Thursday, March 25, 1999
Old Ky. home makes its mark
1839 house once a school
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — George Washington never slept in the historic Clayton-Bullock House, but its owner can boast that Ulysses S. Grant's son once attended school there.
At a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Friday, the 160-year-old home at 528 Greenup St. will be assured of its place in history, with the unveiling of a sign from the Kentucky Historical Highway Marker Program.
29th marker
Since 1949, the Kentucky Historical Society has placed thousands of markers along Kentucky highways, as well as on public and private properties throughout the commonwealth.
“We've got so much history here, the more we can do to promote it, the better,” said Covington City Commissioner Butch Callery.
“My feeling is people just forget these things sometimes. It's nice to have a permanent marker, so they'll remember.”
When Mr. Callery was elected to Covington City Commission 20 years ago, there were eight historic markers in the city.
But thanks to a program he proposed about 10 years ago, the Clayton-Bullock marker will be Covington's 29th.
“We had some money in our Newport Steel fund for economic development, so I suggested the city put up half the money for these markers, if an individual or group would put up the other half,” Mr. Callery said. “The commission agreed, and we've put aside $5,000 a year (for the markers) ever since.”
The co-sponsor of the Clayton-Bullock marker is Oakley Farris, a retired salesman who has bought and sold numerous Covington properties since the 1950s. His acquisitions have ranged from the former family home at 1424 Greenup St. to the turn-of-the century Woodford building at Third and Greenup streets.
Shingle siding
“Where we occupy space, we try to make it a better space,” said Mr. Farris, a resident of Covington's Wallace Woods neighborhood.
Built in 1839 by John W. Clayton, the historic home's original exterior is shingle siding, although it has undergone alterations in two different centuries.
Originally formed from three buildings, half of the house was torn down several years ago because of a termite problem, Mr. Farris said.
“There was a persistent rumor that this home was built with ship timbers from a ship that came down the Ohio River, but we weren't able to confirm that,” said Leah Konicki, Covington's historic preservation offi cer.
What historians can document is that the home served as a private school run by Mr. Clayton's daughter, Mary Bullock, when other schools were closed during the Civil War. Among her students wasFrederick Grant, the son of Union Gen. (and future President) Ulysses S. Grant.
“Grant's father, Jesse, lived a couple of doors down, so Grant sent his wife and children here for an extended period of time during the war,” said Charles King, a local history librarian in Covington.
Serves as reminder
Besides serving as one of the few remaining examples of architecture of that time period, the two-story frame house is a reminder of Covington's rich history, Ms. Konicki said.
“This program is a way to call attention to Covington's place in history and stimulate interest in historic properties,” she said.
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