Advertisement
Flat, Spacious, Quiet Sites
Elkhorn Campground - Frankfort KYWhen I began planning my “Off to New England in 2012” trip, I knew Mother Nature would be at the epicenter of two activities near the top of my priority list. I was abruptly reminded just how fickle she can be when the cherry blossoms had already disappeared by the time I arrived in Washington DC for the 100
th Cherry Blossom Festival. At least the Festival Parade had a firm date – fall foliage does not! I had built a considerable amount of flexibility into my leaf-peeping schedule to assure I still would be in New England/Upstate New York for the pinnacle of the annual display and had told my aunt, who resides in White Mills KY, to expect me during the week of October 14, 2012.
As the final days of my 2012 journey unfolded, I found myself with an extra week to fill. Taking advantage of the numerous rainy days during my stay at the Magic Pines Family Campground in Lewis NY, I learned of a unique festival in Frankfort KY that was to be held over my “extra” weekend. The short notice didn’t offer much of a planning window for my days in Frankfort, and I found
Sturdy Fella
Switzer Covered Bridge - Frankfort KY some “space-limited” attractions were already filled. Also, my late fall visit found many attractions closed or operating on “off-season” schedules. State capitals, however, inherently host a variety of activities that secure my interest.
I broke the 950 mile trip into two legs with an overnight stop at Folly's End Campground in Girard PA - just beyond Erie PA so I wasn’t travelling inbound during the next day’s morning rush. The space I was assigned was big enough and level enough that I, essentially, parked, ate, slept and departed. I could have pulled into a Wal-Mart, but having electricity for the microwave and coffee maker sure was nice. I managed to get through Cincinnati OH before the afternoon rush and arrived at Elkhorn Campground in Frankfort KY about mid-afternoon. It was dark when I arrived at Folly's End so I can’t make a recommendation; however, Elkhorn Campground is great for a tourist. The sites are spacious and level, the campground is quiet with few (if any) permanent residents and it is only a short drive from Frankfort.
As usual, my first stop on Thursday, October 11, 2012 was at the visitor center where I learned the upcoming weekend was
also homecoming for Kentucky State University. Next I set out for my normal familiarization drive about town and made a stop at the Switzer Covered Bridge. The 120 foot long historic structure was built in 1855 and, although closed to vehicular traffic in 1954, once carried KY 1262 across North Elkhorn Creek at Switzer. Even though the steadfast bridge was knocked off its foundation in a March 1, 1997 flood, it withstood the assault and was placed back on its pilings and restored in 1998. It provides a nice setting for a small park adjacent to the bridge.
Next, I made my way to the
Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This extremely unique memorial is located on a hill overlooking the state capital and contains the names of 1,103 Kentuckians killed or missing in the Vietnam War. The memorial is a sundial with hour line segments radiating from the gnomon's base that designate the various years of America’s involvement in the conflict. The names of the deceased veterans have been placed in the appropriate radiating segment (year) at a distance from the base such that the tip of the gnomon's shadow touches each man's name on the date of his death, thus giving
each fallen warrior his own personal memorial day. The names of those who were unaccounted for at the time of construction have been placed on the sun side of the base of the gnomon where the shadow will never fall. Very impressive and a must see while in Frankfort.
Thursday evening found me back in downtown Frankfort to participate in the Murder & Mayhem Tour conducted by Russ Hatter. Several stops along the leisurely stroll through the downtown area provided Mr. Hatter an opportunity to vividly re-count a dozen or so lethal events from Frankfort’s formative years. This tour is one of several offered by the proud citizen volunteers of Frankfort – the Kentucky River Park Walk, the Downtown Walking Tour and the Kentucky River Boat Tour among them. Unfortunately, my spontaneous stop in Frankfort found most of the tours fully booked – indeed, Mr. Hatter graciously consented to my overbooking. I intend for my next visit to be better planned!
