Fort Boonesborough State Park

On April 1, 1775, Daniel Boone and several of his men founded Fort Boonesborough after they crossed the Kentucky River. They founded the settlement of Boonesborough, Kentucky, which is Kentucky’s second oldest European-American settlement. May of 1775 is when the first form of representative government was formed in Kentucky. It was held in Boonesborough, Kentucky. Boonesborough had roughly 26 one story log cabins and four blockhouses by the end of the summer.Daniel Boone was an American pioneer well known for being a frontiersman, and for his exploration into unexplored areas in Kentucky (what was then Virginia). Boone also created a wilderness road through the Cumberland gap in the Appalachian Mountains which stretched from North Carolina, Tennessee and goes into Kentucky. By the end of the 18thcentury, over 200,000 settlers migrated to Kentucky using this wilderness road Boone created.

During the western theater of the American Revolutionary War, the fort was host to a great amount of fighting. The fort was able to hold off an attack by 450 mainly American Shawnee Indians from September 7-18, 1778 lead by Chief Blackfish. On the last day the Indians were forced into retreat after they attempted to set fire to the fort. This attack was later given the name, “The Great Siege.” This settlement was eventually relocated to Henderson, Kentucky. 

Madison County, Kentucky is now home to Fort Boonesborough State Park. The park includes a recreation of the fort. The fort contains cabins, bunkhouses, and furnishings. When the park is open, visitors can see artisans such as Blacksmiths and potters who demonstrate what it was like to live as a pioneer in Kentucky. There is also a reenactment at the recreation of fort Boonesborough every year around the time that the "The Great Siege" happened. History programs are also offed at Boonesborough with conjunction of The Fort Boonesborough Foundation.

Not only is Fort Boonesborough located in the state park, but the Kentucky River Museum is located in the park as well. The Museum was established in 2002 and occupies the former lock operator’s home, as well as the storage and maintenance building for Lock 10. The Kentucky River Museum is located in the park, at the former lock operator's home. The museum focuses on the impact of the river on area families and commerce and tells about the locks and dams in the 1900s.