This beautiful old brick mansion
was built by Dr. Louis Wagner, at 302 West Maple St. in
Nicholasville. Construction on the
house began in 1887 and was
not completed until 1891, at a cost of $10,000. It was a three
story home with 14 rooms,
two bathrooms and 5 basement rooms.
The old house has always held
some fascination among the children of Nicholasville. On the third
floor of the home,
was a window that seemed always to be opened,
no matter what the weather. An early rumor claimed that Dr.
Wagner had planned on using the home as a hospital and used the
third floor to store his anatomical skeletons. A later, and much
scarier rumor, claimed that the lady of the house was storing her
dead husband's body in that room, thus, the necessity of keeping
the window open.
As a child, I never met anyone who claimed to have visited in the home, thereby adding fuel to the already vivid imaginations of the children of Nicholasville. Needless to say, many a child actually crossed the street to avoid passing by this beautiful old home.
The Wagner family retained the home until around 1960, and it has changed hands several times since. In 1991, Mrs. Kathleen Robey bought the old home and opened it as Maple Street Memories Antiques and Gifts. I was able to visit the home several years ago and found it to be quite beautiful, but, in the back of my mind, I still wonder about that open window on the third floor.
Photo and Text by Shelia Bruner-Ramos 1998