Jeannie's Travel Addiction

Necklace designed and created  by George Headley.

Nov. 26, 2016

Lexington,  KY  proved to be an interesting stop along the way to the  Annual  Gingerbread House Competition in  Asheville, NC .  With over 400 horse farms, Lexington’s  scenery is unbelievably beautiful and  serene.    A stop at the quirky  Headley-Whitney Museum  was  a fun diversion  from all the horses pastures.   George Headley  had been  a popular jewelry and bibelot  designer for the rich and famous, including many movie stars .  George and Barbara( Whitney)  were married in 1960, a union that lasted over 20 years.   The museum features a small  sample of  jewelry and bibelots that George created,  a dollhouse collection, a library  which displays many  artifacts  the couple collected while traveling,  a rose garden and a seashell grotto.  Sadly  in 1994, thieves  broke into the museum and stole 103 pieces of  jewelry and bibelots  from the collection, which were never recovered.

A George Headley  bibelot created  from shells and coral.

The unique architecture of their library.

A miniature  replica of the Whitney Estate  took 6 years to complete.

Miniature  dining room

The shell grotto was my favorite!

Yes!  Those are shell geese flying across the ceiling!!

Lastly – a quiet spot on the property  serves as the final resting  place for the  couple’s pets.   George and Barbara loved  dachshunds and had several through the years.    Each grave marker has the name and dates of each pet.   I was told that the  dogs  were so loved that sometimes they were even  dressed in diamond jewelry.

Hope you enjoyed this peak into the life of George and Barbara!

Thanks for reading!