As you know, George and I love to hike and search for new waterfalls. BUT--we also love history. George especially reads --and remembers---alot of history especially around the Civil War time. It is so interesting to be somewhere with him because he knows so much about our pioneers and what happened in the past.
We love to travel on the back roads (instead of the interstate) when we can. SO--once we left Indiana on 3/10/07, we drove down through the bluegrass region in Kentucky. Talk about GORGEOUS!!! When we got to a town called Harrodsburg, we read a sign saying that it was the FIRST Kentucky settlement. It was then called Harrodstown--and was founded in 1774 as the first permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains.
After getting into Harrodsburg, we passed by an old fort (Old Fort Harrod). At that time, we both said, "Let's turn around and check it out." AND--are we glad we did!!!! We got to experience life and history first hand in this full-scale replica of the fort, built by James Harrod. The cabins and blockhouses are furnished with handmade utensils used by the pioneers.
James Harrod was the unanimous choice to be the leader of the expeditionary company that founded Kentucky's first settlement. He was an expert in the use of a rifle, a successful hunter, and a skillful antagonist of the Native American. He was a feared enemy to them, yet he was highly respected by them. Harrod joined George Rogers Clark's expedition to destroy Shawnee strongholds across the Ohio River. The expedition was successful and more settlers came to the peaceful, lush Kentucky territory. Colonel James Harrod died mysteriously during one of his hunting trips in the winter of 1792. His body was never located.
Besides James Harrod and George Rogers Clark, another interesting person we learned about was Ann Kennedy Wilson Pogue Lindsay McGinty. Ann was the first home economics demonstrator in Kentucky. When she came over the Wilderness Road to Harrod's Fort, she brought her spinning wheel on her horse with her. She lived to a ripe old age, surviving FOUR husbands, and died in the fort blockhouse.
One of Ann McGinty's husbands was William Pogue. William was the handy-man at Harrod's Fort. He made spinning wheels and looms that kept his wife and the other women busy. He also made the first plow that turned the first bluegrass sod in Kentucky.
After taking in the fort, we visited the old cemetery. This was the oldest cemetery in the state, with over 500 pioneer sites. I loved looking at all of the old stones, trying to read any inscriptions. And finally, we enjoyed walking around one of the oldest and largest Osage orange trees in the country. VERY DIFFERENT!!!! I have already blogged about the Osage tree. Click HERE to see that post.
The picture above is George inside of the George Rogers Clark Blockhouse. This is where Clark planned his conquest, which saved the Northwest Territory for his country. He presented his plans to Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, and was given the authority to proceed. More pictures are below.
Old Fort Harrod is a replica of the original fort.
I am standing at the McGinty Blockhouse. Talented woman, Ann McGinty, died here after outliving FOUR husbands.
George stands at the blacksmith shop.
Here is where Clark planned his conquest which saved the Northwest Territory.
This is the Mark McGohon Cabin with wife BETSY's cord cherry bed and her bonnet!
Capt. James Harrod and 32 men started Harrodstown. This is the schoolhouse where...
...George sits and recites his ABC's. Can you hear him??????? ha ha
Handyman William Pogue made spinning wheels with the help of his smart wife, Ann.
Rev. John Lythe, who carried a Bible in one hand and an axe in the other, lived here.
Here's one more peak at the fort before leaving. What an experience!
We hope YOU get to go to Harrodsburg sometime and enjoy this wonderful piece of history.
Hugs,
Besides all of the Tennessee state parks which we love, there are two in Kentucky which we also enjoy. One is Barren River and the one I'm featuring today is DALE HOLLOW STATE RESORT PARK, located on the southern Kentucky border near Burkesville. We've been there several times --but most of today's photos were taken at the end of August in 2007 when we took George's daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Chuck, there for dinner in their lodge. Here's a little history of this beautiful state park.
Dale Hollow Lake--taken from the back of the lodge
Dale Hollow State Park is located in south-central Kentucky in the Cumberland River basin on the Obey River. The huge reservoir created by Dale Hollow Dam covers 27,700 acres in parts of Clinton and Cumberland Counties in Kentucky and Clay, Fentress, Overton, and Pickett in Tennessee. Dale Hollow Dam and Reservoir controls the runoff drainage area of 935 square miles.
This is the Lodge at Dale Hollow where we had lunch.
Both the dam and reservoir are under the oversight of the Army Corps of Engineers. Completed in 1943, the dam and reservoir not only provides flood control, but also generates large amounts of electrical power. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) operates and distributes the electrical power for regional consumption. The dam is 1, 717 feet in length and holds back a lake that is 61 miles long with 653 miles of shoreline, and has a 120-foot depth at its deepest point.
Above is George, me, Kelly and Chuck at Dale Hollow. I'm not that short --since I'm 5'6" ---but the Adams' are just TALL people!!! ha
The lands surrounding the Dale Hollow Reservoir are some of the most scenic in the South. Forest covered hills and sweeping views from some of the plateaus are examples of the natural beauty of the region. We love to go there!
