Owen County

After a filling lunch at Jewell's on Main in Gallitin County we headed down Highway 35 towards Owen County.  We only knew of one thing we wanted to see for sure when we got there but decided to head into Owenton too.  Part of the fun of this odyssey is driving and seeing where the car takes us next.  As soon as we cover the background, I'll tell you all about our visit.

OWEN COUNTY BACKGROUND

Owen County was formed in 1819 from portions of Scott County, Gallatin County and Franklin County.  The county was named for Colonel Abraham Owen.  Colonel Owen was a member of the Kentucky Legislature and was the first Kentuckian to serve under General William Henry Harrison.

Owen County was the 62nd county formed in Kentucky.  The county seat is the city of Owenton.  However the original county seat was the city of Hesler but was moved to Owenton in 1822.

During the Civil War, the county leaned toward the Confederacy and they operated two recruiting camp there.  Although many resident joined the cause, there were no organized battles fought there.

Elk Creek Vineyards is located in Owen County and is the largest winery in the Commonwealth.  Elk Creek was opened in 2003 and offers a deli, an art gallery, a gift shop, live entertainment and a B&B.

OUR VISIT

Like I said before we had only one thing on our list for Owen County and that was to visit Jonesville.  After looking at the map though, to get to the road that took us there, we were only going to be about 5 miles from Owenton, so why not stop?
So stop we did, after waiting for about 200 motorcycles to pull out in front of us on some sort of poker run.  After we got moving again, we went straight downtown and found the courthouse.  Roadkill always wants to see those for some reason.  Needless to say that is where we usually end up.  We didn't really do much else while we were there, other than check out the downtown.  Unfortunately we didn't have much time.  We really want to see Elk Creek Vineyard but the clock was ticking.  Looks like we have another gotta back item.

After we left Owenton, we wound our way out County Road 36 towards Jonesville.  It is a great scenic drive.  For a couple of mile the road run along a ridgetop and you can see for miles.  When we finally got to Jonesville, we stop at the little store to get something to drink.  We knew we were headed to Grant County next, so I ask the girl working in the store how close we were.  She said you'll be in Grant County as soon as you cross that yellow line in the road.  It turns out Jonesville is half in Owen County and half in Grant.  We spent a few minutes on the Owen County side then headed on into Grant County.  Follow me on over to the next page and I'll tell you all about it.