Of the houses built in Jefferson County in the late eighteenth century, Locust Grove was one of the finest. The Croghan family sold the property in 1878 to river boat captain James Paul. In 1883 Richard Waters, of Hermitage Farm, bought Locust Grove and it remained in the Waters family until 1961 when the site was purchased by Jefferson County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Following extensive restoration the historic house was opened to the public in 1964. Today the site includes the circa 1790 Georgian house, the original smoke house and eight other stone and log supporting farm buildings, formal quadrant gardens, herb, perennial and annual beds, woods and meadows. The house is furnished with some of the finest examples of Kentucky-crafted furniture, portraits, prints, textiles, domestic objects and select artifacts originally belonging to the Clark and Croghan families. Locust Grove, a National Historic Landmark, is a unique example of early Kentucky architecture, craftsmanship and history.

The mission of Historic Locust Grove is to preserve and interpret the 55-acre site, with its circa 1790 house and outbuildings, the collection and the gardens, as an example of early nineteenth-century frontier America and to share the stories of the many people who contributed to the history of Locust Grove, emphasizing the life of General George Rogers Clark, Revolutionary War hero and founder of Louisville.