Fishing is considered to be excellent in Dale Hollow Lake. (Hear that, TOM ???) The world record small mouth bass weighing 11 pounds and 15 ounces came from the waters of the lake, within a half-mile of Dale Hollow State Park. The lake also is stocked with white bass, bluegill, crappie, muskie, and rainbow trout, making the lake’s waters a fisherman’s paradise. The park has a marina with a dock and boat slips. The marina has a restaurant and a gift shop. Park facilities also include a pool, picnic areas, campground, lodge rooms and playgrounds.
I'm not sure what Kelly and I were doing---but it looks as if George told us to act like Dale Hollow Statues!!!! Kelly makes a better statue than me, for sure!!!!!
The region-surrounding Dale Hollow State Park is historically significant. Virginia set aside the south-central portion of Kentucky for a military reserve district for Revolutionary soldiers. The South of the Green River lands covered a great portion of southern Kentucky. Many Virginia soldiers of the Revolutionary War moved to what would become Clinton and Cumberland Counties. Cumberland County is also famous as the site of one of the first oil wells in the United States.
I'd like to be on that houseboat out on the lake. You????? OR---maybe I'd like to build a cabin on that little island!!!! Hmmmmmm...
During the winter of 1829, some men were drilling an exploratory well for salt brine. Salt had long been a lucrative business on the American frontier. One way to produce salt was to find a deposit of salt brine, boil the water down and collect the salt. On March 11, 1829 the men drilling for salt water struck instead an oil well. The pressure of the gas and oil underneath the surface forced an enormous geyser into the air. In 1934 the Kentucky General Assembly placed a commemorative tablet stating that this was the site of the first oil well in America. Though there have been many disputes to the claim, the Kentucky oil well remains one of the natural phenomenons of the south central portion of the state.
A pretty young woman and an OLD lady (with horns) were being very silly!!!!! ha
Above and below are pictures we took at Dale Hollow. This is a beautiful state park--so if you live anywhere nearby or are in this area, check it out sometime. They have Eagle Watches in January--which I'd love to go to someday. There are many other special activities and programs going on throughout the year.
Ready to take a trip to Dale Hollow now????? By the way, if you go on Sunday, they have delicious catfish for dinner!!!! George's Dad and Mom love their buffets.
Have a good day. I think (hope) that the worst of our rains are over. Luckily here, we had no flooding--but we did have alot of rain for a WEEK.
Hugs,
George and I love to travel on the 'back roads' in our country. In March of 2007, in order to celebrate George's birthday, we drove to Indiana to visit all of the waterfalls in Clifty Falls State Park. On the way home, while on the back roads, we drove through a neat town called Harrodsburg, Kentucky. This town is Kentucky's first settlement. When we passed by Fort Harrod, we turned around and decided to check out the fort. While there, we saw a huge tree, called an Osage Orange Tree. This tree's crown is 98' X 106'; its height is 75'; its circumference of the tree standing is 12'4"; and its base circumference is 56'. Woooooo!! This tree is taller and broader than the "National Champion" (which can be found on Patrick Henry's 'Red Hill' grounds)---but remains the unofficial National Champion due to the split trunk.
Of course, when we got home, I had to do some research on this interesting tree. Here is some info on the Osage Orange tree:
Named for the Osage tribe, of Missouri, where its dense wood was used for their bows, the tree was actually native to Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The Osage orange became popular in the east after the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803-1806. Also called "hedge plant" or "hedge apple," the thorny Osage orange grew into fence rows that were "pig tight, horse high, and bull strong" before the invention of barbed wire.
Probably the most noticeable feature of Osage orange is the fruit produced by female trees. (The one we saw was a male.) The yellow-green fruit is round and 3 to 5 inches in diameter. It resembles a large orange or a monstrous mulberry. The fruit is a dense, round cluster of many one-seeded pulp sacks.
Osage orange isn't an orange tree. It's actually a mulberry. Today, Osage orange grows everywhere south of the Great Lakes and north of Florida, across the whole of eastern North America into the Great Plains states, almost to the Rocky Mountains. Other naturalized populations are found along Western settlement trails, forts and settler locations in the Pacific Northwest. Osage orange has been bundled and dragged across the nation -- east to west and north to south -- because of its uniqueness and utility. It has traveled widely and has been a part of our history. Above and below are pictures.
A partial picture of this HUGE tree; We were there in March--so obviously, there were no leaves on the tree.
I took this picture from the internet---to show how much better the tree looks when there are leaves on it!!!! (I have no idea who that child is---but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to be on my blog!!!! ha)
These next two pictures also came from the internet. This is a 'female' Osage Orange tree. See the fruit hanging up there? Don't be standing under these trees when those 'things' fall!!!! You would need to wear a hard hat I'm sure!!! ha
This is what the fruit (if you call it that) looks like. All I can say is YUK!!!!!
I was so fascinated with this unique tree... Isn't it interesting?
George stands under the tree---and as you can see, he is ready for battle.
Do you see a 'tree-hugger' there???? This girl loves this tree!!!!! Can she take it home???? PUH-LEASE!
I leave you with a photo of the outside of Old Fort Harrod. I'll show you the inside of this interesting fort in another blog. Hope you enjoyed seeing the Osage Orange tree today! Oh how wonderful it is to drive on the 'back roads'!!!! One will never know what he/she will see!!!!
Hugs,