While driving into Frankfort on Friday, I stopped at the historic Frankfort Cemetery – allegedly the final resting place of Daniel and Rebecca Boone. I was generally aware of the exploits, both factual and legendary, of Boone
in his prime years; however, an inconsistency in his date of birth and the controversy surrounding the exhumation and re-interment of his remains was a revelation for me. Using the Gregorian calendar, which was prevalently used at the time of his birth; Daniel Boone was born on October 22, 1734 and was the date Boone used. Most documents list his date of birth as November 2, 1734 – the same day but as identified on the modern Julian calendar. Now, just what will this do to my genealogy data???
The controversy surrounding Boone’s post-mortem journey is less easily explained and remains disputed. In 1799, Boone (now 64 years young) found Kentucky “too crowded” and moved to a new frontier territory - Spanish Louisiana - with much of his extended family. Eventually, the area became part of what is now St. Charles County, Missouri. Boone died of natural causes on September 26, 1820 at age 85. Interestingly, his last words were, "I'm going now. My time has come." Kentuckians would contend Daniel was buried next to, Rebecca, his wife of 57 years who had died on March 18, 1813. Missourians contend the grave next to Rebecca's was already occupied by
Confederate Memorial With Graves Encircling The Monument
Frankfort Cemetery And Daniel Boone Grave - Frankfort KY the time Daniel died, so he was buried at her feet. The graves remained unmarked until the mid-1830s when, according to Missourians, a marker was correctly placed at Rebecca’s grave but erroneously marked the grave of the stranger next to Rebecca.
In 1845, Kentucky moved to reclaim the remains of its “founding son.” Missourians were angry about the relocation and remained mute, so the story goes, when the remains of Rebecca and the stranger were taken to Kentucky. There is no irrefutable evidence to support this legend; however, controversy exists. A crude plaster cast of the male skull (believed to be Daniel) was made at the time of the 1845 exhumation. A 1983 forensic examination of that casting found it might have been made from the skull of an African American. Since Negro slaves had also been buried in the Missouri cemetery, it is possible the wrong remains were mistakenly removed from the graveyard. The remains were reinterred in Frankfort Cemetery on August 20, 1845. The Boones and Will Rogers are but two examples of prominent historic figures whose remains have been “repossessed” by their “home states.” Today, both states claim possession of Daniel’s remains and both pay homage
Marble Abounds
Kentucky State Capitol - Frankfort KY to Daniel and Rebecca Boone.
From the cemetery, I continued to the Kentucky State Capitol for a guided tour of the landmark. Unlike most state capitals I have visited, the Capitol houses all three branches of Commonwealth government. This building, the fourth permanent capitol building since Kentucky was granted statehood in 1792, was dedicated on June 2, 1910. The third Capitol building (1830-1910) witnessed the assassination of Governor-elect William Goebel as he was awaiting his inauguration and now serves as a museum. (Again, available tours of the old capitol during my visit were booked.)
The main part of the new Capitol has three floors. Generally speaking, the first floor houses executive offices, the second floor contains the courtroom of the state Supreme Court and the justices’ chambers, and the bicameral legislative chambers face each other from opposite ends of the third floor. The Capitol used to be completely open during normal business hours, and local residents often walked through the marble hallways for exercise during inclement weather. Nowadays, anyone without proper credentials must go through a security check
The rotunda features statues of famous Kentuckians - Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky’s most famous native son; Henry Clay, legislator, orator
Moonshine Anyone?
Thomas D. Clark Center For Kentucky History - Frankfort KY and namesake of my maternal grandfather; and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy - as well as other exhibits. Murals above the entrances to the House and Senate chambers depict frontier scenes of Daniel Boone in action. The State Reception Room was lavishly designed as a place for ceremonial events. Interior columns, stairways, banisters, floors and walls are marble. Exotic woods that were used to panel chamber walls and original art add to the elegance of this historic landmark. The Capitol is a must see when visiting Frankfort.
By the time I arrived at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, “tourist hours” had almost concluded for the day so I had to violate one of my self-imposed rules – read the placards! The museum is well done – as I have come to expect from state museums – and contains exhibits one would anticipate finding in the portrayal of Kentucky history. Of course, Native Americans open the series of exhibits followed by an accounting of the exploits of Daniel Boone: The Prince of Pioneers. Unfound in most state museums are moonshine equipment and a summary of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. As I stated earlier, the museum is very
well done and is a good attraction if there is time. I plan to return during “peak” season when the operational hours are less restrictive.
