TIP #252 - ANOTHER LOOK AT ADAIR, ALLEN, ANDERSON, BALLARD, BARREN AND BATH COUNTIES. Taken from a speech at the Kentucky State Fair, 1968, by former Governor Louie B. Nunn. ADAIR: "The pioneers of Adair County must have seen quite a heroic figure in General John Adair, Indian fighter, commander of Kentucky troops at the Battle of New Orleans, and a man of considerable political promise, because they chose his name for their county when it was formed, in 1802. Eighteen years later, General Adair became Governor of Kentucky. Those early pioneers also must have appreciated the beauty of the hills around the Green River Valley, because they nicknamed their area the Enduring Hills. And that's the title given to a novel by the prominent Kentucky author, Janice Holt Giles, which describes with great artistry the landscape and river waters in this part of Kentucky. For those of us who live in this modern age, it's hard to imagine the feelings of the first pioneers who traveled through this county and carved their names on trees, knowing that thousands of people would see them for generations. That's exactly what Daniel Boone did. His name is still visible on that huge beech tree six miles west of Columbia, the county seat of Adair. In Columbia, in 1903, the Methodist Church established Lindsay Wilson Junior College, which isn't far from an old brick house in which Mark Twain's parents were married. The beauty of the area will unfold itself both to the adventurous traveler and to those who view it from the main highways." ALLEN: Most of the history is missing. All that has been found follows: "Allen County became our 57th county in 1815. It was formed from parts of Barren and Warren Counties. The county seat, Scottsville, was settled around a spring which is still preserved. Scottsville has several points of interest, not the least of which is the old brick courthouse in the public square." ANDERSON: "Anderson County, which was formed as a county in 1827, was named after Richard Clough Anderson, Jr., a popular public official who died the year before the county was established, while he was traveling to Panama to attend a congress of South American states. Today, Anderson County is as interesting to imaginative 'explorers' as it was in the days of the early Kentucky pioneers. The eastern boundary of Anderson County is formed by one of our state's most beautiful natural attractions for fishermen, boaters, and campers - the Kentucky River. On this river, where Indians once canoed and hunted along the banks, visitors are once again seeing tents and campfires - plus modern boat docks that would turn the red man green with envy. The river winds through forested hills and rustic countryside. Tourists in the fall months say that the magnificent colors make this one of the most beautiful areas in the United States. In the distilleries of Anderson County you are shown how, for generations, world-famous bourbons have been developed and perfected. The largest of these distilling operations are found near the county seat, Lawrenceburg, where over 200,000 barrels of bourbon are aging in huge warehouses. This industry is part of the reason Lawrenceburg is a rich and progressive community. That famous naval order 'Don't give up the ship', was given by Captain James Lawrence on the U.S.S. Chesapeake, during the War of 1812. The patriotic settlers of Lawrenceburg named their town after him. Military traditions are a proud part of Anderson County's history. Kavanaugh Academy, organized in 1940 by Rhoda C. Kavanaugh, was among the best preparatory schools in the nation for students headed for West Point or Annapolis. It was later absorbed into the Anderson County school system. In the Anderson County courthouse yard, a tablet to the veterans of World War I stands near another monument, to the soldiers of the Confederacy." BALLARD: "You couldn't have chosen a county with more variety to offer, in recreation, history, beautiful scenery, even archaeology. Ballard County lies almost as far west as you can go in Kentucky, 'where the Ohio meets the Mississippi.' Because the location was so favorable for water transportation, George Rogers Clark chose an outpost here to guard the boundary of the Old Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1780, Governor Thomas Jefferson of Virginia sent him from Louisville to the Mississippi to establish a fort in protection of American's claim to the Mississippi River as a western boundary. This post, Fort Jefferson, was abandoned in 1781 because of Indian attacks. The area had already been long known as a trade route and hunting haven, apparently even to primitive man. And what about primitive man - that's part of the great interest in this area for the archaeologist. In the county seat of Ballard County, Wickliffe, is the ancient buried city. Here, on lofty bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, was the home of prehistoric mound builders. Excavations have uncovered four mounds - one adult and one infant burial, a council house, and a temple. One mound, now sheltered by a modern building, contains 153 uncovered skeletons. The skeletons, relics, and artifacts of the ancient people make up a fascinating museum, open to the public. Possibilities for recreation are abundant around the two rivers. