Travellers
Rest & The Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic Site |
Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic site, named for Kentucky's first and fifth Governer
Isaac Shelby, is five miles south of Danville off US 127 outside of Junction
City, in Lincoln Co., KY. Isaac Shelby was buried there in the family cemetery,
his home which he called Traveller's Rest, is no longer standing. |
Isaac Shelby Cemetery |
Isaac Shelby, soldier, statesman, and surveyor, was Kentucky's first governor. He
served from 1792 to 1796 and was re-elected in 1812. Shelby came to Kentucky in 1774 when he was hired by the Transylvania Company to survey the new Kentucky territory. In exchange for his services as a surveyor, Shelby was given his choice of land in the new territory and chose the surrounding land, which he called Traveller's Rest. |
In 1783, Shelby married Suzanna Hart, daughter of of Capt. Nathaniel Hart, one of
the first settlers in Kentucky and one of the owners of the Trarnsylvania Company.
After their marriage, Isaac and Suzanna began building their new home on the
land which Shelby had claimed several years before. Traveller's Rest was designed by Isaac Shelby and is thought to have been one of the first stone houses in Kentucky. The main wing was two stories high with single story wings extending from either end, one containing the master bedroom and the other the kitchen. Traveller's Rest was accidentally burned in 1905 when the current ownder tried to smoke out a wasp's nest in the attic. An engineer on a passing train saw the blaze and blew his whistle to alert the neighbors. However, the lack of water and a shortage of people to fight the fire resulted in the destruction of the house. Shelby was a prominent member of early Kentucky society. He was a memeber of the constitutional conventions which led to Kentucky's statehood. Shelby was a trustee of Transylvania Seminary, Kentucky's first college, and chairman of the board of trustees of Centre College in Danville. He was one of the founders of the Kentucky Society for Promoting Useful Arts, which supported agricultural education and promoted the distribution of materials on the most innovative farming techniques. Shelby's military record was well known. He fought in the Revolutionary War at the famous Battle of King's Mountain and in the War of 1812 where he led a regiment to the rescue of Kentucky troops during the Battle of the Thames near Detroit. He achieved such fame for his performance during this battle that people from Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky stood along the roadside to catch sight of the hero upon his return to Kentucky. Even after his offical retirement from politics in 1816, Shelby was asked to serve as Secretary of War by President Monroe; however, he declined. In 1817, he was commissioned by Andrew Jackson to negotiate with the Chickasaw Indians for purchase of lands west of the Tennessee River. Shelby remained active in political affairs until his death at Traveller's Rest in 1826 at the age of 76. Shelby, his wife Suzanna, several of their children, and close family relatives are buried here. |
Isaac Cemetery at Traveller's Rest |
1. Mrs. Nancy Nelson d. morning of Aug. 25 (27), 1815 in her 23rd year 2. Ann K. Nelson b. Sept. 20, 1813 d. Aug. 11, 184 3. Catherine Shelby, infant b. April 19, 1801 aged 1 mo., 15 days Foot-stone: C.S. 4. Margaret Ann Nelson b. Jun. 27, 1820 d. April 3rd 1821 5. Isaac Shelby b. Sept. 30, 1820 d. March 19, 1821, aged _mo., 19 days 6. John Shelby b. March 5, 1797 d. October 11, 1815 aged 18 years |
7. Isaac Shelby Nelson b. Apr. 1815 d. February 13, 1818 8. Susan Shelby b. Feb. 18, 1764 d. June 19, 1833 9. Isaac Shelby b. Dec. 11, 1750 d. July 18, 1826 10. L.S. McD____________ (date wholly obliterate) 11. Sarah L. McDowell d. May 5, 1827 aged 8 yrs. Foot-stone: S.L.M. 12. Alfred McDowell d. August 16, 1827 aged two years Foot-stone: A.M. 13. Sally Ann McDowell aged 2 yrs Foot-stone: S.A.M. |
14. Joseph Weisiger Shelby son of Evan & Nancy Shelby, aged 23 years died Apr. 23, 1852 15. Nancy Wilcox Warren Shelby born Nov. 22, 1791 died Dec. 30, 1849 aged 58 years 16. Emma Knight, dr. of John W. & Mary Shelby b. Feby. __, 1844 d. Feb. 15, 1848 17. Lucien, son of John W. & Mary Shelby b. 2_th, July 18__ d. Feb. 1, ____ 18. (unmarked foot-stone only) 19. Letitia Shelby dr. of Evan Shelby b. Feby. 12, 182_ d. December __, ____ Foot-stone: L.S. |
In May 1938, complete restoration of the Shelby burial ground was undertaken by Judge
and Mrs. Samuel M. Wilson of Lexington, Kentucky, Miss Susanna Preston Shelby
Grigsby and Colonel Evan Shelby. During this restoration, the stone wall surrounding
the burial ground and the individual grave markers were restored by the
Lexington Granite Company. The Traveller's Rest slab, dated 1820, was removed
from the origional wall and reset in the present wall. In September, 1991, the Kentucky Department of Parks completed major restoration of the Isaac Shelby Cemetery. The restoration included stabilization, resetting, cleaning and conservation treatments of the existing gravemakers and identification of the unmarked gravesites. The wall surrounding the cemetery was also restored by cleaning, recapping and tuck-pointing of the stone. |
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