� A painting of the first Seven Gables Hotel .
� A key from the original Seven Gables Hotel in old Burnside .
Photos courtesy Joanne Golden Hill but that ’ s not the only change it would undergo — the original hotel caught on fire and largely burned . The left side of the building remained intact and was converted into a pair of apartments , but another stone structure was built that stood until the other major change — the coming of Lake Cumberland .
When the lake was formed , the entire town of Burnside was set to be flooded . Citizens , home , businesses — all had to be relocated up to the top of the hill in the early 1950s .
Today , J . R . and his wife Alice operate the 7 Gables Motel , built in 1954 by the Grissom and Rakestraw families . It ’ s been in their family for over 20 years , having traded hands numerous times over the decades , and even spending some time closed for business .
“ I guess it ’ s an honor to be affiliated with the Seven Gables and the history that it has ,” said J . R . Jackson .
He said that a lot of visitors these days come because they remember it from their youth . “ Their family years ago came here and stayed . As a kid , they remember coming .”
Nostalgia-driven or not , the 34-
� The restaurant at the 7 Gables Motel in current Burnside , built in the 1950s after the creation of Lake Cumberland and the flooding of old Burnside .
Photo courtesy Brandon Becker 28 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky September 2022