While we were in Bardstown Kentucky and walking down the main shopping area of the historic town we saw to a sign that said museum row. We took a short walk down the street and found one of the buildings and it pointed down the street to the Civil war museum to buy tickets to get in. Cheryl and I both turned and looked at the street going downhill and said to each other “Not right now.” As we were walking. On our way back to the INN, we decided to look up the other museums.
We found out that there were four different museum’s and decided we were going to visit as many as we could on the next day. The next day we drove down to the civil war museum to get our tickets for all four. From the parking lot you are able to overlook the Old Bardstown Village that is a replica of how Bardstown started. We did a video and put it on YouTube that you can watch and or keep reading below.
The Old Bardstown Village is old log buildings that have been saved and moved here to look like a town. Each one of the buildings come from around the Bardstown area and moved here.
You can enjoy the nice long ramp as you walk down to the village and if you want there are stairs that you can walk down to the village also.
While you are walking down the ramp, it will give you a nice overlook of the lay of the grounds. It was interesting to me how they had placed the different buildings around the grounds. There are many nice photos that could be taken all over the village if you are a photographer.
While neither Cheryl nor I are photographers Cheryl can take some really wonderful pictures.
This stream flows past the water wheel for the old mill that they have on site. It was closed the day we were there.
Each one of the log buildings are set up to be a display for how life was like in the 1800’s. Each building is labeled and has signs telling you about it giving you a walking history at the same time.
The first one that we went to, talked about how Bardstown started making both whiskey and bourbon. For frontier settlers, whiskey wasn’t just a drink, it was a way to store grain, convert it to a more portable form, and even use it as money. You can also see the still that was used to make the whiskey and bourbon. The starting process is the same, but bourbon has to be distilled at no more than 80% alcohol / water. It also has to be stored in a new charred white oak barrel for one year.
The new U.S. government, needing revenue after the Revolutionary War, imposed a tax on distilled spirits in 1791. This lead to explain how the early American whiskey tax led to conflict, known as the Whiskey Rebellion, the new governments tax caused major protest by frontiersmen. The conflict had become so bad that President George Washington led troops to quell the rebellion, asserting federal power.
(Our country had just won a war over taxes and was able to form our own government. Only to be taxed to help pay of what we owed. Only to have our own federal government send troops to stop the protest.)
The flag shown is the Whiskey Rebellion flag features thirteen stars surrounding a Bald Eagle, which carries a red and white striped banner. It’s a symbol of brave Americans who weren’t afraid to defend themselves against any government, even their own.
The rest of the buildings are displays of different stores and craftsmen at the time. Like the Blacksmith shop who would make anything that was needed from metal. He was also the one that would trim and shoe the horses along with fixing any metal parts that was on the wagons, horse drawn plows, and housewares. Back then every nail that was using to build a home was made one at a time on the blacksmiths forge and anvil. Every door hinge, candle holders, axes and knifes were also made out the blacksmith shop.
The next important shop that all towns needed was the carpenter shop to build all the wooden items. Like Tables, chairs, carboards, and many more items
.
All of his tools were turned or powered by someone spinning a wheel or using a food pump as you can see in the wood lath’s that are displayed here.
This is the inside of the Overall House. It was brought here to save the old log house of the two brothers who were Revolutionary War Soldiers. John and William Overall went with George Rogers Clark as they took over two British forts in Illinois and then in Vincennes Indiana. After the war the two brothers moved a few miles north of Bardstown and lived their lives as farmers.
One of the buildings had displays giving you information about the woodland native American Indians that lived in the area. This made up many different tribes of Indians that lived east of the Mississippi River.
Many of these tribes would not move around or migrate. They lived their lives in permanent villages.
They were known to grow grains and pick berries. They also would hunt wild game to be able to get their meat supplies.
Here are a few more pictures that Cheryl took while we were walking the grounds. When you go there make sure that you plan your time so that you can relax and enjoy everything. And remember that this is only one of four that you can visit for one price and we felt was very cheap for the amount of information that you will see in all four of the museums. You have to get that ticket in the Civil War museum and park in that parking lot.
For more information you can look at their website The Colonial Village of Bardstown.
If you have visited the village leave us a comment below and tell us about your visit, we would love to hear about it.
