The Appalachian Preservation Society
Kentucky
The US50 - A guide to the fifty states. In 1776 Kentucky became a separate county of Virginia, and was admitted to the union as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792 – the first on the western frontier. Kentucky chose to be known as a commonwealth, meaning government based on the common consent of the people and dating to the time of Oliver Cromwell’s England. Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero, was the first governor, and Frankfort was chosen as the state capital.
KY Commonwealth of Kentucky Home Page. The offical web site of the state of Kentucky.
Kentucky Geological Survey. The earth resources of the commonwealth.
Kentucky State Parks - KY State Parks Homepage. Kentucky is home to some of the most beautiful scenery and most interesting historical sites in the country. Our state park system includes 49 parks and one interstate park with facilities for meetings and conferences, fine accommodations, camping, golf, recreation and sports, education and much more.
Kentucky Tourism. Explore all the Commonwealth has to offer and plan your travel experience.
State TopoView Kentucky from the National Geophysical Data Center.
National Forests By State form the USDA Forest Service web site.
Kentucky National Park Guide by State from the National Park Service.
US Enviromental Protection Agency: Region 4 - Serving the Southeast. Administering the nation's environmental laws in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama.
Kentucky History contains a variety of information and links.
Kentucky State Information from 50states.com.
Today in History. On June 7, 1769, frontiersman Daniel Boone first saw the forests and woodlands of present-day Kentucky. The Kentucky Historical Society celebrates June 7 as "Boone Day." From American Memory, the Library of Congress.
Historic and Environmental Preservation Middle Creek Battlefield. Hay fields, framed by mountains and dissected by streams, now appear no different from those of any other eastern Kentucky farm, although this area was once stained with human blood and surrounded with the smoke from black powder rifles and artillery during the Civil War. While the Battle of Middle Creek may be considered a skirmish when compared with other Civil War engagements, its impact on subsequent historical events is extremely significant.
Kentucky Civil War links at Rootsweb.
County Formation and Courthouse Disasters in Kentucky.
Welcome to Kentucky Explorer Magaziner. It is the purpose of this site to introduce you to a monthly magazine all about Kentucky, its history, genealogy, and travel.
Shaker Museum at South Union, Kentucky. This community was established by the Shakers in 1807 and closed in 1922. We invite you to explore our web site and then plan a visit to this western-most of the Shaker communities.
Lincoln Papers. Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library highlights two collections at the Library of Congress that illuminate the life of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the sixteenth president of the United States.
The Papers of Jefferson Davis at Rice University.
Short History of Kentucky
Kentucky History, County Census Maps, County Formation Maps, and Kentucky County Information from Southeastern Genealogy Online.
Wildernet - Kentucky. Kentucky is mostly rural with the economic centers of Lexington and Louiville in the center of the state. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern portion of the state with the Mississippi River creating the western border. Kentucky can be separated into four region with distinct characteristics and attractions. Eastern Kentucky contains the Appalachian Mountains and the most significant amount of public lands in the state. The Daniel Boone National Forest encompasses nearly 530,000 acres through the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Other natural areas in the region include Jefferson National Forest and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, both on the Virginia border, and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, which is shared with eastern Tennessee.
Kentucky State Parks - KY State Parks Homepage. Kentucky is home to some of the most beautiful scenery and most interesting historical sites in the country. Our state park system includes 49 parks and one interstate park.
Kentucky State Parks Event Calendar. Events by day and month or events by park.
KyGenWeb. In March and April, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the Kentucky Comprehensive Genealogy Database Project. The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Kentucky, where collected databases would be stored. In addition, the databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index. Within just a few months, most of the Kentucky counties had a volunteer coordinator, and it was decided to expand the project to include the other states... and USGenWeb was born, and a short time later WorldGenWeb.
Kentucky State Parks Breaks Interstate Park. Breaks Interstate Park, on the Kentucky-Virginia border, features the largest canyon east of the Mississippi-5 miles long, 1,600 feet deep. Sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the South," the gorge was carved by the Russell Fork River, a tributary of the Big Sandy.
Kentucky State Parks Carr Creek State Park. Enjoy a full range of recreational activities on Carr Fork Lake from this new Kentucky state park.
Kentucky State Parks Carter Caves State Resort Park. Carter Caves State Resort Park is home to more than 20 caverns -- those explored and those not yet charted -- winding beneath its forested hills.
Kentucky State Parks Grayson Lake State Park. Grayson Lake State Park is as serenely beautiful as it is historically rich. Majestic sandstone bluffs form a walled canyon high above the 1,512-acre lake. In ancient time, the Shawnee and Cherokee camped under the cliffs as they hunted game in the area; and later, pioneers scoured the cliffs for flint arrowheads and saltpetre, an essential ingredient for gunpowder.
Kentucky State Parks Greenbo Lake State Resort Park. Greenbo Lake State Resort Park holds the pristine beauty of the Kentucky hills that inspired poet Jesse Stuart, a lifelong resident of the area.
Kentucky State Parks Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, located deep in the heart of the Appalachians, is accented by scenic 1,100-acre Dewey Lake.
Kentucky State Parks Kingdom Come State Park. Kingdom Come State Park, with an elevation of 2,700 feet, is the crowning jewel in the crest of Pine Mountain. Named after the popular Civil War novel, "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," by Kentucky author John Fox Jr., the park preserves 1,283 acres of unspoiled wilderness.
Kentucky State Parks Paintsville Lake State Park. Beautiful Paintsville Lake gleams like a jewel in the crown of mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky State Parks Yatesville Lake State Park. Yatesville Lake, an impoundment of the Big Sandy River, is the largest lake in far eastern Kentucky and offers the best bluegill fishing. The 2,300-acre mountain reservoir spans over twenty miles in length and is dotted with three islands.
Kentucky State Parks Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the "Niagara of the South," the waterfall forms a 125-foot wide curtain that plunges 60 feet into the boulder-strewn gorge below.
Kentucky State Parks Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park. Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park is nestled among hills that time forgot, only minutes from the Daniel Boone Parkway.
Kentucky State Parks Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. The park encompasses over 800 acres and includes the Defeated Camp Pioneer Burial Ground, McHargue's Mill, and the Mountain Life Museum. The Wilderness Road and Boone's Trace, both thoroughfares for many a pioneer coming from the East, pass through the park.
Kentucky State Parks Pine Mountain State Resort Park. Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a destination for all seasons. The first Kentucky State Park, created in 1924, has its lodge and trails embellished by beautiful rockwork crafted by stonemasons of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s.
Kentucky State Parks Lake Cumberland State Resort Park. Lake Cumberland State Resort Park is one of the finest fishing and pleasure boating areas in the Eastern United States. The resort is a haven for large deer herds and raccoon populations
Kentucky State Parks Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Natural Bridge State Resort Park is home to the great natural sandstone arch that stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway. Located in the midst of the Daniel Boone National Forest, near the Red River Gorge Geological Area, the arch spans 78 feet in length and 65 feet in height.
Kentucky State Parks Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park. Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park is nestled among hills that time forgot, only minutes from the Daniel Boone Parkway. The resort rests along the northern edge of the Redbird Purchase Unit in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Cave Run Lake, Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. Cave Run Lake is on the Morehead Ranger District, located on the northern most portion of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The official website of the Daniel Boone National Forest, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Located in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest encompasses over 695,404 acres of land. This land is generally rugged and characterized by steep forested ridges, narrow valleys, and over 3,400 miles of cliffline. The forest contains two large lakes (Cave Run Lake and Laurel River Lake), many rivers and streams, two wilderness areas, and the 269-mile Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail that extends across the length of the forest.
Red River Gorge, Daniel Boone National Forest. The Red River Gorge Geological Area, a unique and scenic natural area designated and managed by the USDA Forest Service. A National Natural Landmark, the Gorge is a part of the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky.
USDA Forest Service, Southern Region - Newsroom - Introduction. The Southern Region includes 13 southern states plus Puerto Rico. You can select a National Forest in the drop-menu below, or you can click on a forest location on this map.
Vicinity map of Daniel Boone National Forest, located in eastern Kentucky. This is a vicinity map of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Colored areas show district boundaries.
USDA Forest Service. Caring for the land and serving the people.
Division of Forestry. Kentucky has 12.7 million acres (one-half the state) of forestland, and 93 percent is privately owned. This forestland provides multiple benefits to the citizens of the commonwealth, including timber production, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, quality water, and aesthetic beauty.
new-internet-site.jpg. The eastern region of the USDA Forest Service.
KY Commonwealth of Kentucky Home Page. The official state government site for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
KY Tourism-State Parks Sites. A list of the many state parks in Kentucky.
National Forests By State from the USDA.
Kentucky Scenario [ScenarioUSA.com]. Kentucky Scenario is committed to putting a webpage online for every city, town, county, and region in the state. Our site covers everything from trivia to history, natives to recreation, maps to travel resources, and more.
ScenarioUSA Site Map. The state pages.
Kentucky Tourism Council. "Kentucky is neither southern, northern, eastern, western, It is the core of America. If these United States can be called a body Kentucky is its heart." - Jesse Stuart
Kentucky Tourism Council. Members by tourism region and regional maps.
Kentucky Folk Center. The folk art program at Morehead State University began in 1985, and Kentucky Folk Art Center, Inc., a non-profit organization, was formed in 1994 to operate the Center and oversee educational
programs which include services to the public schools.
Jenny Wiley Theatre. In its 37th season, Jenny Wiley Theatre is one of the oldest outdoor summer musical theatres in the country. As one of the few rotating repertory theatres still in existence, Jenny Wiley Theatre presents Broadway musicals on a rotating schedule from June through August.
Breaks Interstate Park. The offical website of the Breaks Interstate Park.
Page Title. The Highlands Museum and Discovery Center provides cultural and history programs for all ages.
mape of regions 8. The Kentucky Appalachian and region 9. Daniel Boone Country.
mapsc of regions 3. Cave and 5. Lake Cumberland.
Kentucky Tourism Council. Daniel Boone Country.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (National Park Service). The story of the first doorway to the west is commemorated at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, located where the borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet. Carved by wind and water, Cumberland Gap forms a major break in the formidable Appalachian Mountain chain. First used by large game animals in their migratory journeys, followed by Native Americans, the Cumberland Gap was the first and best avenue for the settlement of the interior of this nation.
Renfro Valley Country Music Capital of Kentucky, Live Stage Shows, Concerts, Festivals, and Country Music Stars. Kentucky's best-kept secret.
Free World Chicken Festival Home Page. The Twelfth Annual World Chicken Festival is a tribute to this heritage. We invite you to the 2001 international celebration set September 27-30 in beautiful downtown London. Filled with "egg-citement", more than 250,000 people attend the four-day event each year.
kceoc.com. KCEOC develops and administers programs that will help eliminate poverty and/or enable people to work toward self-sufficiency. KCEOC is an equal opportunity employer and is a private, non-profit corporation, founded in 1964, as a community action agency.
Rockcastlecounty Kentucky tourism. Once you've experienced our small town charm and southern hospitality, you'll never want to leave!
Bell County Chamber of Commerce representing Middlesboro KY - Pineville KY and all of Bell County Kentucky. "Working Together and Making It Work".
EKC - ABOUT. In 1989, the East Kentucky Leadership Conference-an organization of Appalachian Kentucky citizens, public officials, and business leaders-decided that action was needed to create jobs for the people of Eastern Kentucky. As a result a private and public funded entity called the East Kentucky Corporation was created.
Tourism. Welcome to Pikeville, one of the top twenty small towns in America; and Pike County, Kentucky's largest county.
Big Sandy Area. The Big Sandy region is located in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky and the members counties include Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike.
Mount Sterling or Mt Sterling, Kentucky. A charming and vibrant downtown along with an area rich in heritage.
Visit Ashland Kentucky for travel and tourism. Ashland is a city of surprises and contrast. Come and see for yourself! "We're just a smile away."
Mammoth Cave National Park (National Park Service). The Park was established to preserve the cave system, including Mammoth Cave, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of south central Kentucky.
Shaker Museum Home Page. The Shaker Museum was established as an independent, non-profit, educational institution, to preserve and maintain the site of the Shaker Society which once existed at South Union.
WKU Libraries & Museum -- The Kentucky Museum. The Kentucky Museum was established by Western Kentucky University's first President, Henry Hardin Cherry "to preserve Kentucky's history and heritage."
Edmonson County - In the Heart of Kentucky's Caveland. You're invited to the heart of Kentucky's caveland region,the gateway to Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky Travel Guide. The 2001 Travel Guide for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Parks, lakes, rivers, museums, historic sites, scenic areas. A comprehensive list of Kentucky tourist attractions.
KY Transportation Cabinet. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Your number one Ag Resource on the web. Building Partnerships for Agriculture's Future.
NREPC Home Page. Our Mission is to protect and enhance Kentucky's natural resources by providing environmental leadership and expertise; shaping a vision for Kentucky's ecological future; serving as a bridge linking Kentucky's citizens, government, and businesses; and monitoring environmental trends and anticipating needs.
Kentucky Water Watch Home Page. We are dedicated to helping you protect the streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands near and dear to your heart.
EQC Homepage. The Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission is a seven member advisory board created under state law with a mission to: Facilitate public discussion and resolution of environmental issues, monitor environmental trends and conditions, promote partnerships to improve and protect the environment for future generations, serve as an advisory board to state officials on environmental matters, and increase public awareness, responsibility, and positive action toward a clean healthy environment.
Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center. Our engineers, geologist, and environmental managers work with all groups helping them to reduce waste while maintaining or increasing profit. We are a non-profit organization established by the general assembly to provide technical assistance at no cost to you!
KET Home Page. Kentucky Educational Television signed on the air in September 1968 as Kentucky’s statewide public broadcasting network. Today, KET is the largest PBS member network in America. Our 16 transmitters and four translators deliver both the PBS national schedule and our own wide range of local arts, cultural, documentary, and public affairs productions to viewers throughout Kentucky and in parts of seven surrounding states.
