J. Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky, 1883-1887, lived at this site until 1902, when house burned. He then gave this land to be used for chautauquas. These gatherings combined entertainment, education, and religion. For 27 years, 1906 to 1932, they flourished here. Central Kentucky Chautauqua Association formed, 1906. Renamed Proctor Knott Chautauqua Association in 1908.
