Old Home Takes on New Life
culture, glasgow-barren county, historic home, renovation, spotswood house,
The Spotswood House was built in the late 18th century, before Kentucky achieved statehood. In recent decades, the Georgian-style home had fallen into disrepair.
When it came on the market in 2007, local physicians Amelia and Kyle Kiser bought the home and have spent months lovingly restoring it.
The husband-and-wife team “pretty much gutted everything down to brick on the inside,” says Dr. Kyle Kiser. They installed a new roof and draining system, replastered the entire interior, installed plumbing from street to the interior and rewired the entire home.
The restoration was designed to retain the historical accuracy of the home’s original construction. Instead of modern sheetrock, the walls are plastered. The couple retained as much of the original woodwork as possible, and any wood that had to be replaced was carved to match the original. Interior colors replicate the paint popular in the Georgian era, and the couple researched the 18th-century colonial architecture by taking trips to Williamsburg and Mount Vernon.
“We both enjoy history, and we both enjoy antiques,” Kiser says. “This just fits our lifestyle and personality. Everybody has things they enjoy doing in their spare time, and this is kind of what we do.”
The house was originally built to serve as a home for Alexander Spotswood, whose grandfather was the first lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1710-1722. His wife, Elizabeth, was George Washington’s niece by marriage, Kiser says.
Today, it is home to the Kisers and their children, a 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son.
“Glasgow has been very good to us,” Kiser says. “This is the oldest house in town, and neither one of us could stand to watch it fall down, knowing we had the ability to bring it back. Some people don’t understand all the time and money, but if you like older homes, you don’t have to explain it.”
Story by Anita Wadhwani
Photo by J. Kyle Keener