Kentucky Information Page. Location: Kentucky is bounded to the west, north and east by three rivers; the Mississippi, Ohio, and Big Sandy Rivers. The southern boundaries are formed where Kentucky meets the states of Tennessee and Virginia.
Research. The formation of Kentucky counties from the Kentucky Historical Society . Over the years, Kentucky's 120 counties have been carved from earlier parent counties, dating back to the original three Virginia counties—Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln—in 1780.
An Electronic Guide to Kentucky Place Names. An electronic version of A Guide to Kentucky Place Names, published by the Kentucky Geological Survey, is now available. The Guide is a gazetteer of Kentucky towns, landmarks, churches, cemeteries, etc. compiled from a number of sources.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Counties. Select a county for more information or see the counties summary. Relief and physiographic maps are also available.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky is located in the central United States. It is bounded by the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers on the west, the Ohio River on the north, the Big Sandy River, Pine Mountain, and Cumberland Mountain on the east, and the state of Tennessee on the south.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Parks. Kentucky has an excellent system of State Parks and Nature Preserves. There are also several National Parks and other national reserves located in the state.
The University of Kentucky, Lexington. The University of Kentucky was established in 1865 its 670 acre campus is located just south of downtown Lexington, Kentucky.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Maps. These maps were produced by the Kentucky Department of Highways and are dated from 1992 through 1999 as indicated.
Digital Ortho Image Download Center - JPEG Images. Ariel photographs of Kentucky.
Maps. A list of Kentucky historic maps online.
An Electronic Guide to Kentucky Place Names. An electronic guide to Kentucky place names.
Yale Peabody Museum GNIS - Kentucky. Geographic place names from the Geologic Survey Topo Maps.
Constitution_intro. The Commonwealth of Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state in 1792. In its over two hundred years of statehood, Kentucky has had four constitutions.
List Alphabetical by Site Name. Search for State Government Web Sites.
Kentucky Vital Records Index. Indexes to selected Kentucky Vital Records are available for searching.
Prosecutors' Advisory Council. The UPS is comprised of fifty-six (56) Commonwealth's Attorneys and One Hundred Twenty (120) County Attorneys which prosecute criminal cases throughout Kentucky's Circuit and District Courts.
Kentucky Road Report. Check the weather and road conditions before leaving your home.
DSMRE Home Page. Our mission is to enforce Kentucky's mining, reclamation and abandoned mine land laws, thereby protecting its citizens, environment and natural resources.
Kentucky State Police Homepage. "The Thin Grey Line."
Kentucky Heritage Council. The mandate of the Kentucky Heritage Council is to identify, preserve, and protect the cultural resources of Kentucky.
Smithsonian Institution. The Institution is as an independent trust instrumentality of the United States holding more than 140 million artifacts and specimens in its trust for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge". The Institution is also a center for research dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, sciences, and history.
KY Smart Growth Initiative. Planned growth is smart growth.
Kentucky Sex Offender Registry. the Kentucky State Police Sex/Criminal Offender Registry Website. This website is provided as a result of recent changes in KRS Chapter 17, Kentucky's version of "Megan's Law". The Kentucky State Police is now providing sex/criminal offender registration information to the public through this website.
KY Department for Public Health Home Page. The Cabinet for Health Services.
The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission--Protection. Kentucky's natural heritage can best be protected through the cooperative efforts of government agencies, private organizations, and concerned citizens. In every instance, however, land protection by the Commission is with the full cooperation of landowners.
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest The official arboretum of Kentucky, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest consists of 14,000 acres located in the scenic knobs region 25 miles south of Louisville.
EarthaMaps. Founded in 1976, DeLorme is a leading provider of mapping products and digital technologies for the consumer, business and professional markets.
Map Demo. Etak online maps.
MapQuest Map Search Result. MapQuest online Kentucky map.
Census Tract Maps for KY Counties. The maps show tract boundaries and major highways.
GIS_homepage. The main function of the GIS Office is to provide the Legislature with automated means to redraw legislative districts once every 10 years, in conjunction with the federal census.
Land and Water Area of States, 1990. From the Learning Network.
1807 and 1811 Clay County, Kentucky Tax Lists. And Clay County was the mother of many counties Projects.
Cemetery Registration-Kentucky. The Tombstone Transcription Project at Rootsweb.
Kentucky Connections. A short history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and links to othe websites.
Clay Co Historical Society. Clay County Genealogical and Historical Society was incorporated on November 15, 1984. The Society is a non-profit organization, supported by memberships, donations and book sales. The site also contain many Civil War reasrch links for Kentucky.
The ARK Project Home Page. The ARK Project is a rescue organization which was founded in July of 1998 as a way to combat the appalling number of companion animals put to death each year in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. The ARK Project's unique approach to solving the animal overpopulation problem in this area is based on the premise that "Training Saves Lives".
Middle Creek National Battlefield - Prestonsburg, Kentucky. A CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD DEDICATED TO INFORM THE VIEWER ABOUT THE LARGEST CIVIL WAR BATTLE THAT TOOK PLACE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY.
Toni Elaine Farmer Harlan County Kentucky Genealogy. Harlan County Kentucky history, genealogy, biographies, resources, Harlan County memorials, photographs, and more.
Hazard Kentucky & Perry County A Photographic History. Dozens of historic photographs depicting the early history of this region through the 1960s.
Kentucky Genealogical Society. The Kentucky Genealogical Society was organized in 1973 as a non-profit, educational organization, managed by a Board of Directors. Its purpose is to foster the science of genealogy through educational and research programs, and promoting projects to preserve, produce, and disseminate knowledge of genealogical or historical value.
Surnames of Kentucky. Genealogy information for the state of Kentucky.
Kentucky Association of Consulting Foresters. The Kentucky Association of Consulting Foresters is the recognized (Ky Div. of Forestry) organization of professional consulting foresters in Kentucky.
Kentucky Walking Sticks. Walking Stick Of Various Types Made BY Eastern Kentucky Folk Artist.
SPACE TODAY ONLINE - Space Today Online covering Space from Earth to the Edge of the Universe. Published in Kentucky and read around the world, Space Today Online is a nonprofit online news magazine covering Space from Earth to the edge of the Universe
Civil War Battle Summaries by State from Heritage Preservaion Services.
Kentucky Military Civil War and Revolutionary War Links from Rootsweb.
Dave Hooper - RRG Page & Stover Page. The Red River Gorge Geological Area, in Kentucky.
Kentucky Rails to Trails Council. Formed in 1994 and fully staffed by volunteers, its mission is to enhance the quality of life in our communities by developing a state wide rail-trail program. Currently, Kentucky, with seven miles of trails, ranks 47th. Only Delaware, Alaska, and Hawaii have fewer miles.
Kentucky Hiking @ Travel50.Com - free online Kentucky hiking guide! Select a hiking listing below to go directly to that Kentucky travel resource.
Kentucky Golf. Kentucky's online golf magazine.
American Whitewater - KY Rivers. The mission of American Whitewater is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources.
Kentucky fishing information, stats, tips.. on Fishin.com.
Fishing Page, HUNTING GUIDES, BOATING INFORMATION. Kentucky Fishing and Hunting Rules and Boating Information.
State Symbols of Kentucky. A quick guide.
Government Information Sharing Project from Oregon State University.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S. from the United States Census Bureau.
Usacitylink. Since 1994, this has been the internet's most comprehensive listing of states and cities offering information on travel, tourism, and relocation.
Kentucky Land Office. The Virginia Land Law of 1779 required the establishment of a Land Office for claims to property in what was then called Kentucky County, Virginia. When Kentucky separated from Virginia in 1792, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to maintain the Land Office and all documents pertaining to the patents in Kentucky were transported by wagon from Virginia to Frankfort before 1800. "Patenting" refers to the system of land appropriation used to transfer land from the Commonwealth to an individual or group of individuals. The patenting process was introduced by King George III of England in his Proclamation of 1763 as a method of paying veterans of the French & Indian War. The same system of awarding bounty land to veterans was adopted after the Revolutionary War. The Virginia Land Law of 1779 expanded the land patent system to include warrants other than those issued for military service. In totality, military warrants comprise only a small percentage of Kentucky land patents. Other patents were authorized by such warrants as Treasury Warrants, Certificates of Settlement, and Preemption Warrants, Acts of the General Assembly, etc. Warrants do not convey title nor do they define a specific tract location. To patent (or acquire) land, all four of these steps had to be followed: a Warrant had to be issued authorizing a survey to be made; an Entry had to be made in the county surveyor's book reserving the land patenting (The Secretary of State does not always have evidence of entries.); an actual field Survey depicting the metes and bounds of the tract had to be made; and a Governor's Grants finalizing the patent and conveys title to the individual. After a grant is issued, subsequent conveyances of the property are filed with deeds and wills on the county level.
Slave Excerpts from colonial times in which land owners mention their slaves. Most entries are from Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina.
Kentucky Counties formation must be considered when researching any facet of Kentucky history.
Revolutionary War Database Kentucky Secretary of State. The database -- which allows you to search by warrant number, veteran name, and immediate assignee -- will point you to the list of Virginia veterans who received military warrants for use in the Kentucky Military District, located south of Green River. Bounty land warrants were given to Revolutionary War veterans as compensation for their military service. The allotment was determined by the soldier's rank and time of service. Warrants are the first step in land patenting. They are followed by a survey depicting the tract and the governor's grant, which officially conveys title.
The Revolutionary War Military District. Following the Revolutionary War, the newly formed republic needed a system to compensate soldiers for their services. King George III of England had used a bounty land system to pay soldiers in the French & Indian War. As monies in national coffers could not meet the demand for cash payments to veterans, the states decided to use the same bounty land system for Revolutionary War veterans. Each state determined a land allotment based on the soldier’s rank and term of service. Each state paid her own veterans—usually with land in the western territory. Generally those states without available land did not participate in a bounty land warrant program for veterans. Before June 1, 1792, Kentucky was a part of Virginia. A Resolution to the Virginia General Assembly dated December 19, 1778, proposed the location of the Military District as follows: "That it is the opinion of this committee, that a certain tract of country to be bounded by the Green river and a southeast course from the head thereof to the Cumberland mountains, with the said mountains to the Carolina line, with the Carolina line to the Cherokee or Tennessee river, with the said river to the Ohio river, and with the Ohio river to the said Green river, ought to be reserved for supplying the officers and soldiers in the Virginia line with the respective proportions of land which have been or may be assigned to them by the general assembly, saving and reserving the land granted to Richard Henderson and company, and their legal rights to such persons as have heretofore actually located lands and settled thereon within the bounds aforesaid." The Virginia Land Law of May 3, 1779, confirmed the location proposed in the resolution. After separating from Virginia, the Kentucky General Assembly opened the military district to settlers meeting age and residency requirements. Virginia also had reserved land in Ohio as part of a cession compromise with Congress. A portion of that area was deemed the Virginia Military District. The district lands are found in 23 counties from the Ohio River northward, between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, as far as 141 miles inland.
Researching Early Kentucky Tax Lists: 1792-1840. Excerpts of early Kentucky tax legislation from the Act of the General Assembly.
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MapQuest Maps: Pikeville.
Red River Gorge Online. The Red River Gorge Geological Area consists of approximately 26,000 acres located within the Daniel Boone National Forest. There are scenic drives with overlooks, trails to hike, historic sites to see, picnic areas, and camping open all year. It offers many unique varieties of vegetation and natural rock formations. The Red River Gorge contains the most natural rock formations in one concentrated area east of the Rocky Mountains. Another unique feature to the area is the 19.4 miles of the Red River which runs through the gorge. It has been designated as a wild and scenic river.
Excursia Kentucky online travel information community offers general information, a searchable trip planning feature, lists of attractions by region, and current Kentucky weather updates.
Kentucky State - Calendar of Events. All year long, Kentucky is alive with more than 700 festivals, several world-class sporting championships, major concerts and a whole lot more.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Covered Bridges. There were once hundreds of covered bridges in Kentucky, but most have been replaced by more modern structures or allowed to deteriorate.
Kentucky Tourism Council contains information on attractions, travel planning, events, tourism offices, and travel guides for all parts of the state.
Appalachian Sites for Kentucky. A large number of Appalachian related links.
The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission--Bat Cave-Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves. Bat Cave/Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves consist of two tracts totaling 146 acres located in Carter County within Carter Caves State Resort Park.
Cave Run Lake has a surface area measuring 8,270 acres and is about 48 miles in length during the summer months. The lake is located within the scenic Eastern Highlands Region of Kentucky and is almost completely surrounded by the northern-most section of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Buckhorn Lake is located in the Cumberland Plateau of eastern Kentucky and is only minutes from the Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge Geological Area, Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Carr Creek Lake, and Carr Creek State Park.
The Daniel Boone National Forest is located in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest encompasses over 697,902 acres of land. This land is generally rugged and characterized by steep forested ridges, narrow valleys, and over 3,400 miles of cliffline. The forest contains two large lakes (Cave Run Lake and Laurel River Lake), many rivers and streams, two wilderness areas, and the 269-mile Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail that extends across the length of the forest.
Carr Creek Lake is located in the mountainous region of southeastern Kentucky, about 16 miles from Hazard and 18 miles from Whitesburg. The dam is located 8.8 miles above the mouth of Carr Fork, a tributary of the North Fork of the Kentucky River.
EKU Natural Areas. Lilley Cornett Woods is the first and longest preserved remnant of old-growth forest in eastern Kentucky. In your visit to the Woods, you return to the kind of forest that was seen by early pioneers. It is a unique "island" of protected forest in a "sea" of other kinds of land use. It has been designated as a Registered National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior, and it is also a Registered Natural Area of the Society of American Foresters.
Kingdom Come State Park, with an elevation of 2,700 feet, is the crowning jewel in the crest of Pine Mountain. Named after the popular Civil War novel, "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," by Kentucky author John Fox Jr., the park preserves 1,283 acres of unspoiled wilderness. Some of the most extraordinary rock formations in the state are featured at this park, including Log Rock, a natural sandstone bridge, and Raven Rock, a giant rock exposure that soars 290 feet into the air at a 45-degree angle!
