Federal Hill Mansion, My Old Kentucky Home SP, Bardstown, KY - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The song “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night” was written by Stephen C. Foster in 1853 for a traveling minstrel show. It, like many of Foster’s tunes, has enjoyed an enduring popularity over the years. Fifty years after it was written, it was being played continuously inside the Kentucky exhibit at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. This exhibit was a large colonial mansion dubbed the “New Kentucky Home” and featured, among other things, the original wooden desk on which Foster penned the song.

The house seen on the stamp was built by John Rowan, a Kentucky lawyer and politician, on his farm in Bardstown. Begun in 1796, it was one of the first brick homes built in the state of Kentucky. The mansion remained in the Rowan family for over a hundred years until it was sold by John Rowan’s granddaughter to the state of Kentucky in 1922. After substantial restoration (the home had fallen into disrepair), it became My Old Kentucky Home State Park in 1923 alluding to the popular Foster song.

But what does Stephen Foster and his song have to do with John Rowan’s Federal Hill Estate? Well, it seems that Foster was a distant cousin of the Rowans and may have visited the house on several occasions. (His sister definitely visited often as she was being courted by a Rowan family member.) Though inspired by the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” some of the imagery of “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night” may have been based on one of Foster’s visits to Federal Hill. Unfortunately, Stephen Foster died a penniless drunk at the age of 37 before anyone could ask him for sure.

In any event, the song “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night” was officially adopted as the state song of Kentucky in 1928. And besides being featured on this 1992 postage stamp, the Federal Hill mansion was also depicted on the Kentucky state quarter issued in 2001.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 1-Jun-1992 Denomination: 29c Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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