Royal Spring Park is the site of a large

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

, that since the earliest settlements in the area has provided water for the area. In addition to the spring, the park has a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eu ...

built by a former

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, Milton Leach. The park was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

on April 2, 1973.

History

Royal Spring

Royal Spring is a large spring in Georgetown, Kentucky, that has been a main source of water since the first settlements in the area. In 1889, the Georgetown Water Works Company was incorporated, and distributed the spring water until the City of Georgetown purchased that company and established the Municipal Water Works Plant in 1945. Currently, more than 13,000 customers of Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service rely on water from the spring as their primary water supply.

Early settlements

In 1774 John Floyd of

Fincastle County, Virginia Fincastle County, Virginia, was created by act of the Virginia General Assembly April 8, 1772 from Botetourt County.Pendleton, William C. (1920)''History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia: 1748-1920'' pp. 255-57. W. C. Hill Printing Co ...

led a

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ...

party into Kentucky to locate land to be used as "compensation for soldier in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

". On July 7, 1774, Floyd found the spring and he received it and of land as payment for his surveying work. This spring's earliest known name was "Mr. Floyd's Spring". In October 1775, Floyd transferred ownership of the spring to John McClelland (1745–1776), from

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 364,663. The county seat is Greensburg. Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford co ...

, after McClelland surveyed and built a cabin on the land earlier in the year. In 1776 McClelland's Fort, an army outpost was built on a nearby cliff to have close proximity to the spring. The fort was abandoned in 1777 after the Indian attacks increased in frequency and severity.

Kentucky Bourbon developed

Baptist preacher

Elijah Craig Elijah Craig (November 15, 1738 – May 18, 1808) was an American Baptist preacher, who became an educator and capitalist entrepreneur in the area of Virginia that later became the state of Kentucky. He has sometimes, although rather dubiously, ...

set up a

grain mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

and used the spring water to first distill

bourbon whiskey Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon ...

using the sour mash process on this site in 1789. Craig has long been credited with the creation of bourbon though more recent research suggests alternative explanations. Royal Spring Park, located off West Main Street (

U.S. Route 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ag ...

) in the downtown area, features an outdoor recreation area, viewing of Royal Spring, and an authentic restored log cabin

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

. The site has several historical markers and

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

s that give tribute to the spring, early settlers, and local war heroes. The park was added to the U.S.

on April 2, 1973.

Leach Cabin

In 1874, Milton Leach, a former slave, built a log cabin to use as his dwelling. The log cabin was restored and relocated to Royal Spring Park to serve as a museum.

References

External links

Georgetown, KY AttractionsRoyal Springs at Georgetown, Kentucky entry on U.S. National Water Information System
web site.

{{Registered Historic Places Parks in Kentucky Springs of Kentucky Museums in Scott County, Kentucky Historic house museums in Kentucky Protected areas of Scott County, Kentucky Houses in Georgetown, Kentucky Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Bodies of water of Scott County, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Scott County, Kentucky Log buildings and structures in Kentucky Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Log cabins in the United States Bourbon whiskey