of the family, house, and area.  The tour covered the main floor and the upstairs.  The gift shop (warming kitchen), which has your normal gift shop items like magnets, coffee mugs, books, and postcards also had the unusual items like an Abraham Lincoln beard and top hat, Abraham Lincoln socks, President and Mrs. Lincoln salt and pepper shakers (these went home with us), an even an Lincoln top hot espresso cup!  We exited the gift shop on the back porch area then took a stroll through the beautiful gardens.  If you find yourself in Lexington, your number 1 thing to do should be to visit the Mary Todd Lincoln House, you won't be disappointed!

After leaving the house, we went to Calvary Cemetery to visit Belle Brezing's grave.  I thought it was fitting seeing as we had just visited a place where she 'lived' and I love Gone with the Wind.

Reading recommendation:
Mary Todd Lincoln:  Mrs Lincoln: A Life by Catherine Clinton
Kate Chase Sprague:  American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprage--Civil War "Belle of the North" and Gilded Age by John Oller
Belle Brezing:  Madam Belle: Sex, Money, and Influence in a Southern Brothel

Happy Travels (& reading),
Amber