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Published: September 28th 2016
I departed Riley Creek Campground in Kingston TN on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 with a one week stop planned before I hit Bardstown KY. That would be my aunt’s home in White Mills KY, birthplace of my mother. Since I retired in 1998, I stop almost every year on my way to or from Illinois to reconnect with my aunt and a few of several cousins scattered throughout the area. Technically, White Mills is an unincorporated community (with a post office and a zip code), and, technically, my aunt is an aunt by marriage. Does that make her my aunt-in-law? I’ve never heard of such a thing! My only surviving biologic aunt lives in Florida, and I see her regularly as well. The one-week stop I had allocated to White Mills was considerably longer than my normal stop of 2-3 nights.
For several years, I have been promising my aunt I would make it to White Mills Days which is held the Friday before and the first Saturday of July. My aunt, in spite of the fact that her age and her speedometer both are approaching 90, is very involved in the White Mills community. This year’s project for the
White Mills Civic League is the construction of a canoe and kayak launching ramp on the Nolin River. White Mills Days generates the funds for sundry community projects. Friday evening was an opportunity to have a burger or dog prepared by the local Boy Scout troop, to watch the crowning of several queens (as defined by age groupings), to socialize with friends and neighbors and to enjoy a fireworks exhibition. I had no notion of how much pyrotechnics $400 would buy (My aunt kept apologizing, “We only had $400 to spend on the fireworks.”), so I held my expectations to a very low level and actually was quite pleasantly surprised. Well done, White Mills!
Saturday morning, we set out lawn chairs by the road to watch the White Mills Days Parade, with its requisite small-town, rural America fire trucks, queens and their courts, tractors, antique cars, politicians and floats before heading into town to watch the canoe and kayak races, to walk through the car show, to watch the performance line dance team, to listen to the Civil War band, to watch the dog costume contest, to participate in (or abstain from) the auction of merchandise donated by local
businesses and to eat half a chicken. The local volunteer fire department prepared 950 halves while a group of local volunteers prepared some good old-fashion southern sides. The meal was topped off with a piece of homemade pie baked by numerous local amateur pastry chefs – one of those pastry chefs was my aunt’s niece who was going to be out of town for the weekend but brought over her donation to be taken to the festivities. Okay, so those who got served late had to deal with a piece of store-bought pie provided by somebody with neither the time and/or the skill to do the homemade thing!
One day my aunt, her sister and I drove to a local orchard to pick peaches and another day we went into Elizabethtown KY to see the Hardin County Veterans Tribute. This very nice memorial honors all five branches of the armed services as well as the civil servants who labor to support the troops (part of Fort Knox is located in Hardin County). Many might call all the White Mills Days festivities and picking peaches “corny;” however, I would argue that to call White Mills Days and its sundry cousins
scattered throughout our nation “corny” would be akin to calling America ”corny,” and believe that those from small town America might justifiably call the symphony, the ballet, or the opera “corny.” After all,
The Great Adventure is not about high-brow art museums but rather is about museums that relate America’s stories – say nothing of eating my aunt’s warm, made-from-scratch peach cobbler, of course, topped by a heaping scoop of vanilla!
On Tuesday evening before my departure for Bardstown KY, I made a routine (every 2-4 weeks) phone call to my sister so she and my aunt could chat. For some mysterious reason, only
my phone works between my sister’s home and either of my aunt’s homes. Go figure! During our last conversation, my sister, Helen, seemed upbeat and reported her health as status quo. No alarm or consternation was noted. On Tuesday evening, however, my niece answered and informed me that Helen was in the hospital but was due to be released the next day. Somehow I had been inadvertently omitted from a series of group text messages distributed by my nephew. My conversation with my niece ended with the understanding that I would get an update on
my sister’s health Wednesday evening and, if necessary, would modify my travel plans accordingly.
Briefly, Helen had been diagnosed with cancer late in 2012, had had a PET scan late in the spring of 2016 (after I had left Arizona) and had been given 3-6 months to live, so an abrupt, unscheduled trip to Illinois loomed in the back of my mind as I proceeded on the 2016 Chapter of
The Great Adventure. Over the course of Tuesday evening, I had some “monologue” (thinking out loud) with my aunt in attendance (she is a very good listener) about my course of action. I decided to continue with my move to Bardstown the next day and not to overreact with an immediate departure for Illinois. I did, however, decide to abandon my original plans for an eastwardly move from Bardstown to West Virginia before heading north and then west across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana on the way to Illinois to attend my 50
th high school reunion in Rockford.
