Woodford County Two Day Experience

Wallace Station began life as a train depot on a north/south route, offloading distillery supplies and onloading phosphate from an adjacent mine.  The present structure was built at the turn of the 20th century and through the years has housed a general store, gas station, and post office.  According to the late Kentucky historian Dr. Thomas D. Clark, Dora Brock, the child bride and ex-wife of emancipator Cassius Clay, was laid out in the store upon her death in 1914.

The place name was derived from a large estate in the vicinity, once the property of Judge Caleb Wallace, a fierce advocate for religious freedom and public education. Following the precedent they set at Holly Hill Inn, Chris and Ouita wanted to preserve the history and tradition of Wallace Station by naming their new restaurant Wallace Station Bakery and Deli. They even left the general store’s original counter in place.

Nowadays, bikers and cyclists and tourists and locals all line up at the front door to place an order for one of Wallace Station’s legendary sandwiches.  So it’s hard to believe that those sandwiches, while not exactly an afterthought, were originally conceived to complement Wallace Station’s role in baking bread and other goods for service at Holly Hill Inn.  

Ricardo's occupies the former Southern Railroad station. From what we know, when the station was active it was located on the other side of the tracks, parallel to them, and a little further down the property towards the old switch house. Once the railroad ceased passenger operations the building sat unused for a period and was then picked up and moved to its current location. The floors in the bar area and the foyer are original flooring, however, the upper dining area was added on at some point, and nothing from that area is original. We know that the building was originally constructed in 1855, and was one of two railroad depots in service in Versailles during the heyday of rail travel. The other station served the L&N Railroad and is located only a couple of blocks from our location.

Evening Rail Explorers Ride on the same track as the Bluegrass Railroad Museum. All ages and abilities are welcome!