The Little House

 The little house at 247 Lexington Street in downtown Versailles, KY, was built in 1822 as the family residence of James McConnell, the son of the founder of Lexington, Kentucky. 

 
James and Elizabeth (Viley) McConnell were natives of Fayette and Scott counties, respectively, but they were of Maryland-born parents.  James’s father, William McConnell, is considered, along with his brother Francis, to be the founder of Lexington at McConnell Springs.

In 1852, the property was deeded to George N. Wasserboehr and his wife Henrietta, who purchased the property from the heirs of James McConnell. In 1862, it was deeded to son Edward Wasserboehr and his wife Sophia.  The property passed to Edward’s sister Mary in 1896, and then to her twelve nieces and nephews upon her death in 1936.  Descendants of this family still reside in Woodford County.

​The property is listed with the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. 

 The Woodford County Woman’s Club, organized in 1920 from the Wednesday Study Club of Versailles, of which Mary Wasserboehr was a member, purchased and restored the home in 1956 with several other organizations known collectively as the Women’s Civic Center of Woodford County, Inc.  The other organizations included The Little Garden Club, the Town and Country Garden Club, and later, The Woodford Gardeners and Cottage Gardeners.  The Garden Department of the Woman’s Club and the three garden clubs shared in yard maintenance of the home. 

In 1956, several organizations including The Woman's Club, needing a place of their own for meetings, formed a corporation called the Womens Civic Center of Woodford County. Besides the Woman's Club there were also The Little Garden Club and The Woodford Gardeners. 

In 2022, The Little House was purchased by William and Emily Downey. We are excited to continue to help families celebrate important milestones here, celebrate the important history of The Little and preserve The Little House for generations to come.