Saturday found me “galloping” to the Days of Knights Festival – the enticement that drew mw to Frankfort on this particular weekend. My late brother-in-law had an extensive collection of swords, suits of armor and other medieval collectibles, and my casual interest grew as did his collection. The free festival was unlike most in that the focus was placed on learning about life in Medieval Times. The exhibitors’ tents formed a timeline through the centuries which helped the visitor understand how the evolution of social structures, agriculture, metallurgy and weaponry changed the landscape for our ancestors. Clubs, stones and sharpened sticks were first used for hunting and for defense from carnivorous animals. In time, man used weapons to subjugate other tribes or clans into slavery or other forms of servitude.
Most authorities define three principal periods or ages to classify and study ancient societies – Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. African cave paintings dating from about 6000 BCE depict people armed with clubs resembling maces. Early maces and spears merely had
An Angry Wife Or A Hungry Maiden?
Days of Knights Festival - Frankfort KY a stone, irregular or pointed as the case might be, affixed to the head of a club or shaft. Copper, because it can naturally occur in relatively pure forms, is considered by many to be the first metal used by humans; however, the softness and malleability of copper made it unsuitable for most weapons and agricultural implements. That changed with the development of bronze - an alloy of copper and tin.
Depending on the geographic area, the beginning of the Bronze Age occurred between 3300 BCE and 2900 BCE. During this era, blacksmiths began to use metal to improve the lethality of the mace and spear on predators, prey and battlefield opponents. With bronze also came a revolution in tribal warfare and the development of many new weapons including the penetrating axe, armor, helmet, composite bow, wheel and chariot. It would be incorrect, however, to conclude that new weapons were solely responsible for the increase in the scale of warfare that characterized this period of human history. The domestication of animals and the spread of agriculture throughout southern and central Europe and the Near East gave birth to social structures capable of sustaining large armies.
By 3100 BCE
Taking Time For A Knight-To-Be
Days of Knights Festival - Frankfort KY such a society was evident in Egypt and by 2700 BCE it was present throughout the states of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia generally corresponds to modern-day Iraq, the northeastern section of Syria, a portion of southeastern Turkey and some parts of southwestern Iran. Although these social structures were probably first employed on large scale public works projects -- building dikes, irrigation systems and the pyramids -- it was but a short reach to utilize these new-found capabilities in warfare. Essentially, the military transformations seen in the Bronze Age were rooted more in the development of complex, non-nomadic societies than in innovations in technology and weapons.
The third principle age, the Iron Age, began about 2000 BCE in southwest or south central Asia when iron replaced bronze in implements and weapons. Iron, particularly when alloyed with a bit of carbon, is harder and more durable than bronze and holds a keener edge. The Iron Age lasted for over three thousand years when it was replaced by steel in 1870 CE. While the armies near the end of the Bronze Age were quite large compared to those at the beginning of the period, they were minuscule when compared to those of the Iron
And A Knight Want-To-Be
Days of Knights Festival - Frankfort KY Age. In the Battle of Kadesh in 1304 BCE (the first ancient battle for which there are accurate strength figures), the Egyptians mounted a force of 20,000 men against a Hittite army of 17,000.
As army sizes increased, so did logistical obstacles. During the Bronze Age, the standard means of transport for the Egyptian army was the donkey. At the Battle of Kadesh, the ox-drawn cart was introduced and quickly became the standard for almost a thousand years. While the ox-cart allowed armies to move larger loads, it slowed their rate of movement to a crawl and generated its own logistical burden. The carts needed drivers and, because they required constant repair, an accompanying cadre of repairmen, tools and lumber.
