Antiquing in La Grange, Kentucky

Downtown Shopping District, La Grange, KY

Despite the threat of rain on the air, Wonderful Wife and I journeyed up the twisting, turning US-421 to explore what the burg of La Grange, in Oldham County, had to offer in the way of antique shopping. Founded in 1827 and named after the home of the Marquis de Lafayette (he was quite the rock star in these parts), La Grange is the seat of Oldham County and boasts a rather unusual downtown shopping district. The beautifully restored and well-maintained buildings that line Main Street house a variety of specialty boutiques, art galleries, and eateries, but what sets La Grange apart from similar towns is the active railway line that runs through the center of it all. The tracks still see quite a bit of rail traffic, but we weren't fortunate enough to experience a train passage during our visit. We did, however, enjoy a nice stroll as we ventured from shop to shop in search of an exciting find.

Heirloom Antiques, La Grange

My pre-travel internet sleuthing turned up two antique shops in town, both located on Main Street in the heart of the shopping district. The first on our list, Heirlooms Antiques, is a nice-sized establishment of mid-ranged pieces. Wonderful Wife spied a set of reasonably priced owl earrings in a cabinet but - and we should know better by now - chose to see what else La Grange had to offer before making  her decision. You know you this story ends, of course. Those earrings are, as far as we know, still sitting snugly in that cabinet.

Absolutely Fabulous!, La Grange

And so we moved on to the next shop on my antique radar - Absolutely Fabulous! (the exclamation point is actually a part of the name, and is not a result of my extreme excitement). Occupying the corner of Main Street and Walnut Ave, Absolutely Fabulous! boasts 4,000 square feet of adventure. I was a bit let down, however, to discover that back in March the proprietors had chosen to make the switch from antiques to gifts and accessories. Wonderful Wife did manage to find herself a purse, but as far as antiques go the shop was a bust.

The Treasured Child, La Grange

The remainder of the shops along Main Street were primarily of the "unique boutique" variety, though many did have a few vintage items in their inventories to compliment - or accessorize - the more trendy stock. One of these shops, a toy store called The Treasured Child, managed to catch Wonderful Wife's attention (and some of the contents of my wallet) and contribute to her successful shopping adventure.

For those of you who enjoy unique downtown shopping experiences, La Grange is quite the hidden gem just begging to be explored. Hopefully the town's one remaining antique store will stick around as I'm sure that we'll be back to check out some of the potentially interesting festivals scheduled for later in the year.

Oldham County History Center

Encompassing a city block in La Grange, Kentucky, immediately to the west of the Oldham County courthouse, the Oldham County History Center is an impressive collection of buildings and artifacts representing the rich heritage of the local area. Wonderful Wife and I stopped here after spending a nice, if cloudy, afternoon visiting the unique shops of the La Grange downtown business district.

The centerpiece of the complex is the Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum housed in the restored Victorian home once owned by the museum's namesake, a local banker in the early-20th century. His daughter Louise Head Duncan donated the house and adjacent property to the Oldham County Historical Society, who've since done a remarkable job restoring the structure and converting it into first-rate history museum.

Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum

The first floor contains an abundance of artifacts from the area's earliest inhabitants right on up through modern times. Special attention is given to the life and career of D.W. Griffith, who was born and raised in Crestwood (just about 10 miles west of La Grange down I-71). Annie Fellows Johnston, author of the Little Colonel series of books and a turn-of-the-20th-century resident of the Pewee Valley area, is also given special attention by the museum. All of the interpretive displays are of impressive design and each is presented in such a way as to maximize the limited space of the Victorian home. I was struck by the unexpected wealth of information and artifacts on display. Plan to spend upwards of an hour examining all of the interesting exhibits.

Printed word special exhibit

On our visit, the second floor of the museum was devoted to a special exhibit honoring the printed word. Extra space was devoted to the stories of Annie Johnston, with additional exhibits featuring various local history artifacts such as war-time letters and ephemera related to Louisville's Southern Exposition. Although the material was presented in a way that was quite "busy" (the museum staff once again packed a considerable amount of information into tight quarters), seeing it all was a treat.

Next to the museum is a restored 1840's house that is home to the society's administrative offices as well as what is, I am told, a rather extensive research library. I had no cause to look in on the library, but perhaps one of my research projects will one day lead me to examine what they have to offer.

Honestly speaking, I was not expecting much given what are often the limited resources available to local history museums. Needless to say, I was significantly impressed by the Oldham County History Center and certainly recommend a visit to any history-loving visitors to La Grange. There is no admission fee, though donations are accepted - and I would encourage you to help keep this little gem in operation.

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