Members and guests of Hart Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, met June 8 at Lewis Manor, historic home of Col. Thomas Lewis in Lexington, now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lee Bagley.
Mrs. Brett Miller described the history of the home as well as the family of the original owners.
The dwelling, built about 1790, was originally the home of Col. Thomas Lewis and his wife, Elizabeth Payne Lewis. Lewis was a Revolutionary War veteran who immigrated to Kentucky from Virginia about 1780. Lewis and his brother-in-law purchased the 2000-acre military grant of Evan Shelby, and the two men divided the tract, each taking 1,000 acres.
Lewis Manor is mentioned in several books on Kentucky architecture including "Bluegrass Houses and their Traditions" and "Ante Bellum Houses of the Bluegrass."
The speaker said in spite of the historical and architectural significance of the home, part of the history of the region had been neglected and vandalized when the Bagleys purchased the property a year-and-a-half ago in an effort to restore it to its former beauty.
