Bardstown in Nelson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Wickland

Photographed by Mark Parker, August 18, 2025

1. Wickland Marker

Inscription. For over 25 years home of the Kentucky Colonels Annual Barbecue which has been attended by the Colonels and their guests on the Sunday after the Derby each year. We acknowledge and appreciate the southern hospitality extended by our gracious hosts through the years, the late Colonel Robert Trigg, his wife Colonel Sara and their sons and daughters.

Erected 2001 by Board of Trustees of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events.

Location. 37° 48.79′ N, 85° 27.239′ W. Marker is in Bardstown, Kentucky, in Nelson County. It can be reached from Bloomfield Road (U.S. 62) 0.1 miles west of Madison Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is near the parking area on the grounds of historic Wickland mansion. From the entrance on Bloomfield Road, follow the driveway 1/10 mile to the parking area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 550 Bloomfield Rd, Bardstown KY 40004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Louisville Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Wickland (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Wickland (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Federal Hill

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(approx. 0.4 miles away); 2015 Flag Dedication (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mack Rowan (approx. half a mile away); Cistern (approx. half a mile away); Abolitionism, War, Emancipation (approx. half a mile away); The Enslaved as Property (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bardstown.

More about this marker. The highest honor one receives from the Governor of Commonwealth of Kentucky is selection to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. The honor is bestowed upon Kentuckians who have made significant contributions to the community, the Commonwealth or the country. One of the highlights of Kentucky Derby weekend is the annual barbeque held on the Sunday following the Derby for the Kentucky Colonels and a guest. Wickham hosted the event on its grounds until the size of the event prompted a change to Louisville after the 2015 event. The barbeque returned to Bardstown, but because of the size of the event, it is now held at My Old Kentucky Home State Park.

Also see . . .
1. My Old Kentucky Home BBQ. A recent history of the Kentucky Colonels Annual

Wickland Marker at Wickland mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, August 18, 2025

2. Wickland Marker at Wickland mansion

Barbecue by Visit Bardstown

For half-a-century, the weekend of Kentucky Derby was capped off with a festive barbecue on the lawn at Wickland Estate, the 209-year-old Georgian mansion that was home to three governors (two in Kentucky and one in Louisiana).

The barbecue became a “must-do” event of Derby weekend, attracting celebrities and politicians as well as regulars who loved some good ‘cue washed down with beer or bourbon. At its peak, it had grown to 5,000 attendees.

So popular was it that by 2015, the event had outgrown Wickland’s grounds, and the organizers moved the barbecue to Louisville, thinking that Derby City would prove a natural new home.

They thought wrong. In basketball parlance, Louisville proved a one and done. Was a much-loved tradition a thing of the past?

Not in the eyes of Jeremy Riggs, park manager at My Old Kentucky Home State Park. In 2019, Riggs actively began planning to return the barbecue to its original home in Bardstown. Only this time it would be held at the state park which provided much more space for revelers...

Just as Barbecue at My Old Kentucky Home was set to debut, COVID reared its ugly head, and as Riggs says, “We were forced to outwait it.”

They did, and in 2023, the legendary barbecue came home to Bardstown welcomed by………..a downpour that Riggs says resembled
Paid Advertisement

a monsoon.

“It poured for most of the day,” he says, “But we still had almost 1,000 people and they had a ball.”

(Submitted on September 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

2. Kentucky Colonels.

The commission of Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky.

It is a recognition of an individual’s noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to our community, state, and nation...

(T)here are the social activities in which our history is indeed rich! From the Derby Eve galas of the 1930s to our trackside participation and post-Derby barbeques and fall race days at historic Churchill Downs, the member Colonels have historically found many ways to celebrate the Kentucky Colonels.

(Submitted on September 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 122 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.