Happy Thanksgiving

Last Shawnee Town

Rabbit Hash, KY Boone County

The name Rabbit Hash may derive from the historic use of the local rabbit population as food. The hamlet's most notable building, the Rabbit Hash General Store, is regarded as the best known and best preserved country store in Kentucky. There is a distinction made between urban Rabbit Hash and suburban Rabbit Hash.

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.

Logan's Fort in Lincoln County

Logan's Fort set on a slight elevation about fifty yards west of the smaller spring at St. Asaph. The fort was 90 X 150 feet and was constructed of logs. Gates were located at each end and were raised and lowered by leather thongs. The main gate faced east.

Along the south side, two blockhouses were built, one on each end, with three cabins between, which were occupied by Wm. Menniffee, Wm. Whitley and the James Mason families. On the north side, only one blockhouse was built. It was on the northwest corner. There were four cabins adjoining occupied by George Clark, Benjamin Logan, Benjamin Pettit and Samuel Coburn.

A conventional cabin occupied the northeast corner. This was the only corner of the fort without a blockhouse. The cabin that Logan built in 1775 was a part of the fort.

The fort's water came from a spring that lay 50 yards to the east. A tunnel was dug from inside the southeastern blockhouse to the springhouse, which covered the spring.

The tunnel was four feet deep and three feet wide. A person could obtain water, undetected, in time of siege by the Indians.

The land about the fort had been cleared of all trees and cane so the Indians would not have shooting cover to approach the fort. The ridge to the south of St. Asaph's Branch was not cleared and most of the firing of Indian guns came from here. The distance, 200 to 250 yards, was too great, and the shot and arrows had little effect.

At the foot of the hill, on St. Asaph's Branch, just below the fort, the settlers maintained a gristmill. In all probability, this was the first mill built in Kentucky. During his first visit to the fort in late April of 1778, Daniel Trabue spoke of eating bread - something that could not be obtained at Fort Boonesborough.

Jack Jouett- The Other Paul Revere

Jack Jouett: America

's Other Paul Revere

On the night of June 3-4, 1781, Captain John "Jack" Jouett, Jr. rode 40 miles through the backwoods of Virginia to warn Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of the approach of 250 British troops.

Jack Jouett's heroic act saved the American Revolution by preventing the capture of its most important political leaders.

Jouett migrated to the Bluegrass after the war, where he played an important role in the Kentucky statehood convention, served in the legislature, and became a prosperous planter and breeder of fine horses and cattle.

He and his wife Sally Robards reared twelve children, including renowned portrait painter Matthew Harris Jouett.

This rural homestead includes a 1780's frontier stone cabin, used as a kitchen by the Jouetts. The 1797 Federal-style brick house features a formal parlor, a dining room, and three bedrooms. Period furnishings complement the rooms.

A.B. "Happy" Chandler's Old Kentucky Home

Old Talbott Tavern Bardstown

The Old Talbott Tavern, also known as the Old Stone Tavern, a historic tavern built in 1779, is located in the Bardstown Historic District of Bardstown, Kentucky, across from the historic Nelson County Courthouse. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 30, 1973. According to tradition, the tavern has never closed since its opening in 1779.

Crittenden Cabin

Birthplace of John J. Crittenden, Kentucky Governor, 5 time US Senator and US Attorney General. Built by his father in 1783. Located in Woodford County off US 60 near Versailles.