Buckhorn Lake is located in the Cumberland Plateau of eastern Kentucky and is only minutes from the Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge Geological Area, Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Carr Creek Lake, and Carr Creek State Park.
Natural Bridge State Resort Park is home to the great natural sandstone arch that stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway. Located in the midst of the Daniel Boone National Forest, near the Red River Gorge Geological Area, the arch spans 78 feet in length and 65 feet in height.
Red River Gorge, Daniel Boone National Forest Welcome to the Red River Gorge Geological Area, a unique and scenic natural area designated and managed by the USDA Forest Service.
Cliffview Resort, LLC - The Pride of Kentucky. Located just a few miles from the Red River Gorge, Cliffview sits in 1500 wooded acres of majestic cliffs and rolling hills, including one of the area's many natural arches.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (National Park Service). The story of the first doorway to the west is commemorated at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, located where the borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet. Carved by wind and water, Cumberland Gap forms a major break in the formidable Appalachian Mountain chain. First used by large game animals in their migratory journeys, followed by Native Americans, the Cumberland Gap was the first and best avenue for the settlement of the interior of this nation. From 1775 to 1810, the Gap's heyday, between 200,000 and 300,000 men, women, and children crossed the Gap into the unknown land of Kentucky.
i75.htm. Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park honors both the first judge in Laurel County, and the road that has been ter med by some to be the most significant trail in the westward flow of English colonization. The park encompasses over 800 acres and includes the Defeated Camp Pioneer Burial Ground, McHargue's Mill, and the Mountain Life Museum. The Wilderness Road and Boone's Trace, both thoroughfares for many a pioneer coming from the East, pass through the park.
Kentucky State Parks Pine Mountain State Resort Park. Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a destination for all seasons. The first Kentucky State Park, created in 1924, has its lodge and trails embellished by beautiful rockwork crafted by stonemasons of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. Located in the heart of the Kentucky Ridge State Forest in Kentucky's southeastern mountains, the setting of this modern resort features some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the state!
Kentucky State Parks Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Natural Bridge State Resort Park is home to the great natural sandstone arch that stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway. Located in the midst of the Daniel Boone National Forest, near the Red River Gorge Geological Area, the arch spans 78 feet in length and 65 feet in height. Visitors will find this park a kaleidoscope of spectacular natural beauty with each passing season.
Kentucky State Parks - KY State Parks Homepage. Kentucky is home to some of the most beautiful scenery and most interesting historical sites in the country. Our state park system includes 49 parks and one interstate park.
Kentucky State Parks Yatesville Lake State Park. The 2,300-acre mountain reservoir spans over twenty miles in length and is dotted with three islands.
Kentucky State Parks Paintsville Lake State Park. Beautiful Paintsville Lake gleams like a jewel in the crown of mountains of Eastern Kentucky. With its steep cliffs and wooded coves, this lake provides 1,140 acres of boating, skiing, and fishing pleasure.
Kentucky State Parks Paintsville Lake State Park Kentucky Appalachian Regions
Kentucky State Parks Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park honors both the first judge in Laurel County, and the road that has been ter med by some to be the most significant trail in the westward flow of English colonization. The park encompasses over 800 acres and includes the Defeated Camp Pioneer Burial Ground, McHargue's Mill, and the Mountain Life Museum. The Wilderness Road and Boone's Trace, both thoroughfares for many a pioneer coming from the East, pass through the park
Kentucky State Parks Kingdom Come State Park. Kingdom Come State Park, with an elevation of 2,700 feet, is the crowning jewel in the crest of Pine Mountain. Named after the popular Civil War novel, "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," by Kentucky author John Fox Jr., the park preserves 1,283 acres of unspoiled wilderness. Some of the most extraordinary rock formations in the state are featured at this park, including Log Rock, a natural sandstone bridge, and Raven Rock, a giant rock exposure that soars 290 feet into the air at a 45-degree angle!
Kentucky State Parks Grayson Lake State Park. Grayson Lake State Park is as serenely beautiful as it is historically rich. Majestic sandstone bluffs form a walled canyon high above the 1,512-acre lake. In ancient time, the Shawnee and Cherokee camped under the cliffs as they hunted game in the area; and later, pioneers scoured the cliffs for flint arrowheads and saltpetre, an essential ingredient for gunpowder. Early settlers were attracted to the unique geological nature of the area, filled with hopes of finding precious minerals -- diamonds, silver, and gold. Over the years, the rumors of unmined fortunes have been fanned, but the source has never been found.
Kentucky State Parks Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, located deep in the heart of the Appalachians, is accented by scenic 1,100-acre Dewey Lake. Enjoy a variety of activities, from Broadway shows in the Theatre, and hiking trails through the wilderness, to golfing amid mountain vistas. Named for a brave pioneer woman who survived Indian capture in the area, Jenny Wiley resort is known as a polished mountain retreat.
Kentucky State Parks Paintsville Lake State Park. Beautiful Paintsville Lake gleams like a jewel in the crown of mountains of Eastern Kentucky. With its steep cliffs and wooded coves, this lake provides 1,140 acres of boating, skiing, and fishing pleasure.
Kentucky State Parks Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the "Niagara of the South," the waterfall forms a 125-foot wide curtain that plunges 60 feet into the boulder-strewn gorge below. The mist of Cumberland Falls creates the magic of the moonbow, only visible on a clear night during a full moon. This unique phenomenon appears nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere
Kentucky State Parks Carter Caves State Resort Park. Carter Caves State Resort Park is home to more than 20 caverns -- those explored and those not yet charted -- winding beneath its forested hills. Sign up for a guided cave tour or hiking trip, or grab your partner for a canoe trip down Tygart's Creek. Adventure awaits you at Carter Caves!
Kentucky State Parks Carr Creek State Park. Enjoy a full range of recreational activities on Carr Fork Lake from this new Kentucky state park. Enjoy the great outdoors while surrounded by the breathtaking mountain beauty of southeastern Kentucky.
Kentucky State Parks Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park. Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park is nestled among hills that time forgot, only minutes from the Daniel Boone Parkway. The resort rests along the northern edge of the Redbird Purchase Unit in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Buckhorn Lake is a great place for a relaxing vacation amidst natural, unspoiled beauty!
Kentucky State Parks Breaks Interstate Park. Breaks Interstate Park, on the Kentucky-Virginia border, features the largest canyon east of the Mississippi-5 miles long, 1,600 feet deep and 250 million years old! Sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the South," the gorge was carved by the Russell Fork River, a tributary of the Big Sandy. The spectacular beauty of the park is showcased with 12 miles of hiking rails and four scenic overlooks.
Welcome to THE ELK & BISON PRAIRIE, a very special place at Land Between The Lakes. Here, a native habitat lost more than a century ago is being carefully restored. We invite you to experience the process of habitat renewal as it's in progress.
THE HOMEPLACE. Welcome to Pryor Hollow, Stewart County, Tennessee. You're about to enter a rural Tennessee farm "Between the Rivers," much as it would have appeared in the mid-19th century. Take a leisurely stroll through our grounds and farm buildings, and visit with our interpreters.
Friends of Lower Howard's Creek. Lower Howard's Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve was created on November 27, 2000, when Clark County Fiscal Court purchased 240 acres of land located on both sides of Lower Howard's Creek immediately upstream from the confluence of the Creek and the Kentucky River.
The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. The simple beauty of the 30 original buildings and peaceful atmosphere surrounding 2,700 acres of gently rolling country-side works magic on all who enter here. As you wander through the buildings, you can watch artisans use Shaker tools and methods to demonstrate crafts such as weaving, yarn dyeing, broom making, candle dipping, quilting and wood crafting.
On April 1, 1775, Daniel Boone and his men built a fort that became Kentucky's second settlement. Today Fort Boonesborough has been reconstructed as a working fort with period furnishings and pioneer craft demonstrations. A museum and video presentation recall the early history of the fort and the saga of Daniel Boone.
The Kentucky Folk Art Center. The Center opened in July, 1997, in the renovated Union Grocery Building adjacent to the US 60 Bypass. The main floor includes the Permanent Collection in the Lovena and William Richardson Gallery, a museum installation of 115 pieces from KFAC’s 740-piece collection of folk art; The Museum Store, a retail outlet for area folk art and educational materials; and the 50-seat Jimmie Ruth auditorium for meetings and presentations.
Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum is located in the former coal camp town of Benham in Harlan County Kentucky. Benham was originally occupied by farming families. International Harvester purchased the area in the early 1900's for its rich coal seams; then mining began. In 1911, L&N built a spur line and Benham became a productive coal mining town. The City of Benham was incorporated in 1960 after International Harvester sold several buildings and lots to the town council. The museum building was the second building built by the company to house a company commissary. The first one, built on the same site, was a wooden structure destroyed by fire in the mid-teen's. The concrete and masonry structure replaced the burned building in 1923. The building was purchased in June 1990 by the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce for the future site of the museum. It underwent extensive renovations with funds provided from the state of Kentucky and opened its doors for the first time in May 1994. Museum visitors always have an enjoyable time when they visit the museum and recount the past coal mining history. The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum offers a complete picture of the lives that revolve around the coal industry. Visitors to the museum can view the process detailing the formation of coal by looking at several visuals and fossil displays. Next a narrated video describes the early coal mining days in Benham and Lynch.
An Outline to Appalachian History. Click on a time period to go to a series of events.
Free World Chicken Festival Home Page. Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is one of the most highly recognized figures in the world. Laurel County, Kentucky, located in the heart of the beautiful Daniel Boone National Forest, is proud to be the home of the Colonel's first and original restaurant established in the 1940's. Lee Cummings, co-founder of Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, also began his career in 1952 with his uncle, Colonel Sanders, in Laurel County.
mayhouse.org home page The homepage of the Samuel May House.
Appalachian Sites for Kentucky. An excellent selection of links for Kentucky.
Brush Arbor Appalachian Homestead Renfro Valley, Kentucky. The Brush Arbor Renfro Valley Appalachian Homestead and Village site links to history, culture, music, events, and area attractions.
The Red River Gorge is about 60 miles from Lexington just off the Mountain Parkway.
Martins Fork Ky site contains an outstanding number and variety of photos of Stone Mountain, Sand Cave, and the Hensley Settlement
Enviromental Quality Commission's mission is to: Facilitate public discussion and resolution of environmental issues, Monitor environmental trends and conditions, Promote partnerships to improve and protect the environment for future generations, and Serve as an advisory board to state officials on environmental matters, and Increase public awareness, responsibility, and positive action toward a clean healthy environment.
H.B.'s Kentucky Covered Bridges Page. As of October 1997, there are only 12 covered bridges remaining in Kentucky. Most of those are in the northeastern corner of the state. Two of the remaining covered bridges are in danger. In fact, one of them, the Switzer (pronounced Swight-zer) Bridge in Franklin County was knocked off its foundation and washed downstream by a flash flood along Elkhorn Creek in the spring of 1997. It is in the process of being restored. Another bridge, the Colville Bridge in Bourbon County, was also damaged during that flood and has been closed to traffic.
Gallery-V ("V" is for "Virtual") is a virtual museum gallery operated by Berea College. It is a laboratory in which students & faculty explore museum-style, web-based education and a great place to learn about Southern Appalachian history & culture.
Natural Bridge State Park State Nature Preserve. Dedicated Dec. 16, 1981, Natural Bridge State Park State Nature Preserve consists of approximately 994 acres and is located in Powell County within Natural Bridge State Resort Park. This area was dedicated into the nature preserves system to protect a significant geological system and rare species habitat.
The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. 25 years of protecting Kentucky's natural treasures. There are currently eight state nature preserves in the Cumberland Plateau region; there are currently five state nature preserves in the Cumberland Mountains region; there are currently twelve state nature preserves in the Highland Rim region; there are currently nine state nature preserves in the Bluegrass region; there are currently two state nature preserves in the Shawnee Hills region; and there are currently four state nature preserves in the East Gulf Coastal Plain region.
The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission--Physiographic Regions of Kentucky. When the first settlers arrived they found an incredibly varied landscape rich in wildlife, plants, and ecological communities. From the Cumberland Mountains to the Mississippi River, Kentucky crosses seven physiographic regions: the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the East Gulf Coastal Plain, the Highland Rim, the Shawnee Hills, the Bluegrass, the Cumberland Plateau, and the Cumberland Mountains. Elevations range from 4,150 feet at the top of Black Mountain in southeastern Kentucky to about 266 feet along the Mississippi River in the extreme southwest of the state. Further subdivided by varied geology, topography, soils, and life forms, Kentucky has numerous natural landscape types. Kentucky's wealth of flora and fauna results from its diversity of natural features, landforms, and geographic location. There is also a clickable map of the physiographic regions.
Dedicated Sept. 26, 1983, Cumberland Falls State Park State Nature Preserve encompasses approximately 1,294 acres in Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in McCreary and Whitley counties. This preserve protects several species of rare plants and animals. In addition, a number of waterfalls are located within the preserve including Cumberland Falls, which plummets 67 feet into a rocky gorge and is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States south of Niagara Falls. The Cumberland River, designated as a Kentucky Wild River, flows through the preserve.
Dedicated Dec. 7, 1979, Jesse Stuart State Nature Preserve is 714 acres located in Greenup County that was acquired through a gift-purchase arrangement with the internationally known author, Jesse Stuart. The area is used for passive recreation and environmental education. The preserve is also a Watchable Wildlife Site.
Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. Initially, 435 acres of land in Letcher County were dedicated on Sept. 26, 1985, forming Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. An additional 1,088 acres, owned by The Nature Conservancy, were dedicated March 4, 1992, and a third parcel of 820 acres was dedicated September 17, 1997. The preserve contains Bad Branch Gorge, a forested gorge on the south face of Pine Mountain. This is one of the most significant and beautiful natural areas in the state. This preserve protects the scenic beauty of the gorge and one of the largest concentrations of rare and uncommon species known in the state. The preserve also protects Kentucky's only known nesting pair of common ravens (Corvus corax), and the stream, Bad Branch, has been designated as a Kentucky Wild River
Hi Lewis Pine Barrens State Nature Preserve protects 164 acres of outstanding pine-oak woodland, dominated by pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and chestnut oak (Quercus montana), on the steep, mid to upper south-facing slope of Pine Mountain in Harlan County.
