James Batterton and The Batterton House
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James Batterton was born October 23, 1793 in Millersburg, Bourbon County, Kentucky. He was one of six children born to Samuel and Lydia Batterton. James married Laura Varnon, daughter of John Varnon and Mary West with whom he had one unnamed child in 1836.
Around 1840, James Batterton married a second wife named Mary Alexander, the daughter of a prominent banker in Paris, Kentucky. James wanted a home for himself and his wife, so he had one built later in 1840. Mr. Batterton and his wife never lived in the new home, instead they sold it to two abolitionists sometime after it was built. The first abolitionist's name was Rev. Miller who then sold it to a second abolitionist named Rev. Savage. According to cemetery records, James Batterton died May 7, 1859 and was buried at Old Millersburg Cemetery in Nicholas Co., Kentucky. His home that had been sold to the abolitionists took on a very important role in the hiding of slaves and became known as the Batterton House.
The abolitionists had many trap doors and hidden rooms put inside the Batterton House so that slaves coming through the Underground Railroad were able to hide inside or in back of the the house until they were given notice to be led into the hidden cellars within the house. Each cellar was separate from all the main cellars in the house. The Batterton House can still be seen in Millersburg, Kentucky.