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife resources chose this county for a 10,000 acre waterfowl preserve, the Ballard County Wildlife Management Area. And, as part of Kentucky's western waterland, Ballard County enjoys being in one of mid-America's favorite vacation playgounds. Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are two of the largest man-made lakes in the world, and, with three fine state parks and a host of privately operated accommodations, they provide complete facilities for a great family vacation. BARREN: "Keep that word 'Barren' in mind and I'm going to prove to you, as a proud Barren Countian myself, that there's no more inappropriate name possible for the county. In 1770 the 'Long Hunters' discovered that Indians had burned acres of virgin timber in search of game to feed their people -- and thus called it the 'barren land.' This band of pioneer hunters loved the land its abundant game so much that they prolonged their encampment here. Future new pioneers and generations of old ones planted tobacco in the rich fields and grazed livestock on the country's fertile lands. They first chose land around Beaver Creek which encircles the present county seat, Glasgow, and they found the soil anything but 'barren.' In Glasgow, lovely and gracious old homes dating from the early 1800'sstill stand. The most historic is Spottswood, on a crest of sloping lawns two blocks from the public square. It was built in 1795 under the direction of George WASHINGTON for his niece, the wife of Alexander SPOTTSWOD. The 27th Governor of Kentucky, Preston H. LESLIE, built his home on East Main Street before the time of the Civil War. Both Spottswood and the Leslie home were used as hospitals during the Civil War. But Glasgow isn't the only interesting place we in Barren County have to offer. This is part of Kentucky's cave country, and Park City and Cave City welcome thousands of tourists who annually come to see the caverns, great and small, that have made this area famous around the world. Nearby Mammoth Cave, of course, is the granddaddy o them all, and some of the 51,000 acres of Mammoth Cave Nation Park extend into our county. Barren River has given us Barren River Reservoir, a man-made lake of over10,000 acres that has turned into a great fishing spot. We're developing a fine state park on its shores .. another in our chain of state and national parks that are generally recognized as 'the best in the nation.'" BATH: Some 150 years or more ago, the Licking River and the creeks and springs in the area of Bath County became famous as medicinal waters. And so, when this county in the eastern mountain country was formed in 1811, they called it Bath County. The county seat, Owingsville, was named in honor of Colonel Thomas Dye Owings, son of the builder of the first charcoal iron furnace west of the Alleghenies. The Owings House, on Main Street, is a Gregorian colonial structure which was once the center of social life, with visitors such as Lafayette and Henry Clay. Built at the beginning of the War of 1812, the house has a subterranean passage, concealed behind the drawing room fireplace, which could have served as a handy escape route during that war. You may remember the 'Fighting General' of the Confedracy. Owingsville rightfully claims General John B. Hood as one of its native sons. The grave of Jack Jouett (the hero who warned Jefferson of a British plot to end the Revolution by capturing Virginia leaders) is marked in Owingsville. The Battle of Little Mountain, which was a forerunner of the Battle of Blue Licks, is commemorated by a marker, also. On a branch of Flat Creek, near Owingsville, Daniel Boone rescued his daughters from the Indians in 1776. The Owings Furnace was located on the banks of Slate Creek, 2 ½ miles south of Owingsville. The furnace was built in the late 1700's by John Cockney Owings and Jacob Meyer and first provided settlers with kettles, plowshares, and blades. The furnace later supplied cannon balls for Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans and was called by some, 'Andrew Jackson's Thunder Mill.' Historical sites throughout the county include the most noted medicinal spring, Mud Lick, which was once owned by Henry Clay. Bath's 14,000 acres of the Daniel Boone National Forest can be viewed from the Tater Knob Lookout Observation Tower. One unique section of the forest in Bath County is the primitive weapons area, where adverturists can still hunt with longbows, crossbows, and muzzle loaders. It takes you back in time to the beginnings of our state, and even farther back to the customs of our English forebears." To be continued. (c) Copyright 15 July 1999, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Colonel Sandi Gorin 205 Clements,Glasgow, KY 42141 (270) 651-9114 or E-fax (707)222-1210 Gorin Genealogical Publishing: http://members.delphi.com/gorin1/index.html TIPS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Tips KYBIOS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Bios ARCHIVES: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl