Goodguys 2nd Nostalgia Nationals
It's another jam-packed week in South Central Kentucky, and this weekend marks a newer event for Beech Bend Raceway as the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association brings its 2nd Nostalgia Nationals to town! The autumn leaves will be an awesome backdrop for the shiny, colorful hot rods both on display and burning up the strip. Swing by the Convention Center for the TGIF Party Friday night and see these beauties all lined up if you can't make it out to the Bend. Featuring over 1,000 Racecars, Hot rods, Customs, Classics, Muscle Cars & Trick Trucks thru '72 vintage, you'll also be able to shop at 100's of vendor/exhibitor booths or take a trip to the Swap Meet for automotive related parts and Cars for sale. Gates open at 8 am and general admission is $20 each day, or $55 for the entire weekend. Kids 7-12 are $6 and free for 6 and under. Parking is FREE! Call 270-781-7634 or visit www.nostalgianats.com to learn more.
Civil War Living History Weekend
Bowling Green was the Confederate Capitol of Kentucky for a short while, and history buffs can even drive the Civil War Discovery Trial through town past forts, monuments, markers and attractions. One of those attractions is Lost River Cave & Valley, where thousands of soldiers camped and sought refuge from the heat near an ample fresh water supply. This weekend, you can experience what life was like for these soldiers at the 5th Annual Civil War Days. The Lincoln Mobile Museum will be there Saturday, joining the all-day camp life and period demonstrations. At 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, witness a battle/ skirmish reenactment, or participate in Saturday night's Cannon Night Fire at 6 p.m. before the Civil War Ball from 7 to 9 p.m. with music by Skip Jack. Special programs scheduled for this year include "Abe Lincoln: Gettysburg and Beyond" and music by the Lost River Dulcimers. Call 270-393-0077 or visit www.lostrivercave.com for more information.
Showing posts with label civil war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label civil war. Show all posts
October 15, 2009
June 8, 2009
101 Things to do in South Central Kentucky - Fort Webb
The following blog is re-posted with permission from Galen Smith, a Bowling Green resident who loves exploring the area and writing about his adventures.
101 Things To Do In Southcentral Kentucky: Visit Fort Webb In Bowling Green
By Galen A. Smith Sr.Friday, January 18, 2008 2:59 PM CST
..
..
Because I work a lot of crazy hours at my job like a lot of us do, I have to figure a way to get out of the house every now and then and find something to do in a recreational fashion. Because if I don’t, especially during the winter months, I’ll go stir crazy! And because I tend to be a home body, I have to be creative in my thinking about what I want to do when I get out of the house on a limited budget.
Like a lot of middle class Americans these days, money is tight and traveling across the country by plane or train is not always easily attainable for me. Even to drive somewhere regionally like Nashville or Memphis can be rather expensive in gas money alone these days.
But on a recent Saturday morning with the temperature in the 40's and a gray overcast sky, I zipped up my light blue jacket and jumped into my little 1988 Maza pickup truck. I reached for a brochure called “The Civil War in Bowing Green” that I had picked up in the lobby of one our local hotels and decided to drive over to Fort Webb Park just off Beech Bend Road and Country Club Drive near the Barren River.
I turned left on Country Club Drive and then up the hill past some rolling wood fences that are painted black. I saw the Fort Webb Historical Marker and I pulled into a parking spot and got out of my truck. I noticed I was alone and I was glad of this because I like my solitude when visiting historical places. I like for my imagination to run wild. I try to realize what it was like to live “back in the day” as our young people say these days about what it was like to live during a certain time period or when some sort of historical event was taking place such as the Civil War.
In order to get to Fort Webb which is probably about 50 to 100 yards from the parking lot, you have to walk up a small trail and over some rocks. Then, you have to walk up a set of steps made out of railroad ties to get to the top of the fort. Once you get to the top, you realize it’s just a big, impacted mound of dirt that’s obviously been there for more than 100 years. However, I was impressed of what’s left of the fort which has pretty much maintained its original shape. The fort has a deep trench that was dug around it probably by some soldier with no more than hand shovels. The historical marker explains its unusual earthworks calling it a “lunette fort with embankments” that had three mounted cannons.
