Anatok (Bardstown, Kentucky)

Anatok was a historic mansion in central Bardstown, Kentucky. The two-story, double-pile, brick Greek Revival home was built in 1847 for Charles and Matilda Haydon.

Anatok
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Location	309 W John Fitch Ave, Bardstown, Kentucky
Coordinates	37°48′30″N 85°28′18″W / 37.8082°N 85.4717°W / 37.8082; -85.4717
Built	1847
Built for	Charles Haydon
Original use	plantation
Demolished	2022
Owner	Bethlehem High School (Archdiocese of Louisville)

The home had a limestone foundation, four brick interior end chimneys, and a standing seam hipped roof. It was named Anatok in the 1890s by then-owner James L. Druien.^[1]

In 1900, a one-story Colonial Revival wraparound porch, supported by Ionic columns, and a pedimented dormer were added.

The house was once home to Daniel Rudd, a prominent African-American Catholic journalist, was born into slavery on the plantation in 1854.^[2] In 1889, Rudd called together the first National Black Catholic Congress which was held at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.^[3]

In the 21st century, as the property fell intro disrepair, preservationists sought to restore the property and avoid demolition. The Archdiocese of Louisville razed the property in February 2022.^[4]

References

1. Hibbs, Dixie (1998–2009). Bardstown. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 58–60. ISBN 978-0-7385-8991-6.
2. Gerald L. Smith; Karen Cotton McDaniel; John A. Hardin (9 September 2015). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-6067-2.
3. Agee, Gary B. (2011-12-01). A Cry for Justice: Daniel Rudd and His Life in Black Catholicism, Journalism, and Activism, 1854–1933. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-61075-491-0.
4. "Anatok demolition begins after funding falls through | KYStandard.com". www.kystandard.com. Retrieved 2022-02-11.