8/19/21
We toured Federal Hill, more famously known as My Old Kentucky Home, as Stephen Foster wrote the song after visiting his cousin, John Rowen, Sr and based it on Rowen’s home. The song is also the state song of Kentucky. Our tour guide sang the first verse of the song for us during our tour.
As most of the plantation type homes in Kentucky at the time, Federal Hill ran on slave labor, in the house and on the grounds. The most slaves owed at one time by John Rowen, Sr was 39, over his lifetime, records show he owned 54.
In 1833, during a celebration of William Rowen’s entrance into politics on the state level (William was John Sr’s oldest son), water was served that had been infected with Cholera. Eight family members, including William, and many slaves died of the Cholera Epidemic. After William’s death, John Jr moved with his wife, back to Federal Hill to take over management of the estate. John Sr died in 1843. In 1840, tax and census records showed that John Jr owned 7 slaves personally. By 1845 no slaves appeared in the tax or census reports for John Jr. In 1847 John Jr asserted himself as a member of the anti-slavery faction.
During the Civil War 100,000 Kentuckians joined the Union Army, while 40,000 joined the Confederate States Army. Slavery was ended in Kentucky with the signing of the 13th Amendment in 1865.