According to the brochure, Fort Webb is now considered to be a city park and it has retained its original configuration since the time it was constructed by the Confederate army. It is one of six forts that were in our area where guns were placed to fortify the hills because Bowling Green and Warren County had productive farms and ample qualities of fresh water. In other words, Bowling Green and Warren County offered a lot of cool supplies for an army and we were the center of a reliable and defensible transportation network that made us one of state’s most strategic cities. The L&N Railroad, a system of halfway decent roads (for that time period, I’m sure) and the Barren River could be used to move troops and supplies easily and fast. That’s why both the Confederate and Union armies wanted to occupy Bowling Green badly. Originally, the Confederates had Bowling Green and then they lost it to the Union Army. You know . . . kind like a fumble in a football game.
After my brief visit and reflection time at Fort Webb, I realized that this was enough Civil War history for me on this day. I went away from there feeling like there is really a lot more to learn about Bowling Green’s Civil War history and that this site had been an untapped source of history for me.Perhaps, I am just scratching at the tip of an iceberg as far as Civil War history goes in Southcentral Kentucky. But seeing Fort Webb for the first time, I feel that I may be onto something big and that I need to try to visit more Civil War sites in the area in the near future. It was nice to get out of the house on a Saturday morning and take a quick look into our fertile, historical past. And best of all, it didn’t even cost me a dime, accept for the gas that I used in my little pickup truck to drive across town and back.
To learn more about author Galen Smith, visit www.myspace.com/galensmithsr or http://www.galenasmithsr.blogspot.com/.
101 Things To Do In Southcentral Kentucky: Visit Fort Webb In Bowling Green
By Galen A. Smith Sr.Friday, January 18, 2008 2:59 PM CST
..
..
Because I work a lot of crazy hours at my job like a lot of us do, I have to figure a way to get out of the house every now and then and find something to do in a recreational fashion. Because if I don’t, especially during the winter months, I’ll go stir crazy! And because I tend to be a home body, I have to be creative in my thinking about what I want to do when I get out of the house on a limited budget.
Like a lot of middle class Americans these days, money is tight and traveling across the country by plane or train is not always easily attainable for me. Even to drive somewhere regionally like Nashville or Memphis can be rather expensive in gas money alone these days.
But on a recent Saturday morning with the temperature in the 40's and a gray overcast sky, I zipped up my light blue jacket and jumped into my little 1988 Maza pickup truck. I reached for a brochure called “The Civil War in Bowing Green” that I had picked up in the lobby of one our local hotels and decided to drive over to Fort Webb Park just off Beech Bend Road and Country Club Drive near the Barren River.
I turned left on Country Club Drive and then up the hill past some rolling wood fences that are painted black. I saw the Fort Webb Historical Marker and I pulled into a parking spot and got out of my truck. I noticed I was alone and I was glad of this because I like my solitude when visiting historical places. I like for my imagination to run wild. I try to realize what it was like to live “back in the day” as our young people say these days about what it was like to live during a certain time period or when some sort of historical event was taking place such as the Civil War.
In order to get to Fort Webb which is probably about 50 to 100 yards from the parking lot, you have to walk up a small trail and over some rocks. Then, you have to walk up a set of steps made out of railroad ties to get to the top of the fort. Once you get to the top, you realize it’s just a big, impacted mound of dirt that’s obviously been there for more than 100 years. However, I was impressed of what’s left of the fort which has pretty much maintained its original shape. The fort has a deep trench that was dug around it probably by some soldier with no more than hand shovels. The historical marker explains its unusual earthworks calling it a “lunette fort with embankments” that had three mounted cannons.
According to the brochure, Fort Webb is now considered to be a city park and it has retained its original configuration since the time it was constructed by the Confederate army. It is one of six forts that were in our area where guns were placed to fortify the hills because Bowling Green and Warren County had productive farms and ample qualities of fresh water. In other words, Bowling Green and Warren County offered a lot of cool supplies for an army and we were the center of a reliable and defensible transportation network that made us one of state’s most strategic cities. The L&N Railroad, a system of halfway decent roads (for that time period, I’m sure) and the Barren River could be used to move troops and supplies easily and fast. That’s why both the Confederate and Union armies wanted to occupy Bowling Green badly. Originally, the Confederates had Bowling Green and then they lost it to the Union Army. You know . . . kind like a fumble in a football game.
After my brief visit and reflection time at Fort Webb, I realized that this was enough Civil War history for me on this day. I went away from there feeling like there is really a lot more to learn about Bowling Green’s Civil War history and that this site had been an untapped source of history for me.Perhaps, I am just scratching at the tip of an iceberg as far as Civil War history goes in Southcentral Kentucky. But seeing Fort Webb for the first time, I feel that I may be onto something big and that I need to try to visit more Civil War sites in the area in the near future. It was nice to get out of the house on a Saturday morning and take a quick look into our fertile, historical past. And best of all, it didn’t even cost me a dime, accept for the gas that I used in my little pickup truck to drive across town and back.
