Old Fort Harrod State Park, Kentucky

Old Fort Harrod might be a new favorite day trip for me. This place is very cool, and I am already looking forward to my next trip there!

The Fort itself is a reconstruction of the original 1st settlement in Kentucky (the original settlement was established in 1774). They have done a great job on the replica site.

It looks like what you would expect an old fort/settlement to look like. It is gated, with animals, and houses on the inside.

They give you a map when you buy your ticket explaining the rooms, relics, etc. The original fort was built around a spring, and there is a spring here!

The person in the gift shop told me that the original fort was located across the road, where a parking lot for the park is located now.


That is just the start of this park. There are several other things here that are worth a separate entry on their own. All of the attractions are within walking distance of each other!


The oldest cemetery in the state is in the park area. There is a very large Federal Monument on the property that honors Kentucky Pioneers

The affordable ticket into the Fort includes a admission to the Mansion Museum. We had a lot of fun in the museum too! They have SEVERAL hand written items from Abe Lincoln. Many historic artifacts, letters, and musical instruments stood out to me. A piece of a tree with "DB" is on display from an area where Daniel Boone spent a lot of time. The museum house itself is a spectacle, and all of the A list type museum items are icing on the cake. This is not a museum to be missed.

In the park area is the church where Lincoln's parents were married. More on that one later, but they have built another building around it to protect it!

http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/recparks/fh/

Harrodsburg has an a great downtown area with some fun shops and places to eat.

The Fort's namesake, James Harrod is an interesting and mysterious character too. He kind of disappears from the pages of history. In fact, I am trying to research him a bit right now, and I simply cannot find enough information on him!

June 19th and 20th the park will be hosting the Fort Harrod Settlement and Raid. I will have to make a note of this, because it looks great.