Kim took me to Harrodsburg, about half an hour from Lexington and we spent most of our time there at the Old Fort. Apparently it was the first Permanent European settlement east of the Alleghenies, founded by James Harrod in 1774.
It seems it was illegal as there had been an agreement with the Native Americans that there would be no settlements this far west.
There were several people in roles such as textile maker and dyer, blacksmith and pioneer woman.
We heard several interesting stories:
• The pioneer women had to keep their crying babies/children quiet when they were hiding from attackers and made rag dolls as comforters for the purpose. They would only bring these out at times of danger as a treat, or the children would be too used to them.
• As is fairly well known, the Native American women used to put their babies into papooses or cradle boards. These might be carried on the mothers' backs or maybe hung up in a tree. If the baby cried, it was left. A fuss was made of it only when it was quiet, so the baby learnt from this. Again, this practice helped with the safety of the group.
• Brown dye for textiles was made by boiling up walnuts, including the husk, for several hours.
Kim sat on the dunce's stool in the bare and uninspiring schoolhouse - she's looking far too happy!
We had lunch at a super cafe, the Fudge Factory, which had originally been a pharmacy.
Lastly we returned to the Fort, and enjoyed the Mansion Museum, which had loads of artefacts and the Lincoln Marriage Temple, which houses the original log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln's parents were married.
