Facts and Findings:

Kentucky's Story

This text is from the teacher’s guide to Kentucky’s Story, an instructional series produced by KET. Copyright KET Foundation, Inc.

Reprinted by permission.

Program 1: This program briefly reviews the arrival of prehistoric man on this continent and then focuses on the Indians living in Kentucky just prior to the coming of the white man. The program looks at the homes, games, clothes, economy and lifestyles of these tribes. The rest of the story "Early Indians in Kentucky (12,000 B.C.-1650 A.D.)"

Program 2: Why did people want to leave the safety of their homes and travel through dangerous and uncertain conditions to a place they'd never seen? Program 2 examines the hopes and sacrifices of the Green family at their home in western North Carolina while "their man" is exploring and hunting in the wilderness of Kentucky. The rest of the story "White Man Comes to Kentucky (1650-1782)"

Program 3: The Green family packs up and moves to Kentucky, where they build a small cabin, plant some corn, and stake their claim on Ben Green's land. But life in Kentucky is not easy and the Greens and others suffer through Indian raids, bitter cold, and other perils. They survive, however, and stay to make a home on the frontier. The rest of the story "Life on the Kentucky Frontier (1750-1820)"

Program 4: Slater Cassidy needs to get his goods to market and the only access is by wagon and river, over poor roads susceptible to Indian attack and wagon breakdowns. At the river, he must unload his goods and reload them into the boats which will carry them down the Mississippi to markets in New Orleans. While at the river, Slater meets Mr. Halfhill, a Virginian who is fascinated by the economic opportunities opening up in the new territory. Slater, however, has no kind words for Virginia or its legislature, which has failed to provide for the settler's needs. He stresses the need for Kentucky statehood. Upon his homecoming, Slater learns someone has laid claim to his land, so he heads out on yet another arduous trip, only to discover it is Halfhill himself who has successfully claimed his land. The rest of the story "The Road to Statehood (1780-1820)"

More Early History of Kentucky

Early History of Colonial Virginia. Kentucky was never a territory or a province. From its earliest history until it was admitted as a state in the union, it was part of Virginia. As settlements spread westward new counties were organized in the Old Dominion, the frontier county extending its boundaries indefinitely into the wilderness. The rest of the story "Early History of Colonial Virginia".

Early History of Kentucky County Virginia. On Dec. 31, 1776, two years after the first settlement at Harrodsburg, the Virginia Legislature divided all the territory west of the mountains, known as Fincastle County into Washington, Montgomery, and Kentucky Counties. The act creating these counties described Kentucky County as being "to the south and westward of a line beginning on the Ohio at the mouth of Great Sandy creek and running up the same and the main, or northeasterly, branch thereof to the Great Laurel Ridge of Cumberland Mountain, then south westerly along the said mountain to the line of North Carolina." Kentucky County included the territory which essentially had the same boundary as the state does today. At the time, the new county was home to five communities: Boonesborough, Harrodsburg, St. Asaph (later called Logan's Station), McClelland's Station and Leestown. Harrodsburg was first the county seat of Kentucky County, Virginia. The rest of the story "Early History of Kentucky County Virginia".

Early History of the State of Kentucky. Between 1784 and 1792, people living in these counties held ten conventions on the question of statehood; on 18 December 1789 Virginia's General Assembly passed an act allowing Kentucky to apply for statehood and on 1 June 1792, those nine counties became a state, with the full consent of Virginia. By the time Kentucky received statehood, it was comprised of nine counties. The records of those counties are housed in Kentucky. Records prior to their formation are located in Virginia records of such counties as Augusta, Montgomery and Botetourt. West Virginia was also a part of Virginia until it ceded to the Union in 1863 and became a state. The rest of the story "Early History of the State of Kentucky".

Early History of Cynthiana-Harrison County Kentucky

In the spring of 1776, John Hinkston established a fort in Kentucky known as Hinkston's On July 21, 1776, the fort was abandoned because of Indian threats. In1779, Isaac Ruddell enlarged and fortified the station. On July 24, 1780, Capt. Henry Byrd and his British and Indian troops attacked and captured the fort. Additional stories about Hinkston's Fort in early Harrison County. 

Early History of Harrison County and Cynthiana Kentucky. In 1793 Harrison County was created from parts of what had been Bourbon and Scott Counties. It was the 17th county in order and the 8th formed after Kentucky had become a state. It was named for Colonel Benjamin Harrison, the first sheriff of Bourbon County, a pioneer settler in the area and Harrison's representative to the Kentucky Legislature at the time of the formation of the county. From Harrison County were created the counties of Campbell, Pendleton, Boone, Owen, Kenton and Robertson. The county is in the north central section of the state. It lies on both sides of the South Licking River with the main fork of the Licking passing through the northeast comer. The rest of the story "Early History of Harrison County and Cynthiana Kentucky".