Dedicated March 4, 1992, Kingdom Come State Park State Nature Preserve consists of 225 acres on the north face of Pine Mountain in Letcher County within the Kingdom Come State Park. This preserve protects Kentucky's third-largest colony of the federally endangered Indiana bat
Pine Mountain State Park State Nature Preserve Dedicated Sept. 26, 1983, Pine Mountain State Park State Nature Preserve consists of two tracts of approximately 868 total acres within Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Bell County. This area contains an old growth forest of hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and white oak (Quercus alba), many of which are 200-300 years old, as well as a significant archaeological site -- a large sandstone shelter known as the Rock Hotel that was inhabited by prehistoric Indians. The preserve is part of the Pine Mountain fault block, one of the most prominent geological structures in the eastern United States.
Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve. At 2,577 acres, Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve in Harlan County protects the largest old-growth forest in the Commonwealth. This diverse ecological treasure on Pine Mountain's southern slope is one of the largest old-growth forests in the eastern United States. Many of the trees are three to four feet in diameter, towering 100 feet above the forest floor. Blanton Forest contains several forest communities, including mixed-mesophytic deciduous forest with many kinds of canopy trees, such as sugar maple, tulip poplar, various oaks, hemlocks, beech and several species of magnolia trees.
Wildflowers of Kentucky contains photos and descriptions of flowers listed by the time of year when they are in bloom.
The Samuel May House Archives, the historic house is the oldest brick house in the Big Sandy Valley.
welcome to the Hima News ! "The Hima News," Myrtle Shoupe's weekly column in the Manchester (Ky.) Enterprise.
The Department for Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's mission is is to enforce Kentucky's mining, reclamation and abandoned mine land laws, thereby protecting its citizens, environment and natural resources.
EKU Geography Page contains helpful information and map resources.
Yahoo! Maps and Driving Directions for Paintsville and Johnson County, and links to area businesses and trip planning.
AppalFor - Appalachian Sustainable Forestry. The essential goal of AppalFor is to collect, develop, discuss, and disseminate information on sustainable forestry online.
Matewan Web Site. The Matewan Massacre and the Hatfield/McCoy Feud.
Kentucky Heritage Council. The mandate of the Kentucky Heritage Council is to identify, preserve, and protect the cultural resources of Kentucky. The Council also maintains continually updated inventories of historic structures and archaeological sites and nominates properties to the National Register of Historic Places. By working with other state and federal agencies, local communities, and interested citizens, the Council seeks to build a greater awareness of Kentucky's past and to encourage the long-term preservation of Kentucky's significant cultural resources. Through its various programs the Council strives to show how historic resources contribute to the heritage, economy, and quality of life of all Kentuckians
Underwood-Holbrook War. The majority of violence, which occurred in this sectional feud, occurred between the years 1877 and 1879. The participants were primarily the progenitors of the George Underwood, Squire Holbrook and Stamper families and their offspring. The fighting was not limited by family lines however, and grew to include friends and hired gunmen. Like most of the feuds of the latter half of the nineteenth century which broke out after the Civil War, the common threads were fierce independence and continuing animosity resulting from the political differences which caused the Civil War.
An Early History of Hawkins County, TN. Hawkins County was formed from Sullivan county by the state of North Carolina in 1786, while the State of Franklin was functioning concurrently. It was named for Benjamin Hawkins, who, as U. S. Senator co-jointly with Senator Samuel Johnson, executed on Feb. 20, 1790, the deed which transferred what is now Tennessee to the United States.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Maps of Kentucky. On-line versions of city, county road series, traffic counts and count stations, 2000 coal haul highway system, national truck network, state primary road system and other maps are available and free for download from the Division of Planning's website
map-kentucky-geologic. A generalized Geologic Map of Kentucky from 1979, Uinversity of Kentucky Geological Survey shows periods and faults, with county detail.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Counties. Kentucky is located in the central United States. In 1990 it had a population of 3,685,296 in an area of 40,395 square miles, an average of 91 people per square mile.
Kentucky Water Watch Home Page. Volunteers protecting Kentucky's waterways.
Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals. To facilitate the mine inspection duties of the Department, the coal fields have been divided into six inspection districts. A mine rescue station which serves as the district office is centrally located in each district. The Eastern Kentucky coal field is divided into five districts, with mine rescue stations located at Harlan, Hazard, Barbourville, Martin and Pikeville.
Division of Forestry. The division has various programs designed to ensure the sustainability of the forest resources of the commonwealth.
Forestry in Kentucky site links to silviculture, forestry schools, education, other state forestry agencies, and to related sites
Vanlear Kentucky Miners' Museum. Eastern Kentucky's Premier Coal-Mining Town of the 1920s-30s,
Renfro Valley Entertainment Center - Home Page - Kentucky's Country Music Capital. In the Valley Where Time Stands Still.
The Pine Mountain Settlement School Calendar of Events links to seasonal cultural events in Harlan Co. Kentucky
The Kentucky Wool Festival is always a lot of fun filled with music, heritage demonstrations, food and an abundance of craft booths.
(Our Appalachian Roots) contains photos, genealogy, poetry, recipes and other Northeastern Kentucky sites
Appalachian Focus. Appalachian Focus is a non-profit organization intent upon involving those persons most immediately and directly impacted by the problems of Central Appalachian in defining the cause of the problems, identifying barriers to solutions to the problems and designing actions to solve the problems.
Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer - Maps. These maps were produced by the Kentucky Department of Highways and are dated from 1992 through 1999 as indicated.
Black Diamondl-Net Home Page offers coal mining related links plus Harlan County Kentucky history
Breathitt County contains links to historic photos, genealogy, history, and travel related information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS. The Orphan Brigade web site contains infromation on the Kentucky Unit and Civil War history
Morgan's Raid on Georgetown Website Entrance history of the events and links.
Kentucky Schools Directory. This is an abbreviated version of the 2001-2002 Kentucky Schools Directory. It provides staffing and contact information for all 176 Kentucky School Districts.
Mt. Sterling Ky. October Court Days, an essay on the origin and traditions of the popular annual festival, subtitled "English Inheritance to a Southern Tradition".
The Center for Rural Development is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is that no young person will need to leave home to find his or her future. Covering a forty county service area in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, The Center strives to improve the quality of life for this region.
Appalachian Sites for Mississippi contains excellent links.
Natchez Trace Parkway (National Park Service). The Natchez Trace Parkway was established May 18, 1938 and originally follows an historic Indian trace, or trail, between Nashville, Tennessee and Natchez, Mississippi. Of the 444 miles of Parkway, 423 are completed.
Mississippi Counties. Web information specific to Mississippi.
Mississippi Civil War Information contains links to battlefield, units, history of battles, maps of battlefields, biographies, archives and to related sites.
Parks Guide To State Parks of Mississippi.
Appalachian Sites for Georgia contains excellent links.
Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. Georgia is known for having one of the best state park systems in the nation, protecting more than 77,500 acres of natural beauty. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Colonial Coast, our state has an exceptional variety of scenery. Tallulah Gorge with its spectacular overlooks; Amicalola Falls, the highest waterfall this side of the Rockies; Providence Canyon, Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon;" and the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp are among the stunning natural areas preserved in our state parks. Georgia also has a rich and colorful past told through state historic sites. Ceremonial Indian mounds, forts and battlefields, the Cherokee Indian capital, plantations and F.D. Roosevelt's Little White House are some of the fascinating places where the past still comes alive.
Georgia State Parks-North. The story of North Georgia is best experienced and understood by visiting our home and becoming immersed in the natural, cultural, and recreational resources that are protected within the boundaries of our state parks and historic sites.
Georgia's Historic High Country Travel Association. Aside from the many State Historic Sites portraying Native American and Civil War History, you'll find beautiful Antebellum and Victorian homes to tour. In addition, we've got covered bridges, gristmills, art galleries and public gardens for your sightseeing pleasure.
HISTORIC DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA. Dahlonega, Georgia is located just over one hour north of Atlanta in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a part of the Appalachian Mountain range. The town and surrounding area is rich in history and provides the visitor with a relaxing atmosphere in which to browse the local shops, sample the cooking, enjoy a variety of Bed and Breakfast accommodations, experience the festivals held throughout the year and return to an era when gold was discovered by the early settlers.
Native Americans in North Georgia contains history of the early inhabitants, the Creeks and the Cherokees, the Trail of Tears removal, Cherokee historic sites, and biographies of Native American leaders and inventors.
Georgia Maps is a portal site to physiographic maps, road maps, historical maps, and demographic maps.
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, Georgia. The lands that make up Georgia's beautiful National Forests were once the lands nobody wanted. The early history of Georgia is a tale of abuse and overuse of the fragile ecosystems. Hydraulic mining for gold, cut and leave practices of early timber companies, wildfires, over-grazing and unregulated hunting and fishing led to a forest that was in need of extensive restoration efforts.
The Forest Service purchased 31,000 acres in four North Georgia counties in 1911 for $7 per acre. In the beginning, the Chattahoochee was part of the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests in North Carolina and Tennessee. Many of the early purchases were old homesteads and abandoned farm lands.
On July 9, 1936, the Chattahoochee National Forest was proclaimed as a separate National Forest. At that time, Forest Service managers began to restore these lands by planting trees, fighting wildfires, controlling erosion and introducing wildlife and fish back into their natural habitat
Wildlife Resources Division from the Department of Natural Resources.
Chief Vann House, Chatsworth Georgia USA. Although Vann was "Feared by many and loved by few," he contributed more to the education of the leaders of the Cherokee Nation than anyone else. He was responsible for bringing the Moravian missionairies to his people to teach the children and he supported the Christian civilization as a means of progress for the Cherokee. Still an Indian, Vann was a polygamist who had three wives and five children. He was killed in 1809 for having shot his brother-in-law during a duel the previous year. Called the "Showplace of the Cherokee Nation", this two-story classic brick mansion was built by Chief James Vann in 1804. Decorated with beautiful Cherokee hand carvings done in natural colors of blue, red, green and yellow, the home features a cantilevered stairway and many fine antiques.
BATTLES FOR CHATTANOOGA MUSEUM. Located on Lookout Mountain at the entrance to historic Point Park, The Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map & Museum is the perfect starting point for your tour of the area's Civil War battle sites.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The bloodiest two-day battle of the Civil War was fought at Chickamauga on September 19th and 20th, 1863. More than 35,000 men were killed, wounded or missing out of 120,000 who engaged in the battle. The park also commemorates the battle of Chattanooga (city history), which was fought November 23-25, 1863. The military park was the first in the nation and celebrated its' 100th birthday in 1990.
Georgia Geology. Georgia's geology can best be described as varied, challenging, and a bit messy. Georgia comprises three major geologic zones: Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge and Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. Rocks in each zone differ strongly in age and character from those in other zones. Physiographic divisions generally follow geologic zones, although Blue Ridge landforms have greater relief than the rolling Piedmont. Georgia’s elevations range from zero (sea level) at the coast to 4,784 feet at Brasstown Bald in the northeast mountains. Georgia has a relatively mild, wet climate -- subtropical in low-elevation southern counties -- so rocks decompose quickly (in the context of geologic time). We have lots of saprolite and vegetation, but in some areas of Georgia the most difficult part of geologic investigation is finding rock!
The Geology of Georgia offers information about the formation of granite and sedimentary rocks, and the geology of the Southeastern United States.
The Southeast Aquatic Research Institute, SARI, is a not-for-profit enterprise created in 1996 through collaboration among the Tennessee Aquarium, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. SARI's mission is to carry out environmental research to help ensure the health and long-term sustainability of regional natural resources.
Georgia Wildlife Federation's mission is too encourage the intelligent management of the life sustaining resources of the earth.
Appalachian Sites for Alabama contains excellent links.
Wildernet - Alabama State Parks. Much of Alabama receives nearly 60 inches of rain each year. The highest amount of rain reaches the region as afternoon thunderstorms in July, August and September. Summers are extremely hot and humid with temperatures frequently reaching above 100 degrees F. Summer nights cool slightly and provide a good time to travel through the region. Winter temperatures are mild, rarely dipping below 40 degrees with the humidity level at its lowest in November and December. Spring and fall are very pleasant times to visit the region. Spring brings mild temperatures and blooming trees and flowers. During autumn, temperatures range from 65 to 85 degrees F with low humidity levels. Northern Alabama is generally cooler than the south due to its higher elevations.
Welcome to Alabama! The Alabama homepage.
MuseumLink's Museum of Museums will eventually contain links to every museum on the planet.
Russell Cave National Monument. Russell Cave has one of the longest and most complete archeological records in the eastern United States. The cave is an archeological treasure containing evidence of how prehistoric people lived in the Southeast for almost 10,000 years. Virtually no other place in the region holds such a rich record offering clues as to how the "First Americans" fed, clothed and protected themselves.
The Geological Survey of Alabama, established in 1848, is a data gathering and research agency that explores and evaluates the mineral, water, energy, biological, and other natural resources of the State of Alabama and conducts basic and applied research in these fields as a public service to citizens of the State.
Welcome to Cherokee County, Alabama, home of Weiss Lake, over 30,000 acres of water created by the Coosa, Chattooga, and Little Rivers. The 446 miles of shoreline is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges.
WELCOME TO BLOUNT COUNTY, ALABAMA. Known as "the covered bridge capital of Alabama,"Blount County has three of the state's remaining 11 covered bridges.They are Horton Mill, Swann and Easley. The Nectar Covered Bridge burned, June 13, 1993.
