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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All drives · Plan a history drive · Distillery start

Heaven Hill: Bardstown and the road to Lincoln's birthplace · Loop 1: Bardstown, New Haven and Lincoln's birthplace

Starting at Heaven Hill in Bardstown: the town's founding, Federal Hill, Spalding Hall and Union Church, then south to the Kentucky Railway Museum and Lincoln's birthplace.

I'm at Heaven Hill Distillery: 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
My Old Kentucky Home State Park (Federal Hill)
John Rowan's Federal Hill mansion; the grounds include the Rowan family burial ground and, southwest of the mansion, a burial ground of enslaved men, women and children. Sources: Grokipedia: My Old Kentucky Home State Park; Kentucky State Parks: My Old Kentucky Home		about 4 min, 1.6 miPaid
Bardstown courthouse square (KHS #1668)
William Bard laid off the town in 1780 as agent for his brother David and John C. Owings; the first log courthouse was built in 1785. Sources: KHS marker #1668: Bardstown		about 4 min, 2.2 miMarker onlyRead the story
Civil War Museum of the Western Theater
A museum campus in Bardstown on the Civil War's Western Theater. Sources: Civil War Museum (Bardstown)		about 5 min, 2.1 miPaid, Limited hours
Bardstown African American Heritage Museum (Union Church)
Housed in Union Church, built in 1812 and described as the first two-story brick church west of the Appalachians; restored in 2016. Sources: Bardstown African American Heritage Museum		about 5 min, 2.6 miLimited hours
Spalding Hall (Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History)
Built in 1826 as part of St. Joseph College; during the Civil War the college building served as a hospital. It now houses the Oscar Getz whiskey museum. Sources: KHS marker #1897: Spalding Hall; Wikipedia: Spalding Hall; Oscar Getz Museum		about 6 min, 2.8 miLimited hours
Holy Cross Church and Catholic Pioneers marker (KHS #913)
Basil Hayden Sr. led Maryland Catholic families to Pottinger's Creek in 1785; the first Catholic church west of the Alleghenies was built here in 1792, and the present church in 1823. Sources: KHS marker #913: Catholic Pioneers; ExploreKYHistory: Catholic Pioneers		about 15 min, 9.2 miMarker onlyRead the story
Kentucky Railway Museum (New Haven)
Founded in 1954 and now in New Haven; its collection includes Louisville & Nashville steam locomotive No. 152, listed on the National Register. Sources: Wikipedia: Kentucky Railway Museum; Kentucky Railway Museum		about 23 min, 14.9 miPaid, Limited hours
Jim Beam (Clermont)
James B. Beam rebuilt the family distillery at Clermont in 1933–34 after Prohibition; the brand took the name Jim Beam in 1943. Sources: Grokipedia: Jim Beam; Jim Beam		about 28 min, 17.4 miPaid, Reservation
Maker's Mark Distillery (Burks' Distillery)
Bill Samuels Sr. bought the Burks' Distillery at Loretto on October 1, 1953; it became a National Historic Landmark in 1980, the first U.S. distillery so recognized while its landmark buildings were in active production. Sources: Grokipedia: Maker's Mark; Maker's Mark		about 32 min, 18.7 miPaid, Reservation

Stops

  1. 1. Heaven Hill Distillery (Bardstown)

    PublicPaid admissionReservation neededFounded 1935. Visitor center with tours and tastings; fees apply, reservations advised.

    Founded by the Shapira family in 1935 after Prohibition; on Nov. 7, 1996, fire destroyed most of the Bardstown plant and about 90,000 barrels of bourbon. Sources: Grokipedia: Heaven Hill; Heaven Hill

    No story yet for this stop.

  2. 2. Bardstown courthouse square (KHS #1668)

    PublicMarker onlyLaid off 1780. Downtown marker; public square.

    William Bard laid off the town in 1780 as agent for his brother David and John C. Owings; the first log courthouse was built in 1785. Sources: KHS marker #1668: Bardstown

    2.2 mi, about 4 min from stop 1
    Bardstown →

  3. 3. Spalding Hall (Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History)

    PublicLimited hoursBuilt 1826. Museum; set hours.

    Built in 1826 as part of St. Joseph College; during the Civil War the college building served as a hospital. It now houses the Oscar Getz whiskey museum. Sources: KHS marker #1897: Spalding Hall; Wikipedia: Spalding Hall; Oscar Getz Museum

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

  4. 4. Bardstown African American Heritage Museum (Union Church)

    PublicLimited hoursChurch built 1812. Group tours by arrangement; check hours.

    Housed in Union Church, built in 1812 and described as the first two-story brick church west of the Appalachians; restored in 2016. Sources: Bardstown African American Heritage Museum

    0.5 mi, about 2 min from stop 3
    No story yet for this stop.

  5. 5. Civil War Museum of the Western Theater

    PublicPaid admissionLimited hoursMuseum. Paid admission; set hours.

    A museum campus in Bardstown on the Civil War's Western Theater. Sources: Civil War Museum (Bardstown)

    0.2 mi, about 1 min from stop 4
    No story yet for this stop.

  6. 6. My Old Kentucky Home State Park (Federal Hill)

    PublicPaid admissionBegun 1795. State park; mansion by guided tour with admission.

    John Rowan's Federal Hill mansion; the grounds include the Rowan family burial ground and, southwest of the mansion, a burial ground of enslaved men, women and children. Sources: Grokipedia: My Old Kentucky Home State Park; Kentucky State Parks: My Old Kentucky Home

    0.7 mi, about 2 min from stop 5
    No story yet for this stop.

  7. 7. Kentucky Railway Museum (New Haven)

    PublicPaid admissionLimited hoursFounded 1954. Museum and seasonal excursions; tickets required.

    Founded in 1954 and now in New Haven; its collection includes Louisville & Nashville steam locomotive No. 152, listed on the National Register. Sources: Wikipedia: Kentucky Railway Museum; Kentucky Railway Museum

    13.6 mi, about 21 min from stop 6
    No story yet for this stop.

  8. 8. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

    PublicBorn Feb. 12, 1809. National Park Service site; free.

    Abraham Lincoln was born on Sinking Spring Farm on Feb. 12, 1809; a symbolic cabin sits inside the 1911 Memorial Building. Sources: Wikipedia: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP; NPS: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

    15.1 mi, about 24 min from stop 7
    Hodgenville: from Hodgen's Mill to a county seat →

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

Route map