Boone Station (Former) State Historic Site

Back in July of 2018 we visited Boone Station State Historic Site.  In retrospect I'm very glad that we took the time to visit as the site is now no longer a state park.  In early 2019 the Kentucky government gave it to a local church, citing the will of the person who donated the land originally that it be given to the church if it wasn't developed as a park in fifteen years.

In a 1992 deed, Robert Channing Strader willed the property to the state. He specified that if the site was not “developed as a historic state park” within 15 years, ownership should revert to his church. In the second deed, executed Dec. 17, 2018, state officials argued they hadn’t met that condition “due to a lack of financial resources,” so the property was going to the church. Strader’s will didn’t define what level of development was required. Boone Station has been open as a state historic park for more than 20 years.
--from Kentucky.com blog

While I'll be the first to admit that there wasn't much there, it did seem to have the potential for more and it is sad to think that the property may not be developed to educate future generations about its history.

This map showed the size of the property and indicated the available walking trails, though the largest loops weren't much of a trail, just a mowed patch that you followed around the field.

I'm not sure of the purpose of this structure, but it wasn't open to the public.  Not knowing there wasn't any infrastructure at the site when we got there I kept expecting there to be an open building around the corner.

There had been a bad storm recently and some of the damage was still quite apparent.

We started out across the field.

Then we followed the first trail up the middle of the field until we got to the trees at the edge.

I spotted a number of Osage oranges on the ground.

We had to deviate from the path slightly due to another downed tree.

Here you can look back at the barns and such where we parked.

As we kept walking we came across a stone monument.

I walked across the field to get a good view of the stone.

The station originally consisted of a number of cabins and at first a stockade surrounding them.  You can see what it looked like to stand in front of the sign via this 360° view.

As we left I stopped and grabbed pictures of the nearby historical markers.

Thankfully I'm sure that even with the site once again in private hands the roadside makers should remain.

So at least people passing by can learn something about the history of the area even if they can no longer tour the grounds.

Like I wrote above there wasn't much there, but I would have enjoyed reading up on the history of the area and showing the kids what had been there if we'd had the opportunity to visit again.  You can see a few more pictures in this album.

~Matt

Cumberland Falls

In May while driving home from the Carolinas and the Smokies we decided to drive by Cumberland Falls.  It had been a while since we'd been there and we knew that it would be a good break for the kids to walk around in the middle of a driving day.

In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had 136 young men working at the falls to improve the park. They constructed DuPont Lodge and fifteen cabins for visitors, along with campsites, picnic areas, roads and trails. The lodge had 26 rooms with a lounge two-stories high replete with a huge stone fireplace. A fire destroyed DuPont Lodge on April 5, 1940. Park authorities constructed a new lodge in 1941. Fires destroyed the old Cumberland Fall Hotel in 1947 and in 1949 the Moonbow Inn also burned. Throughout the remainder of the twentieth century, the Kentucky parks system carried out extensive improvements. The park has a museum that has Indian artifacts. All types of seasonal recreational activities take place at the park. However, the greatest attraction is the thundering waters of Cumberland Falls. The falls are 65 feet high and 125 feet wide. When the Cumberland River is at flood stage the width of the falls can quickly expand to 300 feet.
--from Cumberland Falls State Park website

There is a decent amount of infrastructure at the falls including a gift shop, a small museum, and nearby places to stay.

There is an area where you can walk out on to the rock above the falls and get a look at the river before it thunders over the edge.

 From up above you can at least see a rainbow, event if you cannot see the entire breadth of the falls.

 Walking down this path will take you around a corner to an overview where you can get a better view.

 I've gotten my best pictures of Cumberland Falls from this spot.

 While looking at some plants I spotted this critter.

 We headed down this trail further away from the falls.

 Eventually we got to a point where we could walk down to a huge sandy patch by the water.  Obviously this area gets flooded frequently as it was full of driftwood.

 The kids really enjoyed playing in the sand.

 Someday I'd like to go to Cumberland Falls at night during a full moon to try and see a moonbow.

You'll find a few other pictures from our visit in this album.

~Matt

An Old Kentucky Christmas

On Thursday we decided to do something new that we hadn't done before.  For several years we had seen friends post pictures from An Old Kentucky Christmas, but we had never been to the event before.  The weather looked good on Thursday (the warmest day of the four days of the event) and I could make the timing work since I didn't have anything too crazy at work.  The event is a free one put on by the local First Church of Christ in Burlington, Kentucky.

Have you ever wished things were simpler?  Like the good ole days?  An Old Kentucky Christmas will take you back in time to the simplicity of a colonial Kentucky Christmas.  The smell of Grandma's cookies, the sound of carols and laughter, the joy of watching children and adults decorating ornaments.  And it's not just picture-worthy, we think it's memory-worthy.  We hope this experience becomes a tradition for your family, and that's our gift to you."
--from An Old Kentucky Christmas website

As I've worked at or on projects for the ChristmasTown event at the Creation Museum for many years it was fun to visit another Christmas event where I wasn't working.

There weren't a plethora of lights or decorations, but enough to make the atmosphere feel festive.  The entrance was fairly easy to find.

 Everything was free including food, crafts, and activities.

There were a number of photo ops.  After we visited this one we discovered that there were fun signs for people to hold up while their photo was being taken.  Amy is holding some of our pretzels that were dipped in chocolate and then rolled in colored sprinkes.

 Someone offered to snap a picture of all of us at this photo op.

 In the schoolhouse building the kids got to try their hand drawing on a slate with chalk.  Here a rainbow was being drawn.

 We didn't all get to be part of the barnyard photo op.

 Inside the animal area were several birds.

 The girls were fascinated by the huge rabbit.

 They also enjoyed looking at the larger animals.

 I enjoyed looking at the lathes in the woodworking building.

 As this guy was working he admitted that the electric powered equipment was much more fun, ;-).

 The line for this building was long, but worth it.  We got a string on a closepin for each kid and dunked it successively in buckets of wax and water to make candles.

 

 There was also a place to color ornaments.

The ornaments were simple circles of pine with a string and 2018 An Old Kentucky Christmas label attached.

 Many of the buildings had informational signs about Kentucky history.

 Inside the church building

 The girls loved meeting the bear character.

We didn't get to the photo booth in enough time.  It was past 7:15 when we got there and the lines were still long.

 They weren't all sure about the bear though.

 We also enjoyed some live music.

 The kids even got some bells to shake during the music.

The rest of the pictures from our evening can be found in this album.

~Matt