LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Ashland - The Henry Clay Estate has a centuries-old history in Lexington. Five generations of the Clay family have lived here. Henry Clay is known in Kentucky and the U.S. as the great compromiser. Both Clay’s political life and personal life were deeply involved with slavery.
The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation executive director, Jim Clark, says, "As we delved more into it and worked with some community advisors, they made it clear that telling the story of the enslaved and how that enriched Henry was not of interest. It was 'who were these people?'"
Little is known about the personal lives of people who were enslaved on the estate. Ledgers from the 1800s were kept of their work and worth. Now, the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation is working to honor the enslaved people at Ashland.
Clark explains, "Over the years, the story of the enslaved was either first not documented, or that which was documented was either ignored or erased."
Now, there are two markers that talk about the lives of the enslaved at Ashland. Clark explains that, at its peak, there were more than 120 enslaved people on the estate. The foundation is working with LexArts to find an artist who can honor their lives.
LexArts community arts director, Nathan Zamarron, says, "It's important for us to have community dialogue around all of the histories of our space and there's a lot, a lot of work yet to be done."
Right now, it's not clear what the artist's memorial will look like. It could be a sculpture, a collection of artifacts, or even a virtual reality installation. When the piece is revealed on a day that reflects Lexington’s 250th anniversary in 2025 and the country's 250th anniversary in 2026 — Clark says he wants the community to think about how the issue of slavery has lasted through time.
"Because it's not a dead issue,” says Clark. “It has impacted millions of people's lives historically, but it is also something that is going on right now in the world. And it's a, just because we're not seeing it in front of us, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."
This foundation is working to bring a dark history, to light.
The $250,000 project that will honor the enslaved at Ashland won’t be completed for a few years, but the search for an artist for the project will run through February. Artists can apply for the project at CallforEntry.org.
