Mt. Lebanon Farm

Mt. Lebanon Farm Est. 1785 by Governor James Garrard — Kentucky’s 2nd Governor. Still owned by his descendants. 180 acres in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

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04/12/2026

We just put up a new swing at Mt. Lebanon — and it might already be our favorite spot on the property.

From it you can see the tree line along the cliff where the old railroad tracks run below and Stoner Creek winds through. Swing the other direction and there’s Acquia Run, an old rock fence running nearly a quarter mile along the edge of the property, and 180 acres of fields with walking trails along every fence line.

Two creeks. A cliff. A rock fence.

The house has been standing since 1785.

Some weekends just need a little more room to breathe. Mt. Lebanon Estate is available to book — link in comments. 🌿

04/09/2026

J T Hinton is our great-grand uncle! The family is very proud of his legacy ❤️ and to see the amazing restoration of Hotel Thoroughbred

04/05/2026

Met the train engineer about a month ago. He comes by everyday around 6 and when we can we run down to wave back 🚂😁

04/05/2026

About a month ago, we met the engineer who drives the train by the farm everyday around 6!

Now we wait, when we can, for him to pass and wave Hi to our new friend, Randy!!

Always an adventure at Mt. Lebanon


Last weekend, talented Kentucky historian and author Medina Dean paid a visit to Mt. Lebanon — and she left with quite a...
04/04/2026

Last weekend, talented Kentucky historian and author Medina Dean paid a visit to Mt. Lebanon — and she left with quite a story to tell. We think she captured the heart of this place beautifully. Full article and her webpage linked in the post!

03/29/2026

Before Bourbon County had a courthouse — it had this room.

On May 15, 1786, the first Bourbon County Court convened right here at Mt. Lebanon. Bourbon County was one of only 9 counties that existed before Kentucky was even a state.

The man who opened that court was James Garrard — Revolutionary War soldier, Baptist minister, whiskey distiller, and the man who helped write Kentucky’s constitution. He would later become Kentucky’s 2nd Governor — the only governor ever elected to two consecutive terms until 1999.

The stones of this house were laid by John Metcalfe — one of Kentucky’s most celebrated stonemasons. His half-brother Thomas Metcalfe later became Kentucky’s 10th Governor — known as ‘Old Stonehammer.’ The same family of stonemasons also built the first Kentucky Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort.

The floors you see are original — laid in 1785. The window casings in this room are more ornate than any other in the house — a detail that suggests this was the room reserved for the most important gatherings. When the first court convened here, these were the floors they stood on.

Governor Garrard’s own portrait — painted by Chester Harding at his personal commission — still hangs in this room today. He is looking at the same floors. The same window casings. The same walls.

He died here in 1822. He’s buried on the property. The room is still standing. The portrait is still on the wall.

Mt. Lebanon Estate. Paris, Kentucky. 1785. Still here.

Built in 1785, Mt. Lebanon near Paris, Kentucky has stood for nearly the entire arc of American history.The home was bui...
03/15/2026

Built in 1785, Mt. Lebanon near Paris, Kentucky has stood for nearly the entire arc of American history.

The home was built by James Garrard, who would later become the second governor of Kentucky.

Since that time, the house has been passed down from generation to generation for seven generations — from the Garrard family to the Talbot family and now to the Megibben family.

Because of that continuity, the same home and family line have carried Mt. Lebanon through nearly every chapter of American history — from the years before the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787, through the Civil War, the rise of railroads, the invention of the telephone, the automobile age, two World Wars, and into the present day.

The images here show a glimpse of that long timeline — an early illustration of the house, historic photographs of family members on the front steps, and the home as it stands today.

A small piece of Kentucky Derby history still hangs on the wall at Mt. Lebanon.These two photographs hanging inside Mt. ...
03/14/2026

A small piece of Kentucky Derby history still hangs on the wall at Mt. Lebanon.

These two photographs hanging inside Mt. Lebanon tell a small piece of Kentucky racing history.

The first is Tiger Rebel, a racehorse bred and raised here by William Garrard Talbot II, whose family lived on this land for generations. Talbot believed in the c**t from the beginning — sharp-eyed, tough, and always willing to run.

In 1945, Tiger Rebel made it to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Surrounded by the powerful racing stables of the era, Talbot arrived from Bourbon County with his homebred c**t.

When reporters asked how it felt to stand among the giants of the sport, Talbot grinned and said:

“I feel like a bastard at a family reunion.”

The line appeared in newspapers the next morning and followed him for the rest of his life.

Tiger Rebel finished 13th behind Hoop Jr., but the tough little c**t kept running and eventually became a stakes winner, proving Talbot’s faith in him had been right all along.

The second photograph is Peacock Pike, a son of Tiger Rebel and another durable runner Talbot helped bring into the world.

03/12/2026

Trains have been running past Mt. Lebanon since the days of Talbot Station.
Nearly 170 years later, they’re still part of the landscape here.

The farm was built in 1785 by Kentucky’s second governor, James Garrard, and has remained in the Garrard-Talbot family ever since.




In 1785 James Garrard left Kentucky for Virginia to serve in the state legislature. While he was away, his wife Elizabet...
03/09/2026

In 1785 James Garrard left Kentucky for Virginia to serve in the state legislature.

While he was away, his wife Elizabeth chose a high cliff overlooking the creek and started building a new stone house there.

She wasn’t just choosing a view. In 1785 Kentucky was frontier territory — settlers faced constant raids and real danger. Building high meant seeing trouble coming.

When James came home from Virginia, Elizabeth had built him Mt. Lebanon.

James Garrard went on to become Kentucky’s 2nd Governor, serving from 1796 to 1804. When he and Elizabeth died, they chose to be buried right here — within sight of everything they built and loved.

They couldn’t have imagined it would still be standing 240 years later. But I think they’d be proud.

My husband is their direct descendant. Every single day we get to be the stewards of this place.

📍 Paris, Kentucky

The creek in this photo has a name that’s over 240 years old.In 1783, Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard arrived in Kentucky fro...
03/07/2026

The creek in this photo has a name that’s over 240 years old.

In 1783, Elizabeth Mountjoy Garrard arrived in Kentucky from Stafford County, Virginia — bringing five children and leaving everything she knew behind. She named the little creek running through this land after a piece of home she missed — Aquia Creek — the very same creek back in Virginia whose stone was quarried to build the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

She called it Acquia Run. It’s still called that today.

Her husband was James Garrard — Kentucky’s 2nd Governor. Together they built Mt. Lebanon Estate in 1785 on a hill above Acquia Run.

Governor Garrard lived here until his death in 1822. Elizabeth lived here until her death in 1832. They are both buried on this property, along with generations of their family.

My husband Mike and his family are direct descendants of Governor Garrard. This creek, the estate, and the land surrounding it have remained in their family ever since.

That’s Mt. Lebanon Farm. We’re honored to be its stewards. 🌿

📷 Photo courtesy of Maxxwel Megibben — actor, voice actor, and filmmaker, and a Garrard family descendant.
See more of his work at www.maxxwelmegibben.com

📍 Paris, Kentucky

03/01/2026

Just five minutes down the road today, a brand new calf joined the pasture.

Farm life has a way of reminding you what really matters.

Welcome to the world, little one. 🤍



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Paris, KY
40361

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