Welcome to the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, our three-story Victorian-era building containing artifacts that showcase more than two hundred years of Central Kentucky history.

The building was constructed in 1895 as a private home for Dr. John Ishmal and his family. As you walk through the galleries, please note the many original features, including carved wooden mantels and tile fireplace surrounds, which reflect the craftsmanship of a bygone era.

In 1927, Dr. E.P. Grant purchased the home and converted it into the Grant Mission Clinic and Hospital. For most of its existence, the building was used as a medical facility that served not only local Clark County residents, but also patients throughout Eastern Kentucky.

The hospital itself closed in 1971, but the first floor remained open as a clinic operated by Dr. Eddie Grant, Dr. John Hubbord, and others until 1989. The building remained empty for 11 years, and in 2000, the Grant Memorial Association offered it to the community for use as a museum.

The first floor eventually opened to the public in 2004 after years of fundraising and renovations, with three galleries. The second floor was completed and opened in 2008, and in 2010, the third floor became the last to open to the public.

The entrance hallway contains an authentic Union Civil War uniform in the tall glass case, along with a cannonball dug up in Madison County, just across the Kentucky River, which forms the southern border of Clark County. The cannonball was likely fired from the Civil War fort at Boonesboro, one of seven temporary earthwork forts constructed by the Union along the Kentucky River in an effort to deter Confederate raiders from crossing into the Bluegrass region.

On the stairway landing is a reproduction of a Confederate soldier’s uniform. The case next to the entrance holds a long rifle and bow and arrows from the 1780s. Pioneers at this time were leaving the shelter at Fort Boonesboro and settling in what would become Clark County.

A model and photographs of the Provenance Church, also known as the Old Stone Church, depict the oldest church building in continuous use since pioneer times located west of the Allegheny Mountains.

As you proceed on the walking tour, you will notice that not all objects and photos on display are mentioned. Please feel free to spend extra time at each location to explore before moving on. Your next stop will be the William S. Blakemen Gallery, located across from the stairway.