Kentucky History Drive

History is all around us.

Pioneers, Native nations, long hunters, soldiers and distillers. Explore the stories that made Kentucky, on a living map you can travel through time.

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Bluegrass Forts and Stations

From James Harrod's 1774 settlement to the springs where Lexington was named, then east to the stations near Winchester and Boonesborough that settlers held through the raids of 1779–1782.

Stops

  1. 1. Old Fort Harrod State Park

    PublicPaid admissionLimited hoursFounded 1774. State park; admission charged for the fort, seasonal hours.

    Commemorates James Harrod's 1774 settlement at Harrodsburg, with a reconstructed fort and pioneer cemetery. Sources: Wikipedia: Fort Harrod; Kentucky State Parks: Old Fort Harrod

    Maj. Joseph Bowman →Ann McGinty and Kentucky's first spinning wheel →

  2. 2. McConnell Springs

    PublicNamed June 1775. Free city park and nature area.

    In early June 1775 William McConnell's party camped here and named the site Lexington after news of the April 19, 1775 battle; permanent settlement came in 1779. Sources: KHS marker #554: Lexington Named; LFUCG: McConnell Springs Park

    36.7 mi, about 47 min from stop 1
    Lexington named →Col. Robert Patterson builds Lexington →

  3. 3. Bryan's Station Memorial

    PublicMarker onlySiege Aug. 15–16, 1782. Roadside memorial wall on Bryan Station Road; surrounding land is private.

    Fortified in 1779. On Aug. 15, 1782, Capt. William Caldwell led Shawnee and Delaware warriors and Canadian Rangers against the station; the next day they burned crops, killed livestock and withdrew toward Blue Licks. Sources: KHS marker #21: Bryan's Station; American Battlefield Trust: Bryan's Station

    9.2 mi, about 16 min from stop 2
    Bryan Station Siege, August 1782 →Simon Girty, the frontier's most hated interpreter →

  4. 4. Capt. John Strode marker (KHS #1047)

    PublicMarker onlyBuilt 1779. Roadside marker on US 60 west of Winchester; the station site itself is not open.

    John Strode built Strode's Station in 1779, the largest fortified settlement in early Clark County; it was attacked in 1781, when two men were killed. Sources: KHS marker #1047: Capt. John Strode; HMdb: Capt. John Strode

    14 mi, about 21 min from stop 3
    Capt. John Strode of Strode's Station →

  5. 5. Lower Howard's Creek Nature & Heritage Preserve (Holder's Station area)

    PublicLimited hoursStation 1782. Nature preserve; check access and hours before visiting.

    Col. John Holder, who had commanded Fort Boonesborough in 1779, built Holder's Station near the mouth of Lower Howard's Creek in 1782; much of the valley is now a nature and heritage preserve. Sources: ExploreKYHistory: Colonel John Holder

    10.4 mi, about 14 min from stop 4
    Col. John Holder at Lower Howard's Creek →

Directions cover the public stops only. Access, fees and hours are general; verify before visiting. Context: Fort Boonesborough is on the Boone's Trail drive. Peter Village, Muir and Singer-Hieronymus are protected archaeological sites; they are mentioned only as approximate context and are not stops.

Route map