The Hays Home at Matson Hill Park
Stone by stone, Daniel Boone Hays, grandson of pioneer Daniel Boone, constructed a home atop a hill in what now is Matson Hill Park. The dwelling, crafted in between the 1820s and 1830s, was included to the National Register of Historic Locations in 1973 and has remained closed to the general public. Right up until now.
In December, St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department opened the Hays Household for self-guided excursions.
“From the beginning, when we started off the exertion to restore the house, we felt the self-guided tour selection would be the best route,” parks director Ryan Graham states. “The web-site is so stunning, and the residence is so interesting and one of a kind, we wanted the park and the dwelling to converse for itself.”
The parks office acquired the Hays Residence in 2007. It had to be “taken back again in time” to undo modifications manufactured by inhabitants in the 1920s or ’30s, guide park interpreter William Ray states.
“I would not say we’ve gutted the household,” Ray claims. “But we certainly manufactured reverse modifications to consider it back to its authentic strategy from the 1830s. It was a comprehensive challenge that took lots of decades to do.”
The restoration, funded by a nearby use tax, was finished in 2018.
The house is nestled on 475 acres in the valley, just two miles from the historic Daniel Boone Property. The park has 6 miles of normal hiking and biking trails.
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