In 1788, William Smuthers, Gilbert LeClerc and his wife, pioneers, were on their way to settle the land they bought, which later became the site of Munfordville. The men were killed by Indians, about 4 mi. SE of here. The deed taken as part of the . . . — — Map (db m39936) HM
The Louisville & Nashville RR, completed in 1859 and running north and south, was used by both Union & Confederate armies. Bridge spans on the line were particularly targeted by raiders. The L&N bridge crossing Bacon Creek was destroyed several . . . — — Map (db m174379) HM
The L & N R.R. bridge near here, a main USA supply line between Louisville and Bowling Green, was destroyed by Confederate troops in late 1861. Before repairs were complete, Morgan's Raiders burned it Dec. 5, 1861. This act brought Morgan's daring . . . — — Map (db m38507) HM
The unlucky L&N Railroad trestle over Bacon Creek received harsh treatment at the hands of Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan not once, but twice during the Civil War. The first destruction, in August 1861, was the first of many attacks Morgan . . . — — Map (db m39938) HM
Sergeant Joseph Timberlake, born in Va., 1752: buried here, 1841. Revolutionary soldier. One of the members of General Washington's body guard. All were chosen as being "sober, young, active and well built, men of good character that possess pride . . . — — Map (db m182935) HM
Discovered 1799 by Martha A. Woodson on land granted by the first Congress to Colonel Charles A. Woodson as a part of the Lands South of Green River, reserved for Veterans of the American Revolutionary War.
Kentucky Caverns served as a source . . . — — Map (db m201441) HM
Shot down a lead plane of first invading flight of the Korean War, June 27, 1950. Four of enemy's nine fighter planes destroyed. Lt. Moran was killed in action 40 days later, Aug. 7, 1950. Member of the 58th Fighter (AW) Squadron. Born in Horse Cave . . . — — Map (db m41475) HM
Politician and outstanding orator who came to Barren Co. at an early age. He was born in Virginia in 1795, and is buried near here. A surveyor and teacher, who for many years represented Barren Co. in the Kentucky Legislature. Town of Hardyville in . . . — — Map (db m244677) HM
Unknown
Soldier C.S.A.
Was a Member
Of Gen.
Clay Anderson
Division
11th Louisiana
Killed
Sept. 9, 1862
Erected 1934
by
Sam Lively — — Map (db m96729) HM WM
Two miles east on Lynn Camp Creek John Courts built, 1811-12, first commercial gunpowder mill in the State of Kentucky. Located near two large springs that furnished power to grind the charcoal made on site. Mixed with saltpeter and sulphur, finer . . . — — Map (db m96818) HM
Built in 1816, first iron furnace in western half of Kentucky. Salt and iron sought by early settlers. Charles Wilkins, Ruggles Whiting, and Jacob Holderman were partners in this furnace until 1826, when Holderman became the sole owner. Property . . . — — Map (db m96819) HM
Internationally known saxophonist, Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph attended the old Munfordville High School on this site from 1942-1944. While here he played guitar and trombone. Randolph started playing saxophone as a high school senior in . . . — — Map (db m40027) HM
Side 1
This village's first postmaster and a charter member of Munfordville Presbyterian Church, John Thompson Street Brown (1793-1875) is the forbear of a remarkable and internationally known Kentucky family. William and Hannah Street Brown . . . — — Map (db m39985) HM
A noted 19th century African American poet, Whitman was born into slavery in Hart County on May 30, 1851. Self- educated, by age 22 he had published two books of poetry, Essays on the Ten Plagues and Other Miscellaneous Poems and Leelah . . . — — Map (db m174374) HM
James Amos, one of the early settlers of the lands on the south bank of Green River, built what became known as the Amos Flatboat Landings in the 1790s - the north and south landings here, along with others at the mouths of Lynn Camp Creek and . . . — — Map (db m40020) HM
Thomas Woodson received this farm as a land grant from Thomas Jefferson for service in the Revolutionary War. His son Anthony made his home on this site and developed a prosperous farmstead, considered one of the finest in the county. From his front . . . — — Map (db m40033) HM
Union forces commanded by Col. Wilder surrendered to Mississippi regiments of Gen. Bragg's army on September 17, 1862, following battle on the 14th. 50 killed and 307 wounded. Bragg evacuated Munfordville on 20th before Gen. Buell's forces arrived. . . . — — Map (db m40039) HM
Sept. 14-17, 1862 Mississippi regiments of Gen. Bragg's army defeated Gen. Buell's Union forces. 50 killed, 307 wounded. Confederates destroyed railroad bridge. Site of Fort Craig and Monument to Col. R.A. Smith 1500 ft. west. — — Map (db m41845) HM
An “unauthorized and injudicious” attack ...
