Old Fort Harrod State Park Kentucky 2024

We stopped by Old Fort Harrod State Park for the areas 250th anniversary!  

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Postcard

"Reproduction of historic log fort at PIONEER MEMORIAL STATE PARK provides unusual scene of frontier days, Harrodsburg, Kentucky."

Im guessing this postcard is from the 60s or 70s.

Pioneer Days at Fort Harrod Kentucky 2023

AND, just a short video of our visit to Old Fort Harrod for Pioneer Days!

Harrodsburg Post Office Art

A very short walk from Fort Harrod is the Harrodsburg post office!  There are some great old paintings (I believe they were done in the 1940s) on display there!  Make sure you see them when you are in town!

Lincoln Marriage Temple in Harrodsburg Kentucky

 Here are some recent photos I took of the Lincoln Marriage Temple in Harrodsburg.  Abe Lincoln's parents were married inside!

I've mentioned the Temple here before (here and here).

Harrodsburg Kentucky

 Here are just a few photos I took recently around Harrodsburg Kentucky.

This is a very underrated historic town.  it is beautiful with lots of great antique shops about nicely preserved old buildings!

Old Fort Harrod State Park in Harrodsburg KY

 When we first moved back to Kentucky we ended up hanging out at Fort Harrod a lot.  We really enjoyed the Fort and events there.  We realized recently though that we hadn't visited in some time, so we went there the other day.

It is actually a replica of the original fort which was located at a site right across the street from where the replica stands today.  There is a parking lot at the original site.

The replica itself is pretty cool and historic, and it is coming close to being a century old itself!

Those early explorers who built the original Fort would have been active in the area around the 1770s and the Fort goes along with showing life during that time.

Old pioneer forts do have somewhat of a standard feel after you visit several (gated in, with homes and shops on the inside around the fence, with other buildings here and there inside).

I remember having a cowboys and Indians playset that could have passed for Fort Harrod.  I THINK it was made by Marx and it was great fun.  I am sure a playset like that wouldn't sell today.


Fort Harrod does have some enthusiastic staff talking about life during that period, and they dress the part.  We listened to one fellow talk about gun making.  My late father-in-law used to restore old rifles and would have loved this stuff.  It is interesting hearing about the process, especially the metals and molding process involved.

Another person was doing a demonstration on heating metal to hammer into a dinner bell I believe.  He let volunteers from our group fan the flames.

There was a doll maker here too (you could actually buy the soft, very old style dolls).  She talked a lot about raising children on the frontier, and how a baby crying could create a very bad situation for a family at that time.  Any attacking force could hear the crying....  So parents might keep a doll hidden to bring out and stop crying in these situations.  They would likely take the doll away once everything was clear.  They would want to make the doll a very special toy so that the child would stop crying immediately when they saw it.

The Fort alone is a great place to spend time, but your $6 or $7 admission also includes a lot more.  On the grounds is the historic old Osage Orange Tree, the marriage chapel where Abe Lincoln's parents were married, and there is a GREAT museum!

Unfortunately, they do not allow photos in the museum, but there are some great, pieces.  There is a piece of a tree where "DB" was likely carved by Daniel Boone.  There are some great Lincoln and Civil War displays.  Great vintage guns and musical instruments can be seen here too!

Confederate Monument in Springhill Cemetery, Harrodsburg Kentucky

Dedicated in 1902, here is a nice Confederate Monument in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Harrodsburg, not too far from Perryville.

Fort Harrod Play in Harrodsburg, KY

We were able to see a performance of James Harrod:  The Battle For Kentucky by the Ragged Edge Theatre. 

It is in a BEAUTIFUL outdoor theater at Fort Harrod.  I loved the venue.  The stage is authentically wooded!

This is a fun play to watch- though there were some audio issues.  A mic system is used here, and there was some bad feedback at times.  The system is needed though, as the theater is very big, and traffic noise can get bad.  Luckily, none of the actors were wearing those annoying headset mics that are really distracting.

I was also hoping that this play would touch on the mystery of what exactly happened to James Harrod (but it didn't).  Look it up one day!  He goes out hunting and disappears!  Some say he went back to Pennsylvania, was killed by Indians, left his wife.......  James Harrod's fate is worthy of investigation by Art Bell or Mulder and Scully.  I would love to see a play or documentary about that!

Still, check out this play sometime!

Postcard: Lincoln Marriage Cabin

"Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, parents of Abraham Lincoln, were married in the cabin June 12, 1806, by Rev. Jesse Head. The cabin has since been moved to Fort Harrod at Harrodsburg, where it is housed in the Lincoln Marriage Temple. Fort Harrod is an exact reproduction of the first settlement in Kentucky."

Lincoln Family wedding chapel

I am still on a Fort Harrod kick. There is just so much there!

Here are a few pictures of the Lincoln Marriage Temple.

Honest Abe's parents were married in Springfield Kentucky in 1806. The chapel has been transferred to this site. A bigger building has been built around it to protect it.

It is amazing that it is still around, and still in good shape. The park allows a good amount of access to the building.