The Tennessee Valley Audubon Society, the local Audubon Society serving the Limestone, Madison, and Morgan county area of North Alabama, including Huntsville, Decatur, Madison, and Athens.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge's Bird Checklists of the United States. This 34,500 acre refuge attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year. The refuge host 115 species of fish, 74 species of reptiles and amphibians, 47 species of mammals, and 285 different species of songbirds. The refuge also manages and protects habitat for 10 federally listed endangered or threatened species that reside on the refuge.
Wildflowers of Alabama. This website has been created to share their beauty, and to promote the knowledge, appreciation, and use of native plants.
Appalachian Sites for South Carolina contain excellent links.
South Carolina State Parks manages and protects more than 80,000 acres of South Carolina's natural and cultural resources, which range from deep mountain wilderness and old-growth forests, to plantation homes, battlefields, waterfronts and wetlands.
South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor is being developed by private citizens, governmental agencies, conservation groups, businesses, and communities to promote economic development in rural areas of South Carolina through heritage tourism. Designated by Congress in 1996 as a National Heritage Area, the Heritage Corridor runs from the foothills of Oconee County in the northwestern corner of the state, along the Savannah River, through the Edisto River Basin, to the port city of Charleston.
South Carolina's Upcountry, located in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
SC Department of Natural Resources is the advocate for and steward of the state's natural resources. The Department develops and implements policies and programs for the conservation, management, utilization and protection of the state's natural resources based upon scientifically sound resource management, assessment and monitoring, applied research, technology transfer, comprehensive planning, public education, technical assistance and constituent involvement. The Department of Natural Resources is pro-active in protecting the state's natural resources for use and enjoyment by future generations of South Carolinians.
SOUTH CAROLINA RIVER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS contains links to GIS data, hunting and fishing regulations, and a wildlife division with links to plant and animal atlases for the state.
Bob Campbell Geology Museum contains exhibits of dazzling minerals, fossilized remnants of plants and animals
buried in rock for millions of years, alien rocks from space, minerals that glow in the dark, and even samples you can touch.
The mission of the South Carolina Geological Survey is to provide a service oriented program which collects, studies, interprets, and reports all information pertaining to the geology and mineral resources affecting the daily lives of the citizens of this state. The service oriented program is based on the dissemination of geologic information. This information is used for better land use planning, economic development, emergency preparedness and education.
South Carolina State Climatology Office contains current weather information for the state, forecasts, statistics, tropical storm information, severe weather history, natural hazards, and many related databases.
Appalachian Sites for North Carolina contains excellent links.
NC Division of Environment and Natural Resources - Division of Parks and Recreation has 33 state parks, 4 recreation areas, and a number of natural areas.
Welcome to the Franklin Area. Surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina. If you're looking for cool mountains, fiery sunsets, and warm friendly people, you've discovered a rare mountain gem. Franklin is best known for its gem mines, its quilts & crafts, its history & heritage, and for the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains.
Wild Flowers and Plants of North Carolina. All of our native wildflowers are best left to be enjoyed in their natural state. Many of the native wildflowers will only grow in very specific environmental conditions necessitating preservation of these conditions. While we're thinking about plants, this is also a story that illustrates the fragile nature of ecosystems. Once a dominant tree in eastern North America, the loss of the Chestnut population had wide-ranging effects.
The North Carolina Geological Survey (NCGS) examines, describes and maps the geology and mineral resources of the state and publishes reports and maps.
The North Carolina Conservation Network seeking to impact legislation through training and workshops.
Conservation Council of North Carolina working together to implement a comprehensive strategy to protect, preserve, and enhance North Carolina's natural environment.
Unto These Hills Outdoor Indian Drama-Oconaluftee Indian Village. The Oconaluftee Cherokee Musem features an authentic recreated village and demonstrations of traditional Cherokee crafts, and Unto These Hills offers an outdoor drama in its 51st season of performance.
Scottish Tartans Museum. A visit to the Scottish Tartans Museum and Gift Shop in the Smoky Mountains is a stroll through the history and culture of Scotland.
Welcome to the Hickory Ridge Homestead living history museum website. The Museum is located in Boone, North Carolina, and is part of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association.
The Cherokee Museum at Cherokee North Carolina features information about this museum dedicated to the history of the Eastern Tribe.
NCNatural's Ultimate Blue Ridge Parkway Guide. As early as 1909 a visionary project had been planned and the actual survey work begun for a pleasure road along the summit of the Blue Ridge. The Parkway's history is an incredible story of vision, dedication, and hard-work. The history section will continue to grow as we add features about the Parkway's past, and the men and women who shaped it.
Blueridge Mountain Area Maps has maps, photos, area attractions, and information about the Western North Carolina.
NCNatural's North Carolina National Forests contains some of the most beautiful and rugged mountain scenery, and the best recreational opportunities in eastern North America.
Chimney Rock Park, A Scenic Attraction. Chimney Rock Park is a scenic attraction located 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina, with spectacular 75-mile views, numerous hiking trails, a 404-foot waterfall, Nature Center, picnicking and more.
Linville Gorge - The Grand Canyon of North Carolina. The Linville River with its source high on Grandfather Mountain has, by its tremendous scouring action, formed one of Eastern America's most scenic and rugged gorges. The steep walls of the Gorge enclose the Linville River for 12 miles. The river's swift waters descend over 2,000 feet before breaking into the open levels of the Catawba Valley, Elevation averages 3,400 feet along the rim of the Gorge and 2,000 feet on Linville River.The Linville Gorge Wilderness , in the western North Carolina Mountains, is part of the Pisgah National Forest. The gorge is formed by Jonas Ridge on the east, and Linville Mountain on the west and is bisected by the Linville River, which drops into the valleys below. The odd assortment of rock formations located on Jonas Ridge include Sitting Bear, Hawksbill, Table Rock, and the Chimneys. Elevations range from 1,300 feet on the Linville River to 4,120 feet on Gingercake Mountain. The terrain is extremely steep and rugged with numerous rock formations.
The North Carolina Geological Survey examines, describes and maps the geology and mineral resources of the state and publishes reports and maps.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Western North Carolina. The Forest Service inaugurated the Little Santeelah, an impressive 3800 acre remnant of virgin wilderness, as the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and dedicated it July 30, 1935. In this most beautiful, unmarred, and natural setting, that was the uncharted hunting ground of the Cherokee Indians, virgin trees grow more than 100 feet tall and some 20 feet around the base. Many of the huge trees are hundreds of years old. In addition to the trees there is an outstanding variety of shrubs, vines, ferns, mosses, lichens, liverworts and herbaceous plants. In the spring wild flowers take advantage of the sunlight which will not be available after the hardwood trees are covered with shade-producing leaves. The Memorial Forest, comprised of the huge poplars, giant red oaks and magnificent hemlocks, as well as many other varieties of trees, is maintained in its primitive and natural state.
North Carolina Civil War Home Page. The purpose of this page is to create a virtual central repository for information about North Carolina in the American Civil War.
Welcome To North Carolina , Indians called the mountains the land of the blue mist, what we know as the Great Smoky Mountains.
Grandfather Mountain - Linville, NC. Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge, is the only private park in the world designated by the UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve.. Considered the most biologically diverse mountain in eastern North America, Grandfather welcomes visitors from across the globe to this unique example of the endangered high-elevation spruce-fir ecosystem.
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center. The Center strives to help the people of western North Carolina improve their lives by conducting applied research and developing and implementing highly effective extension programs related to agriculture, the environment, family, and community.
The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Serving Highlands, Cashiers, Franklin, and Scaly Mountainin Western North Carolina.
The Old Buncombe County, North Carolina Genealogical Society. This website contains hundred of files with information about Old Buncombe County, NC families. Although pages may be referenced by file name, you must know the address of that page. To find information on a specific surname, family or subject, go to our on-site search machine, and enter the subject you are searching. All references, on all pages for that name will be the result of your search. In this manner you will find, birth, family Bible, marriage, death records and will information as well as military records, census and other info currently on this site
Southern Highland Craft Guild is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization of over 700 craftspeople living and working in the mountainous regions of nine Southern states: AL, GA, KY, MD, TN, VA, WV, SC and NC. Since its inception in 1930, the Guild has worked to instill and maintain standards of excellence in the design and workmanship of crafts taught, produced and marketed in the southern Appalachian region. The history of the Guild dates back to the turn of the century during what is known as the Southern Arts and Crafts Revival. The Guild's headquarters, the Blue Ridge Parkway's Folk Art Center, is located just five miles east of downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
John C. Campbell Folk School. Teaching time-honored crafts, music and dance since 1925.
North Carolina Wineries. From the mountains to the coast, the Tar Heel State is home to 250 vineyards and 22 awarding-winning wineries. North Carolina's rich farmland and mild climate contribute to the success and wide variety of grapes grown across the state, producing more than 500-thousand gallons of wine annually. Winemakers use grape varieties that are gown in North Carolina to create wine with a superior flavor, such as European-types, native muscadines, and other fruits. The legacy of North Carolina's wine industry is rooted deep in the colonial heritage of Sir Walter Raleigh's Colony on Roanoke Island where the first Scuppernong vine was cultivated. For more than a century, vineyards and wineries have perpetuated the agricultural tradition that is the heart of North Carolina.
The State Climate Office of North Carolina is the primary source for NC weather and climate information.
The North Carolina Arboretum. The 426-acre site is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the United States. Mountain peaks bound the property's visual perimeters and 1.8 miles of the Bent Creek stream run through the center of the Arboretum.
Appalachian Sites for Tennessee contains excellent links.
Tennessee State Parks contains links to individual state parks, national parks, and
Southern Appalachian Mountain Heritage and Culture. Each year, starting in March and April, the forests, fields and roadsides of our southern Appalachians come alive with hundreds of varieties of wildflowers In April, early bloomers like bloodroot and trout lily grace the forest floor. Later in April and May, a wide variety of trilliums can be discovered. Peak time for spring wildflowers should be mid April to late May, depending mostly on elevation.
Pigeon Forge Tennessee for a Great Affordable Family Vacation. Begin your Pigeon Forge family vacation on our attraction-lined Parkway, with six outlet malls and dozens of craft stores. Then spend a day at Dollywood, for a Tennessee family vacation with rides and entertainment. At night, catch an exciting show celebrating our Appalachian mountain heritage.
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (National Park Service). The free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries pass through 90 miles of scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide range of natural and historic features.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (National Park Service). The national park, in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee, encompasses 800 square miles of which 95 percent are forested. World renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal resources, the beauty of its ancient mountains, the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, and the depth and integrity of the wilderness sanctuary within its boundaries, it is one of the largest protected areas in the east.
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (National Park Service). Andrew Johnson National Historic Site honors the life and work of the nation's 17th President and preserves his two homes, tailor shop, and grave site. Andrew Johnson's life exemplifies many struggles faced by Americans today. He worked his way from tailor to President. He stood strong for his ideals and beliefs. His presidency, from 1865 - 1869, illustrates the United States Constitution at work following Lincoln's assassination and during attempts to reunify a nation that had been torn by civil war. His work helped shape the future of the United States and his influences continue today.
Welcome to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga inspires wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Journey through a spectacular 60-foot canyon and two living forests, where
you'll see over 9,000 animals that swim, fly and crawl in natural habitats.
Tennessee Valley Railroad, Chattanooga Tennessee, Largest Operating Historic Railroad in The South. Visit the South's Premier Railroad Attraction.
Cherokee National Forest. Stretching 630,000 acres along the state's eastern border from Chattanooga to Bristol, the Cherokee is steeped in colorful history and rich in the grandeur of the Appalachian Mountains. The forest is separated into two sections by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and shares other boundaries with national forests in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The result is a magnificent, enormous tapestry of public lands well traveled by an appreciative population. Eight million people visit the Cherokee each year. The scenery is what appeals to many, particularly the dozens of mountain peaks, many of them soaring well above 5,000 feet. Even in geological measure, the Appalachians are ancient, dating to 500 million years ago when they were uplifted by the collision of the continental plates. Some think that the range was once higher than the Rocky Mountains and the Alps, and that weather and erosion wore them down to present heights.
Ultimate Cades Cove Guide. Cades Cove is a beautiful valley in the west end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is perhaps the most popular area of the park, receiving over 2.5 million visitors a year. Most visitors come to catch a glimpse of wildlife which thrive in and around the nearly 5,000 acres of open meadows. In addition to the wide variety of wildlife, there are also several historic buildings dating back to the nineteenth century, including a working grist mill, a variety of barns, three churches, and a variety of pioneer log and frame houses.
Welcome to Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennesee. The 3,000 acre park, 44 acre lake, and a nature center/museum, inside of which is a planetarium with a 40 foot diameter dome, is nestled in the northeastern end of the Bays Mountain formation only a few miles from downtown Kingsport. Framed on all sides by mountain ridges, much of the park lies in a natural basin and is a protected haven for wildlife.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee, The Essential Guide. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have the great good fortune to be nestled against park entrances and serve as a natural base for those exploring the Smokies. Capitalizing on that traffic, the towns have developed other attractions such as shopping, entertainment venues, craft centers, outdoor activities, and of course Dollywood.
Welcome To Gatlinburg.com with links to visitor information, photos, and area attractions.
Chattanooga Fun Tours contains links on battlefields, museum, zoos, and wildlife areas.
Welcome to TTU's Sociology of Appalachia Website! This site attempts to dispel some myths about Appalachia.