To learn more about author Galen Smith, visit www.myspace.com/galensmithsr or http://www.galenasmithsr.blogspot.com/.
February 13, 2009
Bowling Green's Civil War Experience Offers Opportunities to Learn and Be Entertained
Most known for its fast cars (Bowling Green is home to the National Corvette Museum), roller coasters and college sports, Bowling Green, Kentucky also has many entertaining stories to tell that include some little-known facts about the Civil War. Local attractions have interpreted those facts in "Bowling Green's Civil War Experience," which includes opportunities to hop aboard a train, dress in period clothing, ride a boat through an underground cave, travel by car along the Civil War Discovery Trail and much more.The South Central Kentucky city's convenient location (less than an hour from Nashville) and unique geography appeal to many travelers both presently and in the past. The Bowling Green area's productive farms and its ample quantities of fresh water promised plentiful supplies for an army during the Civil War. Access to the Louisville-Nashville Railroad, a system of roadways and the Barren River allowed for quick and efficient movement of men and supplies. Rolling hills and underground shelters offered effective opportunities to defend those transportation routes, making the area a strategic post that both camps wanted to control. Visitors today still recognize those valuable geographic traits, and now they can be entertained while they learn about how Kentucky played an important role in the war and why the Bowling Green area was viewed as such a strategic post.
Bowling Green's Civil War Experience includes:
"A Star in Each Flag: Conflict in Kentucky"The Kentucky Library & Museum on Western Kentucky University’s campus has introduced a new exhibit that encourages guests to walk through a simulated campsite, view a slave cabin, and step into a community post office. Examine period artifacts including John Hunt Morgan’s saddle, an original copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe, actual letters between Kentucky residents written during the war, various medical instruments, Civil War flags, weapons and more. "A Star in Each Flag: Conflict in Kentucky" also includes a Victorian photo studio where visitors can dress in period clothing and have a picture taken. The exhibit is the first in the region to interpret South Central Kentucky's Civil War story, with emphasis on the divided loyalties of regional families and the lives of slaves in Kentucky.
"Lincoln and the Railroad"The Historic Railpark & Train Museum will debut a "Lincoln and the Railroad" exhibit in mid-to-late March featuring rare Matthew Brady Civil War railroad photos from the National Archives and accompanying text from Smithsonian research assistant Peter Hansen. The exhibit will highlight Lincoln’s little-known 20-year career as a railroad attorney in Illinois and the expansion of the railroad during his administration. Also of interest are permanent exhibits 'Segregation and the North American Railroad' and 'The Great Locomotive Chase,' displaying a Civil War Medal of Honor.
Civil War Discovery Trail By car, visitors can listen to the newly developed audio tour for the Civil War Discovery Trail. Bowling Green was the Capitol of the Confederate State of Kentucky for approximately five months in 1861-62. Noted on the tour is the private residence that served as the capitol building. Historical markers interpret interesting facts throughout the city and Riverview at Hobson Grove Historic House & Museum offers a wonderful stopping place to learn more about how the house was used as a fort and an ammunition depot during the war. A free download of the interpretive audio is available online at http://www.visitbgky.com/. A CD version is also available for purchase at the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau located on Three Springs Road, just off Scottsville Rd. from exit number 22 of I-65.
Lost River Cave & Valley Explore more Civil War secrets underground at another stop on the Discovery Trail, Lost River Cave & Valley, and hear stories about both camps hiding out and the mysterious deaths of soldiers there. Lost River offered a natural water supply and the beauty of the cave provided a diversion from the ugliness of war. It is believed that on one of his “lightning raids” into Kentucky, John Hunt Morgan hid in the cave when escaping from pursuing troops. Visitors can learn more by taking a boat ride through the cave. In the fall, Lost River's Civil War Days recreates history and includes period re-enactors, demonstrations and interactive exhibits and activities.
President Abraham Lincoln emphasized the value of Kentucky's strategic importance in an 1861 letter, “I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game.” Through "Bowling Green's Civil War Experience," visitors can step back in time and learn more about the legacy of a war that bitterly divided our nation, our state and our families. Area hotels and one-of-a-kind dining establishments, in addition to creative shopping venues and attractions, contribute to Bowling Green's unique charm. To learn more about Bowling Green's Civil War Experience and area tourism destinations, visit http://www.visitbgky.com/ or contact the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 326-7465.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
