Zachary Taylor House - History

History

Zachary Taylor's father, Colonel Richard Taylor, purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km2) farm on the Muddy Fork of Beargrass Creek in 1785, while Zachary was eight months old. They initially lived in a log cabin on the property, but within the first five years Richard Taylor built a house at the highest point on his property, dubbing it "Springfield". By 1800 Richard Taylor purchased an additional three hundred acres, making his property 700 acres (2.8 km2) in total. The property was adjacent to Locust Grove, the farm where George Rogers Clark lived from 1809 until his death in 1818. Before he began his military career in 1808, Zachary Taylor lived twenty years in the house. He would later return to the house to be married on June 18, 1810, and have five of his six children born in the house. In 1829 the house was sold upon Richard Taylor's death, due to debts he had acquired. Zachary Taylor would be buried in the family cemetery located on the property; the cemetery would later become Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Much of the original Taylor property remained together until the 1950s, when it was divided. Of the original 400 acres (1.6 km2), the Taylor property is only 3/4 of an acre in size.

During the Super Outbreak of tornadoes on April 3–4, 1974, Springfield suffered major wind and water damage, including the two porches and the roof being blown off.

There have been attempts to make the house a National Historic Site, but these attempts have failed due to the required demolition of surrounding buildings needed to make it a National Historic Site.