Historical Significance
Duncan Tavern-one of the finest examples of a Kentucky eighteenth century early settlement building-was built ca. 1792 by Joseph Duncan, who had served during the Revolutionary War as a civilian armorer in the Illinois Campaign. In 1791 he was inducted into the Virginia Militia as a captain, later attaining the rank of Major. By 1803 the tavern was called the Goddess of Liberty. The tavern leased rooms and provided beds to travelers until 1834 when it was purchased by William Burr as a single family residence. By 1860, part of the building operated as a middle-class boarding house. After 1929 the building descended into tenement apartments. Fortunately, Duncan Tavern, the oldest stone structure in Paris, was saved from the bulldozer in 1940, when it was purchased for $1 by Julia Spencer Ardery and her DAR Chapter, Jemima Johnson. This bargain came with the caveat that in one year the building would be cleaned up, renovated, and opened for educational programming. In 1941, the building's ownership was formally accepted by the Kentucky Society DAR Executive Board, and has been the property and under the oversight of KSDAR ever since. Later, Duncan Tavern and an adjacent house were faced on all sides with limestone rock from "Fairfield," the demolished home of Kentucky's second governor, James Garrard.
Historical Designations
- National Register of Historical Places
- National Historic District
- State Historical Commission
- County Historical Commission
- City Landmark
Historical Marker
- Marker Date: 1941
- State of Marker: Kentucky
- Marker Organization: Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution
- Marker Text:
Funding
Physicial Condition
- Preserve
Tourism
- Open to the Public
- Family Friendly
- Hours of Operation: Wed-Sat, conducts tours at 1:30 p.m. and by appointment
- Admission Fees: $10, $8, $4, $2, Free
Promotional Materials Available
- Dvds and YouTube Video
Acknowlegements
The Duncan Tavern Historic Center is the headquarters and home of the Kentucky Society Daughters of the American Revolution (KSDAR), and provides a house museum; a genealogical and research library; meeting spaces and events venues to members of KSDAR, the Paris, Kentucky, community, and to visitors from around the Commonwealth and the nation.
