Main Street Historic District

Discover Historic Main Street in Taylorsville, Kentucky

Welcome to Historic Downtown Taylorsville, a beautifully preserved small‑town district where 200 years of Kentucky history remain alive and walkable. Main Street and the surrounding blocks are home to extraordinary historic buildings, many dating from 1818–1938, and the district is proudly listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Below is your self‑guided walking tour with Google Maps links for easy navigation.

Taylorsville’s Historic Main Street offers:

  • Authentic 19th‑ & early‑20th‑century architecture
  • Rare cast‑iron storefronts
  • Beautiful churches and Victorian homes
  • Accessible walking routes
  • Shops, restaurants & small‑town Kentucky hospitality

Cast‑Iron Architecture in Taylorsville

Look for cast‑iron columns, window caps, and detailing at:

  • Greenwell Building (c.1914)
  • W.P. Beard Buildings (302 & 306 Main, c.1899)
  • W.T. Froman Building (314 Main, 1899)
  • James L. Cox Building #2 (307–311 Main, c.1917)

A Rare Main Street Community & National Register Historic District

Taylorsville also holds a rare official Main Street designation, giving our community both statewide recognition and powerful tools for preservation and revitalization. The intact historic environment adds value for property owners, strengthens local businesses, and provides an authentic, charming experience for visitors.

How to Explore Historic Main Street

  • Walking Time: 60–90 minutes
  • Start Point: Public Square (Main & Main Cross Streets)
  • Parking: Available on all three historic corners of the square
  • Perfect for: Families, heritage travelers, photographers, architecture lovers
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START HERE

Public Square (1824)

One of Kentucky’s only “Philadelphia‑style” courthouse squares. Three corners remain open public spaces used since the 1820s.
📍 Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Main+St+%26+Main+Cross+St+Taylorsville+KY

CIVIC CORE (Main & Main Cross)

1. Spencer County Courthouse (1914)

Address: Main Street at NW corner of Main Cross Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Spencer+County+Courthouse+Taylorsville+KY
A monumental Classical Revival courthouse with Ionic columns, rebuilt after the 1913 fires.

2. Spencer County Jail (1922)

Address: Behind the courthouse
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Spencer+County+Jail+Taylorsville+KY
A remarkably intact early 20th‑century jail with original cell blocks.

SOUTH SIDE OF MAIN STREET (East → West)

3. Greenwell Building (c.1914) ★ Cast‑Iron Storefront

Address: South side of Main Street, east end
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Greenwell+Building+Taylorsville+KY
Cast‑iron columns with decorative palmette capitals and an intact pressed‑metal ceiling. The most original storefront in town.

4. Charles Hough & Co. Building (c.1895)

Address: 316 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=316+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
One of the only commercial buildings to survive the 1898 fire.

5. W.P. Beard Building — West Half (c.1899) ★ Cast‑Iron Window Caps

Address: 302 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=302+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Elaborate brick detailing and cast‑iron/metal window caps.

6. W.P. Beard Building — East Half (c.1899) ★ Cast‑Iron Window Caps

Address: 306 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=306+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Twin storefront with matching cast‑iron detailing.

7. Montgomery Building (1899)

Address: 308 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=308+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
A classic turn‑of‑the‑century commercial building under restoration.

8. Jablow Building (c.1900)

Address: 310 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=310+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Once home to an important dry‑goods business.

9. Bank of Taylorsville (1899)

Address: 312 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=312+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Historic bank with arched transoms, brick detailing, and original vault.

10. W.T. Froman Building (1899) ★ Cast‑Iron Column

Address: 314 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=314+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Cast‑iron column still present beneath updated façade; home to the long‑standing drugstore and early telephone office.

11. Bank of Taylorsville No. 2 (remodeled 1960)

Address: 318 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=318+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Modernized mid‑century storefront.

NORTH SIDE OF MAIN STREET (East → West)

12. The Spencer House Hotel (c.1838)

Address: 303 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=303+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Beautiful Federal‑style hotel with Flemish‑bond brickwork.

13. James L. Cox Building #2 (c.1917) ★ Cast‑Iron Storefront Columns

Address: 307–311 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=307+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Cast‑iron columns remain hidden under later coverings.

14. James L. Cox Building #1 (c.1915)

Address: 313–317 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=313+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Two storefronts framed in wood with a central stair entry.

15. People’s Bank Building (1903)

Address: 319 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=319+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Elegant Classical Revival design with stone trim and quoins.

CHURCHES & WEST‑MAIN RESIDENTIAL

16. Taylorsville Methodist Church (c.1842)

Address: South side of Main Street, 3rd lot east of Point Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Taylorsville+Methodist+Church+Main+St+KY
Raised after flooding in 1913–14; Gothic arched windows.

17. Barker Sisters’ House (c.1900)

Address: South side of Main between Point & Washington
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Barker+House+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Lovely T‑plan Victorian with original spindlework porch.

18. First Baptist Church (1915)

Address: South side of Main, 3rd lot west of Washington
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=First+Baptist+Church+Taylorsville+KY
Collegiate Gothic style with crenellated tower.

19. Thomas Humphrey House (c.1938)

Address: South side of Main, second lot west of Washington
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Thomas+Humphrey+House+Taylorsville+KY
One of the last historic‑period homes built before WWII.

20. William McClain House (c.1920)

Address: 209 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=209+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
A classic early‑20th‑century Craftsman home.

21. Isaac & Mary Jewell House (c.1915)

Address: 211 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=211+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Decorative brickwork, gables, and leaded glass.

22. Lee–Miller House (1840s; moved c.1906)

Address: 213 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=213+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Moved back from its lot line in the early 1900s.

23. First Baptist Parsonage (1965)

Address: 215 Main Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=215+Main+St+Taylorsville+KY
Modern parsonage.

24. William Polk House (c.1835)

Address: SW corner of Main & Point Streets
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Main+St+%26+Point+St+Taylorsville+KY
An imposing early brick tavern anchoring the western entry to the district.

GARRARD STREET & WASHINGTON STREET

25. Enoch Holsclaw House (c.1830)

Address: 205 Garrard Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=205+Garrard+St+Taylorsville+KY
Early hall‑and‑parlor residence.

26. Patrick McShane House (c.1890)

Address: 209 Garrard Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=209+Garrard+St+Taylorsville+KY
Contains one of Taylorsville’s only surviving clusters of historic outbuildings.

27. Richard Basye House (c.1818)

Address: SW corner of Garrard & Washington
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Garrard+St+%26+Washington+St+Taylorsville+KY
Taylorsville’s oldest surviving structure—a two‑story log dog‑trot tavern.

28. 100 Washington Street (c.1910–16)

Address: 100 Washington Street
📍 https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=100+Washington+St+Taylorsville+KY
A historic central‑passage house that reflects early‑20th‑century infill development.

Enjoy Historic Taylorsville

From antebellum taverns to Victorian homes and cast‑iron storefronts, Taylorsville’s Historic Main Street offers a uniquely preserved glimpse into Kentucky’s past. We invite you to shop, dine, stroll, learn, and be part of the story.