American Chestnut A Tennessean's Version of an American Chestnut Page. The American Chestnut was often referred to as the "King of Trees" or "farmer's friend" in early tree references. Appalachian farmers used the straight-grained, rot resistant wood for split rail fences, fence posts, barns, and anything exposed to the weather. In the fall, livestock was turned into the woods to fatten up on Chestnut mast. Chestnuts were gathered and sold as supplemental income. A favorite among loggers, the American Chestnut was a large tree comparable to the Tulip Poplar, growing to over 100 feet tall on good sites and could live several hundred years. Chestnut lumber was strong, straight grained, lightweight, and easily worked. Its uses ranged from fine furniture to utility poles. The drought resistant, late blooming Chestnut was a dependable source of mast for wildlife. Unlike many Oaks, its nut crop was unaffected by late freezes. The Chestnut thrived on dry, well-drained slopes where many other tree species struggled. The American Chestnut in its legendary tree form was reduced to scattered shrubby sprouts over most of Tennessee and the rest of its natural range by the middle 1930s. Native American Chestnuts (Castanea dentata) were and are attacked by an imported "Chestnut blight" or bark fungus disease Cryphonectria parasitica (formerly Endothia parasitica). This blight arrived in the New England area around the turn of the century and virtually wiped out all mature American Chestnuts within their natural range. The roots are not killed by the blight, only the trunk or stems. The blight also attacks native Chinquapins and to a lessor extent certain species of Oaks as alternate hosts. The original range and prevalence of the American Chestnut may have initially been reduced by "Ink Disease", Phytophthora cinnamomi, a fungus disease imported around the mid 1800's that kills the roots and root collar.
Welcome to Cocke County Tennessee. Located in East Tennessee, nestled between three perfect places to be. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest, and Pisgah National Forest. Cocke County is the perfect place for an adventure the way nature is meant to be enjoyed!
Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree! The world famous annual Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree began as the idea of the late Congressman Joe L. Evins and his close friend, Berry C. Williams, as a way to showcase the progress made by the federally funded Model Cities Program begun in the early 1970's.
East Tennessee Historical Society. Since 1834, the East Tennessee Historical Society has been telling the stories, collecting the artifacts, and recording the events that comprise our region's unique history.
Welcome to Dixie Stampede!!! Began as the dream of Dolly Parton.
Appalachian Sites for Virginia contains excellent links.
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Our mission is to conserve, protect, enhance, and advocate the wise use of the Commonwealth's unique natural, historic, recreational, scenic and cultural resources.
The Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority promotes, expands, and develops tourism opportunities in the far southwestern Virginia Counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Wise, and the City of Norton.
Natural Bridge - Virginia's Natural Wonder. Natural Bridge and Niagara Falls were the two wonders of the new world that Europeans visited during the 18th & 19th centuries. Of the two sights, Natural Bridge, without clear explanation of its formation, was the more mysterious.
Shenandoah Valley's McCormick Farm. Visitors are welcome to tour the McCormick farm in Walnut Grove, including the historic blacksmith shop turned museum, grist mill and manor house, which are National Historic Landmarks.
Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory. Visitors are welcome to tour the McCormick farm in Walnut Grove, including the historic blacksmith shop turned museum, grist mill and manor house, which are National Historic Landmarks.
Virginia Forest Watch. Virginia Forest Watch (VAFW) is a grass-roots based coalition of individuals and environmental groups organizing throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our mission is "to maintain and restore the natural ecology and biodiversity of woodlands across Virginia through education and citizen participation."
The George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. In March 21, 1902, the State Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution expressing support for the establishment of an extensive National Forest in Virginia and in the Southern Appalachians. With this resolution, the State of Virginia granted the federal government the right to acquire "Forest Reserve" land in Virginia. At the same time, the State also relinquished its right to tax these lands once they became National Forests.
Virginians For Wilderness. The Central Appalachian forests of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania are some of the most biologically diverse and most threatened ecosystems anywhere. Home to many thousands of species of plants and animals, they represent a vast but dwindling source of medicinal compounds, recreational amenities and precious solitude.
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Collections grow in keeping with the mission and purposes of the Museum: "to interpret Virginia's natural heritage within a global context in ways that are relevant to all the citizens of the Commonwealth, . . . to preserve elements of natural history, to serve as a permanent repository for specimens, especially those of Virginia origin, and to make the natural history material and its data accessible to researchers and the public."
Virginia Department of Forestry. Protecting and developing, healthy sustainable forest resources.
Appalachian Sites for West Virginia contains excellent links.
A Guide to West Virginia State Parks and Forests -- wild, wonderful wilderness, with the added comforts of home.
West Virginia - Wild and Wonderful contains a list of Eight color-coded regional sections. Each regional section includes a description of the region and a list of local tourism agencies: New River/Greenbrier Valley; Mountaineer Country; Potomac Highlands; Eastern Panhandle; Northern Panhandle; Mountain Lakes; Metro Valley; and Mid-Ohio Valley.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Throughout its history, Harpers Ferry has been the backdrop for remarkable and unparalleled events. Here, in one setting, several themes in the American story converge: Native Americans, industry and transportation, African-Americans, John Brown, the Civil War, and the natural environment. Harpers Ferry became part of the National Park System in 1944. The park covers over 2,300 acres in the states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia.
Almost level West Virginia. The Story of Mountaintop Removal. This is the first page of many regarding the enviromentally and socially destructive process of Mountaintop Removal and Valley Fill that is taking place in many states along the eastern coast of America. Some of the states affected are Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia. (probably not for website use)
Gauley River National Recreation Area. The 25 miles of free-flowing Gauley River and the six miles of the Meadow River pass through scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide variety of natural and cultural features.
New River Gorge National River. Located in southern West Virginia, New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 to preserve and protect 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway. This unit of the National Park System encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along the New River between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville. The park and the surrounding area are rich in cultural and natural history, and contain an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.
Natural Resource Analysis Center - West Virginia University. Enviromental and Economic Stewardship and Sustainablility.
Prickett's Fort State Park. Located on the site of an early frontier stronghold, this fort has been reconstructed to resemble its original 1774 counterpart. Within the compound are 16 cabins, a meeting hall and a storehouse which features authentic demonstrations of pioneer crafts. Also on site is the restored home of Job Prickett (c. 1860). In addition, the park offers picnicking, an amphitheater for the performing arts and a boat-launching ramp affording access to the Monongahela River.
Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. 1500 feet of underground passages have restored the mine operated by the Phillips Family in the late 1800's in what is now a part of New River Park in Beckley. Visitors ride a "man trip" car guided through the mine by veteran miners for an authentic view of low seam coal mining from its earliest manual stages to modern mechanized operation. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is listed on the National Register of Historical Sites.
(7-21-97) Canyon on the Brink. An article on the sell of the beautiful 1,500 deep Blackwater Canyon, visible from lookout points in West Virginia's famous Blackwater Falls State Park and the adjacent Monongahela National Forest. West Virginia has long been dependent on extractive boom-and-bust industries like timber and coal. But many people around here have begun to realize that industries that extract and export raw natural materials are also industries that pollute and create very few jobs. By contrast, a local economy based on the preservation and tourism is sustainable and will capitalize on the area's inherent strengths.
Buffalo Creek Flood Disaster. Buffalo Creek consists of about 16 small communities. A few of them are Lorado, Becco, Latrobe, Saunders, Pardee, Stowe, Crites, Kistler, Braeholm....... Buffalo Creek winds it way down thru these communities and empties into the Guyandotte River at the edge of the town of Man. On a rainy Saturday morning, February 26, 1972, 125 people; men, women and children lost their lives in the Buffalo Creek Flood Disaster. About 1,000 homes were destroyed and 4,000 people were left homeless. After days of rain, a sludge pond which was owned by the Pittston Coal Company, burst and released millions of gallons of black water upon the residents of Buffalo Creek. The wall of water that came rushing down Buffalo Creek contained coal and mud and was said to have been 30 feet in height.
Spruce Knob - Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. Encompassing 100,000 acres, the scenic Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (NRA) contains the highest peak in West Virginia
Bluestone National Scenic River. This scenic river preserves relatively unspoiled land in southern West Virginia and contains natural and historic features of the Appalachian plateau. In its 11 miles, the lower Bluestone River offers excellent warm water fishing, hiking, boating, and scenery.
Lower Scioto Valley, Ohio websites.
Canaan Valley Institute. SINCE 1995, THE CANAAN VALLEY INSTITUTE (CVI) has been fostering local decision-making in support of sustainable communities in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands. The Mid-Atlantic Highlands includes portions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and all of West Virginia. The Institute is a not-for-profit, non-advocacy organization committed to enhancing the ability of the region's residents to improve their quality of life.
Stonewall Jackson's Home Page. Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born in West Virginia, on January 21, 1824. He died a tragic death on May 10, 1863. Jackson was a very famous man, and a Confederate general in the Civil War. This man was one of the best and most able southerners, second only to Robert E. Lee. At the first battle of Bull Run, Jackson's small group of troops were facing overwhelming odds but they formed a strong line and held their ground. At the sight of this, General Barnard Bee said,"There is Jackson's line over there standing like a stonewall." After this statement Thomas Jackson was given the nickname "Stonewall".
Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park. Created in the mid 1980's for the purposes of flood protection, water quality control, water supply and recreation, Stonewall jackson Lake was formed by the damming of the West Fork River. This 2,650 acre lake is the main focus of Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park.
An Introduction to Appalachia and West Virginia. The Appalachian mountains are found in the eastern United States and extend from Georgia to Maine. The name Appalachia comes from the Appalachee tribe of Northern Florida. The geographical region known as Appalachia is named after the mountain chain which serves as a barrier from the outside world. The isolation that the mountains bring has preserved many traditions.
Appalachian Sites for Ohio contains excellent links.
Ohio Places. There are myriad ways to enjoy this beauty of Ohio through the recreational opportunities provided in the parks. Summer recreation includes 80,000 acres of water for fishing, boating and swimming, and there are delightful picnic facilities in nearly all the parks.
Ohio Appalachian Counties. Ohio's Appalachian Country is a region of timeless
enchantment and homespun hospitality, where America's historic and cultural heritage flourishes in the midst of spectacular scenic beauty - March and April are no exception.
The unforgettable landscape appears as a patchwork of forested hills, open meadows and misty valleys, threaded by lazy streams and majestic rivers. Panoramic vistas testify to a rural way of life still thriving here as scenic byways trace well worn routes in Ohio's pioneering past.
Native Americans in Appalachia. The first indigenous people in this area were the Mound Builders.
Ohio's Trees Index from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Save Dysart Woods - Athens, Ohio. Dysart Woods is among the last .004 percent of remaining ancient forest in Ohio. It is the most significant stand of mixed mesophytic virgin forest left in Ohio, and is among the most endangered ecosystem in the world. Dysart Woods is owned by Ohio University and is a National Natural Landmark.
Scioto County, Ohio. Rolling Hills, green forests, lush valleys and scenic waterways. Scioto
County is located in south central Ohio -- the first region of Ohio to be settled and rich with tradition.
Ohio Geological Survey. The Division of Geological Survey is the state's oldest natural resources agency, established by the Ohio legislature in 1837.
Appalachian Sites for Pennsylvania contains excellent links.
Valleys of the Susquehanna offers a search by county feature for central Pennsylvania attractions and history.
The Oil Heritage Region provides links to varied attractions in Western Pennsylvania.
Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. This site with links to photos, attractions, events, and travel information.
The Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is as diverse and fascinating as it is scenic. Come and enjoy our beautiful rolling farmlands dotted with one-room schoolhouses and windwheels. Take a horse and buggy ride or a steam train ride through our peaceful countryside where our Amish neighbors still live without the use of electricity and motor vehicles.
Path of Progress from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission.
The Amish Experience. Each year, visitors from around the world journey to Pennsylvania's Amish, or "Pennsylvania Dutch," Country to spend a few hours, or a few days, exploring the natural beauty of our farmlands, the many nearby historic sites and the numerous family oriented attractions and theme parks that dot the roadside
Alleghaney Kiski Valley contains links to history, tourism, photos, and local attractions.
Celoron's Voyage and Bonnecamps' Map. In 1749, French explorer Celoron's expedition mapped Western Pennsylvania, buried lead plates claiming the land for France, and even spent a night in the abandoned Indian town that would become the site of Tarentum.
Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. Step back in time and experience humble farm life in an almost self-sufficient homestead. Costumed "family" guides share with you the daily routine of
a thrifty and industrious Pennsylvania Dutch family and it's descendants who
lived at this location in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau. Welcome to the Endless Mountains Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties, where the possibilities are endless.
Mine Country - Anthracite Coal Region History contains links to the history of coal mining, labor history, the Pennsylvania coal region where"coal was king", many stories, related sites, and museums.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection is a portal to environmental topics, libraries and information about the counties of Pennsylvania.
Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River. As a part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River stretches 73.4 miles (118.3 km) along the New York-Pennsylvania border.
Kraig Ruckel's Palatine & Pennsylvania-Dutch Genealogy Page contains genealogy, history, and maps.
Coal Region of Pennsylvania. This web site is a collection of nostalgia and regionalisms from the Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania. The region is made up of Schuylkill, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Columbia counties, and also the northernmost reaches of Dauphin county. The Coal Region owes its heritage to the varied cultures of the people who settled there, as well as to the bygone days of coal mining.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is a 2,400-acre natural area straddling the Kittatinny Ridge in eastern Pennsylvania. Established in 1934, it was the world's first refuge for raptors. During the last 64 years, the Sanctuary has become an international center for conservation, education, and research about raptors.
Amish Country Lanes Quilts, Fine Arts & Crafts from Lancaster PA provides a market for quilts, samplers, paintings and photos.
The Amish And The Plain People. Here are some questions and answers about the Amish, the Mennonites, the Brethren, and the other "Plain People" of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Appalachian Sites for New York contains excellent links.
McClurg Museum - Westfield NY. James McClurg came to Chautauqua County from Pittsburgh in 1806 as a wealthy young man. Soon after, he married and purchased a large tract of land in Westfield. Wanting to provide his young family with a stately house, McClurg made and baked his own bricks; he also prepared local timber for the mansion's interior woodwork. Skilled laborers from Pittsburgh began construction of the frontier mansion in 1818 using McClurg's own design. Construction of the 16-room house was completed in 1820 and the surrounding grounds were landscaped with ornamental trees and shrubs.
The Farmers' Museum. A visit to The Farmers' Museum enables you to explore our rural heritage. Turn back the pages of time to 1845 when you stroll through our historic village and working farm. Meet the craftspeople who continue the traditions of tradesmen from the 19th century, learn about life on the farm firsthand, and experience the celebrations and day-to-day routines of rural Americans.
