Hunt-Morgan House

The Hunt-Morgan House is a two-story residential building in Federal style, featuring a Palladian window and geometric ornament on its exterior. Inside, a grand spiral staircase near the Mill Street entrance serves as a striking interior element.

Merchant John Wesley Hunt built this house in 1814 and became the first millionaire west of the Appalachian Mountains through his business success. The building marks an important moment in the economic rise of early settlers in the region.

The rooms contain 19th-century furnishings and household objects that show how a wealthy Kentucky family lived day to day. You can see their belongings arranged to reflect the social status they held in the community.

The second floor contains a museum focused on Civil War history and the Morgan family's role during that period. Visiting both levels gives you a complete picture of the house's different historical periods.

Geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan, who won the Nobel Prize, was born here in 1866 and made groundbreaking discoveries about how traits pass between generations. His childhood in this residence stands apart from the rest of the house's focus on the earlier Hunt family's mercantile wealth.

Location: Lexington

Architectural style: Federal architecture

Part of: Gratz Park Historic District

GPS coordinates: 38.05000,-84.49639

Latest update: December 12, 2025 12:06