Old Fort Harrod State Park is a park located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The park encompasses and features a reconstruction of Fort Harrod, the first permanent American settlement in the state of Kentucky. The fort was named after James Harrod, who led an early party of settlers into

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. The park was founded in November 1934 as Pioneer Memorial State Park, and dedicated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and Governor Ruby Laffoon.

Attractions

The park features several attractions: the replica of the old fort, the Mansion Museum, the George Rogers Clark Federal Monument, Lincoln Marriage Temple, and oldest cemetery west of the Alleghenies. The reconstructed fort contains several log structures representing various aspects of military frontier life, including a militia blockhouse, a family blockhouse, several cabins demonstrating pioneer life, a blab school, the minister's cabin, and the leader's cabin. (The actual site of the original fort is under the current parking lot.) The Mansion Museum is a

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

home that contains

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

artifacts, a McIntosh gun collection, paintings, documents, music collections,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

memorabilia and Native American artifacts. The Lincoln Marriage Temple is a brick structure, housing the reconstructed log cabin where Abraham Lincoln's parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, were married. The George Rogers Clark Federal Monument (not to be confused with the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana) was designed by architect Francis Keally and sculptor

Ulric Ellerhusen Ulric Henry Ellerhusen (1879–1957) first name variously cited as Ulrich or Ulrik, surname sometimes cited as Ellerhousen) was a German-American sculptor and teacher best known for his architectural sculpture. His works include 70 sculptures fo ...

. The park also has the so-called 'Big Ole Tree', the largest Osage Orange tree in the US. Parking lot for Old Fort Harrod State Park.jpg, Parking lot for the fort, under which the actual fort site lies

History

1773–1774

The history of Old Fort Harrod can be traced back to the year 1773, where it is said that Captain James Harrod felled the first tree that signaled the beginning of human habitation in the Kentucky territory. The fort itself was built in June 1774 by James Harrod, Abraham Hite, Jacob and James Sandusky, and thirty other men including General James Ray and Captain William Pogue. For the construction of the fort and Harrodsburg itself, one half-acre lot was laid out within the fort walls, and five acres of land were plotted outside the walls, one for each member of Harrod's crew. After the cabins were erected for each plot, they were distributed to each man in a lottery system.

1780s–1790s

In 1780, after the establishment of Harrodsburg, the Kentucky territory had been separated into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln; Harrodsburg was then a part of Lincoln County. In 1785, the counties were further divided and Harrodsburg was made a part of Mercer County, in which it remains today. Multiple county court meetings were held in the Harrodsburg courthouse between September 22, 1789, and April 27, 1790. Some of the most notable members of the court justices were Samuel McAfee and Samuel McDowell.

Layout

''The layout of the buildings within the fort remain the same, however, some of the landmarks, such as the springs are in different locations due to the forts relocation.'' Fort Harrod itself spans an area of 264 square feet. The walls of the fort are composed of pickets measuring 14 feet tall and more than a foot in diameter; they are buried 4 feet in the ground, making the wall stand at about 10 feet tall all around. Gates are located on the North and West walls, spanning 10 feet wide. Inside the fort walls, there are blockhouses sitting at the Southwest and Southeast corners, where the upper stories extend 2 feet beyond the walls; they were built this way to allow for gunfire along the walls, where other gunmen may not have been able to reach from the stockades. Between these blockhouses sit seven story-and-a-half tall houses, measuring 20 feet by 20 feet, with 10 feet of space between them. A single story tall cabin was built next to the east corner, which was used as a school. Two springs were located within the fort, one at the Northwest corner and one on the eastern side. Currently, the spring near the Northeast wall is the only one within the fort walls. A blacksmith shop is located on the southern wall of the fort.

References

*Replica of Fort Harrod, Harrodsburg, 1923–1928, Filson Club History Quarterly, volume 3, issue 1, October 1928

External links

Old Fort Harrod State Park
Kentucky State Parks
Old Fort Harrod State Park Map
Kentucky State Parks {{authority control State parks of Kentucky Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Open-air museums in Kentucky Museums in Mercer County, Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky Military and war museums in Kentucky Pre-statehood history of Kentucky Protected areas of Mercer County, Kentucky Harrodsburg, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, Kentucky Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Replica buildings 1774 establishments in the Colony of Virginia Protected areas established in 1934 1934 establishments in Kentucky Parks established in the 1930s