Haudenosaunee People Building a Long House. Welcome to the Haudenosaunee Home Page, the official source of news and information from the Haudenosaunee, comprised of the traditional leadership of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora Nations. Not for website!!!
New York Geology Resource. This web page is is meant to be a central source for information related to the geology and geologic information providers of New York State.
Waterfalls of Western New York State lists 256 waterfalls within the Appalachian area and offers photos and directions for visitors.
Appalachian Sites for Maryland contains excellent links.
The Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River is part of the large Mississippi River watershed that stretches from the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Rockies in the west. Beginning in the gently rolling farmlands of southern Garrett County, the Youghiogheny cuts a northward path through some of the most rugged mountain scenery in Maryland before running into Pennsylvania and merging with the Monongahela. The Youghiogheny drains an area encompassing approximately 397 square miles in Maryland. In its first 20 miles, the river meanders through a pastoral setting of farms and wood lots occasionally paralleled by country roads or railroad tracks.
Mountain Maryland, Allegany Co. history and area attractions.
Antietam National Battlefield. Established by Act of Congress on August 30, 1890, this Civil War site marks the end of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North in September 1862. The battle claimed more than 23,000 men killed, wounded, and missing in one single day, September 17,1862, and led to Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources contains links to parks, wildlife, endanger species, forests, etc.
Center for Virtual Appalachia. Our goal is to become a resource for all of the Appalachian Community. Please take the time to help build this resource into what you would wish it to be. The Center for Virtual Appalachia (CVA) is an attempt to depict and describe the region through the media of the world wide web. CVA is designed to present visitors with a broad overview of Appalachia and the opportunity for a more in-depth understanding of the area as a distinct and unique region of the United States. It is a vast portal to online information, and includes access to government, official, commercial, educational, and private sites. CVA is a tool for the educator, researcher or student; offering historic archives, data on demographics and economics, and links to schools and technology, and much more. CVA celebrates the region with links to culture, art, music, literature, religion, crafts, and events. CVA invites exploration, with maps, and geologic, geographic, and genealogical sites. For those who plan to travel to the region, and for those who know and love it, the Center for Virtual Appalachia offers a wealth of information about the scenic and historic parks, forests, rivers, and towns, the fairs, festivals, and events, the communities, and the individuals, that both fill and define the region.
Navigation Map for the Appalachian Counties from the Center for Virtual Appalachia.
Center for Virtual Appalachia's Overview of Appalachia. Appalachia is a culturally and physically distinct area of the Eastern United States centered around the Appalachian Mountain chain and recognized officially by the United States Government as 13 states and 406 counties represening this unique region. You can tour the states and counties of this region through our online map of the Appalachain region. The term "Appalachian" is used to describe a number of things. It is used geologically for the mountain range in Eastern North America. It is used politiclaly for 406 counties in 13 states under the jurisdication of the federal government body, the Appalachian Regional Commission. It refers to a unique American culture; suggesting traditional crafts, music, cuisine, heritage, and beliefs. It refers to a specific ethnic group, the descendants of early settlers in the mountain. Appalachia itself is a mixture of all things Appalachian.
Mountain HomePlace. A visit to the Mountain HomePlace is a historical learning experience as well as fun. We take you back in time to the 1850's and show you life as then.
Other Stops in Berks. Located in Berks County about 8 miles east of Readingis the birthplace of Daniel Boone. Originally a log house it was covered with stone around 1779.
Daniel Boone's Missouri Home! The Historic Daniel Boone Home is a four-story structure built between 1804 and 1810 in the Femme Osage Valley of St. Charles County. It was the last permanent residence of Daniel Boone and his wife, Rebecca, and was where he died in 1820. The adjoining Boonesfield Village is a collection of historic buildings from throughout Missouri that are being reconstructed to form a living history village and a center for the study of history, traditional arts, natural sciences and ethics.
Benjamin Cutbirth was born approximately 1739 in Pennsylvania. Benjamin evidently was a very quiet man, well suited to the long hunting trips he took. His personality must have been very similar to Daniel Boone's for they became fast friends. They both enjoyed solititude and went on many hunting excursions into the Watauga region of Western NC and Eastern TN. Because of these long trips the Indians called such men as these "long hunters" and because of their large hunting knives were known as "long knives."
Logan's Fort is said to have set on a very slight elevation about fifty yards West of the smaller spring at St. Asaph. The fort was 90' x 150' and was constructed of logs. Gates were located at each end and were raised and lowered by leather thongs. The main gate faced East.
The Boone Society, Inc. is an association of descendants, genealogists and historians who enjoy studying the lives and times of this remarkable family. One of the principal goals of the Society is to identify and preserve Boone-related documents and artifacts. With so much of America's history being paved over with amusement parks and fast-food restaurants, this is not an easy task, but it is one that our members believe is worth pursuing.
Kentucky GenWeb Mailing Lists.
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America cartographic history materials.
Checklist of Online Vegatation and Plant Distributionmaps maps.
Map Collection from the Dudley Knox Library. The collection supports and enhances the research and scholarship of the School curriculums by providing visual and geographic coordination of data.
Historical County Line Maps.
The Kentucky GenWeb contains a county selection list.
County Formation Maps: Kentucky 1776-1795; Kentucky 1796-1807; Kentucky 1808-1821; Kentucky 1822-1834; Kentucky 1835-1849; Kentucky 1850-1866; Kentucky 1867-1883; and Kentucky 1884-1980.
Kentucky Cemetery Laws; Opinions of the Kentucky Attorney General relating to cemeteries; Court Decisions related to cemeteries;
Jefferson Davis Links. Born in Kentucky not far from Abraham Lincoln in time or distance, the only President of the Confederacy was a decorated war veteran and politician. He graduated West Point in 1828 and married the daughter of Zachary Taylor in 1835.
Kentucky State Formation. In 1777 Fincastle County, Virginia's General Assembly divided Fincastle County into three parts and created Washington, Montgomery, and Kentucky Counties. The act creating these counties described Kentucky County as being "to the south and westward of a line beginning on the Ohio at the mouth of Great Sandy creek and running up the same and the main, or northeasterly, branch thereof to the Great Laurel Ridge of Cumberland Mountain, then south westerly along the said mountain to the line of North Carolina." In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into three counties -- Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. Within just a few years, six more counties had been carved out of those three. Between 1784 and 1792, people living in those counties held ten conventions on the question of statehood; on 18 December 1789 Virginia's General Assembly passed an act allowing Kentucky to apply for statehood and on 1 June 1792, those nine counties became a state, with the full consent of Virginia.
Washington County was formed in 1792. It is located in the Outer Bluegrass region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 475 to 1020 feet above sea level.
Montgomery County was formed in 1797. It is located in the Outer Bluegrass region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 707 to 1447 feet above sea level.
Early Mason County, KY. Mason County was the "no man's land" of Kentucky's bloodiest era. The first twenty years of her history witnessed an Indian War that made of her the most notorious battleground in the West. But when was won this war for possession of the Ohio Valley, the settling of the Western territories was virtually assured. The Ohio river had been opened to trade and travel. Limestone Landing had become a by-word synonymous with westward expansion. And the settlers of Limestone and Washington and Simon Kenton's Station enjoyed fame and security known the length of the Atlantic seaboard. First organized in 1788, Mason included one-fourth of the territory of KY in that part of the state, east of the Licking River. The early settlers came from Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Maryland. Maysville, at the mouth of Limestone Creek, was known as Limestone prior to 1790.
The Official Simon Kenton Home Page. Simon Kenton was born in 1755, in the Bull Run Mountains of Prince William County, Virginia. We don't know a lot about Simon's parents' early life. We do know his father, Mark Kenton, Sr. was born in County Down, Ireland.
Simon Kenton was born in 1755, in Prince William County, Virginia. and entered the frontier at the age of 16. Respected for his knowledge of the land and competence as a woodsman by pioneer and Indian alike, Kenton was a key figure in opening up and keeping the frontier safer for all of north and central Kentucky.
Mason County history contains articles on Fort Boonesborough Settlers; Simon Girty; Tecumseh & the New Madrid Earthquake; The Battle of Tippecanoe; the War of 1812; and the Trek to Cain-Tuck.
Jefferson County, Kentucky. In 1778 George Rogers Clark set up a Fort on Corn Island, which is now submerged, as the first permanent white settlement in what was to be Jefferson Co. Jefferson Co. was formed from Kentucky Co., Virginia in 1780, 12 years before Kentucky was admitted to the Union as the 15th state.
Cave Run Cemeteries. When Cave Run Dam was constructed on the Licking River the Army Corps of
Engineers had the task of relocating some old cemeteries in Bath,
Menifee, Morgan, and Rowan Counties.
Fleming County was formed in 1798 from a part of Mason County and entered as Kentucky's 26th County.
Ashe County is located in the northwestern corner of the state. It was established in North Carolina General Assembly in 1799
Wilkes County was formed in 1777 from Surry and the District of Washington. The act was to become effective February 15, 1778. It was named in honor of John Wilkes who was a violent opponent of the Tory party in England. He was not allowed to take his seat in Parliament to which he had been elected. The Americans imagined that he was suffering in the cause of liberty and named this county in his honor.
North Carolina Loyalists During the American Revolution. While these lists do not claim to include the names of all the Tories of the state, they are representative of that group who were interested enough to take an active part.
More History of Sullivan County was formed in 1779 by division from Washington County and named for General John Sullivan, an officer in the Continental Army. On February 7, 1780, the county court was organized at the home of Moses Looney, Sullivan County's first boundaries included Hawkins County, which was broken off from Sullivan in 1786. The county courts met in residences (in the county) including Looney's and Yancey's (near Kingsport) and Cox's, at Thomas Bridge, until 1795. State of Franklin: North Carolina, finding the protection of the western lands difficult, offered them to the United States in 1783, then withdrew the offer. Washington, Sullivan, and Greene Counties organized the State of Franklin in 1784. During this period the people had divided loyalties and operated with two sets of government officials - one North Carolina's - one Franklin's. The State of Franklin collapsed in 1788.
Washington District, East Tennessee, the Watauga Petition, 1776. In 1772, the white settlements south of the Holston River, although acknowledged to be an unorganized part of North Carolina, were without any form of government. In 1772, they "exercised the divine right of governing themselves," forming a "written association and articles for the management of general affairs. Five Commissioners were appointed, by the decision of a majority of whom all matters in controversy were settled..." The Articles of the Watauga Association are apparently not extant. In 1775, the Wataugans secured their lands by purchasing it from the Cherokee Nation, and by August 1776, had petitioned North Carolina for recognition of their government, now termed "Washington District."
Shelby's Fort and Squabble State. A study of land and survey records clarifies the reason for much of the confusion of Squabble State residents: Shelby's Fort was on Beaver Creek of the Holston River on the Virginia-North Carolina line in what is today the city of Bristol, which spans both Sullivan County, Tennessee and Washington County, Virginia, lying in the "no man's land" between the Walker and Henderson lines of 1779.
The "squabble" over the western Virginia-North Carolina boundary, however, probably had its origins as early as 1749, the year that the tract of land, then known as Sapling Grove and in the Virginia County of Augusta, was surveyed for Col. James PATTON, and "The Line between Virginia and North Carolina, from Peters Creek to Steep Rock Creek, being 90 Miles and 280 Poles, was Survey'd in 1749 By William CHURTON and Daniel WELDON of North Carolina and Joshua FRY and Peter JEFFERSON of Virginia."
East Tennessee Pre 1796. Articles on the history of East Tennessee
AniMap Plus. This upgraded version 2.5 of our program will display over 2,300 maps to show the changing county boundaries for each of the 48 adjacent United States for every year since colonial times. Includes all years, not just the census years. Maps may be viewed separately, or the program can set them in motion so you can automatically view the boundary changes. Maps of the full U.S. are also included showing all the changes in state and territorial boundaries from 1776 to the present.
Indian Tribes of Tennessee and the State of Franklin.
Tennessee Constitution, 1796. The first Constitution of the State of Tennessee, was adopted on 6 February 1796, and became effective 1 June 1796 upon Tennessee’s admission by Congress to statehood
Sullivan County, Tennessee was established in 1779, primarily from Washington CO, TN (then NC) , although part of Sullivan, including the "North of Holston" and Carter Valley Settlements, was considered part of Virginia, and Tennesseans taxed by Old Fincastle, Montgomery and Washington Cos VA rather than by NC. In 1784, the ill-fated State of Franklin was created (records now mostly lost and/or duplicated in TN county records), and in 1787, Hawkins County was created from the majority of Sullivan's territory (and then some). In 1790, NC ceded it's "western lands" and TN became part of the "Territory South of the Ohio River," which it remained until 1796 and statehood. Sullivan CO TN remained generally the same (land) from 1787 to the present time.
COLONIAL AMERICA. Information on America's colonial history.
Earthquake History of Virginia. On February 21, 1774, a strong earthquake was felt over much of Virginia and southward into North Carolina. Many houses were moved considerably off their foundations at Petersburg and Blandford. The shock was described as "severe" at Richmond and "small" at Fredericksburg. However, it "terrified the inhabitants greatly." The total felt area covered about 150,000 square kilometers.
Frontier Forts of Southwest Virginia. The actual military defense of Virginia's extreme western frontier did not begin, on a large scale, until the spring prior to the outbreak on Dunmore's War in the fall of 1774, more commonly referred to by historians as the Point Pleasant Campaign.
1776 Militia Roll, Womack's Fort. In 1776, however, Womack's Fort was part of Fincastle County, Virginia, and that same year, upon war having been declared against the English, became part of the newly-created Washington County, Virginia, both of which counties are named in the following muster roll of Jacob Womack's Militia Company. By 1778, however, upon erection of Washington County, North Carolina (now Tennessee), Jacob Womack was one of the justices of the new county court.
Virginia County Formation. A short chart of the dates and formation of Virignia counties.
In 1776 Fincastle County, Virginia was divided into Washington, Montgomery, and Kentucky counties.
