Botherum was built for Madison C. Johnson in 1850 or 1851 (sources vary) by John McMurtry, a well-known architect and builder based in Lexington. The house was intended, in part, as a shrine to Johnson's late wife Sally Ann, a sister of

Cassius Marcellus Clay Major general (United States), Major General Cassius Marcellus Clay (October 9, 1810 – July 22, 1903) was an American planter, politician, military officer and abolitionist who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Russia, ...

who died giving birth in 1828. Although McMurtry was known for his

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

, and is credited with establishing the popularity of that style in central Kentucky, Botherum shows an unusual combination of Greek, Roman, and Gothic architectural elements. A large ginkgo tree that stands on the property is said to have been a gift to Johnson from

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

. The original 36-acre estate faced High Street, but the house now sits on a 3/4 acre lot and is approached from Madison Place, to the side. In 1886, Johnson's heirs sold the estate to J. C. Woodward, who subdivided much of it into Woodward Heights, selling the lots individually. John Cavendish owned the house from 1983 until 2012, and in the mid-1980s he added a high stone wall that hides the single-story house from the street and a two-story guest house. The home was featured i
Southern Living
magazine in 2017 and is described b
Jon Carloftis

Notes

{{NRHP Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Neoclassical architecture in Kentucky Houses completed in 1851 1851 establishments in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Lexington, Kentucky Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Kentucky Houses in Lexington, Kentucky