This post was post-dated to reflect the actual day of the visit. Poor internet connectivity made it impossible to post it in a timely manner!
We toured My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, KY. It was named from the song of the same name. Stephen Foster who wrote the song was a frequent visitor to this mansion. The home belonged to Judge Rowan. It is obvious from the lyrics of the song that Foster enjoyed his visits here.
This statue shows Stephen Foster with his flute. Although most of us associate Foster with piano, a piano is not easy to travel with so he carried a flute to try out his tunes.
The guide was very informative and added a lot of detail to the tour.
The grave of Judge Rowan is a prominent feature of the family cemetery on the grounds.
The Rowan mansion originally had three full floors, but a fire destroyed the third floor and when it was rebuilt they only made a loft where the third floor had been. The two bottom floors had thirteen foot ceilings. On the outside several red stars are located at the top of each floor. Through these stars large threaded rods pass from one side of the house to the other. These rods are positioned on all sides. A nut is used at the end of each rod to tighten up the house. It must be done a couple of times a year. If this is not done then the brick walls could fall outward and collapse.
Russ and Tom check out the New Carriage House while John and Gayla are seen in the foreground.
Several carriages are on display inside the carriage house.
This is the Old Carriage House. When it was built it was the talk of the community. People couldn't believe anyone would build such a strange carriage house. The New Carriage House was built to end the local gossip. It is now used as a place for outdoor gatherings such as weddings.
This beautiful old Magnolia was near the New Carriage House. We all commented about the odd shape of this Magnolia.Touring My Old Kentucky Home State Park left us all quite hungry. We went to the soda fountain at the Hurst Drug Store on the town square on the recommendation of the clerk at the gift shop at the park. It was great advice! They serve old fashioned hamburgers and make milk shakes from scratch like they used to do.
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go prepare a place for you. And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am , there you may be also." John 14: 2-3
These vats contain the cooked liquid containing ground corn, red winter wheat and barley. Yeast has been added to the liquid to start the fermentation. This sour mash is allowed to ferment for three days. The vats are twelve feet across and twelve feet deep.
Finished Bourbon is bottled after aging in white oak barrels for several years.
Maker's Mark adds their distinctive trademark by sealing each bottle with red sealing wax by hand.
These barrels are aging in the rows called ricks. After several years of aging and testing the Bourbon is becomes a finished product and is bottled.
Barb is dwarfed by Harley, the huge Friesian.
On the road again! Today we are traveling to Bardstown, KY.
The house is well preserved and shows how the settlers of the day lived. The doors were small in an effort to conserve heat in the winters. The rocks in the chimney were held together with mud mortar. Mud was also used to fill the Chinks or cracks between the logs.
One look towards the valley from the back porch makes it clear why John Oliver chose this location for his homestead. What a beautiful view!
The graveyard behind the Primitive Baptist Church has some graves that have been there for over a century. This church was established in 1827 with a log building. The building above replaced the original building in 1887. While we were there park employees were digging a grave for a person that had lived in Cades Cove as a child. The funeral would be the next day.
While sitting and enjoying the cozy solid wood interior of the church, we felt compelled to sing some hymns. We started with "Amazing Grace". There is something about the wooden construction that made he music sound so good! Some other visitors insisted that we sing several more old hymns.
Just a few miles down the road was the Methodist Church that was built in 115 days for $115.
Elijah Oliver, son of John Oliver, built a much more elaborate log home. It had several rooms and even has a "stranger room" added to the front porch to accommodate overnight visitors.
This spring house was used to keep food items such as milk and butter in the cool spring water. It was also used to "pipe" water into the house through a series of connected logs with grooves cut in their top sides. Some of these logs can be seen in the foreground in front of the structure.
This slab door on the side of one of the out buildings has wooden hinges on the right side. Pieces of wood at the top and bottom of the door are in the shape of eyes. A dowel attached to the back side of the door passes through the centers of the eyes to form a hinge.
The Gregg-Cable house was built in 1879 by Leason Gregg on land he bought from John Cable who had built the nearby mill.
John Cable built this mill in 1870. The water-powered mill was used as both a grist mill and sawmill. It is still used today to grind both corn and wheat.
This unique cantilever barn has an overhanging area that provides shelter for both livestock and farm equipment. We might as well have traveled by wagon as it took us all day to travel the whole eleven-mile loop. It was a very interesting tour which helped us understand how early settlers survived by subsistance farming.