The Following is the unpublished manuscript, Indian Atrocities Along the cinch, Powell and Holston Rivers of Southwest Virignia, 1773-1794, written by the late Emory L. Hamilton. The original manuscript consists of 255 pages and has 99 stories throughout, #59 missing from the original manuscript. For convenience, the individual stories have been seperated below.
Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800 by Lyman Chalkley.
A history of the Middle New River Settlements.
Washington County. The first white settlers arrived in what is present day Washington County in the 1760's. Daniel Boone explored this area during his expeditions to Kentucky. His dogs were attacked by wolves near present day Abingdon., as a result he called the Abingdon area, Wolf Hills. Washington County was formed from Fincastle County in 1777, the county seat, Abingdon was formed in 1778. The original Washington County, VA in addition to containing some of the other present day surrounding counties also contained what is today, Sullivan County, TN.
Montgomery County, VA was one of the three counties formed from Fincastle County, Virignia.
Wilderness Road Regional Museum. The Wilderness Road Regional Museum is located in historic Newbern, Virginia. Newbern, located in Pulaski County, had its official beginning March 3, 1810, when Adam Hance laid off 28 lots fronting on the Wilderness Road. Because of its early significance, Newbern was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Also contains a map of the Wilderness Road.
OurTimeLines.com. This web site generates truly fascinating personalized web pages for you. They show how your life (or the life of anyone else you choose - for instance, your descendants and ancestors) fits into history as we know it. You can generate as many timelines as you like. If you're into creating web pages, you can even take the timelines we generate for you here and put them on your own pages - an unmatched personal touch everyone will enjoy.
Historic Smithfield located in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the eve of the American Revolution, the Virginia backcountry was a place of colliding cultures, clashing ideals, and physical danger. Wolves howled at night; panthers roamed the forest. Europeans and native Shawnee and Cherokee vied for the same fertile farmlands, often erupting into murderous violence. It was here, at the eastern continental divide - the literal edge of European/American civilization - that leader of westward expansion and Revolutionary War patriot William Preston established Smithfield Plantation. In a land of log cabins and physical hardship, Smithfield provided a haven of aristocratic elegance and became the social and political center of the county.
Major Boundary Changes. Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt County, which was itself formed "roughly" out of the southern half of that supercounty Augusta. Fincastle was abolished in 1777 and three counties formed from its territory. They were Montgomery, Washington, and (the now state of) Kentucky. In 1778, Greenbrier was formed from Montgomery, Botetourt and Augusta. and in 1790, Wythe County was cut off from Montgomery.
Although there are a few Fincastle records left in Christiansburg most of the surviving records now reside at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. A professor from there, named Lyman Draper, came to Christiansburg circa 1850s to research the Draper family and the Draper community in present day Pulaski Co. He was given all of the Fincastle County records he wished to take. He took them back to Wisconsin. These have been called the "Draper Manuscripts".
Fayette County was one of the original three counties formed 30 June 1780 from Virginia's Kentucky Territory. Named for the French General Marquis de LaFayette who served in the Revolutionary War, it is located in the Inner Bluegrass region of the state. Early pioneers arrived in 1774; Jacob Baughman, Hancock Taylor, Simon Kenton, James Douglas and John Floyd surveyed here in that year. William McConnell settled in 1775 and the Bryant family in 1776. Early stations included Levi Todd's (1779) and William McGee's (1780). Robert Boggs built here in 1784 and Levi Todd in 1787. The county seat is Lexington, which was organized 5 May 1782. It was named earlier by Captain Robert Patterson, while he was being guided through the Bluegrass by Simon Kenton. He selected the name Lexington upon hearing of the historic battle that began the American Revolution. The elevation in the county ranges from 549 to 1070 feet above sea level. In 1990 the county population was 225,366 in a land area of 284 square miles, an average of 793.5 people per square mile.
Battle of Blue Licks happened on August 19, 1782; ten months after Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown. This bloody frontier encounter is usually noted as the last combat of any size of the Revolutionary War. It took place near a salt spring along the Licking River in Central Kentucky north of Boonesborough and Bryan's Station. It was the most successful part of the invasion of an almost 1000 strong combined army of Ohio Indian Nations warriors, British Regulars and Queen's Rangers into Kentucky and West Virginia.
Siege of Bryan's Station. One hundred and fifty years ago, in 1779, five stalwart woodsmen, with their families and all their worldly possessions, set out from the valley of the Yadkin River in North Carolina to make new homes in what is now the famous Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Four of these men were brothers, William, Morgan, James and Joseph Bryan. William, the acknowledged leader, was a brother-in-law of Daniel Boone. The fifth man, William Grant, was also a brother-in-law of the great pioneer. Two hunters, Cave Johnson and William Tomlinson, joined the travelers as they journeyed through the wilderness. On and on they traveled, stopping at Boonesboro for corn and other supplies and pressing on again until the beautiful valley of the Elkhorn lay before them. The cabins were placed at irregular intervals on the long sides of a parallelograms which was someting like six hundred feet long an done hundred and fifty feet wide. At each corner was built a blockhouse, to be occupied by the single men of the station The space between the cabins and blockhouses, and across the end of the parallelogram, were filled with great pickets, made from the trunks of trees split in to and sharpened at the ends. At the foot of the hill, facing Elkhorn creek, was a spring of almost ice-cold water. This spring was not included within the stockade, despite the fact that its discovery had decided the location of the station. Thus was founded Bryan's Station, a spot destined to fill so prominent a place in the history of Kentucky.
Boone Station Historic Site. Daniel Boone established this stockaded station or homestead in 1779 after being found innocent in the treason trial at Boonesborough. It is said that he lived here with his family for several years, but certainly he resided there as much as resided at any homestead -- not for very long. This station is not to be confused with Boone's Station (now Booneville) set up in 1780-81 and where he also owned land in what came to be Owsley County. Nor is it to be confused with the earlier Boone Station Camp (West Irvine in Estill County) where in 1769 he, his younger brother, Squire, and Joseph Procter set up camp near an Indian Trading Post called "Ah-wah-nee" by the Shawnees who hunted there and got their lead supply there.
Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. In 1999, in cooperation with Dr. Don Linebaugh and Nancy O'Malley of the University of Kentucky, conductivity and magnetometry surveys were completed of the site of Daniel Boone's second Kentucky settlement (following Boonesborough) located near Athens, Kentucky, and known as Boone's Station.
Ruddle's and Martin's Fort. This web page is dedicated to the research of two early Kentucky settlements, Ruddle's and Martin's Forts, which were taken by the British expeditionary force led by Captain Henry Bird on June 24, 1780. Captain Bird, of the Eighth Regiment of His Majesty's Forces, led over one thousand British regulars, Canadian volunteers, Indians and Tories, and captured the forts and their defenders, which consisted of over 470 men, women and children. Many of the captives were taken by the Indians and either killed outright or forced to live amongst the various tribes. Those not taken by the Indians were marched over 600 miles on foot from central Kentucky to Detroit.
Colonel Robert Patterson ( 1753-1827) begins fort construction at Lexington by building a blockhouse at the corner of what are now Main and Mill streets. His cabin is preserved on the Transylvania University campus.
The American Revolution ended two centuries of British rule for most of the North American colonies and created the modern United States of America.
The History Place, the American Revolution and a Revolutionary War Time Line.
John Strode brings Boonesboro settlers also from Berkeley County, Virginia, to his location where they built a station with about 30 cabins and a defensive wall.
The founding of Lexington, Kentucky.
The Wilderness Road. In 1775 Daniel Boone and a company of 30 men with axes connected some of these ancient paths to make a continuous route through Cumberland Gap, already known as a door to the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Turning southwest, Boone and his axe men blazed a trail called Boone's Trace, leading to Boonesboro.
The Cherokee sell eastern and central Kentucky to Colonel Richard Henderson of the Transylvania Land Company for 10,000 pounds. His ownership claim is overturned by the Virginia legislature.
Kentucky has a rich and varied archaeological heritage, with archaeological sites being located in every county of the Commonwealth. To date, archaeologists have recorded more than 19,000 archaeological sites in Kentucky.
Eskippathiki was a Shawnee town in what became eastern Clark county. It was also known as Little Pict Town to traders and may have been known to the Iroquois as Kentucky ("meadow lands") from which comes the name of the Kentucky River, which provided access to the town, and from that the name of the state.
1770 Map of Botetourt County, the parent county of Fincastle County.
Daniel Boone. Myth and Reality in the American Consciousness.
Boone Ancestors and Descendants. If you are interested in Boones' (this includes all variant spellings) and/or their Allied families or just interested in seeing what we have to share, come take a look.
On June 7, 1769, frontiersman Daniel Boone first saw the forests and woodlands of present-day Kentucky. The Kentucky Historical Society celebrates June 7th as "Boone Day."
LAND TRANSACTION FACTS. If a person owned land by virtue of a land grant, it was not necessary to also hold a deed to that tract of land.
Fayette County cabin restoration photograph.
How a Log Cabin Was Built - 1822. In building our cabin it was set north and south; my brother used my father's pocket-compass on the occasion, for we had no idea of living in a house that did not stand square with the earth itself. This showed our ignorance of the comforts and conveniences of a pioneer life. The position of the house, end to the hill, necessarily elevated the lower end, and the determination to have both a north and south door, added much to the airiness of the house, particularly after the green ash puncheons had shrunk so as to leave cracks in the floor and doors from one to two inches wide. At both the doors we had high, unsteady, and sometimes icy steps, made by piling up the logs cut out of the wall. We had a window, if it could be called a window, when, perhaps, it was the largest spot in the top, bottom, or sides of the cabin at which the wind could not enter. It was made by sawing out a log, and placing sticks across; and then, by pasting an old newspaper over the hole, and applying some hog's lard, we had a kind of glazing which shed a most beautiful and mellow light across the cabin when the sun shone on it. All other light entered at the doors, cracks, and chimney.
Admission of states and territorial acquisition of the United States.
History Shrines in and About Lexington, KY. For the guidance of visitors and information of some residents not familiar with the extraordinary historical wealth of Lexington.
Civil War Ky Archives. Information for anyone interested in Kentucky's Civil War heritage.
List Revolutionary War Warrants by Warrant Number for Kentucky.
The Kentucky Pension Roll of 1835.
PFAF Database Search of Native Plants.
Kentucky-Pennsylvania Long Rifle. The Kentucky (or Pennsylvania) Long Rifle was the most accurate long-range gun for several decades. The first documented appearance of rifling was in Germany around 1460. The flintlock was developed in the early 1600's. By the late 1600's gunsmiths were experimenting with longer barrels than the forerunner Yaeger. But it took the opening up of a new continent to bring out the best.
Circa 1725 the forerunner of the KY long rifles were being designed and built by German craftsman in Pennsylvania. After the French and Indian War brought new lands to the attention of the frontiersmen, the uniquely American long-range rifles were carried into the frontier (at that time Kentucky) by the long hunters, trappers and explorers. The actual name "Kentucky Longrifle" was first used in an 1812 song The Hunters of Kentucky.
A typical rifle was .50 caliber, made of curly maple, full stock and sported a 42 to 46 inch barrel. A crescent-shaped buttplate, patchbox and cheekpiece were also common and are helpful in identifying a KY/PA long rifle.
LEWIS WETZEL - The Early America Review, Spring 1997. Lewis Wetzel lived primarily as an Indian hunter. He never "settled down." He never took up land, built a cabin of his own, farmed, or did any other sort of usual work. There's no real record of him ever forming a permanent relationship with a woman. They said he was a good fiddle player who was always welcome in taverns and at dances. He got along well with dogs and children, but not so much so with adults. He did not speak very well and seemed strange and unstable. He would appear fairly often on a Sunday afternoon when there was a competition of frontier skills; shooting, running, tomahawk throwing, and so forth. When he did show up, he always won. Mainly he roamed the forests across in the Ohio country hunting Indians and carrying out one man raids. He would spend weeks at a time moving secretly deep in the forests north of the Ohio. One of his favorite strategies was to trail small Indian hunting parties. He'd wait until they made camp and settled in for the night. After they were well asleep he would descend upon them with knife and tomahawk, killing as many as he could before they were awake enough to resist. He wiped out parties of two or three several times this way.
KENTUCKY RIFLES - HOW THEY EARNED THEIR NAME. Surprisingly, one of America's earliest triumphs in artistic and functional design, the "Kentucky rifle," was not invented or generally fashioned in Kentucky. The name was coined from a hearty stock of Americans who plied it.
Travel and Tourism in Nineteenth Century Kentucky. Travel in early nineteenth century Kentucky was an arduous task. Roads were primitive at best, consisting of well-worn dirt tracks which quickly turned to mud in wet weather, or "corduroy" roads composed of logs covered with a thin layer of soil. Although the need for improved roads was recognized by the state legislature in 1793, the lack of public funds hindered construction. Finally, in 1835 a private turnpike company financed the first macadamized or "artificial" road in Kentucky from Maysville to Lexington. Until the "toll-gate war" of 1896-1900, all improved roads in the Bluegrass were privately owned and operated, with a toll house every five miles.
Search The Kentucky Encyclopedia Online. The Encyclopedia's 2,000-plus entries are the work of more than five hundred writers. Their subjects reflect all areas of the commonwealth and span the time from prehistoric settlement to today's headlines, recording Kentuckians' achievements in art, architecture, business, education, politics, religion, science, and sports.
Randolph Hollingsworth's Scrapbook contains the slave Non-Importation Law of Kentucky, 1833.
First Kentucky Newspaper. The first newspaper ever published west of the Alleghany mountains was established in Lexington, in 1787, by John Bradford. It was then called the Kentucke Gazette, but the final e of Kentucky was afterward changed to y, in consequence of the Virginia legislature requiring certain advertisements to be inserted in the Kentucky Gazette.
Early Lexington, Fayette County, KY Inventions. With the year 1793 commences the history of invention in Lexington, for at that time, in all reasonable probability, was invented the first steamboat that ever successfully plowed the waters of the world.
Southeastern Genealogy Onlin'es State of Kentucky contains Kentucky History; County Formation Maps; County Census Maps; and the Military History of Kentucky.