According to folklore and historical records, the village of Paint Lick got its name from the painted signs that early settlers found on trees and rocks along creek banks near a salt lick. The paintings were left by Native Americans.
Paint Lick Creek still marks the border between Madison and Garrard counties, and it was here, in 1775, that Colonel William Miller settled a land claim and built Miller Station. The location later was known as Paint Lick Fort. In 1840, George Denny built this house on 540 acres his father had purchased in 1827
from his father-in-law, Colonel Miller. The house became a political statement after George's marriage to Elizabeth M. Faulkner, daughter of retired State Senator John Faulkner. With his father-in-law's guidance, George Denny himself went on to serve as a Kentucky State Senator from 1859 to 1863.
National Register of Historic Places
The Denny House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Over the years, it has been carefully updated with modern systems while keeping its historic character, most notably in the entry foyer, where a well-preserved square of the original 1840s wallpaper remains on display. The walls throughout are papered in a modern reproduction of that same design, made by the same manufacturer of the original.
Today, the property encompasses 46 acres with gardens and historic outbuildings, including a tobacco barn, smokehouse, and root cellar. Several of these structures now house the H.H. Gumbert Brewery, continuing a tradition of craftsmanship on the same land that has been tended and worked for nearly 250 years.
