McDowell House Museum and Apothecary

McDowell House Museum and Apothecary McDowell House is a house museum. Every Tuesday-Saturday personally guided tours are given through the house at 11:15, 1:30 and 3.
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We were excited to welcome a McDowell family member, Nicola McDowell, all the way from Ireland for a tour today! 💚Even w...
06/20/2026

We were excited to welcome a McDowell family member, Nicola McDowell, all the way from Ireland for a tour today! 💚

Even when as in this case the exact relationship is not known, we are always happy to reunite guests with their history!

Members of the Lexington Model A Ford Club are parked outside this morning! 🚦⛽
06/20/2026

Members of the Lexington Model A Ford Club are parked outside this morning! 🚦⛽

🌎 From South Africa to New Orleans, Nashville and right here in Danville our recent visitors have enjoyed their tours of...
06/20/2026

🌎 From South Africa to New Orleans, Nashville and right here in Danville our recent visitors have enjoyed their tours of McDowell House Museum, Gardens and Apothecary!

📆📅 When will you book your tour? There's no time like the present!

🕦 We're open Tuesday through Saturday with tours at 11:15, 1:30 and 3 p.m.

💲 Visit www.mcdowellhouse.com for pricing and availability.

❓ Questions? Call us at (859) 236-2804 or email [email protected].

The inaugural Mark Twain Storytelling Festival has begun in Columbia, Ky., and for those interested, the speaker schedul...
06/19/2026

The inaugural Mark Twain Storytelling Festival has begun in Columbia, Ky., and for those interested, the speaker schedule tomorrow includes a presentation on Jane Todd Crawford by Suzanne Bennett from 4 to 4:45 pm Central Time at VP Henry Auditorium, 210 Lindsey Wilson St., Columbia.

Ms. Crawford, of course, was the famous patient upon whom in 1809 Dr. McDowell performed surgery to remove a 22.5 pound ovarian tumor, the first successful surgery of its kind in the entire world! 🌏

Shown below during installation and upon completion along with its creators is the 11-foot bronze statue of Jane Todd Crawford unveiled late last year in front of The Jane Todd Crawford Hospital in Greensburg.

Photos courtesy Lindsey Wilson College and Columbia Magazine.

Required tickets and other information:

https://cur8.com/25925/project/139668?fbclid=IwdGRjcASiZ-pjbGNrBKJnwWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHmnfZULZdmq2LsA5CAuKLGzHrTo2vhF72LGpXYXxdyI1-0OMhJTP6md-yB8l_aem_AaiUItKnkDCFttaMXtjtDg

The Black Cohosh is blooming in our Apothecary Garden! Isn't it amazing?Its nicknames include:🧚‍♀️Fairy Candles 🪇Rattlew...
06/19/2026

The Black Cohosh is blooming in our Apothecary Garden! Isn't it amazing?

Its nicknames include:

🧚‍♀️Fairy Candles
🪇Rattlew**d
🪇Rattleroot,
🪲Bugbane
🤕Rheumatism w**d and
🐍Black Snakeroot

It's a member of the buttercup family, and was once used as a treatment for menopausal symptoms.

(And as always, this is not advice for modern times👎!)

🌞It's summertime! 😎Shall we go old(est!) school and wear sunglasses like these, once owned by Dr. McDowell's nephew? ...
06/19/2026

🌞It's summertime! 😎

Shall we go old(est!) school and wear sunglasses like these, once owned by Dr. McDowell's nephew?


Lye soap was commonly made and used in pioneer Kentucky and made of hardwood ashes and leftover animal fats. 🔥🐖🐮It was s...
06/18/2026

Lye soap was commonly made and used in pioneer Kentucky and made of hardwood ashes and leftover animal fats. 🔥🐖🐮

It was said to be an all purpose cleaner, used to wash everything from clothing to floors, and for bathing humans! 🧼🫧

Using rainwater leached, caustic lye, making the soap was a dangerous business and for this reason was often done outside! ⚠️☠️

In 1795, Dr. McDowell and Dr. Adam Rankin began a medical practice and apothecary shop in this building, which for a tim...
06/17/2026

In 1795, Dr. McDowell and Dr. Adam Rankin began a medical practice and apothecary shop in this building, which for a time was also used as the Danville Post Office.

Later it was used as a:

🎱pool room,

🍺beer hall,

💈barber shop,

⛪Methodist parsonage

🧑‍🍳and restaurant!

In 1955, the building was purchased by the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Association then carefully restored and furnished with 200 pieces of 18th and early 19th century apothecary pieces.

Come take a tour and learn even more about the history of this little shop, the main house and gardens!

Mouse-Eared Coreopsis is now growing in our cutting garden, and it is also known as Lobed Tickseed. 😅👂Ears AND lobes! 👂😅...
06/17/2026

Mouse-Eared Coreopsis is now growing in our cutting garden, and it is also known as Lobed Tickseed.

😅👂Ears AND lobes! 👂😅

Either way you want to label it, this plant with its cheerful blooms brightens up our gardens, where the bees have been busy! 🐝

Come take a tour of our historic house museum, kitchen, medicinal, cutting and formal gardens and apothecary shop this summer, when everything growing is at its wondrously colorful peak!

On Saturdays at 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., youth can get their Boyle County History Passes stamped, a sticker, 10...
06/13/2026

On Saturdays at 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., youth can get their Boyle County History Passes stamped, a sticker, 10 minute overview of the museum and a coloring page as part of America 250 Kentucky/Boyle County!

Address

125 S 2nd Street
Danville, KY
40422

Telephone

(859) 236-2804

Website

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