The Rob Morris Home, located in the east end of the

Central La Grange Historic District The Central La Grange Historic District in La Grange, Kentucky is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United St ...

La Grange, Kentucky La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 10,067 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. It is the seat of its county. A unique feature of the city is the CSX Transportation street-ru ...

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

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and the founder of the

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) is a Freemasonry, Masonic List of fraternal auxiliaries and side degrees, appendant Masonic bodies, body open to both men and women. It was established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris (Freemason), R ...

. 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
''

Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

'' 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 34,884 per the 2023 American Community Survey. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became ...

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. In 2016 the number of Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of India ...

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

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

, 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 typical ...

on its west side that is typical of coastal

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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