Blue Licks Battlefield State Park

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Blue Licks Battlefield State Park
Historical marker at the battle site. In the background, a crowd watches a reenactment of the battle.
Type	Kentucky state park
Location	Robertson County, Kentucky
Size	148 acres
Operated by	Kentucky Department of Parks and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission
Status	Open year-round

Blue Licks Battlefield State Park is a park located near Mount Olivet, Kentucky in Robertson County. The park encompasses 148 acres (0.60 km²), and features a monument commemorating the August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks. The battle was regarded as the final battle of the American Revolutionary War.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Natural features 3 Attractions 4 Events 5 References

[edit] History

In 1782, British Captain William Caldwell led a force of Indians against the small Kentucky settlement of Bryan's Station. Caldwell met stiff resistance, and after two days, retreated toward the Ohio River. The pioneers – Daniel Boone among them – were inclined to wait for reinforcements before pursuing the enemy, but Major Hugh McGary made a brash and fateful decision to pursue immediately, engaging Caldwell at Blue Licks. In the battle that followed, 60 of the 176 men who followed McGary were killed, Boone's son Israel among them. Another 7 were captured. Reinforcements under George Rogers Clark eventually arrived and drove Caldwell's forces from Kentucky for good.^[2]

By the mid-19^th century, the Blue Licks area had become a health resort, due in large part to the nearby saltwater springs that had been used for "salt making" since the 1770s. The mineral water found in the springs was rumored to cure everything from asthma to gout. By 1896, however, the area's last spring had gone dry. Efforts to locate another spring unearthed several geological and historical artifacts. A more extensive excavation of the area was conducted in 1945.^[3]

The battlefield was once on the National Register of Historic Places, but the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program determined in the 1990s that the site's integrity was too destroyed, causing the removal of the battlefield from the Register. However, a team from Morehead State University is to search the battlefield using modern equipment to explore for artifacts relating to the battlefields. Enough success in this endeavor could mean the return of the battlefield to the Register.^[4]

[edit] Natural features

The park is located along the Licking River, and offers canoing and fishing. The Licking River Trail offers a one-mile (1.6 km) hike along the riverbank.^[3]

The park also contains a 15 acre nature preserve that is home to the endangered Short's goldenrod. The annual Short's Goldenrod Festival is co-hosted by Blue Licks State Park and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. The festival raises money to support the nature preserve and promote the survival of the species. ^[5]

[edit] Attractions

The Pioneer Museum is the park's major attraction. It houses a variety of artifacts, from a mastodon tooth found during an excavation of the site to relics from the American Civil War.^[3]

[edit] Events

The Battle of Blue Licks celebration is held annually in mid-August, and features a re-enactment of the Battle of Blue Licks.^[3]

The Short's Goldenrod Festival is a celebration of one of the rarest plants in Kentucky and the United States. The festival is held annually on the last week of September. Learn more about Short's goldenrod by visiting the Kentucky Rare Plants Database.

[edit] References

v • d • e Protected Areas of Kentucky National Parks, Recreation Areas and Historic Sites Mammoth Cave National Park • Cumberland Gap National Historical Park • Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area • Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site State Nature Preserves Axe Lake Swamp • Bad Branch Falls • Brigadoon • Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns• Beargrass Creek • Blackacre • Blue Licks • Jesse Stuart • Natural Bridge • Six Mile Island State Resort Parks Barren River Lake • Buckhorn Lake • Carter Caves • Cumberland Falls • General Butler • Grayson Lake • Green River Lake • Greenbo Lake • Jenny Wiley • Kenlake • Kentucky Dam Village • Lake Barkley • Lake Cumberland • Natural Bridge • Pennyrile Forest • Pine Mountain • Rough River Dam State Historic Sites Boone Station • Constitution Square • Dr. Thomas Walker • Isaac Shelby Cemetery • Jefferson Davis • Old Mulkey Meetinghouse • Perryville Battlefield • Waveland • White Hall • William Whitley House State Recreation Parks Ben Hawes • Blue Licks Battlefield • Big Bone Lick • Carr Creek • Columbus-Belmont • Dale Hollow Lake • E. P. "Tom" Sawyer • Fort Boonesborough • General Burnside • John James Audubon • Kincaid Lake • Kingdom Come • Lake Malone • Levi Jackson Wilderness Road • Lincoln Homestead • Mineral Mound • My Old Kentucky Home • Nolin Lake • Old Fort Harrod • Paintsville Lake • Taylorsville Lake • Yatesville Lake State Forests Dewey Lake • Kentenia • Kentucky Ridge • Knobs • Pennyrile • Olympia • Tygarts State Forest Other Breaks Interstate Park • Daniel Boone National Forest • Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Department of Parks (web)