General James R. Chalmers was sent by General Bragg as a vanguard to Cave City. There, Chalmers learned from Col. John Scott of a weak Union garrison at Munfordville. Eager for . . . — — Map (db m88251) HM
When Braxton Bragg arrived at Green River, Cyrus Dunham had taken command of the Union garrison. The 15th had been spent clearing casualties from the field, but by the next day, gunfire erupted from Braggs advance guard, starting a day-long . . . — — Map (db m88347) HM
Four hundred yards west of this site, December 17, 1861, Colonel B.F. Terry, 8th Texas Cavalry, CSA, was killed. He was leading his Rangers in a charge against troops, formed in a hollow square, of the 32nd Indiana Volunteers under the command of . . . — — Map (db m88256) HM
Carter-Dowling School Upon closing its one room schools in 1950, the Hart County Board of Education constructed Carter-Dowling School, a consolidated elementary school for "colored" children of Hart County. The School was named for Daisie C. . . . — — Map (db m39983) HM
Munfordville Presbyterian Church, founded, 1829. In Sept., 1862, during siege of Munfordville, the Union Army commandeered this church for use as a hospital with nurses' quarters in house at left. Those who died in battle or of wounds, removed to . . . — — Map (db m39939) HM
This monument is
dedicated to those who
lived, loved, worked,
and fought here during
the American Civil War,
and especially to
those who died here,
far from home.
May they find peace. — — Map (db m214815) WM
South 42° west and ninety poles distant is the place of the sacrifice of Col Robt A Smith and his regiment the Tenth Mississippi on Sep 14 1862 — — Map (db m165645) HM
The mound on the hilltop before you is Fort Craig, a five-pointed earthen “star fort” that saw the fiercest fighting of the Civil War Battle and Siege of Munfordville, September 14-17, 1862. Forces of the 7th, 9th, and 29th Mississippi . . . — — Map (db m164109) HM
Built 1819-22 by Colonel Aylette Hartswell Buckner. Birthplace of his son, General Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914), Confederate States Army Commander, Governor of Kentucky, 1887-1891, nominee for Vice-Presidency, 1896. — — Map (db m39940) HM
1784 1815
Born 1784, Died 1813. Brought in childhood from Hagerstown, Md. to Lexington, Ky. Successful in both law and mercantile business. In 1812 raised and commanded Lexington Light Infantry; with his company went to Northwest Territory; . . . — — Map (db m39986) HM
(Side A)
In 1945, Hart County had 67 One-Room Schools scattered throughout the county. These 67 schools served students in grades first through eighth.
