Just to your left, you’ll spot a leafy stretch of sidewalk hugging a grand old brick building, with a dark green historical sign out front that reads “Corner in Celebrities”-if you see a row of crisp white windows and Federal-style doorways tucked in the shade, you’re in the right spot.
Now, the name “Corner in Celebrities” might sound like something out of a Hollywood gossip column, but Frankfort got there first. Instead of red carpets, it’s brick sidewalks and historic homes. This neighborhood is basically the Kentucky version of a celebrity home tour-minus the tinted windows and nosy tour buses. If these walls could talk, you’d hear over 200 years of political intrigue, family drama, and more senators and governors than you can shake a stick at.
Picture this: back in the late 1700s, Frankfort was just carving out its place along the Kentucky River. General James Wilkinson-a man who somehow found time to run a ferry, launch a city, and allegedly dabble in espionage on the side-owned this stretch of land. When Kentucky became America’s 15th state, Frankfort bagged the title of state capital thanks, in part, to Wilkinson’s campaign skills and prime riverfront property.
Right down Wapping Street, which gets its name from London’s “Old Wapping Stairs” (call it a bit of British homesickness from John Instone), you’ve got a parade of personalities. Some of their names are still spoken in Capitol halls, law schools, or, occasionally, muttered in exasperation at local trivia nights.
Let’s start with Thomas Todd, who gave his name to one of the proudest brick houses here. Todd, a self-made legal expert who started as a Revolutionary War officer, went on to serve as Kentucky’s first Supreme Court clerk before climbing the ranks to Chief Justice-and then all the way to Washington, D.C., as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, courtesy of President Thomas Jefferson. Not bad for a Kentucky boy. Todd bought his place on Wapping Street for what was probably less than the cost of a nice dinner out today-adjusted for inflation, that’s still a steal for a Supreme Court seat. His wife, by the way, was Dolley Madison’s sister. The guest list was never dull.
A few doors down at 401 Wapping Street sits the Vest-Lindsey House, one of the oldest in town. Little George Graham Vest grew up here, and later coined the phrase, “Dog is man’s best friend.” Senator, legal legend, and clearly a dog lover. In 1846, Union General Daniel Lindsey took over the house-his family held onto it for over a century.
And at the Bibb-Burnley House, also known as Gray Gables, you’ll find a 21-room Gothic Revival showpiece-built for John Bibb, who came to town as a state legislator. Writers and musicians flocked here; you could think of it as Frankfort’s unofficial early arts club.
Don’t forget to glance at the parade of names listed on that marker: Harlan, Crittenden, Metcalfe, Vest, Morehead, Owsley, and Rodman. Their stately homes are sprinkled along Wapping and Wilkinson Streets, each with tales from the Civil War, state politics, journalism, and family roots that sink deep into Kentucky’s past.
Today, this district is wrapped inside the larger Central Frankfort Historic District-sort of a nesting doll of landmark neighborhoods. But no matter how you dress it up, the Corner in Celebrities is still the beating heart of old Frankfort character.
When you’re ready for a bit more 18th-century charm, Liberty Hall is just a 5-minute walk northwest along Wapping Street.
