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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Castle & Key: Glenn's Creek to the capital · Loop 1: Frankfort museums and the Elkhorn

Starting at Castle & Key on Glenn's Creek: the State Arsenal, the Kentucky Historical Society, Daniel Boone's grave and the Switzer covered bridge.

I'm at Castle & Key: what history is near here?

Sites within about 30 minutes by road, nearest first. Times and miles are estimates from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), not live traffic.

SiteFrom the distillery (est.)AccessStory
Glenns Creek Distilling (former Old Crow Distillery)
Glenns Creek Distillery began operating in 2013 in part of the former Old Crow Distillery. Sources: Grokipedia: Old Crow; Glenns Creek Distilling		about 4 min, 1.1 miLimited hours, Paid
Woodford Reserve (Old Oscar Pepper Distillery)
Elijah Pepper's distillery, later the Oscar Pepper Distillery, where James C. Crow worked in the mid-1800s on sour mash and barrel-aging methods; a National Historic Landmark. Sources: Grokipedia: Woodford Reserve; Woodford Reserve		about 10 min, 3.6 miPaid, Reservation
McCrackin Distillery and Mill (Tyrone)
A historic distillery and mill site at Tyrone listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Sources: NPGallery: NRHP 83002903		about 16 min, 6.6 miPrivate land
Frankfort Cemetery (Daniel Boone grave)
Daniel and Rebecca Boone were reinterred here in 1845; Boone had died in Missouri in 1820. Sources: KHS marker #113: Daniel Boone's Grave; Grokipedia: Frankfort Cemetery		about 17 min, 8.2 miPublic
Buffalo Trace Distillery (George T. Stagg Distillery)
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2013 under the George T. Stagg Distillery name; it was allowed to keep operating during Prohibition to make whiskey for "medicinal purposes." Sources: Grokipedia: Buffalo Trace Distillery; Buffalo Trace Distillery		about 17 min, 8.8 miReservation
Leslie Morris Park at Fort Hill
A promontory above downtown Frankfort with two Civil War earthwork forts, built by the 103rd Ohio Infantry to protect the capital; now a public park. Sources: Wikipedia: Fort Hill (Frankfort, Kentucky); City of Frankfort: Leslie Morris (Fort Hill) Park		about 18 min, 9.2 miPublic
Old State Capitol
Gideon Shryock's Greek Revival capitol housed the Kentucky General Assembly from 1830 to 1910 and has been a Kentucky Historical Society museum since 1920. Sources: Kentucky Historical Society: Old State Capitol; Wikipedia: Old State Capitol (Kentucky)		about 18 min, 8.7 miPaid, Limited hours
Liberty Hall Historic Site
Senator John Brown built Liberty Hall in 1796–1800; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Sources: Wikipedia: Liberty Hall (Frankfort, Kentucky); Liberty Hall Historic Site		about 18 min, 9.0 miPaid, Limited hours
Wild Turkey Distillery
In 1891 Thomas Ripy built the Old Hickory Distillery at Tyrone near Lawrenceburg; the Ripy family rebuilt after Prohibition, and the Wild Turkey brand dates to 1940. Sources: Grokipedia: Wild Turkey (bourbon); Wild Turkey		about 31 min, 14.9 miPaid, Reservation

Stops

  1. 1. Castle & Key (Old Taylor Distillery)

    PublicPaid admissionReservation neededFounded 1887. Working distillery; tours and tastings by reservation, fees apply.

    Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. founded the distillery in 1887; the restored grounds are now Castle & Key. Sources: Castle & Key

    E.H. Taylor Jr. and the Bottled-in-Bond Act, 1897 →

  2. 2. Kentucky Military History Museum (State Arsenal)

    PublicLimited hoursArsenal built 1850. Kentucky Historical Society museum; check open days.

    The State Arsenal was built in 1850, seized by Confederates in September 1862 and retaken by Union forces in October; it became a military history museum in 1973. Sources: KHS marker #1490: State Arsenal; Kentucky Historical Society: Kentucky Military History Museum

    8.6 mi, about 18 min from stop 1
    No story yet for this stop.

  3. 3. Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History

    PublicLimited hoursKentucky Historical Society. Museum and library; check hours, admission may apply.

    Headquarters of the Kentucky Historical Society in downtown Frankfort, with the state's history museum and research library. Sources: Kentucky Historical Society: Visit

    0.3 mi, about 1 min from stop 2
    No story yet for this stop.

  4. 4. Frankfort Cemetery (Daniel Boone grave)

    PublicBoones reinterred 1845. Cemetery grounds open daily; please be respectful of burials.

    Daniel and Rebecca Boone were reinterred here in 1845; Boone had died in Missouri in 1820. Sources: KHS marker #113: Daniel Boone's Grave; Grokipedia: Frankfort Cemetery

    0.8 mi, about 3 min from stop 3
    No story yet for this stop.

  5. 5. Switzer Covered Bridge

    PublicCovered bridge. Pedestrian bridge beside the road; small roadside park.

    Franklin County's only covered bridge, over North Elkhorn Creek. Sources: HMdb: Switzer Covered Bridge; Wikipedia: Switzer Covered Bridge

    8.2 mi, about 16 min from stop 4
    No story yet for this stop.

Directions cover the public stops only. Access, fees and hours are general; verify before visiting.

Route map