The Rob Morris Home, located in the east end of the Central La Grange Historic District of

La Grange, Kentucky La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 8,082 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. It is the seat of its county. An unusual feature of La Grange is the CSX Transportation street-ru ...

on 102 Washington Street, is the historic home of Rob Morris, the second and last

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and the founder of the

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women. It was established in by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a noted Freemason, and adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 18 ...

. Rob Morris came to La Grange initially to serve on the faculty of the

Masonic University The Masonic University was an educational facility operated by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in La Grange, Kentucky, located twenty miles northeast of Louisville, in the mid-nineteenth century. Among its faculty was Kentucky Chief Jurist and Confede ...

in 1860, after serving as the Grand Master of the

Grand Lodge of Kentucky The Grand Lodge of Kentucky is one of two state organizations that supervise Masonic lodges in the state of Kentucky. It was established in 1800. The Grand Lodge of Virginia (GLVA) established Lexington Lodge #25, the first Masonic lodge west o ...

from 1858 to 1859. His first house in La Grange was burned on November 7, 1861, due to Morris' pro-Union stance, although his books regarding Freemasonry were saved (but mangled) by nearby Federal troops.Freemason met with Abe
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Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Net ...

'' June 11, 2008 Morris was lecturing at

Crown Point, Indiana Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...

at the time of the fire for the

Grand Lodge of Indiana The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana is one of two statewide organizations that oversee Masonic lodges in the state of Indiana. It was established on January 13, 1818. The Grand Lodge of Indiana's offices and archives are located ...

. Morris considered moving away from La Grange to the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, but decided against it as Kentucky would maintain a state government loyal to the federal government. He bought the house at the corner of Washington and Cedar Streets in 1862 for $1,400; the house had been built in 1840. It was here that he died in 1888, and his wife died at the home in 1893.McKinney, Helen
Crestwood home tour showcases historic homes, public attractions
''Roundabout Madison'' (November 2006) The Rob Morris Home is considered "one of the most architecturally and historically important houses" within the Central La Grange Historic District. Among the highlights of the architecture of the house are the front doors flanked by overlights and sidelights, a

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are t ...

on its west side that is typical of coastal

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

chimneys but extremely rare in Kentucky, and a side hall plan. Non-historic additions to the house include a

carport A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and u ...

. In 1918 the Kentucky Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star purchased the home, and has since kept it as a shrine/museum to Morris. The furnishings within date from the time Rob Morris lived in the home, and some were actually owned by Morris.

References

Photo tour of the Home
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris Home, Rob Houses completed in 1840 Museums in Oldham County, Kentucky Order of the Eastern Star Masonic museums in the United States Historic house museums in Kentucky Houses in Oldham County, Kentucky 1840 establishments in Kentucky La Grange, Kentucky

See also

References