Butch Wainscott shuffled his way through the crowded sea of tables on the Tousey House patio toward a lone microphone. The mood that Sept. 22 evening was jovial; it was a celebration of the building’s continued legacy and the people committed to maintaining it.
The career restauranteur grabbed the microphone, ready to speak, just days shy of his 80th birthday.
“Sunday is my birthday,” Wainscott said. “I might see 83 or 84.”
It’s fitting that he would celebrate his birthday alongside the Tousey House, both securely in their golden years: Wainscott at age 80 and the Tousey House at age 200.
“200 years is amazing,” Wainscott told LINK nky. “There’s not a lot of properties left that are 200 years old. We’re fortunate to have this one here.”
Originally a home, the building is now the Tousey House Tavern, which opened in 2008. The bar and restaurant is located along N. Jefferson Street, just north of Courthouse Square in Burlington. The southern style eatery is another feather in the cap of Wainscott, who previously owned and operated another famous Northern Kentucky restaurant, the Greyhound Tavern in Fort Mitchell.
To celebrate the Tousey House and Wainscott, the Tavern held a celebration in honor of the anniversary. As a member of the B-Line, Northern Kentucky’s bourbon trail, the Boone County Distilling Company held tastings of its original bourbons for guests. In a stroke of luck, the building’s anniversary falls during National Bourbon Heritage Month, a perfect coincidence for their marketing team.
The Tousey House is one of oldest buildings in Boone County, and Northern Kentucky as a whole. James Monroe was the president of the United States when construction was completed on the building.
“You’re looking at the infancy of a country, James Monroe was the president. Aluminum wasn’t exactly an element yet,” said Tousey House Tavern General Manager Eric Morehead. “It was crazy. Throughout the years, whoever has owned it at their respective period of time, it has meant something to the community as a pillar of history.”
The land for the building was purchased by attorney Erastus Tousey in 1817 for $25. Erastus erected the federalist style home in 1822, where its red brick façade continues to stand as a monument to old Boone County. He lived there with his wife, Catherine, and children until his death in 1863.
Erastus and his family owned four slaves. Upon his death, Catherine freed them.
“History is about everyone. The common person lived their daily lives, in a lot of cases their whole lives, within houses like these,” said Bridget Striker, local history coordinator of the Boone County Library. “The lasting impression they make on the community as a whole over time is really important.”
After the Tousey House served as a home, it evolved into a business front for the country town of Burlington. Throughout its centuries-long history, the Tousey House has been a livery, tavern, gift shop, boarding house, hotel and consignment shop.
In 1917, the property was purchased by Lester and Pearl Gulley, and Albert and Fannie Pettit. Gulley and Pettit’s Store operated out of the location for the next 39 years. Katie Presnell Pettit, daughter of Albert and Fannie’s, wrote about her many cherished memories she experienced during her childhood on the property.
In the early 1980s, the house fell into disrepair and sat vacant for nearly a decade.
“It was borderline falling apart,” Morehead said.
But then former Boone County Judge/Executive Bruce Ferguson and his wife, Elizabeth, restored the building in 1987, breathing new life into structure. Morehead said Ferguson added a new stairway leading to the second floor, because the previous staircase had completely collapsed.
“He came back through and restored it,” Morehead said. “I mean, the restoration that he put it through essentially brought it back to life.”
Striker described the regenerative process as adaptive reuse, which is defined as reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. This is common practice in the renovation of historic buildings.
“People want to have a sense of place,” Striker said. “Yes, the county is very different than what it was back in 1822, even 1982. People who have come and migrated to this community want a sense of place, and this house provides it.”
Wainscott’s wife, Mary Ann, helped redesign the interior of the Tousey House, hanging paintings and other artwork to honor the original interior’s eclectic style.
When asked if he wishes the building will be continue to be owned by his family in the future, Wainscott simply responded, “I hope so. I hope so.”
Morehead said it means a great deal to him that people in the community find the spot enjoyable. He told LINK nky it makes him happy when people share anecdotes of them hosting important life moments such as retirements or a grandparent’s birthday at the Tousey House.
“To see after 14 years, to see life,” Morehead said. “The halls being traveled through and seeing people eating in the dining rooms, just that lively sense on a busy night where you walk through and you see people enjoying themselves, I mean it brings a smile on my face.”
Boone County Administrator Jeff Earlywine was on hand to bestow the Tousey House with a special proclamation that honors its legacy in the community.
“Whereas the Tousey House Tavern is a thriving business in Burlington, KY, where southern hospitality and cuisine create an experience like no other,” read the proclamation.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore officially named Sept. 22 as Tousey House Day in Boone County. The holiday stands to last the test of time, just like the building it honors.
