<p>The Glen Alice House on the hill above Kentucky 11.</p>

The Glen Alice House on the hill above Kentucky 11.

There’s just something about walking into a historic home like the Glen Alice.

You can feel the passage of time when you gaze at the shimmering chandeliers, slide your hand over the intricately molded fireplace mantels or amble up the winding staircase. People have crossed these hardwood floors for centuries and in the hushed silence, you can almost hear the whisperings of long-ago conversations.

Older homes are mysterious yet also familiar. One moment, we say they have character and then curse out loud when the pipes break or there are issues with the ancient electrical wiring. Because of the impressively high ceilings, they’re usually too cold in the winter and pleasantly cool in the summertime. An old house is like a grumpy partner who is annoying at times but you can’t help falling in love with it.

Most historic homes are a culmination of many generations of families living within their walls and the additions and improvements they made along the way.

But occasionally you find a real gem of a house that has been kept intact throughout the years without altering its original state very much. These types of homes have been renovated and lovingly cared for by people who strive to retain the structure’s original charm as much as possible.

That’s exactly what Robert and Cindy Gilkison did when they bought the Glen Alice home in 1993—they embraced the historic significance of the stately house on the hill and did everything in their power to preserve its history.

If you drive along on Kentucky 11, just a few miles south of downtown Maysville, you’ll find The Glen Alice House. You can’t miss it. It stands proudly above the roadway with a lush lawn spreading out in front of it. The sparkling white paint and octagon architectural style immediately catch the eye.

“The house was pretty much unliveable when we bought it. The roof would have been gone if we hadn’t come along when we had. It needed a lot of work,” Cindy Gilkison said.

Gilkison admits it was overwhelming at times, but still a labor of love.

“I always felt like it was a treat to live there, to feel that kind of history all the time and imagine how the house and Maysville had been back in the day.”

The elegant home features 14-foot ceilings, eight fireplaces, plaster crown moldings and Italian marble mantels. The expansive main fower and magnificent staircase are straight out of the Gone With the Wind novel and the original furniture had to be specially ordered from New York to fit the corners in the unusually shaped house.

The 5,000-square-foot Greek Revival has quite a history too. It was built in 1848 by John Porter Dobyns for his daughter, Alice. Dobyns was the president of the Maysville and Flemingsburg Turnpike Company and also the owner of the largest hemp commission house in the world, located on Market Street in Maysville. After falling on hard times in 1857, Dobyns sold the home in 1858. Having never fully recovered from his financial woes, Dobyns committed suicide in 1859.

The Atkinson family owned the grand residence until the early 1990s when it fell into disrepair and the Gilkisons bought it.

Following Robert Gilkison’s death in 2019, Cindy found it more and more difficult to keep up with the needs of the giant old house.

“My husband was the history buff and more into the house than I was,” Cindy Gilkison said. “After Bob was gone, it was too hard to take care of it by myself.”

Cindy Gilkison thought the antiques and furniture that fit perfectly were meant to stay with the house and much of the furnishings were included with the property when it went up for sale. After having Glen Alice on the market for a while, Cindy Gilkison found a buyer in Tommy Henderson, owner of Maysville’s Automart and Towing.

Henderson said he was drawn to the older home, but struggled with the decision to buy it. He understood what a huge undertaking it was and knew ongoing maintenance, heating and cooling would be costly.

“I used to ride my bike past the house when I was a kid and it left an impression on me,” he said. “All these years later, I had the opportunity to own it and ultimately, I couldn’t pass it up.”

Henderson explained that he lived in the house for a while, but decided it wasn’t for him. When a friend suggested that he turn the house into an Airbnb, Henderson thought it was a great idea.

Because of the grandness of the old home and its proximity to downtown Maysville, repurposing the residence into tourist lodging seemed like a perfect fit. Throw in the house’s historical value, and it turns into a destination in itself.

Historical homes give people a connection to the past and have their own tales to tell, but some homes’ stories are more fascinating than others. And the Glen Alice has a long history and a yarn to tell.

Most notably it was once the residence of Elisha Winfield Green, a Baptist preacher and religious leader in Kentucky, who was purchased as a slave by the Dobyns family as a 10-year-old. Green also worked as a sexton at a local Maysville Baptist Church and began studying the Bible after he learned to read. Recognizing Green’s spiritual gifts, he was allowed to preach and soon became a successful evangelist, traveling between Maysville, Flemingsburg and Paris to spread the word of God to his followers.

It was on one of these fateful journeys between churches in 1883 that he found himself on a train in Millersburg. When he refused to give up his seat to a white man, he was attacked and beaten. Green took legal action and won the case and damages against his assailant in the amount of $24.

Through perseverance and faith, Green eventually purchased freedom for his family and himself. He served as a moderator of the consolidated Baptist Educational Association and he promoted the establishment of the Simmons College of Kentucky.

A trip to The Glen Alice House is like stepping back in time. From the original furnishings, antiques on display and the gorgeous mural in the foyer exhibiting the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge and the Glen Alice house, the place is pure nostalgia. The fact that it has only seen four owners in 178 years is a testament to the allure of the house. It was here through the horror of slavery, as the Civil War raged and finally when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States. It stood high on the hill during two world wars, the Suffrage Movement, the assassinations of Kennedy and King, the landing on the moon, the devastation of 9/11 and a global pandemic.

The Glen Alice has withstood the unforgiving test of time, and if Henderson has his way, will be shining brightly on the hill for many more years to come.

Henderson’s renovations to update the home for visitors’ enjoyment have been completed and the property is fully booked straight into July. The opportunity to stay in a one-of-a-kind historic home like this is hard to pass up for travelers coming to Maysville to enjoy a rich history and friendly atmosphere.

“It’s something everyone should see,” said Henderson. “I want to share this beautiful house with others.”

If you’re interested in booking a stay at the lovely Glen Alice, you can find it listed on Airbnb.com or call Tommy Henderson for additional information directly at 606-564-9909.