The property's remarkable legacy begins with Johannes Becker, who immigrated from Germany in 1761 and established a distillery in Augusta by 1797. His grandson, Abraham Baker Jr., later constructed what is now considered America's oldest and largest wine cellar, which remarkably survived the Civil War—including the 1862 Battle of Augusta. These historic structures earned dual National Registry of Historic Places designations, one for the architectural significance of the building and another for the land itself. During the Prohibition era, the cellars served local farmers as a community storage facility, preserving their agricultural heritage. The property's revival as Baker-Bird Winery & Distillery has restored its prominence, with the distillery now proudly featured on The B-Line, the gateway to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, while producing spirits based on Johannes Becker's original recipes discovered in 200-year-old inventory documents from the Bracken County courthouse.