Need something to do? Roam the grounds, brush up on your history of these Ky. landmarks
With the school year disrupted by the COVID-19 virus and teachers valiantly trying to continue classroom instruction online, it falls to parents to become teaching assistants to bolster their efforts.
You may not be able to help your kids with quantum physics or Latin, but you can teach them Kentucky history while staying safe and supporting tourism in the commonwealth at one of these historic places.
Visiting one of these historic Kentucky sites will not only instill a sense of pride for Kentucky’s proud history, says Mike Mangeot, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Tourism, “but will encourage Kentuckians to safely get outdoors and enjoy all the beauty our state has to offer.
Ashland – the Henry Clay Estate, Lexington
Henry Clay was one of America’s greatest statesmen, serving as congressman, senator, Speaker of the House and Secretary of State, as well as being a three-time presidential candidate. It behooves every Kentuckian to know his story and to learn his contributions to the commonwealth.
Ashland, his estate, was Clay’s retreat from the stress of politics; today, it can be our retreat to escape the stress of relentless headlines.
While the house is closed, the grounds and formal gardens remain open to the public. Jim Clark, Ashland’s executive director, says one can have a civics and history lesson just by walking around the 17-acre estate.
“Between the Scientific Farmer in the Smokehouse and Carriage House and the many historic plaques and interpretive markers, visitors can learn much about Clay and Kentucky’s early history,” he says.
Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington
Waveland Mansion was built in 1847 by Joseph Bryan, a great-nephew of Daniel Boone, and exemplifies the state’s pre-Civil War plantation economy.
You may not be able to tour the Greek Revival mansion, but you can roam the 15 acres of farmland that include an herb garden, flower garden and orchard, as well as many meticulously restored outbuildings: slave quarters, kitchen, ice house, smoke house and blacksmith shop. Just be sure to keep that six-foot distance from fellow visitors.
To ensure safety, Waveland’s maintenance department sanitizes structures continuously throughout the day.
Constitution Square, Danville
This square block in downtown Danville is the birthplace of Kentucky. In the late 18th century, the square had a courthouse and meetinghouse, but it was in Grayson’s Tavern where influential citizens first met in 1784 to begin framing a constitution that would allow Kentucky to secede from Virginia and form its own commonwealth. They either did a lot of talking or a lot of drinking as it wasn’t until 1792 that Kentucky entered the Union as the 15th state.
While practicing social distancing, you can view the Governor’s Circle honoring all of the commonwealth’s chief executives, and the statue of a statesman, smartly turned out in a frock coat, shaking hands with a buckskin clad frontiersman, with the state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”
Surrounding Constitution Square are some original buildings, including the first post office west of the Alleghenies, and replicas of the courthouse, jail and meetinghouse.
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Park, Perryville
President Abraham Lincoln thought the Battle of Perryville (relatively obscure except to Civil War scholars and historians) was the major turning point in the war – far more critical than Antietam, Bull Run or Gettysburg. Why? Although the Confederate Army won a tactical victory, their forces were so depleted that relentless pressure from Union troops ended forever the hopes of a Confederate Kentucky.
Learn all about this crucial battle on a self-guided tour of the 1,000-acre historical park. There are 20 miles of trails, easily accessible from trailheads that will loop you back to your car.
There are 46 interpretive markers that inform visitors of exactly what happened on that part of the battlefield. If you aren’t up to walking one of the 13 trails, there’s a 3.5 mile driving tour. A map can be downloaded from the website (perryvillebattlefield.org) or picked up in the information box near the museum.
Camp Nelson Heritage Park, Jessamine County
The land – some 400 acres of sprawling countryside above the palisades of the Kentucky River 20 miles south of Lexington is quiet now. But in 1863 it was alive with the sounds of timber being hammered into buildings, anvils struck, ammunition tested, and soldiers drilled.
During the Civil War, this landscape – now ghostly in its emptiness – was the site of an important Union quartermaster depot, established as a garrison and supply center for the Army of the Ohio in its campaign in east Tennessee, central and eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia.
Camp Nelson was also important as the site of Kentucky’s largest African American refugee camp, where at the height of its activity it sheltered nearly 3,000 refugees, most of them wives and children of the U.S. Colored Troops who trained as Union soldiers there.
Recently an excavation at Camp Nelson found an unprecedented Civil War photo studio on the site. And many soldiers who posed for portraits apparently dyed their hair.
Camp Nelson’s buildings are closed, but the grounds are open seven days a week from dawn to dusk at no charge. You can download trail maps or pick one up in the box at the interpretive center. You can even bring your canine companion along to walk with you.
Cane Ridge Meeting House, Bourbon County
Located a few miles outside of Paris, this is believed to be the largest one room log structure in North America. Erected in 1791 as a meeting house for a Presbyterian congregation, it was the site of the largest camp revival on the American frontier. In August, 1801, nearly 30,000 worshipers arrived on foot, by horseback or by wagon, all in search of salvation.
The cabin is closed at least until April 1 which is the normal opening. If it does open then, no group reservations will be taken. Currently, the grounds are open, and families are encouraged to come explore and picnic.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 11:51 AM.