Even though I had only a thirty-minute drive from my aunt’s home in White Mills to My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown on Wednesday, July 6, 2016, my mind
was preoccupied with thoughts of my sister. After my short drive and set-up, I found an interesting festival in Peru IN which just happened to coincided with my modified itinerary. Peru is the self-proclaimed "Circus Capital of the World" and was the winter headquarters for several famous circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and others. It also is home to the International Circus Hall of Fame and is home to the world's only remaining manufacturer of steam calliopes.
Circus City Festival, wherein all of the performers are amateurs ranging in age from 7 to 21, was scheduled for Friday, July 15 thru Saturday, July 23, 2016, and a two-week stop fit into my modified itinerary quite nicely. Many might know I’m a sucker for vintage entertainment so this festival seemed “just what the doctor ordered.”
My phone call to my sister on Wednesday evening minimized the severity of her hospitalization and endorsed my modified itinerary. She did, however, acknowledge she probably would not survive to see her “in the oven” great-grandson in November and did express her appreciation for my modification of my itinerary and for my earlier-than-originally-planned arrival in Rockford. So, Uncle Larry continued with his
Lincoln Homestead State Park – Springfield KY
The Lincoln Cabin – A Replica Of The Cabin Where Widow Beersheba Lincoln Raised Her Children And The President’s Father Thomas Lincoln Lived Until He Was 25 Years Oldmodified plan, would make an unplanned stop to enjoy a circus festival and would save West Virginia, et. al. for a future trip.
Bardstown touts itself as the “Bourbon Capital of the World” and is the hub of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail – not to mention its proximity to several attractions I had not yet visited. Thursday, July 7, 2016 found me setting out for
Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield KY which features both historic buildings and reconstructions associated with Thomas Lincoln, the father of President Abraham Lincoln. The two-story Francis Berry House is the only original structure in the park; however, it was originally located about a mile east of its present location. That is where Nancy Hanks, Abraham's mother, was living and working as a seamstress while she was being courted by Thomas Lincoln. Thomas is reported to have proposed to Nancy by the large fireplace in the home. Two other buildings are reconstructions: the "workshop" where Thomas learned blacksmithing and carpentry, and the "Lincoln cabin."
The replica 16 X 18-foot cabin was built on the actual site of the original Lincoln cabin where Thomas lived with his family as a boy and is made of 115-year-old logs.
The Corner Cabinet Made By Thomas Lincoln
Lincoln Homestead State Park – Springfield KY Interestingly, Captain Abraham Lincoln, the president's grandfather, had moved to the site from Virginia in 1781-82 with his wife Beersheba and their children following the American Revolutionary War. He was killed in May 1786 in an attack by an American Indian. Thomas was saved when his oldest brother, Mordecai, shot the Indian before he could do anything to the boy. Captain Lincoln was buried near the cabin, but the exact location is unknown.
The furnishings in the buildings are well documented, and many are believed to have been made by Thomas Lincoln. For example, a corner cupboard with the initials TL carved into the back is believed to have been made by the president’s father. Several artifacts were new to me or have been seen only on rare occasions. Even without the historical connection to the Lincoln family, the park is a worthwhile stop. With the connection to the ancestors of one of our presidents, need I say more?
My next stop was the 1871 Mount Zion Covered Bridge, located on KY 458 in, you betcha, Springfield KY. Mount Zion Bridge is an 11 foot-wide bridge of burr arch truss design, and its 246-foot length makes it the
longest multi-span covered bridge in Kentucky. The bridge is currently undergoing renovation and is not much of “looker” but surely would be worth a stop when the facelift is complete. Here is a nice aerial
picture of the bridge sans the construction equipment. My next stop was in downtown Springfield KY to take a look at the Abraham Lincoln Sculpture and to get another helping of “historic downtown Americana.” The statue is merely another statue of Abraham Lincoln, but the downtown is worth a stop for lunch or if there is extra time.
I had to search for a few minutes for a legal parking space close to the Lebanon Civil War Park in Lebanon KY. “No Parking” signs are rampant. A statue of Major General George H. Thomas is the centerpiece of this small park. Thomas, who oversaw the formation of the 10
th Kentucky Infantry while at Lebanon’s Camp Crittenden, led Union forces from Lebanon to Mill Springs KY in January 1862 – the first major Civil War battle in Kentucky. Later known as the Rock of Chickamauga, Thomas had a successful record in the Civil War but failed to achieve the historical acclaim of some of his
contemporaries such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. His anonymity was caused primarily by his service in the Western Theater where less press coverage was available but also by his reputation as a slow, deliberate general who shunned self-promotion and who did not write memoirs to advance his legacy.
