Timeline

Chaumiere du Prairie (1796-Present)

(1796-1832)

Colonel David meade II & Sarah “sallie” Waters Meade…

David Meade, at the age of fifty-two, moved his family to the estate now known at Chaumiere du Prairie or Chaumiere des Prairies, nine miles from Lexington in Jessamine County, Kentucky. He devoted the remainder of his life to creating a home reminiscent of England’s finest country seats while celebrating the natural beauty of the Bluegrass region. It’s said that he named the estate “Chaumiere du Prairie” - “The Cottage in the Meadow.” At the end of his memoirs, he provided a very brief description:

"At the precise period of recording this the writer, David Meade, has resided in tranquil retirement thirty years, with a numerous household, at his seat of Chaumiere du Prairie, where his days have been engaged in the wholesome and agreeable, and he trusts, innocent occupation of the improvement of his grounds, after the mode of horticulture, calculated more to please the eye, than to result in the acquirement of what the world generally deems the more substantial goods of life."

There is so much to be said by historical accounts about David Meade and his family. We hope to dedicate a significant amount of time fully researching and compiling that information into a collection to share.

At the time of his death in 1829, David Meade asked that Chaumiere be maintained as he wished for at least three years after passing. In 1832, his children having fulfilled their father’s wish decided it was best to auction the estate after those due to lack of funds for maintenance.

(1832-1838)

Farmer William robards…

For many years, Jessamine County residents cherished Chaumiere as a place of beauty, a paradise of sorts. When farmer William Robards won the bidding, distressed neighbors posted a sign proclaiming “paradise lost.” The sign infuriated Robards, who turned his livestock loose in the gardens, demolished many of the buildings Meade had erected, and stored grain in the main house, until Chaumiere was essentially destroyed.

(1838-1874)

Captain Edward carter…

In 1838, Captain Edward Carter purchased Chaumiere and added the Greek Revival brick house to the octagonal brick parlor built for French General Marquis du Lafayette in 1840. He lived in the home for 30 years.

(1874-1884)

George W. Headley…

We haven’t figured out exactly how the exchange happened, but we understand that Chaumiere was gifted to George W. Headley by his uncle Mr. Shivery.

(1884-1968)

John steele and descendants…

John Steele, who owned Woodland Farm, purchased Chaumiere from George W. Headley in 1884 and bequeathed it to his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Allen Zaring.

(1968-2013)

Mrs. Margaret Steele zaring Fife rash…

Margaret Steele Zaring Fife Rash, who passed away in 2013, had lived at Chaumiere for at least 40 years.

As we understand it, Margaret Steele Zaring Fife Rash inherited the estate in 1968. She restored it, made it her home, and in the early 1970s added Chaumiere to the National Register of Historic Places. On July 17th, 1975, Margaret submitted a nomination form for “Chaumiere des Prairies” to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1971, she approached Dr. G. Herbert Livingston and the Asbury Theological Seminary for archaeological excavations. Those studies and dig continued sporadically until Fall 1979. Dr. Livingston produced a written record, “Chaumiere Du Prairie,” summarizing the history of Chaumiere and the findings from the digs. Some of the artifacts found — namely a number of glass bottles — are on display in the house’s staircase window.

(2013-2015)

Lloyd mcmillan…

After her passing, Margaret’s son, Lloyd, decided it was time to sell Chaumiere when he left for South Carolina. He put the estate up for auction through Wilson Auctions on Saturday, November 14th, 2015. Kenneth Ramsey made the winning bid at the auction, protecting the antebellum brick home and 169 acres from developers.

(2015-Present)

Kenneth L. ramsey, Sarah K. Ramsey, & granddaughter Kathy Ramsey…

Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey own Ramsey Farm, a Thoroughbred operation that has produced dozens of stakes winners and earned Ramsey and his wife, Sarah, top honors as owners and breeders. In 1995, Kenneth & Sarah decided to call farm Ramsey Farm - formerly known as Almahurst Farm established in 1783 - runs adjacent to Chaumiere.

Kenneth loves history and wanted to preserve Chaumiere as an essential piece of Jessamine County, Kentucky, and American history. His hope when purchasing Chaumiere at auction was to preserve the house and prevent the farm from being subdivided for houses or other developments.

Bobby Day Wilson, whose company conducted the auction, said that the estate had been in the same family for 131 years, and that the house was occupied until September.

"Maybe it'll stay in the Ramsey family another 131 years," Ramsey said.

In June 2019, Kathy Ramsey — Kenneth & Sarah’s granddaughter — began developing her vision of Chaumiere’s future as a thriving farm, event venue, and hub for her business, Ephemeral Florals. Kathy is a floral designer, gardener, & crafter passionate about sustainable farming, native flora, and promoting biodiversity within agricultural systems. She sources sustainably grown specialty cut flowers from Bellaire Blooms in Woodford County, KY and intends to grow her own cutting garden on the Chaumiere grounds.

While Chaumiere is being reinvigorated for contemporary use, Kathy and her grandparent’s plans to revisit Colonel Meade’s original purpose of the farm as a hospitality center and “a promised land of beauty and plenty.”