Old Wash Place
9 mi. W of Lawrenceburg at jct. of U.S. 62 and KY 53, Lawrenceburg, KYThe central portion of the cabin known as The Old Wash Place is believed to have been built by Benjamin Wash, a Revolutionary War veteran, in about 1791. It is believed to be the oldest surviving structure of its kind in Anderson County. The original cabin was later expanded by Benjamin's son, John. John Wash was a farmer and also played an active political role in the formation of Anderson County. The Old Wash Place is significant as the home of one of Anderson County's first settlers and a respected family of the community, as well as an interesting example of the extended log house.
The Wash family was originally from Louisa County, Virginia. The brothers Thomas and Benjamin Wash (1738-1798) having served in the Revolutionary War, were given small land grants in Kentucky and moved there shortly thereafter. Benjamin Wash had been wounded in the leg at the Battle of King's Mountain, but this did not prevent him from establishing and operating a prosperous farm.
Benjamin Wash's land grant extended to the Salt River near the mouth of Indian Creek in what was then Nelson County (later Washington and now Anderson County). He settled on this land around 1791.
Before coming to Kentucky, Wash married Jemima Peyton. They had at least five children. Their son John Wash (1788-1871) had purchased land on his own right near Sinai (a small community 11 miles southwest of Lawrenceburg). Around 1819, when his father's will was executed, he inherited his father's land and bought his mother's adjoining property. John Wash married Rebecca Watkins in April 1808. They lived in the cabin located on Wilderness Road and Beaver Creek.
In order to accommodate his growing family, Wash added two rooms to the west side with a dogtrot connecting it to the original cabin. At the same time, or perhaps a little later, a large room was added on the east side of the original.
John Wash had a keen interest in politics and civil welfare. Wash is credited with being responsible for the beginning of the educational and religious development of the Sinai (Shilo) community. He engaged a private teacher to instruct his children and other children in the community. Wash built a small log structure on his property near his home for use as a school. (It no longer exists.)
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.