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.

Knox County

Heading North on US 25 out of Bell County, our next stop was Knox County.  It was about this time that we came to realize something.  And that is, there are a lot of colleges in Kentucky.  We were on our way to see another one.  This time it was Union.  However, you should know the drill by now, first a little background on Knox County.

KNOX COUNTY BACKGROUND

Knox County was formed in December of 1799, having been seperated from what was then called Lincoln County.  Originally, all of the upper Cumberland Valley was included in Knox County.  However, over the years several other counties were formed in this area.  It was the 41st county formed in Kentucky.  The county's namesake is General Henry Knox of Massachusetts, America's first Secretary of War.

The county seat is Barbourville and the only other city is Corbin.  Corbin is unique in that it straddles 3 counties; Knox, Whitley and Laurel.

Daniel Boone helped blaze The Wilderness Trail through Knox County.  It is also said that the first log cabin in Kentucky was built in Knox County by Dr. Thomas Walker while exploring in the interest of the Royal Land Company in 1750.  There is an exclusive spot just outside of Flat Lick, where three historic roads converge to become one road heading to The Cumberland Gap.  They are Boone's Trace, The Wilderness Road and The Warrior's Path. 

During the nineteenth century, Barbourville was the largest city south of Richmond and was a major stop for settlers and travelrs who crossed the Cumberland Gap.

The first Kentucky Civil War Battle took place in Barborville as Confederate forces destroyed a Federal recruiting station on what is now Union College's campus.  This Battle saw the deaths of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Union College was formed in 1879 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers 27 degrees in the liberal arts.  It's campus encompasses 100 acres and 20 buildings near downtown Barbourville. 

OUR VISIT

After stopping on the highway to get a picture of Roadkill and the Knox County sign,  we headed over to the Union campus.  This is another extraordinary college campus in southeast Kentucky.  Unlike the University of the Cumberlands, the Union campus is covered in huge old elm trees and mountain laurel and has a more "plantation" type feel.  I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but no students were on campus here either.  However, there were a few people around because they parked everywhere nearly blocking the main entrance.

When we finished our quick look around campus, we moved a few streets over to downtown Barbourville.  We took a couple of minutes to snap a picture or two and decided to move on.  We had three more counties on the agenda and it was already lunch time.

My final thought on Knox County is this: They are extremely proud of their pioneer heritage.  It's evident in everything that you see.  It's good to see a community embrace their history and share it with all who visit.