Old Fort Harrod State Park

The Old Fort Harrod State Park is a 13 -acre state park in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is located in the town of Harrodsburg in Mercer County. The entrance to the fort is chargeable.

History

In 1774, James Harrod established the first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies in central Kentucky. From this settlement called Fort Harrod was today Harrodsburg, which makes it the oldest city of Kentucky is. In order to preserve Kentucky's pioneer history, the park was established in 1927 as Pionieer Memorial State Park. The fort of the 18th century just south of the original location reconstructed. The Friends of Fort Harrod, with sponsorship, support the operation of state parks.

Plant

The old fort was a wooden fastening and has been completely reconstructed. Today again enclose heavy wooden palisades the cabins and log houses. Within the fort there are vegetable gardens and stables, a natural source providing water in case of siege. Actors in period costumes lead before working as woodcutting, weave, forge and agriculture. Nearby, a fenced cemetery, are buried in the more than 500 residents of the former Fort Harrod and thus the oldest cemetery is located west of the Appalachians is. In the cemetery there is a monument that President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated in 1934 the pioneer and officer George Rogers Clark. The entrance to the park is flanked by two buildings one of which is the Lincoln Marriage Temple. This building retains its original wooden hut, got married in the Abraham Lincoln's parents in 1806. The cabin was moved here from its original location in Springfield. This preserves opposite Mansion Museum with memorabilia of the American Civil War, a cannon, objects of Native Americans and a collection of Memorablien of Abraham Lincoln. Further, a milk orange tree located on the property, probably dates from the late 18th century, making it one of the oldest and largest trees of its kind in Kentucky.