James Lemon House

Menifee-Breckinridge-Huston Home

498 Angliana Avenue, built 1818.

Still standing and occupied, but sadly dilapidated, one of Lexington's most attractive homes of past days continues to attract the attention and excite the curiosity of passers-by on Angliana Avenue--once the interurban railway entrance to Lexington and today a short-cut to Broadway for motorists from U.S. Highway 60.

The imposing old residence, which was the mansion of a 42-acre property in the hey-dey of its fame, now is completely surrounded by immense tobacco warehouses and, throughout the tobacco sales months, is obscured by the heavily-laden growers' trucks waiting to be unloaded on the sales warehouse floors.

A good description of the house and property as they looked more than fifty years ago was given in an advertisement, "Suburban Residence for Sale," that appeared in the Lexington Daily Press March 30, 1881, as follows:

"JOHN B. HUSTON HOME

"Containing 9 rooms below and above the stairs besides a large kitchen and wash-room, and above these two or three commodious servants rooms, large and airy cellars with other outhouses of brick; superior ice house well-filled; good stable and cow-shed; two excellent cisterns, well and pond. There is a large fertile garden with grapes, apples, pears, cherries and other fruit, also flower pit, etc. It is one of the most desirable residences, near the city, within fifteen minutes' walk of Court House, and can be made very profitable

… JOHN B. HUSTON"

The once-ornate mansion has been the scene of many notable entertainments and social functions of ante-bellum days. Among its distinguished owners before the war were Richard H. Menifee and John C. Breckinridge. General Huston acquired it immediately after the war and disposed of it a few months before his death in Winchester, November 16, 1881.

Menifee, the brilliant young orator, died there in 1841, leaving his estate to his wife for her and the children.

James Lemon, Sr., built the house in 1818 on a tract of some two acres. After his death James L. Hickman acquired it and was living here when Richard H. Menifee purchased it in 1840.

Jacob Ashton, son of Richard Ashton and proprietor at one time of the Dudley House, acquired it October 3, 1845.

The house and a 10-acre property were bought the next year by John C. Breckinridge who increased the size of the property to about 30 acres through purchases from Richard Higgins in 1849, and E.B. Bascom in 1855.

It was purchased by the Rev. W.C. Dandy November 14, 1857, and by him sold to General John B. Huston December 28, 1865. William Harting purchased it February 17, 1883, and sold it to W.L. Rash November 1 of the same year. Timothy Anglin bought it November 15, 1888 and sold it to Brooks Curry April 10, 1896.

Dr. P.H. Malloy (father of Mrs. Hal Price Headley, was the next purchaser and his widow is the present owner.

The first Mrs. James H. Mulligan, a sister of General Huston's wife, died there.

Clifton R. Breckinridge was born there.

The old mansion, despite its remarkable history, not only is being permitted to disintegrate, but has no marker to recall its past glory and glamour, and for some unknown reason has even escaped mention in the many guide books for tourists in recent years.

The following obituary of General Huston was published November 19, 1881:

"Gen. John B. Huston

"Last Wednesday, in Winchester, where he had been lying ill for several days, departed this life, our distinguished fellow-citizen, General Huston. Born October 1st 1813, in Nelson County, Ky., he graduated at Centre College in 1833 with distinction, taught school for a time, read law with Judge Daniel Mayes and Hon. Joshua F. Bell; attended the law lectures in Transylvania University, and graduated as a lawyer in 1835. From 1835 to 1864 he practiced his profession successfully at Winchester, whence he removed to Lexington in the latter year, from which time to the day of his death he enjoyed a lucrative practice in the courts of this judicial district and the Court of Appeals. He was several times elected to the Legislature, and once chosen Speaker of the House, besides having filled the positions of Presidential Elector and Law Professor in Kentucky University.

"In every position to which he was called, Gen Huston gave incontestable evidence of superior ability and learning, and an intellect of rare force and brilliancy. At the bar, upon the hustings, in the halls of legislation, his mental powers and oratorical strength were ever found equal to the occasion. Withal there was a vein of richest humor interwoven through his mental organization which, perhaps too frequently, flashed forth in his public efforts and social intercourse, making his speeches and conversation pre-eminently entertaining. But equal to, if not better than all this, John B. Huston was a man of heart, of soul, of excessive kindness of feeling in all life's relations. Whatever of faults or defects pertained to his nature and character, all who knew him will unite in saying they were greatly overbalanced by that big-hearted geniality and kindness of disposition which won the sincere good-will and admiration of all classes of his fellow-citizens.

"'A great man has fallen in Israel!' Peace to his ashes."

John Lemon, Sr., in March, 1818, then living on Mill Street, purchased two acres and two poles on "Curd's Road" from Dr. Frederick Ridgely and wife, Eliza. It fronted 10 poles and one link on the pike (now South Broadway) and extended back 32 poles and 13 links, adjoining Dr. Ridgeley's large tract.

