Revolutionary War veteran General Green Clay first built his home Clermont in 1798-99. His son Cassius M. Clay went on to rebuild around the original structure in the 1860s and renamed the house White Hall. The house remained in the Clay family until 1968 when family members donated the home to the state of Kentucky. The state then purchased 13.5 of the original 2000 acres that surrounded the mansion. After much renovation and preservation the home was opened to the public as a state historic site in 1971.