Shelbyville Road House

A RURAL RETIREMENT
According to my mother, Della Mattei, as her parents approached retirement they yearned for a return to their roots; to live in a quiet place where they could enjoy a simple life. Mary and Pater, loved the peace of their childhood home nestled in the Tuscan mountains. They hoped to find a little piece of Gromignana in the Louisville area. In the early 1940s they found an old house in a rural area outside of Louisville on Shelbyville Rd. There they would plant a large garden, raise chickens and entertain family. Grandpa lived out his life on Shelbyville Rd but the federal government had other plans that disrupted grandma’s life as well as our family.

AT TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY…
The rural Shelbyville Rd area was sparsely populated. The land between Old St. Matthews and Middletown was dotted with a few houses, small farms and a huge swath of land owned by the Bullitt family. Mary and Pater purchased their home on a few acres directly across from Oxmoor Farm, owned by the Bullitts since the late 1700s. CLICK HERE to read the Oxford Farm history. My Uncle Dominic told me that their house had been built by a bootlegger for his mistress. I have no idea if that’s true but there was a “still” in the basement. Grandpa put it to good use making Grappa. I first saw the “still” when I drifted into kitchen looking for a dink. There before me stood a narrow opening in the wall that I had never noticed before. I heard voices rising from below. Walking over to the open door, I discovered a flight of stairs. Descending them I found grandpa, my Dad and Uncle Dominic chatting in Italian. That’s when I saw the “still!” I had no idea what it was but later I asked my Dad about it. He said it was a machine that distilled wine. It would be years before I understood that the apparatus produced Grappa.

INSIDE
Childhood memories are very unreliable but that “still” is unforgettable. I also remember that above those basement steps there was a staircase leading to a cramped attic. My cousin, Nancy, and I would sneak up there sometimes to explore. As a child the house seemed enormous. When you entered the front door, to your immediate left was an old upright piano. Next to the piano on a small table was a Betsy Ross lamp that my grandfather had made at the shop. Next to the lamp was the old radio purchased in 1937 to listen to flood news. I own that old radio and I had it restored, CLICK HERE to view in the Scrapbook. A stone fireplace graced the center of the living room. The mantle stood high over my head. I dimly recall an arrangement of furniture around the fireplace with a small TV. To the far right my grandfather’s desk stood strong under stacks of national-geographic-type magazines. Grandpa loved to read, especially about foreign places. Across from the desk was a large opening to the dining room. The dining room featured a long table with chairs and in the right corner a china cabinet. Through a far-left doorway there was a small hallway, turn right you were in the kitchen, to the left, two bedrooms and a bath. See the floor plan of the house I diagrammed from memory in the Scrapbook.

OUTSIDE
While the house interior is memorable, what I remember best is the property surrounding the old stone house. Originally when we’d visit we’d make our way up Shelbyville Rd through St. Matthews. As the small town morphed into country we’d know we were almost there. What a wonderful feeling, after the hot drive from Cincinnati, to turn into the long shaded driveway. Even before my father stopped the car we’d open the backed doors and jump out. In an expanded carriage house in back lived my Aunt Babe’s family. In the late fifties, before they widened Shelbyville Rd and the started the expressway construction, there was ample room for cousins to play. The huge front porch served as a meeting place for the adults who scarcely paid attention to the screaming horde. There was an old barn and close by an abandoned Model T, often the place for hours of fun. The Shelbyville Road House became a family meeting spot. In next weeks POST I’ll highlight some of the delicious memories served there.

THE REST OF THE STORY
You’ll find the end of the Shelbyville Road story in the Louisville Family Scrapbook. You’ll also learn a lesson on creating FRITTELLI, a delicious memory for your family. If you have memories and/or pictures of the Shelbyville Road House, please share them with our DM community.