This is a photo of the land that is currently Section 7 of The Estates of Hunting Creek Subdivision in Prospect, KY. When this photo was taken in 1985, the land had not yet been sold to a developer. From Aug 1982 to May 1992 this property was the Linden Hill Equestrian Center. The Center’s purpose was the training of horses and riders for the Dressage Equestrian events in the Summer Olympics. Gertrude Brown, widow of George Garvin Brown, VP of Brown Foreman Distillery, remarried in 1978 to Jay J. Albrecht, and together they developed the Linden Hill Equestrian Center. Albrecht was one of the few breeders and trainers of Trakehner horses in America, a breed which originated in Germany and is known primarily for its use in Olympic competition. He had developed a breeding program for Trakehners at their estate, Sutherland Farms, in Prospect, and he needed a place to train them. The beautiful Linden Hill Equestrian Center was built in the Fall of 1982. It was a yellow L-shaped building comprised of a showplace barn with 32 stalls and an Olympic sized competition arena of 20 x 60 meters, surrounded by black fences on the gently rolling landscape. The Center was named Linden Hill because of all the Linden trees that grew on the property. The arena was paneled in clear pine, with electric lanterns along the wall and a tongue and groove ceiling. The Equestrian Center existed until Albrecht sold it to Langan, Martin & Keith Development Corp. on 19 Dec 1989 (see Oldham County Land Deed Book 354 page 258). As the land was prepared for development, the barn and arena were carefully taken apart piece by piece and then put back together in Lexington, KY. They were donated to the Masterson Equestrian Trust, and those buildings still stand today as the center-piece of the equestrian section of Masterson Station Park, located on Leestown Road in Lexington. Masterson Station Park has 632 acres, and the back part of it is devoted to equine areas. In addition to the L-shaped building that formerly stood on Linden Hill Equestrian Center, the Park has a jumping ring, three dressage rings plus a warmup arena on the hill, and a Preliminary course and other jumps.

Also of interest in this aerial photo is the “manor house” on the left side of the picture, thought to have been built circa 1870. This house still stands today in The Estates of Hunting Creek, located at 12005 Hunting Crest Drive. When Gertrude Brown Albrecht purchased this land in 1981, it was called The Heick Farm. She bought it from Frank Mason Heick and his wife Sarah Louise Strauss Heick (see Oldham County Deed Book 211 pages 166-167). The deed said that the Heick’s could continue to live in their house rent free for the next 5 years. Frank Heick was the son of German immigrants, Henry John Heick and Julia Frank. They were the creators of the Henry Heick Hardware store, located in downtown Louisville at 322 W. Market St. The Frank Heick family did not build this manor house, although they owned and lived in it for almost 60 years from 1926 until the mid-1980’s. They purchased the house and land from Alice Hawley Clore, widow of Herbert Netherton Clore, on 4 Mar 1926 (see Oldham County Deed Book 47 page 611). Research on previous ownership of the manor house is ongoing.