Federal Grove Bed and Breakfast

We had a great day today! We had reservations at a Bed and Breakfast in Auburn, KY. We actually didn’t spend the night, we just had lunch reservations. Auburn is about 20 minutes from our house, so we just drove over this morning and did a little shopping at a couple of the antique stores. I am not posting the pictures of my finds, because I LOVE them, but I know that at least one of them would make a good gift and I would hate to ruin my sister’s birthday by putting a picture of her gift on here. Anyway…
Federal Grove is the name of the farm where the B&B is and I promise I am not trying to give a history lesson, but I think it just makes it more interesting (at least for me). The land was awarded back in 1785 to General Jonathan Clark (who was William Clark’s older brother – William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition). In 1805 his daughter, Eleanor, and her husband Benjamin Temple settled and established the farm known as Federal Grove. After her husband passed away, Eleanor sold the farm to Captain Harrison Wood. Captain Wood opened a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse and a general store in the late 1850’s. Because this area was a major route for both Union and Confederate soldiers, Captain Wood fled to Texas during the Civil War. In 1871, a farmer named James Monroe Hall bought Federal Grove and built the first brick home in Logan County. He kept the farm in the family until 1991 when the home and 13 acres was sold to Wayne and Terry Blythe. They restored the property and now it is open for visitors as a B&B and restaurant.
Okay! Lesson over! I can’t help it – just knowing all of the events that have unfolded here just makes it so much more appealing to me. I really wish I would have taken more pictures. It was really neat inside with antiques and dishes everywhere. The bathroom was gorgeous! It had an antique bathtub with one of those little silver trays going across it. I could just see myself soaking in there and reading a Southern Living magazine. However, I practiced some self control and didn’t go for it. Actually, Derrick was standing outside the bathroom and he probably would have busted through that dainty little lock on the door and told me to high tail it out of there if he would have known I was thinking about jumping in that tub. It just looked very inviting – and clean.
Lunch was very delicious. We both had the roast beef – very tender and juicy. And I actually had my first taste of hot potato salad. Where has that been hiding? I may never eat it cold again. For dessert…wow…I almost had to order two. I went with the chocolate dream cake and Derrick had the banana pudding. Mine was excellent and Derrick’s was perfect and fresh out of the oven – and I know it was in the oven because it had a perfectly cooked layer of meringue on top. Okay – enough about the food – I am making myself hungry. Ok – just one more thing…next time I go (which I hope is soon) I am going to get the fried chicken. It looked like heaven. I honestly think my Mom makes the best fried chicken and this looked exactly like hers. And I want to try the strawberry cream cake. Or maybe the bumbleberry cobbler…