A Virginia native, Thomas was one of thousands who had to choose sides when the war erupted. One sister said after the war, “I have no brother,” and went to her death bed never to speak to him again. When Thomas died in 1870, President Grant, Generals Sherman, Sheridan and Meade, members of the cabinet and members of Congress attended the funeral, but the General’s family was absent. Another sister told neighbors, “Our brother, George, died to us in 1861.” So deep were the scars of the Civil War. In addition to the statue, an accompanying placard sports a short biography of Thomas and relates, “Today, the City of Lebanon is proud to have been, if only for a short time so long ago, ‘Home to George H. Thomas’.” The park can only be recommended to the student of the Civil War or the art aficiadado.
My
final stop of the day was the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto KY. There are five distilleries within commuting distance of Bardstown – Barton 1792 Distillery, Willett Distillery, Heaven Hill Distilleries and the Bourbon Heritage Center, Burks' Distillery and, of course, Maker's Mark Distillery – and another dozen or so scattered across Kentucky. Bourbon has an interesting
history unto itself and the
Kentucky Bourbon Trail features ten of those distilleries. The tour at Maker's Mark begins in a spacious comfortable waiting area with complimentary coffee, interesting furnishings and historic artifacts. In short order, my assigned group boarded a shuttle for transport to the manufacturing facilities. The tour goes through the entire process from the selection of the grains to the bottling of the product and concludes with a stop in the tasting room where “how to taste bourbon” is explained and four different Maker's Mark products are sampled – from the less pricey to the more expensive. All the distillery tours I researched cost about $10 each, and Maker's Mark is no exception. Makes sense to me! T’was the last stop of the day – time to return to the campground and park the truck. Makes sense to me!
I had
Life In A Reenactor Camp
Civil War Reenactment - Brandenburg KY learned of a Civil War Reenactment to be held in Brandenburg KY on July 9, 2016 and decided to take a leisurely, one-hour drive northwest to this Ohio River town that was site of
Morgan's Raid, a highly publicized incursion by the Confederate cavalry into the northern states of Indiana and Ohio. Morgan's Raid, named for the Confederate commander Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan, became known to many Confederates as The Great Raid of 1863 and was called The Calico Raid by some Northern newspapers. The action was called a “raid” because of the perpetrators' propensity for procuring personal property from local stores and houses. Wow, my proof-reading found the alliteration! It’s kinda growing on me. LOL
The raid took place from June 11-July 26, 1863. Over the course of those 46 days, the Confederates rode over 1,000 miles. The raid coincided with the Vicksburg Campaign and the Gettysburg Campaign, and, although it was not directly related to either campaign, it served to draw the attention of tens of thousands of Union troops away from their normal duties and to strike fear into the hearts and minds of the civilian population of several Northern states. Repeatedly thwarted in his attempts
to return to Confederate territory by hastily positioned Union forces and state militia, Morgan eventually surrendered what was left of his command in northeastern Ohio. Morgan himself escaped, casually took a train to Cincinnati and crossed the Ohio River back into Kentucky.
Brandenburg is the location where Morgan crossed into Indiana and, thus, the cause for the reenactment. A park lines the Ohio River and hosts the reenactor encampments. Wandering through the encampment, I struck up a conversation with a group of participants, learned several are former Marines and game on. Shortly, I was invited to change into period clothing and become a colleague. Regrettably, I had to decline the invite as I doubted my lungs could have withstood the running and the maneuvers I envisioned. Although none of the men were Vietnam-era vets, we still had a lot of “Semper Fi” laughs together and enjoyed some banter during the reenactment. Retrospectively, my lungs would have done just fine. Those folks fight war differently from that to which I am accustomed! I selected a different route back to Bardstown and enjoyed a different perspective of Kentucky’s gorgeous countryside.
