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Pioneer attractions in the U.S.


Fort Boonesborough, courtesy KY State Parks

Fort Boonesborough State Park
Kentucky
Life in the Kentucky wilderness takes center stage at Fort Boonesborough State Park. Daniel Boone and his companions began the construction of Fort Boone in early 1775 after clearing what would become known as the Wilderness Trail. By summer, Boonesborough consisted of 26 one-story log cabins, four blockhouses and Kentucky’s first store.

In the autumn of 1778, Indians attacked and laid siege to Boonesborough. They surrounded the fort for nine days and nights before abandoning the siege. After the American Revolution, the need for a fortified settlement dissipated, and within a couple of decades, the settlement disappeared.

Groups can take guided tours of the reconstructed fort and the small museum onsite. Costumed interpreters work as craftspeople in the cabins from mid-April through October. The Kentucky River Museum focuses on life along the river.

“Our artisans practice weaving, soapmaking, woodworking, sewing and candlemaking of the period, and those items are for sale in our gift shop,” said park manager Rob Minerich.

The Halley Home Site Trail passes by fragments of the rock foundation of the house of the Halley family; the Halleys built a large home there in the late 1790s and are buried in the park. The quarter-mile Pioneer Forage Trail skirts a section of rock wall from the Halley farm and the old wagon road before following Spring Run Branch, a stream that played a role in the 1778 siege.

www.fortboonesboroughlivinghistory.org

Elizabeth Hey

Elizabeth Hey is a member of Midwest Travel Journalists Association and has received numerous awards for her writing and photography. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @travelbyfork.