Helm Cemetery- Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Right behind a Wendy's in Elizabethtown is the Helm Family Cemetery.  It is up on a hill and it is very small.

The remains of former Kentucky Governor John Helm are here, as are the remains of his son, Benjamin Hardin Helm.

Benjamin Hardin Helm commanded the legendary Orphan Brigade (1st Kentucky Brigade) for the South.  Reports I have read establish that he was loved by his Confederate soldiers.  AND, he was married to the half-sister of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Benjamin was killed (by a sharpshooter from the 15th Kentucky Union Infantry) at Chickamauga.

The Lincoln's went through a personal period of mourning, and Helm's widow was given safe passage to be with her family at the White House. 

Anyway, here are some photos I took at the Helm Cemetery, where John and Benjamin rest.

Lincoln Heritage House- Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Here are a few photos I took of the Lincoln Heritage House in Elizabethtown!  Abe's dad helped with the construction.  A fire did some damage to it in 2009, and it looks like they are still working on getting it back in shape.  I heard that they are trying to use period accurate tools and replacement wood...  so it sounds like they are trying to restore it the right way!

Back Home Restaurant- Elizabethtown Kentucky

We wanted to try something new while we were in Elizabethtown.  Well, something new to us anyway.

We saw that Back Home Restaurant rated pretty high online.  We were not familiar with it, but we would be passing near it on our trip, so we checked it out!

I was a bit upset when I read their history though.  They have been around for 30 years, and I am just finding out about it!  I need to keep up with things.

Back Home Restaurant is in an old house that is in a very attractive setting.  We went in and we were taken to a dim, cozy booth.  The set up is very unique and hard to describe, but comfortable.

Check out their menu online.  They have a lot of good home cookin' comfort food kind of items.  I had a BLT, AND we had some pretzel bite appetizers with beer cheese dip.  I'll come back for that.

our waitress and a hostess were both Kentucky Country sweet, and it was just fun chatting with these ladies.  One told us some of the history of the building (it had been several businesses over the years).  They were funny, helpful, and fun to be around.


As we paid our bill to leave, we were tempted by some sweets available on the way out.  At least some were made by our waitress earlier!

AND, there is a boutique shop upstairs.  Its very cute and original too!

Back Home Restaurant gets my highest possible recommendation.  I can't wait to dine here again!

Brown Pusey House- Elizabethtown Kentucky

I FINALLY made it to the Brown-Pusey House in Elizabethtown!

I wanted to stop by here because the place is oozing with history.  John Hunt Morgan and General Custer spent time here (at different times).  Plus, they have some very cool items in their community museum.

We visited on an early Saturday morning.  There was a very nice lady running the place, who was actually waiting for a group that might be renting the facility, but she took the time to give us a brief tour.  We were able to fit a visit in to the museum before the others showed up.  We probably should have called before coming to make sure we would be coming at a good time.

Anyway, the home is rented out a lot for wedding and other related type events.


The home itself is very nice.

BUT, I really wanted to see a couple of famous items on display.

The main item in their possession has to be a corner cabinet built by Thomas Lincoln, father of Honest Abe.  Yeah, I get goose bumps seeing that sort of thing.

The cabinet is actually not in the museum area, but it is in a main part of the house.  After admiring the Thomas Lincoln piece, we were taken to the main museum area in the house.

This is very cool, as the museum is in a room built on to the house later, and you actually walk through/under an old fire place to get into the museum!

This room is full of great local relics, including a Civil War surgeons kit, and the original (wood!) grave marker for Benjamin Hardin Helm!

Here are some photos!

Vibe Coffee- Elizabethtown Kentucky

I just took a couple of photos when we stopped by Vibe Coffee in E-Town.

Good coffee, and the place is BUSY!  While we were there, the place was just busting with people everywhere!

Friends were meeting, tables were overflowing, a local author was selling their book.....  This coffee shop is active!


They are in a great location too, right on the square.  There is a sister business that is part of Vibe- there is a health food kind of place right inside.

Plus, its walking distance from several cool things to do in town!

