Ephraim McDowell House and Apothecary

well worth the visit. My daughter and I were in Danville for the day and decided to tour the McDowell House. We were the only two on the tour which was nice. The tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the history of the house and Dr. McDowell. She asked how long we had to stay on the tour and said she would tailor it to our time-frame. It took about an hour to see the inside and outside of the property, have all our questions answered and get the tour guide spiel. Parking is on street and you purchase tickets across the street at the visitor center/information center. Which is also filled with information about the history of Danville. The house is mostly filled with replicate pieces from the period but there were a few pieces of furniture from the McDowell estate still on display. My favorite part of the tour was the story of McDowell preforming the first successful abdominal surgery in the world. It was fascinating. Again, it was worth the visit and the cost of the ticket to visit the house and hear the history of McDowell. The outdoor grounds are pretty and house an herb and flower gardens similar to what McDowell's would have been 200 years ago as he practiced medicine.

For context, I am not the average visitor as I am a physician, I know a bit more about history than most of us, and I have been to several museums like this one, notably the apothecary in the French Quarter in New Orleans and the one in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, as well as some other fascinating medical sites. This one was in many ways better than any of them. I will say that buying online tickets might be wise, not because of the huge crowds in Danville, Kentucky, but more because the gift shop across the street where they sent me to buy mine was manned by an older gentleman who was trying to type my card into into a computer using one finger. I ended up using cash to save time.The building has a couple of floors and is not all medical, there is plenty of general history as well, going back somewhere around 200 years. I can't make guarantees, but my tour guide was actually able to get some gloves and poke through some of the artifacts that normally go untouched in these sites, opening a couple of books for my perusal.The medical portion of the tour was quite involved, and from my perspective likely historically valid. The people didn't really understand medicine per se, but I would hardly expect some volunteer historians to have a medical degree. I tried to provide some information within my expertise, but they certainly told me plenty of interesting historical facts. You can look at specific equipment that was used to remove bladder stones and get the story of how it was done (and be very grateful that modern urology is done under anesthesia). The scope of medicine that a doctor might try in the days before licensure and board certification was broad, and the stories of what this person did span widely.There is a small but pleasant outdoor garden as well, with some medicinal plants (and you do have to pay for the tour to get in, though many of the same plants are in a garden at the square across the street). The tours are in an hour and a half increments, and I spent a solid hour and a half there; part of the bonus of being in a small town is that this wasn't the sort of place where they were rushing me out for the next crowd. But if you get the chance, I would definitely say it's worth the time.

The McDowell House Museum and Apothecary Shop is more than a beautiful historical home. I believe it to be one of Kentucky's hidden gems. In this very house Dr. Ephraim McDowell performed the world's first successful abdominal surgery- right here in Danville, KY!My tour guide was very knowledgable and provided interesting facts about the home and explained what went on during this experimental surgery. The entire story is phenomenal, but I won't give it away. You should visit for yourself and bring your camera! The Apothecary Shop is amazing! I visited during the summer and was able to walk through the garden filled withPlants native to Kentucky. But I heard it is beautifully decorated during the holidays, so I plan to return and take another tour in December. Their gift shop is filled with unique gifts made in Kentucky, so I can pick up a few Christmas gifts while I am there!

We initially decided to visit because my husband has McDowell ancestors. What we discovered was a charming town and a very interesting museum. We had a wonderful guide who led us through family information, what family life was like at the time, the story that made Dr. McDowell famous, and information on medical practice at the time. Well worth a stop even without the family connections.