While many people spend their time and money trying to look younger, a popular style of house building focuses on making new look old. That process is being employed to create a beautiful, magnificent home in South Logan.
Under the supervision of home designer Ben Kemplin, an Olmstead couple has commissioned the construction of a new house that closely resembles a Southern mansion which might have been built in the mid-1840s. The almost 5,000-square-foot structure sits atop a rise on Milton Riley Road, facing a long stretch of flat, rich farmland bordering U.S. 79 between Russellville and Olmstead.
Eddie and Jean Parrish wanted a Greek Revival-style house. Kemplin’s design is so authentic that it has been built as if wings had been added on over the decades. When the Parrishes bought what is known in the area as “the Sanford place” at auction, they considered remodeling a 19^th century house which was on the site, but it wasn’t structurally sound enough to make that happen.
Eddie and Jean own and operate the nearby Sewing Center of Kentucky, which manufactures drapes, window treatments and bedding for many of the major home builders in America. They ship their products all over the country. The Parrishes have lived in several
older homes, including an 1883 Victorian style house at the corner of West Ninth and Peveler Drive in Russellville for several years. They currently live in an older home on property on Wild Turkey Road, which borders their new property on the back. Their son Mark Hightower, who has retired from the Air Force, and his family will move into that home.
Hightower, in fact, has installed the heat and air work on the home under construction along with Bill Matlock. Most of the construction has been done by builders Mark Burchett and Sons. John Vaughn has been the electrician, and David Rainwater the sheetrock. Beautiful floors milled from Kentucky cherry trees by The Woodworks in Bowling Green greet visitors, as does an impressive winding staircase created by Gary Cottrell of Guthrie. A mahogany post provides a solid, sturdy anchor for the stairs.
A highlight of the house for Eddie Parrish is an upstairs front balcony which overlooks what seems to be hundreds of acres of rich farm land on either side of the main highway. It has huge columns and wrought iron railings.
The Parrishes gave Kemplin autonomy in selecting the styles and designs for the house. Kemplin has found inspiration from a wide variety of sources for different aspects of the house. One of the primary influences is the stately landmark Clifton Place, which was built in 1839 in Maury County, Tenn. by Gideon Pillow. A book published by Asher Benjamin in 1830 provided many of the ideas. Also the work of Hopkinsville builder Minor Lefebvre long ago played a role.
Doors in the home are similar to those of The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s historic home outside Nashville. The tropical walnut wood in the doors comes from Don Jensen in Wytheville, Va. The mantles appear authentic, but the heat in the parapet wall chimneys will come from gas log fireplaces. Carriage style doors grace the garage.
Especially impressive is a large recreation room constructed from interior shaved logs. The doors in that room are originals from the house which sat so many decades on that site.
The Parrishes and Kemplin are especially pleased that the wrought iron metal work was done by students at the nearby Russellville Area Technology Center. They feel the work is high quality and Kemplin plans to use the school in other projects.
Kemplin is an educator himself. His primary work is serving as principal of Olmstead Elementary School. The Parrishes know him because their grandchildren, Kellie and Rylee Warden and Nolan Hightower, are Olmstead students. Their youngest grandchild, Eli Warden, who is the son of Betty Jo and Jeff Warden, often checks out the progress of the house with them.
When Ben Kemplin left his native Sandy Hook in Elliott County for college, he originally studied architecture. He opted to be an educator, but has never lost his interest in home design. He operates Kemplin Custom Home Design from the Lindsay Lane home he and his wife, fellow school administrator Katina Buster-Kemplin, have redesigned and remodeled. He has had eight homes in design/construction in the past year, including those of Barry and Kim Higgins and Jason and Kerri Hayes.
The Parrishes hope to move into their new, old home in February.