Additional information about Cynthiana-Harrison County Kentucky

Cynthiana and Harrison County are known for its strong agricultural base. The county produces 9.4 million pounds of tobacco yearly which has a market value in excess of $42 million. Harrison County consistently ranks as one of Kentucky's top five tobacco producers. There are approximately 1600 farms in the county totaling 182,000 acres. Harrison County also ranks sixth in the state in beef cattle production.

Also, Harrison County has a strong industrial base in place. Forty percent of all non-agricultural employment is provided by manufacturing. There are over twenty industries located in the county. The industries include 3M , the only manufacturing location of the world famous "Post-It"® notepad in the world, and E. D. Bullard Company which supplies industrial and firefighter head protection.

Major highways serving Cynthiana are US Highway 27 and 62. Kentucky Route 36 also serves Cynthiana. Interchanges of Interstate 75 are located 19 miles southwest via US 62, and 30 miles northwest via Kentucky 36. The junction of Interstate 64 and the Mountain Parkway is located 31 miles south via US 27 and KY 627. The distance between major cities form Cynthiana are: Lexington, KY .... 34 miles; Louisville, KY .... 92 miles; Cincinnati, OH..... 59 miles and Detroit, MI .... 317 miles. The nearest scheduled commercial airline service is located at Lexington's Bluegrass Airport, 38 miles southwest of Cynthiana.

Cynthiana is home of the world famous 3M Company "Post-It®" Note, the only manufacturing location of the notepad in the world.

Cynthiana is the home of Joe B. Hall, former basketball coach of the UK Wildcats.

The most northern location of Bald Cypress Tree is in front of "Poplar Hall'.

Cynthiana has the second largest collection of cast iron facade buildings in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Harrison County Courthouse is the only "true" Southern Colonial Public building in continuous use South of the Mason-Dixie Line.

Contributed Historical Articles

Thorobred Baseball Through the Years

Harrison County by Thelma Taylor 1983

Touring Harrison County by Thelma Taylor

Harrison County by Thelma Taylor

Cattle in Harrison County at the Turn of the 19th Century by Thelma Taylor

Battle Grove Cemetery Has One Monument with Chinese Inscription By Thelma Taylor

Harrison County Girls' Basketball Made Headlines By Thelma Taylor

Taylor Hams by Thelma Taylor

Whalen Tank Shop by Thelma Taylor

William Tell Colman by Thelma Taylor

Sue Mundy in the Civil War by Thelma Taylor

Cynthiana Engineer Father of Many Inventions By Thelma Taylor
Information from a Lexington Herald-leader article by Malcolm Patterson,
Asst. State Editor, April 1, 1962

Other Links to Interesting Facts and Findings of Cynthiana - Harrison County

Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Cynthiana

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Harrison County

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Harrison County

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Bluegrass Region

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Berry

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Claysville

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Corinth

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Kelat

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Leesburg

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Oddville

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Sunrise

University of Kentucky - Kentucky Atlas - Ruddells Station

Harrison County Roadside Markers

County Named, 1793 (State Marker 1171, Cynthiana, Courthouse lawn, US 27, 62, Harrison Co.)

Old Log Court House

Battle of Cynthiana (State Marker 109, Cynthiana, US 27, 62, Harrison Co.)

Renowned Piscator (State Marker 651, Cynthiana, S. of bridge, US 27, Harrison Co.)

Death Valley Scotty (State Marker 1069, S. of Cynthiana, US 27, Harrison Co.)

Cynthiana Keller's Bridge Kentucky American Civil War June 11-12, 1864

The Confederates Here (State Marker 673, N. of Viaduct, Cynthiana, US 27, Harrison Co.)

Morgan's Last Raid (State Marker 692, Claysville, US 62, Harrison Co.)

Stony Castle (State Marker 1084, Near Berry, KY 1054, Harrison Co.)

Lindsey Cemetery (State Marker 1 1/2 mi. N. of KY 36 on KY 1743, Harrison Co.)

Indian Creek Baptist Church (State Marker 1457, In front of church, KY 32 & 36, Harrison Co.)

Old Log Court House (State Marker 1539, 10 Court St., Cynthiana, Harrison Co.)

Others

Death Valley Scotty.

Kentucky Senate District - 30

Kentucky House of Representatives District - 78

Mac Swinford Collection

Marvin T. Batte Professor Department of Agricultural Economics Ohio State University

Credits:
KET
The Library of Virginia
Signs of History - Georgetown College
Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer
Mercer On Line
Franklin-Simpson County Chamber of Commerce
How It All Began For Trimble County by Dr. Richard A. Edwards
Lexington Herald-Leader 01/01/2000
The Rockbridge County, VAGenWeb Project
Whitley County Kentucky Genealogy
Ralph Eddie Coppage - Harrison County County Clerk
Cynthiana-Harrison County Museum
Thelma Taylor