Mayo Mansion
Encyclopedia
Mayo Mansion is a historic mansion
located at 405 Third Street, Paintsville
, Kentucky
, United States
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 3, 1974 as John C.C. Mayo Mansion and Office. The mansion currently serves as Our Lady the Mountains School.
Mayo Mansion was built for American
entrepreneur John C. C. Mayo
. Herman Geisky served as the projects chief architect.
, construction began in 1905.
Due to Paintsville's undeveloped state, construction of the mansion was not an easy task. Before the foundation could be built, the land had to drained and filled. The sandstone used in the construction was cut and shaped at Thomas Jefferson Mayo's (John Mayo's father) farm which was located across Paint Creek
. The sandstone blocks were then transported across the valley from his father's farm to the construction site on an overhead tram, which was about 3/4 mile long. The stone columns were separated into three separate pieces and pulled up Paint Creek during the dry season by at least ten oxen.
At the start of the mansion's construction, Paintsville had not yet received electrical service. Due to this, the original plans called for the use of carbide gas to provide lighting. But toward the end of its construction, it was announced that the city would be receiving an electrical service. The mansion was then wired, allowing it to have electricity. Also, because Paintsville had not received a public water system, water was pumped from a well into a cistern
, which provided the mansion with running water. Rain water was also captured from the roof and was channeled into the cistern. In December 1912, after a cost of $250,000 ($5,218,361 after being adjusted for inflation), the three-story, forty-three room mansion was complete.
Shortly after Mayo's death in 1914, his wife, Alice, sold the estate to the Sandy Valley Seminary, which was renamed John C. C. Mayo College. After the college closed due to financial difficulties in 1936, the property and estate were given back to Alice. She then sold the property to E. J. Evans, who was a friend and employee of her husband. In 1945, Evans sold the mansion and property to Most Reverend William T. Mulloy, who was the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky
at the time. In October of the same year the Sisters of Divine Providence from Melbourne, Kentucky
established Our Lady of the Mountains School, which still occupies the building today.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
located at 405 Third Street, Paintsville
Paintsville, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 4,132 people, 1,681 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 786.1 people per square mile . There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 361.7 per square mile...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 3, 1974 as John C.C. Mayo Mansion and Office. The mansion currently serves as Our Lady the Mountains School.
Mayo Mansion was built for American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur John C. C. Mayo
John C. C. Mayo
John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo was an American entrepreneur, educator, and politician.-Early life:Mayo was born in Gulnare, Kentucky to Thomas Jefferson Mayo and Mary E. Leslie Mayo. His family moved to Johnson County, Kentucky in 1870 from Pike County, Kentucky where they established their home in...
. Herman Geisky served as the projects chief architect.
History
In 1905, Mayo began develop plans to build him and his family a new home in Paintsville. He had originally planned to build around a twenty room home, but after visiting several other mansions in central Kentucky, he decided to build a much larger home. After hiring architect Herman Geisky and over one-hundred Italian stonemasons from CincinnatiCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, construction began in 1905.
Due to Paintsville's undeveloped state, construction of the mansion was not an easy task. Before the foundation could be built, the land had to drained and filled. The sandstone used in the construction was cut and shaped at Thomas Jefferson Mayo's (John Mayo's father) farm which was located across Paint Creek
Paint Creek (Johnson County, Kentucky)
Paint Creek is a tributary of the Levisa Fork in Johnson County, Kentucky. The stream is formed at the confluence of the Little Paint and Open Fork creeks. It is named for the colorful Adena Indian ideographs that were painted on white birch trees and rocks that once lined the stream.Paint Creek...
. The sandstone blocks were then transported across the valley from his father's farm to the construction site on an overhead tram, which was about 3/4 mile long. The stone columns were separated into three separate pieces and pulled up Paint Creek during the dry season by at least ten oxen.
At the start of the mansion's construction, Paintsville had not yet received electrical service. Due to this, the original plans called for the use of carbide gas to provide lighting. But toward the end of its construction, it was announced that the city would be receiving an electrical service. The mansion was then wired, allowing it to have electricity. Also, because Paintsville had not received a public water system, water was pumped from a well into a cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
, which provided the mansion with running water. Rain water was also captured from the roof and was channeled into the cistern. In December 1912, after a cost of $250,000 ($5,218,361 after being adjusted for inflation), the three-story, forty-three room mansion was complete.
Shortly after Mayo's death in 1914, his wife, Alice, sold the estate to the Sandy Valley Seminary, which was renamed John C. C. Mayo College. After the college closed due to financial difficulties in 1936, the property and estate were given back to Alice. She then sold the property to E. J. Evans, who was a friend and employee of her husband. In 1945, Evans sold the mansion and property to Most Reverend William T. Mulloy, who was the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
at the time. In October of the same year the Sisters of Divine Providence from Melbourne, Kentucky
Melbourne, Kentucky
Melbourne is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, on the Ohio River. The population was 401 at the 2010 census. St. Anne Convent is located in Melbourne; scenes from the movie 'RAIN MAN' were filmed there.-Geography:...
established Our Lady of the Mountains School, which still occupies the building today.