Kentucky Travels
Hi, I am Jim, I love Kentucky, and traveling in and around Kentucky! I also love the entire country, and all of the beautiful and strange places here and there! This blog covers the overlooked, forgotten, and underrated places, people, and moments in history in America, with a focus on Kentucky! It will cover great tourists stops, books about people and history, and include photos and postcard scans.
Etowah Mounds
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
CSX Train in Park City KY 2 24 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Bransford Family Cemetery Tour Mammoth Cave Kentucky February 2024
Saturday, March 16, 2024
"The Vice President's Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn" by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers
"The Vice President's Black Wife" is one of the more interesting books I have found in some time relating to presidential (or vice presidential) history. This one starts out with a bang and keeps going. Author Amrita Chakrabarti Myers goes down a rabbit hole that gets more interesting with each chapter... and at the end, more rabbit holes are revealed.
Kentucky has only had a few sons that have gone on to be VP (Richard Johnson, Alben Barkley, and John Breckenridge). Well, Richard Johnson was (and still is) very controversial.
During a time when interracial relationships were very much frowned upon in society (think 1830s and the next few decades) this politician had a black wife.... who was also owned by him as a slave. Let that sink in for a while.
At first one might view Johnson as a progressive individual, way ahead of his time... but proceed with cation. The author of this book uncovers some letters and possible evidence that several of his young female slaves were partners/wives at various times, and he had children with them. Some close to the situation reported that one wife (and children she had with Johnson) were sold by him.
I know, I know, you probably have many questions right now. Amrita goes after the answers in this one. Had he REALLY married his slaves? What happened to the descendants? How had a Kentuckian, living openly with a Black wife (and their daughters) advanced to the office of VP?
The author covers this area, while also (and mainly) trying to investigate who Julia Chinn was and why she is important. Why is it that the wife of a United State Vice President is in an unknown burial spot?
Get cozy for this one, and read slow. There is a lot going on in this volume.
Friday, March 15, 2024
Frogman Festival Loveland Ohio March 2nd 2024
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Upland Brewing Company December 2023
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
"Erie Florida: Chilling Tales from the Panhandle to the Keys" by Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz
Monday, March 11, 2024
Hardinsburg Indiana 2023
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Concert Memories: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Evansville, Indiana 11/5/1993
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Fredericksburg Indiana 2023
Friday, March 8, 2024
Moonshine Still In Kentucky
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Palmyra Indiana 2023
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
"Moving Shadows" by Mark Andrlik
Paoli Indiana December 2023
Sunday, March 3, 2024
New Salisbury Indiana 12 30 2023
Friday, March 1, 2024
International Paranormal Museum and Research Center Somerset Kentucky 02...
Thursday, February 29, 2024
The old "Tropical Breeze Aquarium and Pets" in Owensboro Kentucky
Man, when I was a kid, I had several aquariums full of fish. Seriously, it was crazy. I had a 55 gallon, a couple of 30 gallon tanks (one was salt water) and several 10 gallon tanks. I might talk more about this some time... but I really enjoyed them.
Sometimes on weekends, my dad and I would go out and visit just about every pet store around in Owensboro. Danny's was probably my favorite. I was there all the time. A knowledgeable family ran the place and I always loved talking to them. Their prices were good too.
Annette's was always a winner too. She was a very nice lady and always had interesting fish and aquarium critters.
Other shops would come and go. I remember E & L Pets by the old Lincoln Mall, then they would move later on. They still have a Madisonville location. There was a pet shop in the Rockport area I remember visiting a time or two.
Tropical Breeze was over by Gabe's Tower. At some point, I got this coupon for 10 percent off of everything. I don't remember how I got it, but it was reusable. I carried it in my wallet for some time.
I found this one while flipping through a very old scrap book recently.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Concert Memories: Foreigner- Owensboro, KY 07/23/1993
Monday, February 26, 2024
Mississippi State University 2023
Sunday, February 25, 2024
"Horror Guide to Florida" by David Goudsward and Scott T. Goudsward
David and Scott T. Goudsard have put together a strange and great reference for horror fans visiting Florida. They haven't over saturated the book with a ton of mainstream horror movies either. There are lots of literary and real life places mentioned.
Interestingly, they cover fictitious Florida towns from film and literature too!
This is just a good reference book for road trippers to keep on their shelf. Being me, I read it straight through taking notes. On my next Florida road trip, I will now be looking for filming locations seen in the Creature from the Black Lagoon Films.... I can take an air boat tour associated with a couple of horror films, and I can look for locations used in Edward Scissorhands!
I also learned about a cult now associated with a state park!
I learned some interesting Florida related facts concerning Maurice Gibb (and a score he did for a movie) and Stephen King. Also, as the authors discuss literature, I have added some interesting books to my reading list!
This is just a very uniquely done book.... I admire it's originality. It gets my highest possible recommendation
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Confederate Cemetery and other Civil War Buildings on the Ole Miss Campus
Friday, February 23, 2024
Movie: "Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis"
After our adventure driving through Mississippi, I picked up the DVD copy of "Mysterious Circumstances: The Death of Meriwether Lewis". I saw a huge banner for the movie in Baldwyn Mississippi- I believe some of the movie was produced there. AND, we visited the actual death and burial site of the legendary explorer.
Plus, as a fan of the "Dukes of Hazzard" I saw that John Schneider was in the film!
I should mention I saw some not so favorable reviews of the movie.... but, who cares?
The film is a bit unconventional. It kind of tells the same story in several different ways, speculating how the death of Lewis went down. It is still a big mystery to this day. I liked the way that the film handled covering a lot of ground, and I ended up really enjoying this one.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Brice's Crossroads Visitor and Interpretive Center Mississippi 2023
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
"Ghosts of Madison Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen
So, I was glad to find a copy of "Ghosts of Madison, Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen. Its another book that has been out there for some time (it came out in 2012) that I personally JUST discovered.
This book is one of my favorite type of "ghost" books. There are a lot of short chapters, packing in a lot of locations. The author even discloses her own home's haunted past!
The book is packed with weird and strange stories, including a suicided at a funeral parlor, the unsolved murder of a sheriff, and tales of grave robbing (and forgotten burial sites!).
There are some interesting Civil War connections, something that always gets my attention.
Jorgensen gives names and info on pretty much all of the places she mentions, AND address are given too! You could do your own ghost walk through town with this one.
You KNOW I will be taking this one with me next time I am in Madison!
"The Battle of Brice's Crossroads" by Stewart L. Bennett
Bennett makes the battle easy to understand, and the book has a very nice flow.
Roughly, Sherman was hoping that the CSA's Nathan Bedford Forrest could be kept occupied and away from his forces and plans....
The Federals had General Sturgis available for the job, who had mixed reviews as far as success goes. He would keep Forrest occupied, but he would ultimately suffer an embarrassing defeat at this battle. Like many union leaders, he would greatly overestimate his opponents numbers.
Forrest, of course, was great at fooling his opponents into thinking his forces were much bigger. Art the end of the day, his roughly 3500 man force chased and soundly defeated a US force of around 8000. Sturgis would report that Forrest must have had 15-20,000.
The heat and mud worked against the soldiers, specifically the federals - but the crafty Confederate Forrest was the star of the fight.
Bennett gives all of the important details of the battle and I am really glad I picked this volume up about the Battle of Brice's Crossroads.