My Old Kentucky Home

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME
by Stephen Foster

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright;
By 'n' by hard times comes a-knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight.

CHORUS
Weep no more my lady
Oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the Old Kentucky Home far away.

They hunt no more for the possum and the coon,
On meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by the old cabin door.

The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow, where all was delight,
The time has come when the people have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight.

CHORUS

The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the people may go;
A few more days, and the trouble all will end,
In the field where the sugar-canes grow;

A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter, 'twill never be light;
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight.

Downtown Danville | Kentucky Life | KET

Danville is known as the City of Firsts in Kentucky, and its vibrant downtown helps this Boyle County town keep its top spot in Bluegrass culture and history.

The location of the first Kentucky courthouse in 1785, Danville was the first capital of Kentucky. It still takes the spotlight in politics, having hosted both the 2000 and 2012 vice presidential debates. Home to the first college and the first law school in the West, Danville today is home to Centre College, one of the top private liberal arts colleges in the country.

Downtown Danville boasts a vibrant Main Street filled with shops and restaurants, the Community Arts Center, as well as Constitution Square State Park and historic churches. In June, music fills the air during the Great American Brass Band Festival

Jack & Matthew Jouett | Kentucky Life | KET

This historical marker segment recalls a famous father and son, one an unheralded war hero, the other a renowned artist.

The father, Jack Jouett Jr., played a little known but pivotal role in the American Revolution, saving Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature from capture by the British. 

On June 3, 1781, the young militia captain was enjoying himself at a tavern in Louisa, Virginia, when he happened to spy British troops riding in. He quickly surmised that they were on their way to Charlottesville, where Governor Jefferson and the legislature had fled after Benedict Arnold's raid on Richmond. Jack made a heroic, all-night 40-mile ride through back roads to sound the alarm at Monticello.

Virginia's legislature honored Jack for his bravery, awarding him two fine pistols and a sword. Although he is known by many Virginians as their own Paul Revere, his story has fallen into relative obscurity outside the state.

After the war, Jack Jouett settled in what eventually became the state of Kentucky and raised a family. 

His second son, Matthew, displayed a talent for portraits at an early age. Nonetheless, Matthew followed his father's wishes and practiced law. He served in the War of 1812, but after the war was over he devoted his energies to his first love, art.

Already respected for his portraits, he sought to become even better. He studied in 1816 under the famous Gilbert Stuart, who said Matthew was the only student he had who was worthy of his teaching. Among the notable men of the era who sat for a portrait by Matthew were the Marquis de Lafayette and Henry Clay. 

Matthew died young at age 39, but is renowned to this day as Kentucky's greatest painter.