If the Old Governor's Mansion on High Street becomes a guesthouse, visitors may be sharing their accommodations with the ghosts of several former residents.
Stephen Collins, son of former Gov. Martha Layne Collins, said according to legend, the Old Governor's Mansion is haunted. Collins is also chairman of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission and its members have discussed the possibility of using the mansion as a guesthouse.
Collins lived in the mansion with his mother while she was lieutenant governor between 1979 and 1983. According to legend, Margaret Robinson Robertson, the mother-in-law of Gov. Robert Letcher who held office from 1840-1844, still haunts the mansion.
Robertson moved in with her son-in-law after she was injured in a buggy accident that also killed her husband. She lived in the dining room on the first floor and Collins said she pledged to return after Letcher left office in 1844.
"They say if ever evil is about to befall the walls of the mansion, the ghost of Mrs. Robertson will return and the evil spirits will disappear," Collins said.
Gov. Christopher Greenup, who served from 1804-1808, held the first inaugural ball for his wife, Mary Catherine Pope Greenup. She died in 1807, and according to legend, her ghost walks the halls at night carrying a candle, Collins said.
However, during his four years there, Collins said he never saw any ghosts.
The advisory council met earlier this year to discuss ways to get more use out of the Old Governor's Mansion. It's open for tours from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but only a handful of guests visit each week.
The mansion is available for small meetings and luncheons in the dining room for $75. It can also accommodate a wedding, birthday party or anniversary celebration, starting at a flat fee of $150 up to $500 for a four-hour block.
Because the mansion is not always open to the public, David Buchta, director of historic properties, said many aren't aware of what services are offered.
"All these things were put here for people to appreciate," he said. "We didn't try to create anything private."
Jill Midkiff, a spokeswoman for the Finance and Administration Cabinet, said she had her senior prom reception at the old mansion. She is a graduate of Western Hills High School.
One of the main attractions is the garden on the west side of the mansion, Buchta said. The garden features 10 large wooden trellises constructed from eastern red cedar and curved benches. The landscape includes many native Kentucky plants including sugar maple, black gum, hemlock, dogwood, sumac and rhododendron.
An iron fence that includes a rosette design surrounds the garden. A circular fountain is the centerpiece of the overall landscape design.
A gate connects the mansion to the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History and Buchta said it's a convenient arrangement for wedding receptions.
Collins said the mansion also helped ensure Frankfort would remain the center of state government.
Completed in 1798 at a cost of $12,000, the mansion was built in the Federal style. Collins said the legislature decided to build the mansion because it would be cheaper to maintain instead of renting property.
The mansion also gave stability to the new government, Collins said. Bills were frequently introduced to move the Capitol to another city, like Lexington, Louisville, or Danville, he said.
"There was a lot of banter back and forth," Collins said. "It came up just about every session."
Thirty-three governors lived in the mansion between 1798 and 1914 and seven U.S. Presidents were received as guests including William Henry Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, William Howard Taft and James Monroe.
Other notable guests include William Jennings Bryan and Henry Clay.
The mansion also housed the headquarters and barracks of the Highway Patrol, later to become the Kentucky State Police, during the 1930s and 40s. Collins said it was in danger of being torn down to create a parking lot but was saved by Gov. Simeon Willis in 1946.
The gold and pearl pen he used to sign the order restoring the mansion as an official residence for the lieutenant governor is on display at the mansion. The lieutenant governor lived there between 1956 and 2002 and Lt. Gov. Steve Henry was the last official resident.
Kentucky was one of only three states to provide a residence for the lieutenant governor, who now receives a housing allowance.
Collins said he enjoyed living in the mansion and would sometimes run into tour groups when he came downstairs. Even if he was on the way out, Collins said he would stop and shake hands with the visitors.
Collins said he remembered when residents would stop at the mansion to trick or treat and sing Christmas carols. Other events included a Halloween party and a beach party in the courtyard.
"The mansion was always a real big part of the Capital City," he said.
The mansion also contains historic furniture, official portraits and other artifacts. Buchta said the sideboard in the dining room is one of the most valuable pieces in the state's inventory.
Built in Maysville in about 1810, Buchta said it's insured for about $85,000.