Welcome to Chapeze House, one of the great historic Federalist mansions in Kentucky. The Chapeze House is sited on the foundation of Dr. Henri Chapeze, one of fourteen French army officers who came to America in 1777 with Marquis de Lafayette to join the Continental Army. Dr Chapeze served as a surgeon in the command of General George Washington. Ben Chapeze, his son, completed the Chapeze House mansion in 1810. He developed the Chapeze Distillery in 1846 and his Bourbon brand, Old Charter, remains one of the world’s great Kentucky Bourbon whiskies.

Chapeze House is the home of Kentucky Bourbon and Fine Food Tasting,and the Kentucky Bourbon Cooking School. Chapeze House is also a perfect venue for weddings, wedding receptions, private luncheons, dinners and cocktail parties. Events presented by the Colonel, Margaret Sue and staff are exquisite entertainments and social events.



Call Chapeze House to reserve your event.
Telephone: 502-349-0127
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Colonel Michael Masters, “The Host of Kentucky”
Colonel Michael Masters, “The Host of Kentucky” is the author of Hospitality—Kentucky Style, the book that celebrates Kentucky heritage, Kentucky history and Kentucky fine foods & spirits.

The Colonel is honored to have appeared scores of times as a guest on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliate television.  The Colonel is a guest host on nationally syndicated broadcasts of Food Network TV and the Fine Living Network, cooking traditional Kentucky foods and demonstrating Kentucky hospitality. The Colonel has been the Kentucky host to The Thirsty Traveler and to Chef Paula Deen; both internationally acclaimed star celebrities of Food Network TV.

Margaret Sue Masters
Margaret Sue Masters has been an outstanding Kentucky hostess and event manager for over twenty years. As a wedding and party consultant she has assisted thousands of women in planning and presenting perfect weddings, wedding receptions and cocktail parties. Margaret Sue is renowned for her grand Southern style and lively social events.

Margaret Sue, as President of the Kentucky Bourbon Cooking School, seeks to inspire people in the art of Southern cooking and to expose her students to an appreciation of cooking with fine aged Kentucky Bourbon whiskey. Her cooking and food presentations at Chapeze House are absolutely unforgettable.  

Bardstown is the second oldest city in Kentucky. It is a city that was hewn out of the forest in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. Veterans of that war seeking land and township lots migrated over the old Wilderness Road from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina to the forts at Boonesboro and Harrodsburg. Having survived that perilous journey, family groups of Maryland Catholics and Virginia Protestants pressed on to Bardstown. The fertile land and limestone-enriched water found in and around Bardstown became the basis for the establishment of great plantations of cropland and a robust whiskey distilling industry.


Kentucky already well known and appreciated for its southern charm adopted the tranquil images of horses, the white board fence, My Old Kentucky Home, the old folks at home, Bourbon in a glass and the old Colonel sitting beneath the four-column verandah. These images have served Kentucky and Bardstown well for two centuries.

There is no debate, Bardstown is the bourbon center of Kentucky and one of the great old towns in the state. In Bardstown a culture of courtesy and grace, nurtured by living amongst our grand old homes and architecture represents our Kentucky history and heritage. Bardstown is famous for a brand of Kentucky hospitality that focuses on the enjoyment and culture of Bourbon whiskey and the enjoyment of fine food, partaken in a beautiful central Kentucky town.

Good friends, good bourbon whiskey, good food, meeting the old Colonel and Margaret Sue, a visit to historic Chapeze House—it simply does not get any better than this.

Download the Bardstown Area Attractions Guide (1MB)