Camp Nelson's Civil War Days in Nicholasville, KY

A couple of years ago, I swung by Camp Nelson for the first time.  I had been looking for an excuse to get back there, and I finally found one!  They recently hosted a "Civil War Days" so we went by for that.

They didn't have any reenactment battles or anything like that.  Also, as this was a Union camp, there were no Confederate reenactors for the event.


The day started around 9, and we arrived a little after they opened.  For $5 per carload, you could enjoy all of the festivities.

We first visited the general camp, where Union soldiers seemed eager to tell us about their daily activities, how soldiers lived at the time, etc.

One camper/soldier was a map maker and he spent a lot of time telling us about the map making process, and how size greatly affected how much information could be put into a map.  Also, a soldier might like to have a canvas map, as it would not be damaged by rain or rivers.  A soldier might also make a map out of a basic piece of cloth, just so that he could show friends back home where all he had been.

There were other demonstrations too, but we weren't able to catch them all.  I did notice a cricket game on the agenda, along with artillery firing, etc.  There were several things directed at kids during the day- obviously this was a very family friendly event.

And there is a lot going on here anytime for anyone interested in the Civil War.  You can take a nice long walk around the fort area.  There is a very well done film about Camp Nelson, and there is a nice museum.

We did take the time to explore the museum.  We were excited to find General Grant and President Lincoln having a conversation in the museum before their scheduled presentations that day.  They very politely posed for a photo before we went on our way through the museum.

After that, we took a tour of the Perry House, which was on the property when Camp Nelson was used for recruiting.  A Girl Scout troop from Frankfort was giving the tours, and they did a great job!  I think we may have been the first group that they gave a tour too, but they did an amazing job telling us about the building!

After our tour, we went to hear a presentation by Curt Fields Jr., as General Grant.  This was very exciting, as Mr. Fields was the exact General Grant I have conjured in my mind.  He talked for some time about Camp Nelson, Fort Donelson, and the Civil War in General.  Grant talked a lot about the supply chain, and the difficulties of getting needed items at times.  He also talked a lot about the high cost (in lives) of the war.


Before Grant's speech ended, he was joined by Larry Elliott as Abraham Lincoln.  They talked, as Lincoln and Grant, as if it were 1865, and the war was coming to an end.  Grant knew that Lee's army was struggling for food, but he saw no stragglers.  He knew that Lee's army was aware of the fact that the war was about to end.  AND, even in loss, the soldiers stuck with Lee, knowing that they would be present for the end.  Lincoln encouraged Grant to be generous with Lee during the inevitable surrender.

Lincoln then did a very fine speech about many topics.  AND, he came off as the lovable Lincoln we all know, BUT, he was still the President Lincoln dealing with the Civil War.  He was animated during his talk, and a bit upset at times discussing his situation.  It was a real treat getting to hear Grant and Lincoln individually, and together.


This event at Camp Nelson was a lot of fun, and I will never forget how REAL Elliott and Fields seemed as Lincoln and Grant.  We will also always appreciate the girl scouts giving their time to the park, eagerly showing us around the Perry House....  AND I really haven't even mentioned the historic significance of Fort Nelson itself!  You should go there yourself for more info!

Cannon Ball and Downtown Elizabethtown Kentucky

We decided to spend a day in Elizabethtown mostly hunting down Civil War and historic sites.

You know, I have driven back and forth between Owensboro and Berea, and Owensboro and Lexington hundreds of times.  There was a period that I would ALWAYS stop in Elizabethtown for something.  Gas.  A drink.  Lunch.  I just always stopped.

Well......  I just haven't stopped there in a while.  Probably at least a couple of years.  It was nice to go there and relax a bit again.

We swung by the mall.  Last time I was there, I really thought the mall was on its way to dead mall city.  It still had some stuff going for it, but not like it used to.  Well, the mall now seemed livelier than ever to me!  I was glad to see a good crowd there, and lots of stores.


More on several things later, but we did a lot of walking around the square.  I took a moment to photograph the Civil War cannonball in the building.  There are markers...  and arrows.

We also walked around the cemetery in town, which is walking distance from the square.  Its a nice one to explore with lots of Civil War history.

Here are some photos!