On my drive back through Bardstown, I encountered several street
John Brown’s Pike
Civil War Museum - Bardstown KY closings and noticed a stage erection in progress. Some investigation led to my discovery of the free, regularly-scheduled
Bourbon City Street Concert in, you betcha, Bardstown. My early, “people-watching” arrival assured I had a roomy area surrounding my lawn chair (say nothing of a great parking spot); however, the street soon was packed. My hearing sucks, and, by the time the concert started, the din of the locals chatting at their “monthly get-together” easily bested the totally inadequate sound system. I left a full two hours before the concert ended but, by the time I returned to the RV park, I was still up well past my bedtime! Back at the campground, I was amazed at how the music was still faintly audible (and more discernable), but the previously overwhelming din had vanished!
I selected a “Schoolless Sunday” to visit the Civil War Museum, the Historic Bardstown Village, the Museum of Mid America and the Women of the Civil War Museum.
All four attractions are within Bardstown (two are a few blocks from the other two), and one price gains admission to all four venues. Indeed, tickets are good for two consecutive days. Offhand, I cannot think of a more comprehensive, better documented, more
educational examination of the Civil War than that found at the Civil War Museum. The museum impartially examines the causes of the war and the events leading to the outbreak of hostilities as well as the ultimate example of the divisiveness of the war: “The classic example of brother against brother was the Crittenden family. The father, Senator John Crittenden, worked hard to reach a compromise after succession to lure the ceded states back into the Union. When the War started despite his efforts, his son, Thomas, became a Union Army General; and his son, George, became a Confederate one, both fighting in the Armies of the Western Theater.”
From artifacts as rare as Robert E. Lee’s Amnesty Oath to John Brown’s pike to the more ordinary such as the sabre used by Capt. M.T. Davis of the 38
th Indiana Volunteers, the Confederate battle flag carried by Private Moon of the 6
th Tennessee and the pipe smoked by Lt. Col. Michael Weidrich of the 1
st New York Light Artillery, the museum is chock full of artifacts. Some artifacts are not linked to individuals but to individual battles, while there are numerous prints depicting most of the major battles of
the War.
I stepped outside to visit Historic Bardstown Village which is a re-creation of a 1790's frontier village representative of the first westward movement of the nation. The cabins are 150 to 200 years old, have been relocated to the “village” from other venues and depict craftsmen such as woodworkers, wheel wrights, blacksmiths, tanners, candle makers, broom makers and tavern keepers. A few of the cabins are dedicated to depicting home life on the western frontier. An unfortunately inaccessible but very unique grist mill is the centerpiece of the village. I found the village interesting and very well done; however, not extremely extraordinary. A living history event would add immensely to the tourism value.
I drove 3-4 blocks up the hill to the Museum of Mid America. This museum traces America’s military endeavors from the Revolutionary War through the wars in the Middle East. This is a nice museum but, understandably, is less focused than its excellent Civil War cousin. The Women of the Civil War Museum. actually a wing of the Museum of Mid America, focuses on nurses of the Civil War, including Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix and Kate Cumming, but also identifies some of the
Artifacts Are Scarce But Not Absent
Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center - Bardstown KY movers and shakers who we key players in the women’s suffrage movement such as Julia Ward Howe. Both museums are nicely done with the Women of the Civil War Museum the more unique and, therefore, the more highly recommended. Retrospectively, for those with an entire day to devote to the four institutions, I would suggest starting with the Museum of Mid America and the Women of the Civil War Museum. Then get a late breakfast and visit the Civil War Museum. With whatever time remains, visit Historic Bardstown Village. For those with less than a full day, start with the Civil War Museum. For Civil War buffs, plan to utilize the option to visit on two consecutive days.
Since the Bourbon Heritage Center at Heaven Hill Distilleries is located just outside Bardstown, I decided to visit while knowing that tours of the distillery had concluded for the day. Truthfully, I had planned to take a tour but spent too much time at the previous attractions and made a “later-than-planned” arrival at Heaven Hill. The center provides an interesting history of distilled spirits in the United States, the history of growing corn in Kentucky and acknowledges Evan Williams as the
first commercial Kentucky bourbon distiller. The actual distilling process is outlined along with some of “what makes bourbon special.” A map of Nelson County locates the sites of some 37 distilleries that have graced the county landscape over the years and have given credence to Bardstown’s claim as the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” A timeline nicely places significant events into a meaningful perspective. Of course, Heaven Hill Distilleries dominates the exhibit but others are offered their due. For those interested in distilled spirits in general or bourbon more specifically, I will recommend the attraction. If you plan to take the Heaven Hill Distilleries tour, what the heck, you’re already here!