Philip of Macedon (382–336 BCE) made two major contributions to the modernization of warfare. First, he discontinued the age-old practice of allowing soldiers to take along attendants, wives, girlfriends and other service providers when they went to war. Under the old system, an army of fighting men would have been accompanied by almost the same number of camp followers. Philip further increased his speed and mobility by replacing the ox-cart with a mixture of horses and mules and
by turning his soldiers into beasts of burden. Following the fall of Rome in the 5th century CE, few European states were able to muster such large military establishments until well into the 19th century.
Evidence of fortifications built exclusively for military purposes date from early in the Bronze Age. The first undisputed example of a fortified city occurred about 2700 BCE and protected a population of between 3,000 and 5,000. Within 200 years, fortified urban areas had become the norm. The fortifications of the Bronze Age were remarkable for the time – walls as much as 15 feet thick, 30 feet high and 6 miles long. Fortified cities put field armies at great risk, and the success of a conquering army depended upon its ability to overcome fortified strong points if it was to achieve its objective.
Relatively safe behind the city's walls, defending armies could provision themselves for long periods, while the attacking armies were forced to live off the land or (in the absence of victory) until hunger, thirst and/or disease forced a retreat. A wide variety of catapults were developed which enabled stones to be hurled into or out of the fortification. One of
these machines, the palintonon, could fire an 8-pound stone over 300 yards. Military engineers developed several wall-breaching techniques, but all were labor-intensive and required patience and perseverance. In the case of Masada, the Romans laid siege to the mountaintop fortress for 3 years.
Gunpowder was discovered in the 7th century CE in China, spread through the Middle East, and then into Europe. New techniques for casting metal, coupled with the invention of gunpowder, led to the development of the primitive cannon or siege mortar that was used to batter down castle walls. By the 15th and 16th centuries, gunpowder was changing the battlefield as well. The appearance of the musketeer, the forerunner of the modern rifleman, and his firelock musket made it possible for tightly packed infantry formations to battle cavalry units without having to engage directly in close combat. The slow rate of fire of these early short-range weapons, however, required that the musketeers be protected from hostile advance. Adding musketeers to traditional pikemen formations allowed the musketeers to reload under cover of the pikemen.
The pike - a long thrusting spear varying in length from 10 to 25 feet - was not
... Before Hand-To-Hand Combat
Days of Knights Festival - Frankfort KY designed to be thrown but was used by foot soldiers deployed in close order and was thrust at the adversary. The great length of the pikes made them unwieldy in close combat and meant that pikemen had to be equipped with a shorter weapon such as a sword, mace or dagger in the event of hand-to-hand combat. The legacy of the pikeman remains in the form of the modern bayonet. Although the mix of pike to musket changed considerably over the next 300 years, the mixed infantry formation remained the basic infantry structure for the next three centuries. By the 17th century, gun-making had progressed to the point where range and power were to change little over the next two centuries.
In addition to the exhibitors’ booths, demonstrations of sword fighting, pikemen maneuvers, jousting, longbow marksmanship and watermelon catapult launches were scheduled at regular intervals throughout the day. Unlike most renaissance fairs, period food and merchandise sales were almost non-existent – the focus was on learning. The exhibitors were knowledgeable and willing to share that knowledge with attendees of all ages. Most demonstrations were accompanied by a narrator who offered an explanation of the event and entertained questions. Unfortunately,
And, Of Course, Jousting
Days of Knights Festival - Frankfort KY this festival does not appear to be an annual event. Fortunately, my timing was marvelous.
For those of you who follow my blog, I apologize for the tardiness of the last two entries. Both were almost completed when I visited my aunt in White Mills KY, drove to FL and flew to IL to visit family and friends over Thanksgiving. My return found me out of my normal blogging routine and, as the proverb goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” I currently am in Florida and will be until at least early June when I am scheduled for what I hope will be the last of my routine medical examinations/appointments. I then plan to journey along the Gulf Coast to Houma LA and then northeast to Nashville TN and east to Appalachia.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 14; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0438s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Tom Hester
non-member comment
Relief
I thought you had met with a terrible accident but I'm happy to know that it was only a case of severe procratination. A great report on Kentucky. If you want quilts, try the National Quilting Museum in Paducah. A surfeit of covers.