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Did Andrew Jackson, Charles Dickens and Ulysses S Grant walk through this door? Local folk lore say they did.
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As with any old building there are many myths and legends that surround the Gower House. Most can't be proven. Most are stories that have been handed down through the generations while some can logically be substantiated.
Local Folk Lore suggests that a number of important Historical figures slept at the Gower House. Among them are:
Jenny Lind, who sang within the walls of the Inn.
Lew Wallace, said to have taken much pleasure at the Gower House while he wrote Ben Hur. I'm still working on this one.
Lafayette. He toured the US in 1825 and passed through Smithland twice, once in April 29th, 1825. No mention is ever made of the Gower House (or Bell Tavern- or any inn in Smithland) but he very well could have stayed there.
Henry Clay. Many say that he held court under the large elm (Judge Elm)in front of the Gower House.
James K. Polk
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Jackson (Some say that he ventured to Robertson County Tennessee to witness the goings on of the Bell Witch...?) President Jackson was from Nashville, a jont up the Cumberland. He could have passed this way a few times, but nothing has ever been mentioned or written about him staying at the Gower House or any inn in Smithland.
Aaron Burr
John James Audubon, said to have paused in Smithland on his way to Swan Pond in Ballard County to sketch waterfowl.
Benedict Arnold
Ulysses S. Grant and his troops are said to have drank from the mineral well in the courtyard. The Civil War in Kentucky was a great strategic hold for the Union and many a decisive battle took place close to the area. Ft. Star, a Union strong hold was not far from the Gower House. Remains of this can still be seen today. The Gower House was used as a headquarters and hospital during the war, so Grant may very well have been here. It is plausible.
Charles Dickens is said to have written part of "Great Expectations" at the inn and based the inn in his book on the Gower House. Dickens did tour the United States and the Region of Kentucky and Missouri. He well could have spent a few nights at the Gower House, but it is doubtful that he wrote "Great Expectations" there. His US visit was in 1842 and his monumental novel wasn't written until almost two decades later in 1861. He more than likely used ALL the inns he had stayed in EVER to compile his fictional inn and not The Gower House alone.
Local folk lore reports that President Zachary Taylor was informed of his election to the Presidency while staying at the Inn.
Many of these can not be proven, but given the Inn's reputation, it's certain that SOME of these American icons did in fact pass through Smithland.
Clara Barton was in Smithland after the disastrous1884 flood. However, The Gower House was at that time a private residence of the Zanone family and more than likely flooded itself.
One proven resident of the Gower House was Ned Buntline (Edward Z.C. Judson), the maker of the Buntline Revolver and author of Western Stories, lived here in 1849. The ledged surrounding him is that he brought with him his beautiful Cuban wife, Senorita Sabrina, abandoned her in Smithland where she died a few months later. There is no evidence that she died in Livingston County or that she is buried here.
The Gower House has long been the speculation for ghostly happenings. It's derelict state perpetuates the myth that it's haunted. In my research I have come across many interesting facts that have helped prolong the haunting state.
Some say that the house is inhabited by Mary Zanone. Her family purchased the property after the fire and it is said that she burned to death on the balcony after her dress caught fire by sparks from an open grate. She is said to have fallen to her death rather than died from the blaze. This is an interesting account as one of Charles Dickens characters burned to death after her dress caught fire from sparks! If this happened, I can find no trace of documentation for this story at the Courthouse or cemetery records.
Legends persists that a Civil War treasure is buried some where on the old Gower House property.
Underground Railroad. Reportably slaves used an underground tunnel at The Massey House that connected to the Gower House a few blocks away. From there, the runaway slaves were loaded onto boats and escaped across the river to Illinois and freedom. During a taped interview with two of the Zanone family members, they claimed that there was once was a cellar on the property with a tunnel that lead to the slave quarters, but didn't mention if there was a tunnel that lead to the Massey House. The Massey House is purported to have an hidden opening in a closet door. Descendants of Massey have spoken about a trap door in the floor of a closet that could only be opened from the inside. Leslie McDonald, in his book "Echoes of Yesteryear", states that there is evidence of a tunnel there. Could this be the tunnel used to help the slaves escape imprisonment? No one can be sure as the current owners of the Massey House are reportlably unwilling to let visitors explore their closets and I'm not brave enough (or desperate enough) to attempt to ask.(At least not yet :)
Joe Brown, said to be the richest man in the city, was stabbed to death at the Gower House in the early 1800's. The local folk lore is that the blood stain left upon the floor was unable to be removed. (Too bad the original floor is gone...I'd like to see that!)
Dr. John Brown is said to have entered the dinning room of the inn, drunk and abusive. The clerk asked him to leave and Brown refused. A fight resulted and the clerk died in one of the two doorways after he was repeatedly stabbed by Brown. I am still working on this one. I can't find any documentation to prove my this story as of yet.
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View of the well in the center courtyard.
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