The deed designated it as "being the ground on which said Lemon hath a Brick yard and several buildings, one of which buildings extends over the line a little, which is to remain as it is until it shall be convenient to remove it or it shall be acquired by the owner of the land onto which it extends. Also, should said Ridgely lay off a street near the back of this lot off from the Curd's road, said Lemon is to be permitted to extend his lot back to the said street, he paying for the additional ground at the rate of $200 per acre."

Lemon bought 42 acres and 20 poles adjoining--"after deducting the lot upon which the said Lemon now lives containing two acres and nine poles"--from Dr. Ridgely's heirs (in Ohio), getting deeds September 18, 1829, and December 8, 1830.

Lemon, (a Revolutionary war soldier, Observer May 10, 1832) died April 28, 1832, "thirty hours after calling to his bedside Will Long and Joseph I. Lemon, to tell them that his will was in his desk and he wanted them to see that his negro man, Beverly, should serve no other person" after his death "but be emancipated and set free, and further said that Beverly was to remain on the place he then occupied until next Christmas and take care of his business as usual." (Joseph I. Lemon recorded Beverly's deed of emancipation December 9, 1833).

To his wife, Frances, he gave "at her option $130 yearly out of my estate during her natural life, or if she prefers it the occupancy of either of my houses situate on the hill near S. Trotter" (on Mill St.). He made a cash bequest to his sister, Ann White, then gave the residue of his estate to his children: "Wm Lemon, John Lemon's widow, James Lemon's widow, Jane Grooms, Anne Long and Joseph I. Lemon. James Lemon's first wife was Anne Maxwell, daughter of the old pioneer, John Maxwell, and was one of Maxwell's executors.

Joseph I. Lemon and Wm. Long were appointed executors, and Darius L. Vigus, James L. Hickman and Francis McLear witnessed the signatures.

The heirs of James Lemon sold the place April 4, 1835, to Joel Hickman of Clark County, for "$47.50 in silver coin per acre"--44 acres and 29 poles, "being the same on which James Lemon, Sr., resided at the time of his death." Joel Hickman and wife, Frances J., sold the 44 acres to James L. Hickman September 6, 1836.

James L. Hickman sold H.B. Franklin 7 acres, Thos. Ward 14 acres and Jos. Wasson 12 acres "on Curd's Road," thus reducing his tract to about 10 acres.

W.H. Rainey and I.W. Scott in 1841 released a mortgage on the property of James L. Hickman, "fronting on Curd's Road and containing 32 acres of land, late the residence of James Lemon, dec'd, including the dwelling house formerly occupied by the said James Lemon and at present by Mrs. Sabina Shackelford." The mortgage, made October 16, 1837, had included two slaves, Hickman's household furniture the "the entire stock of goods, wares and merchandise in the store of Jas. L. Hickman on Main St. in Lexington, formerly kept by Jeremiah T. Frazer" and sold by Rainey & Scott to Hickman for $14,347.

Richard H. Menifee bought ten acres of the property from James L. Hickman by Commissioner (John W. Hunt and Thos. H. Hunt vs James M. Shackelford) and James L. Hickman sold April 15, 1840, to Wm. H. Rainey, who transferred to Menifee, deeded October 23, 1840--"tract now in possession of James L. Hickman and upon which his Dwelling house stands."

Jacob Ashton and wife, Sarah C., bought the property October 3, 1845--"sold by the devisees of R.H. Menefee, dec'd, to I.W. Scott and by said Scott to H.I. Bodley, trustee of Sarah C. Ashton."

Jacob Ashton issued a mortgage to Isaac W. Scott in 1843 on his store on Main St. and "a house and about 10 acres of ground purchased by Scott of R.H. Menefee's exor. And widow and by said Scott sold to Ashton."

General John C. Breckinridge, on July 13, 1846, purchased the "ten acres on which said Ashtons reside." His son, Clifton Breckinridge, was born here.

Rev. Wm. C. Dandy and wife, Mary A., acquired the property from General Breckinridge November 14, 1857.

Reverend Dandy conveyed the famous place to General John B. Huston December 28, 1865, and the deed for "a tract situated near the city limits of Lexington, between the Harrodsburg and Versailles turnpikes, on which the said W.C. Dandy did reside," showed that General Breckinridge had added to the acreage.

The deed was for 29 acres and more, "conveyed to John C. Breckinridge at different times"--about 19 acres by J. Ashton and wife July 13, 1846, six acres by R. Higgins and wife April 21, 1849, and remainder, about three acres, by Eliza S. Bascom December 21, 1853. It said General Breckinridge had leased two acres to David Knobel, "it being the corner nearest the Lexington and Harrodsburg Pike." Knobel, who resided in the old house standing just north of the Southern passenger depot, had a vineyard between his home and Angliana Avenue.

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

Transcribed by P. Brinegar, March 2000.

Updated December 13, 2025.