The Merriwether House is an Upper River Road landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Built by the grandson of an enslaved African American in 1898, it stayed in the same African American family for four generations and is the only surviving structure in the Neck, an historic African American community on Harrods Creek.  The presentation will outline the history of rural African American communities in Jefferson County, tell the story of the Merriwether family, and explain the ongoing restoration of the house currently being carried out by River Fields, Inc.  The presentation will include over 60 photographs of the house and the various stages of the restoration.

Robert Griffith is an honors graduate of Centre College where he majored in History and English.  He received an MA in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from the University of Kentucky.

Photo by James Archambeault