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.

← Back to all drives

All drives · Plan a history drive · Distillery start

Woodford Reserve: Glenn's Creek, Versailles and Midway · Loop 1: Versailles and Midway

Starting at Woodford Reserve on Glenn's Creek: Versailles, Jack Jouett's house, Midway's mill and cemetery, and Woodford County's rail history.

I'm at Woodford Reserve: 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
Castle & Key (Old Taylor Distillery)
Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. founded the distillery in 1887; the restored grounds are now Castle & Key. Sources: Castle & Key		about 10 min, 3.6 miPaid, Reservation
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 12 min, 4.5 miLimited hours, Paid
Woodford County Historical Society Museum (Versailles)
Versailles was founded on June 23, 1792, on land owned by the child Hezekiah Briscoe; his guardian Marquis Calmes named it for Versailles, France, in honor of Lafayette. Sources: Grokipedia: Versailles, Kentucky; Woodford County Historical Society: Museum		about 13 min, 8.1 miLimited hours
Bluegrass Railroad and Museum
A heritage railroad and museum in Woodford County Park, with excursions and rolling-stock exhibits. Sources: Bluegrass Railroad and Museum		about 17 min, 10.0 miPaid, Limited hours
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 19 min, 11.9 miReservation
Sons & Daughters of Relief Cemetery (Midway)
Bought in 1876 by members of Midway's Sons & Daughters of Relief lodge; veterans and formerly enslaved community leaders are buried here, including horseman Edward Dudley Brown in an unmarked grave. It is Midway's oldest cemetery. Sources: KHS marker #2411: Sons & Daughters of Relief Cemetery		about 20 min, 10.5 miMarker only
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 23 min, 11.5 miPaid, Reservation
Jack Jouett House Historic Site
Home of Jack Jouett, who in 1781 rode about 40 miles to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature that British cavalry were coming; he later served in the Kentucky legislature. Sources: Grokipedia: Jack Jouett; Jack Jouett House Historic Site		about 24 min, 12.1 miLimited hoursRead the story
Weisenberger Mill
A mill has stood on South Elkhorn Creek since 1818; Augustus Weisenberger bought it in 1865, and the present mill building dates to 1913. Sources: Wikipedia: Weisenberger Mills and Related Buildings; Weisenberger Mill		about 28 min, 17.8 miLimited hours

Stops

  1. 1. Woodford Reserve (Old Oscar Pepper Distillery)

    PublicPaid admissionReservation neededNHL district. Working distillery; tours by reservation, fees apply.

    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

    James Crow on Glenn's Creek →

  2. 2. Bluegrass Railroad and Museum

    PublicPaid admissionLimited hoursHeritage railroad. Seasonal excursions; tickets required.

    A heritage railroad and museum in Woodford County Park, with excursions and rolling-stock exhibits. Sources: Bluegrass Railroad and Museum

    10 mi, about 17 min from stop 1
    No story yet for this stop.

  3. 3. Woodford County Historical Society Museum (Versailles)

    PublicLimited hoursTown founded 1792. Free museum; limited open days.

    Versailles was founded on June 23, 1792, on land owned by the child Hezekiah Briscoe; his guardian Marquis Calmes named it for Versailles, France, in honor of Lafayette. Sources: Grokipedia: Versailles, Kentucky; Woodford County Historical Society: Museum

    2.2 mi, about 6 min from stop 2
    Versailles Takes Shape →

  4. 4. Weisenberger Mill

    PublicLimited hoursMill site since 1818. Working mill with a small retail shop; check hours.

    A mill has stood on South Elkhorn Creek since 1818; Augustus Weisenberger bought it in 1865, and the present mill building dates to 1913. Sources: Wikipedia: Weisenberger Mills and Related Buildings; Weisenberger Mill

    10.4 mi, about 21 min from stop 3
    No story yet for this stop.

  5. 5. Sons & Daughters of Relief Cemetery (Midway)

    PublicMarker onlyLand bought 1876. Marker at W. Bruen and Wausau Sts.; please be respectful of burials.

    Bought in 1876 by members of Midway's Sons & Daughters of Relief lodge; veterans and formerly enslaved community leaders are buried here, including horseman Edward Dudley Brown in an unmarked grave. It is Midway's oldest cemetery. Sources: KHS marker #2411: Sons & Daughters of Relief Cemetery

    4.8 mi, about 10 min from stop 4
    No story yet for this stop.

  6. 6. Stone House at Fisher's Mill

    Private land: marker onlyNRHP 1983. Private property; view only from the road.

    A stone house at a historic mill site near Midway, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Sources: NPGallery: NRHP 83002912

    2.5 mi, about 7 min from stop 5
    No story yet for this stop.

Directions cover the public stops only. Stone House at Fisher's Mill: private property; view from public roads only. Access, fees and hours are general; verify before visiting.

Route map