The Bodley-Bullock House | Kentucky Life | KET

1,479 views · Published 3 April 2014 · 5:31 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: KET - Kentucky Educational Television · 2014 · News & Politics

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The 200-year-old Bodley-Bullock House in Lexington's Gratz Park has a rich history and rich architecture. It was home to a hero of the War of 1812 and served as both Union and Confederate headquarters during the Civil War. Its three-story, cantilevered, elliptical staircase begs for elegant men and women to gracefully make a grand entrance.

Who were Bodley and Bullock? Built in 1814 for Lexington's mayor, the house was sold to General Thomas Bodley, who had distinguished himself in the War of 1812. The Vertner family owned the house from 1837 to the end of the Civil War, in 1865. Father and son Dr. Benjamin Dudley and William Dudley lived here from 1865 to 1870. The Dudley heirs sold the house in 1912 to Dr. Waller Bullock and his wife, Minnie.

The Bullocks willed the home to Transylvania University. The Junior League of Lexington now leases the historic home. The house is open to the public for tours, and it is available to rent for fine occasions, perhaps where a slow walk down a staircase is the featured event. 

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From episode: 1914

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