Old Fort Harrod
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
In 1774, James Harrod led thirty-seven men from western Virginia down the Ohio River toward Kentucky. The Group traveled up the Kentucky River some distance until they embarked overland. After the group crossed the Salt River, they came upon a spring. The site was chosen as the location for a fort, and the first permanent European settlement in, what is now, the State of Kentucky was founded. The men named the settlement Harrodstown. Kentucky’s first school was established in the fort.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
In 1777, which Americas Revolution raging, Harrod and other Kentucky leaders decided that greater fortifications were needed to secure the settlements. Fort Harrod was constructed on the south side of town fork for this purpose. During the summer of 1777, Shawnee warriors laid siege to the fort. Many, both native and settler were killed during the siege.3
A 2/3 scale replica of the fort was constructed in 1927. The walls were reconstructed in 1989.4 The living history museum and park is a reconstruction of the camp that was known as the settlement Harrodstown which was the first pioneer settlement in Kentucky. The reconstructed fort gives visitors a glimpse of life on the Kentucky frontier. The complex includes a number of recreated and historic structures, as well as the George Rogers Clark Federal Monument. It is also holds the cabin where Abraham Lincoln's parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, were married. Additional features of the park include the Pioneer Cemetery, the oldest burial site for Kentucky's first settlers, a small museum, and an outdoor venue for performances. The George Rogers Clark Memorial was dedicated in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.