I actually had a five-day Bardstown itinerary developed that would have brought me to a variety of nearby attractions and then concluded each day with a visit to one of the five Bardstown area distilleries; however, I needed to spend some time researching the attractions near my newly identified stop in Indiana. After all, even Uncle Larry can’t sit at the circus every day for a week and a half! Additionally, the weather didn’t cooperate fully and my thoughts about “doing the right thing” by my sister both
contributed to my lack of “tourist zeal.” Fortunately, I have numerous good reasons to return to the Bardstown area and can resume my quest of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail during a future chapter of
The Great Adventure.
On Tuesday evening, the evening before my planned departure for Peru IN, I called my niece’s cell phone. She was at my sister’s house with plans to spend the night so she could be with her mother after her brother had left for work in the morning. My niece had been my greatest source of candid assessment of my sister’s condition for some time. She confided that my sister was so weak that my niece expected her to be bed ridden within a week. That was all I needed to hear. Wednesday morning, I got an early start and made a non-stop drive to Hononegah Forest Preserve in Rockton IL – about 8 miles north of Rockford. I arrived too late to visit that day but called to let everyone know I had arrived safely and would see them in the morning.
I first got to see my sister on Thursday, July 14, 2016 and spent all day Thursday, Friday and
Saturday with her while I helped out the kids in whatever way I could (yeah, right, they are 63, 56 and 53). As I was preparing to return to the Pilgrim on Saturday evening, Helen asked if I would mind bring my suitcase and stay at night so I would be there “in case” after her son left for work on weekday mornings. On Sunday morning, I told the campground hosts of my plan, abandoned the Pilgrim for the remainder of the two-week time restriction (after which the Pilgrim was relocated to a friend’s farm) and spent the next 5 ½ weeks at my sister’s. On Saturday, July 16, the kids hosted a “three-days-early” birthday open house for Helen. She mustered an unbelievable burst of energy and weathered the activities of the day markedly well. On Tuesday, July 19, Helen’s actual 86
th birthday, Helen’s grandson from Hattiesburg MS arrived for an 18-hour visit much to my sister’s surprise and delight. Her grandson, a techo-professional, hooked up a Skype visit with my sister’s best friend in California. A couple of days after her grandson’s visit, Helen became bedridden.
Even though at some point after my arrival her hospital bed had
She Loved The West And We Had Some Fun Times Together After I Retired
Helen Conkling & Larry Gorman Taking A Break On The Catwalk Trail, Glenwood NM In 2004 been relocated to the dining room from the bedroom, she remained lucid and enjoyed visits from family and friends although she cried out in pain when she was repositioned to prevent bedsores. Near the end of July, her urinary catheter became dislodged and the Hospice on-call nurse was summoned. After witnessing the excruciating pain, she talked candidly with the kids and me and then with my sister. My sister reluctantly agreed to the administration of larger and more frequent doses of morphine to alleviate her pain. By August 1, she was no longer communicative and finally, thankfully, died on August 4. I was never able to render end-of-life assistance to either of my parents or my other two siblings and am honored and ever so grateful to have been able to assist her on her journey to wherever it might have taken her.
The next several days were spent putting the finishing touches on the funeral service she had, for the most part, planned herself. After the funeral, I did what I could to help the kids get “things” accomplished. Much of the decision-making and the sorting of her personal belongings remains in their capable hands. On Wednesday, August
24, I retrieved the Pilgrim from the farm (complete with a couple of mice that have since met their demise) and returned to Hononegah Forest Preserve for a two-week stay. This time, even though there were a couple of errands I did for the kids, I spent my days visiting family I had seen only briefly and friends I had not seen at all.
Thanks for reading my recap of a very crazy couple of months – especially to those who merely wanted to get some information about Bardstown KY! For my regular readers and my “out of Rockford” family and friends, I hope my personal narrative proved enlightening. Next stop, Dubuque IA – the first stop on my original itinerary after departing Rockford. Oh, yes, since my 50
th high school reunion wasn’t scheduled until September 17, I decided to forego the reunion and get, sing it Willie, “On the Road, Again.”
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Sarah Miller
non-member comment
Beautiful White Mills
Hi Larry, I was born and raised in White Mills and my parents, brothers, grandmother and uncles still live there. My family runs the car show on White Mills Days to raise funds for the community. White Mills is a special place, full of beautiful history and warm hospitality. It's wonderful to read about your experience with our little town and I hope you get the chance to visit during the Christmas parade and bridge lighting or the community Thanksgiving service and dinner! -Sarah