James Monroe, son of Bill, has announced that he has listed the property atop Tuttle Hill in Kentucky which includes Uncle Pen’s cabin, for sale. This is the rebuilt cabin home of Bill Monroe’s greatest inspiration, his uncle, fiddler Pendleton Vandiver.
Located just a mile and a half from the Bill Monroe Museum in Rosine, the cabin has been an attraction for bluegrass fans since it was opened to the public in 2013. Even prior tor to its rehabilitation, many serious students and lovers of bluegrass music had hunted down the cabin to stand in the same place as Bill and his Uncle Pen had been.
Those who know the history of Bill Monroe will recall that this was his home for two years after his mother passed in 1927, and Uncle Pen took him in. Young Bill had already been learning fiddle tunes from his uncle, which surely intensified while he was living there in the cabin.
James purchased the property as a gift for his father in 1973, and presented it to him for his birthday that year. Later James had the cabin reconstructed using Kentucky timber from the region, and saved original logs for a mantlepiece and a log bench. Pendleton Vandiver and Bill Monroe are buried about a block away, and the site is about two and a half miles from the restored Monroe homeplace, itself a popular spot for visitors.
For reference, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro is 30 miles north of this spot, and Nashville is 120 miles south.
The property is being listed for sale as a result of the recent passing of the cabin’s primary caretaker, Merlene Austin, who had managed the site with her sister Geraldean since it opened in 2013. Geraldean has been in poor health for some time, and James is unable to take it on himself.
So the two and a half acre site, including Uncle Pen’s Cabin, is now for sale. James has set a price of $650,000, and anyone interested in discussing a purchase is requested to contact Robert Gentry of Many, LA by email or phone (318-332-8653).
Retaining this piece of land, where so much bluegrass history was recorded, in the hands of a preservationist-minded person seems a must for the long term good of the music.