Not quite a decade later, all One-Room Schools in Hart County had been closed. At . . . — — Map (db m174340) HM
World War I
John L. Burd Leon Shipp Daniel Hodges Noah White Charles W. Ard Willie Mardis Ernest E. Stinson Walter T. Chaney Sim L. Russell Evans Butts Eugene S. Jones Willie D. Wright Montie E. Bale
Pete Nunn . . . — — Map (db m39988) WM
The 61st formed in Kentucky, from parts of Hardin, Barren counties. Home of the Buckners. Simon Bolivar Buckner, graduate of West Point, captain in Mexican War, CSA general in the Civil War, governor of Kentucky, 1887-91, candidate for US . . . — — Map (db m39987) HM
Henry Clay Furnace
Built 7Ό miles east in 1832 by Aylette Hartswell Buckner, S.V. Leedom, Cadwallader Churchill. A stone stack about 35 ft. high, 9 ft. across at widest inside, it burned charcoal fuel to produce pig iron and utensils from . . . — — Map (db m39942) HM
John Ireland, was born on January 1, 1827 to the marriage of Patrick Ireland and Rachel Newton, Irish immigrants, who lived in the Copelin Valley, 12 miles northwest of Munfordville.
Around 1841 Ireland moved to Munfordville to work as a stable . . . — — Map (db m174372) HM
On September 1, 1867, John Muir, the noted American naturalist, started his walk from Indianapolis to Cedar Keys on the Gulf of Mexico. In his book, A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, Muir recounts his visit to Munfordville. "September 5 - . . . — — Map (db m39982) HM
Other than by navigating the Mississippi River, the only way for armies west of the Appalachians to move from north to south was through Kentucky. Kentucky's rivers and railroads tempted commanders from both sides in spite of the state's declared . . . — — Map (db m40036) HM
By 1857, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad lacked only one connection for through trains to travel between the two cities—a bridge over Green River. Irish stonecutters John W. Key and sons were hired for two years to construct the piers that . . . — — Map (db m88353) HM
The railroad bridge over the Green River stands a quarter mile to the southwest. Constructed 1857-59 by engineer Albert Fink, the bridge was at the time the largest iron bridge in the United States, with a total length of 1,800 ft. Stonemasons John . . . — — Map (db m40028) HM
When humans first came to the Green River valley thousands of years ago, they quickly learned how to make use of the native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowering plants. From accounts by the first European settlers, we know that they used dugout . . . — — Map (db m40026) HM
Side A Michael Louis Burd, son of Mike and Laura Burd, attended 8 years of school at Munfordville Elementary School and 4 years at Hart County high School before graduating in 1989. Michael was a two-time All-State player for the Raiders . . . — — Map (db m214818) HM
On site, 1200 feet west, stood the church, his headquarters, where Gen. John Hunt Morgan and 84 of his men were formally sworn in, October 27, 1861, as the second Cavalry Regiment, Kentucky Volunteers, CSA. Formerly part of the Lexington Rifles, . . . — — Map (db m40030) HM
The small, unassuming county-seat village of Munfordville, founded on an old buffalo crossing and home to a well-known tavern, could claim pride of place in 1860 as the spot where the L&N Railroad crossed the Green River, over what whas then the . . . — — Map (db m39984) HM
Side A Noel "Tick Rogers, son of Noel and Lenda Rogers, attended 8 years of school at Munfordville Elementary School and 4 years at Hart County High School, graduating in 1992. Tick was a two- time All-State player for the Raiders and led . . . — — Map (db m214819) HM
One block west stands a log inn built on a pioneer trail in 1810 by Thomas Munford, brother of founder of Munfordville. Among the many distinguished guests was Gen. Andrew Jackson in 1829 enroute to his inauguration as seventh president of USA. — — Map (db m39989) HM
As useful as Munfordville's small ferry was, it couldn't meet the needs of whole armies. As soon as General Alexander McDowell McCook's army arrived at Green River in the fall of 1861, soldiers immediately began building flat-bottomed boats to . . . — — Map (db m40019) HM
World War I John L. Burd Leon Shipp Daniel Hodges Noah White Charles W. Ard Willie Mardis Ernest E. Stinson Walter T. Chaney Sim L. Russell Evan Butts Eugene S. Jones Willie D. Wright James W. Wilson Montie E. Bale . . . — — Map (db m214816) WM
Centuries past, before central Kentucky became settled, a great swath of grassland and savannah stretched from the Ohio River down into Tennessee. Pioneers established Munfordville right in the middle of it. As settlement expanded, these "barrens" . . . — — Map (db m40021) HM
In fall of 1861, Federals planned move into Tenn, by the Cumberland River and, under General D.C. Buell, by land through here. CSA wrecked important bridge over Green River Dec. 10, to block USA move. Union force under Col. A. Willich sent to . . . — — Map (db m88163) HM
Stanley W. Cottrell. Jr. son of Stanley and Ida Belle Sharp Cottrell, went to Munfordville Elementary School and graduated from Munfordville High School in the class of 1961. He began his running career by winning the 100 yard dash at the 1959 . . . — — Map (db m214817) HM
(Front Side)
Texas
Remembers the valor and devotion of its sons who served with distinction on Kentucky battlefields during the Civil War.
