Old Fort Harrod State Park
The Old Fort Harrod State Park is a 13-hectare state park in the US state of Kentucky . It is located near the city of Harrodsburg in Mercer County . There is a fee to enter the fort .
history
In 1774, James Harrod established the first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies in central Kentucky. Today's Harrodsburg emerged from this settlement called Fort Harrod , making it Kentucky's oldest town. To preserve Kentucky's pioneering history, the park was established as the Pioneers Memorial State Park in 1927. The 18th century fort was reconstructed a little south of the original location. The Friends of Fort Harrod , a development association, support the operation of the state park.
investment
The old fort was a wooden fortification and was completely reconstructed. Today, heavy wooden palisades again encircle the huts and log houses. Inside the fort there are vegetable gardens and stables, and a natural spring ensures the water supply in the event of a siege. Performers in period costumes perform work such as cutting wood, weaving, forging and farming. Nearby is a fenced-in cemetery where over 500 residents of the former Fort Harrod are buried, making it the oldest cemetery west of the Appalachians . At the cemetery is a memorial dedicated to pioneer and officer George Rogers Clark by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934 . The entrance to the park is flanked by two buildings, one is the Lincoln Marriage Temple . This building preserves the original wooden cabin where Abraham Lincoln's parents married in 1806. The cabin has been moved here from its original location near Springfield. The Mansion Museum across the street houses War Memorials , a cannon, Native American items, and a collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. There is also a milk orange tree on the site, which is believed to be from the late 18th century, making it one of the oldest and largest trees of its kind in Kentucky.
literature
- Susan Reigler: The complete Guide to Kentucky State Parks . University Press of Kentucky, Lexington 2009, ISBN 978-0-8131-9208-6
Web links
Coordinates: 37 ° 45 ′ 43.3 " N , 84 ° 50 ′ 55.8" W.