Rev. Edward W. Berkeley House

(DAVID WILLIAMSON) HOUSE

Poplar Row (Mill Street), Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Built 1814

Source: Old Houses of Lexington, C. Frank Dunn, typescript, n.d., copy located in the Kentucky Room, Lexington (Kentucky) Public Library.

David Williamson, who had been operating a rope-walk on the Market-and-Third-Sts. corner across the park in 1812, purchased the corner lot here from Thomas January in 1814 and built this house.

Williamson was residing here in December, 1814, when in a deed of trust to Thomas January, to cover certain notes "in the Insurance office," he conveyed 286 acres near Lexington and "also the house and lot occupied by said Williamson on Poplar Row, the lot purchased from Nathaniel G.S. Hart, dec'd." (The mortgages included also his "store house on Main St." and his interest in the firm of Williamson & McKinney).

Williamson advertised in the Reporter August 30, 1815, a "scheme of chances for the distribution of property - $100 will gain $30,000." Capital prizes were  "The square of buildings, being the (North-east) corner on Main and Mill Sts.," a valuable farm of 160 acres at the head of North Broadway, several other farms and town lots, and this house: "One Capital Prize - the House and lot now occupied by the subscriber on Mill St., generally called Poplar Row. The style of this building with the other improvements, its pleasant and convenient situation to business, renders it as desirable a property as any in town of Lexington, being the last drawn ticket." John Bradford, the Pioneer editor, was to be one of the managers of the drawing to be made at Main and Mill Sts.

 Gershorn Lowry, Jessamine Co., Ky., must have won the residence as David Williamson and wife, Susanna, deeded it to him November 3, 1815. He stated that it was the corner lot and "part of Outlot No. _ generally known as Mount Hope."

General Leslie Combs acquired the property and conveyed it to James Haggin, Esq., in 1819. The deed described it as "on Mill and Third Sts., opposite the west end of the old Transylvania University."

James Haggin and wife, Hetty, sold the house the same year to John Norton, from whom the Rev. Edward F. Berkeley, Episcopalian Minister, purchased it in June, 1845. The two latter deeds described the property as "fronting to "Third St., alias the first street beyond the University lot from the Court House, and fronting to Mill St., alias the street commonly called Poplar Row."

M.P. Lancaster, wholesale and retail shoe dealer, in 1858 bought the place, "where E.F. Berkeley recently resided." His former store (264 W. Main St.) still bears his monogram MPL on either side of the building, and occupies the site of the store and residence of the famous Dr. Elisha Warfield more than a century ago.

Mr. Lancaster's daughter and son-in-law, J. Hull Davidson, lived here with him. Hull Davidson, Mayor of Lexington, Manager of the Phoenix Hotel, and prominent in all public affairs, made many improvements to the property.

(1838 Dir.: Edward F. Berkeley, agt. for the Bible Tract and Sunday School depository, 32 W. short St., res. Episcopal Seminary).

Transcribed by pb October 2002

Updated December 13, 2025.