At Houston, Texas, during August and September 1861, Benjamin Franklin Terry and Thomas . . . — — Map (db m88166) HM WM
The American Bison brings the Wild West to mind, but when Europeans arrived in Kentucky, buffalo were spread throughout the Commonwealth. John Filson wrote, in 1784:
"The amazing herds of buffaloes which resort thither, by their size and . . . — — Map (db m40018) HM
The Louisville and Nashville Turnpike was established in the 1830s, following an ancient path used by herds of buffalo, by Native American peoples, and early European settlers. It followed the Phillips Trace, one of a handful of pioneer roads . . . — — Map (db m40017) HM
When a town was settled, the settlers most often chose the site because of a nearby crossroads, or, more importantly, because of nearby natural resources - especially water. Town founder Richard Munford had the best of both here, with the easy . . . — — Map (db m40023) HM
The arrival of Federal troops into Lexington, Kentucky in fall 1861 prompted Lexington native John Hunt Morgan to assemble a band of 17 armed men on horseback to support the Southern cause. The "Lexington Rifle" then rode into south central Kentucky . . . — — Map (db m40038) HM
Coming to America from Scotland in the year 1884, Mr. James Smith, brother of Col. Robert A. Smith, visited the battlefield at Munfordville and purchased land on which he contracted to have erected a massive and costly monument in honor of his . . . — — Map (db m165647) HM
Organized in Houston in 1861 by Kentucky-born Texas sugar planter Benjamin Franklin Terry, the 8th Texas Cavalry would be better know throughout the Civil War as “Terrys Texas Rangers”—though Terry was himself among the first . . . — — Map (db m88165) HM
Anthony Woodson's fields and woods felt the ravages of war. Yet before and after, and even during the strife, the daily life of a central Kentucky farmstead carried on. As you wander the paths of the Woodson farm and visit the house, keep your . . . — — Map (db m40034) HM
Front Born in Munfordville, Ky., Thelma began working at Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co. at 15 to help her family during the Depression. There she met L.R. Stovall; they married in 1936. Thelma studied at UK, EKU and LaSalle Extension . . . — — Map (db m40016) HM
Side A In the winter of 1780, Daniel & Rebecca Boone and their young son, William, (b. June 20, 1775) camped at the Ebb & Flow Spring near Green River, 4 miles east of here. The Boones were hunting and trapping as they did every winter for . . . — — Map (db m41844) HM
In the fall of 1809, William Clark was summoned to Washington from St. Louis by President Madison to discuss the governance of the Louisiana Purchase Territories, which he had explored with Meriwether Lewis during the Jefferson administration. . . . — — Map (db m39981) HM
Author, newspaperman. Wrote more than 40 books based on American history and designed especially for young people. A native of Three Springs, educated at Glasgow, Ky., and Vanderbilt Univ. On staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal, 1885-92; joined . . . — — Map (db m54730) HM
In Oct. 1792, ten Indians attacked party of travelers at Oven Spring. Two men and one woman were killed, a girl and a woman captured, five pack horses taken. Settlers under leadership of Capt. William Edgar pursued raiding party four days, overtook . . . — — Map (db m41544) HM
