Rockcastle County

Then next stop on our journey was Rockcastle County, home of the world famous Renfro Valley.  We crossed the county line both in and out, on the interstate, so we were unable to get a picture of the green highway sign.  It made me realize we have to do a little better planning from here on out, so that we can get a picture.  But we we found the sign pictured at the left, downtown Mount Vernon.  As usual, we will cover a little background on Rockcastle County.

ROCKCASTLE COUNTY BACKGROUND

The county seat is Mount Vernon, and is named for George Washington's home.  The area was originally settled around 1790 and was a stop on the Wilderness Road by 1792.  The surrounding area was originally swampland. 

The county was formed in 1810 from portion of Lincoln, Madison, Knox and Pulaski counties.  Rockcastle was the fifty-second county formed in Kentucky.  The county shares its name with the Rockcastle River which was named by explorer Isaac Lindsey in 1767.  The name comes from the large cliffs along the river the Lindsey described as castles.  Almost one fourth of the county lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest.  The county has seen its population grow by almost 50% since 1970.

The extraction of saltpetre from the Great Saltpetre Cave was one of the first industries in the county.  Saltpetre is used to make gunpowder.  The cave also served as shelter for both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War.

Rockcastle County is also home to Renfro Valley.  It is the site of the "Renfro Valley Barn Dance" national radio program.  This show was started in 1939 by John Lair.  Refro Valley still hosts several shows a week, ranging from local Bluegrass talent to major country music recording stars.

OUR VISIT

Our visit to Rockcastle County was unfortunately pretty quick.  We jumped off of I-75 and headed into Mount Vernon, the county seat.  We parked on Main Street and took a few minutes to check out downtown.  The more of these towns we visit, the more I enjoy the "small town" atmosphere.  There wasn't much going on, so we head on out to Renfro Valley.

We were expecting to see a crowd out there, but being a monday afternoon, nothing was open.  We were the only ones there, except for a few workers.  But we were able to get a few pictures and we can say we have been there.  None of us are really country or bluegrass music fans, but it's one of those things, that speaks to our Kentucky heritage.  Renfro Valley is the home to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and as luck would have it, they were closed on Mondays.

It was a short trip, but a good trip.  My guess is, we will head back that way to see a show at Renfro Valley, like I said, it's just part of who we are as Kentuckians.