The Samuel May House is a Federal style residence located at 690 North Lake Drive in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. It built in 1817 by Samuel May, a Kentucky state representative (1832–1834) and a Kentucky state senator (1835–1838) from Floyd County. It now serves as the Samuel May House Living History MuseumRealitives still living Jack May, Vince May, Treasa May, Kim May, Eric May, Kevin May, Tonia May, Lisa May.

History

In 1808, Samuel May emigrated to Floyd County from

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and married Cathrine Evans. From 1817 to 1821, May acquired of land along the banks of the Levisa Fork, where he developed a farm and set up a mill.Henderson, Jayne C., 29 January 1980. Retrieved on 2010-06-10 Construction of the home was very laborious due to the homes remote location in

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. In 1816, May's slaves began working the

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s that produced the bricks for the residence.

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for the cement was created by crushing the shells of freshwater clams gathered from the Levisa Fork. The lumber used in the construction was whip-sawed from logs and was hauled to the site, where it was cured and shaped. Even the nails had to be shipped in from a factory in

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.The Oldest House in the Valley (online version)
Retrieved on 2010-06-10 The house illustrates May's expertise as an architect and builder. The bricks on the front part of the house were laid out in a

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: a decorative and structurally strong pattern of brick laying. Also, all walls in the house, including the interior partitions, are four bricks deep. This unusual building technique not only created deep window sills and door frames, but helped preserve the structure over the generations. Although the home is two stories, the home has only six rooms. The largest of the rooms is Samuel May's Parlor, which measures eighteen by twenty feet. The large rooms were a necessity because the home also served as a

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and as a shelter from Indian attacks, though those were largely over by that time and there is no record of any attacks made on the house. The interior is furnished in poplar woodwork, which is now painted white. The floors are made out of both poplar and white ash. In 1842, Samuel May sold the home to his brother, Thomas May, because of his inability to pay off his mortgage. Several years later, Samuel May moved to

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gold fields in hopes of regaining his former wealth. He was unsuccessful and died in

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in 1851.

Renovations

The dream of renovating the historic home and developing it into a living history museum began in March 1993 with the creation of the Friends of the Samuel May House, Inc.The Samuel May House Archives-Introduction
Retrieved on 2010-06-10 Due to a lack of funds very few tasks could be completed. But in the spring of 1997, the city of Prestonsburg purchased the home and received a $400,000 grant from the Kentucky Heritage Council and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This grant allowed the city to fully restore the historic home to its original condition.

References

External links

Friends of the Samuel May HousePrestonsburg Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Houses completed in 1817 Federal architecture in Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky Houses in Floyd County, Kentucky Museums in Floyd County, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Floyd County, Kentucky 1817 establishments in Kentucky Prestonsburg, Kentucky