The Great American Brass Band Festival

Area Sights to See

Historic Danville

The City of Firsts is deemed by many to be one of the most beautiful communities in the state and also boasts a large share of the state's history. Antebellum homes, many designated historic landmarks, are to be found here in numbers perhaps unmatched by any other community. On almost every country road you can see fine mansions built long ago. Many of the homes are still in use and are well kept up. Danville's historic Main Street holds an impressive number of original buildings and landmarks in a variety of architectural styles. The Boyle County Courthouse was built in 1862 on the site of an earlier (1842) building destroyed in a fire that took many downtown structures in 1860. Court was held in it only once before it was claimed as a hospital for the Union forces following the Battle of Perryville, about 10 miles away. At Constitution Square, 10 conventions were held to separate Kentucky from its mother state, Virginia. Other buildings at the park include the first post office west of the Alleghenies; the restored Grayson Tavern, where the famed Danville Political Club met; replicas of the first Presbyterian church in Kentucky, the courthouse and the first jail in Kentucky, all of which stood on the square when the Constitutional Conventions were held. Across the street is McDowell House and apothecary shop, where Dr. Ephraim McDowell pioneered modern abdominal surgery.

McDowell House

One of the best known of the ``firsts'' of Danville's history is the story of Dr. Ephraim McDowell, pioneer Kentucky surgeon and ``father of abdominal surgery.'' McDowell's house and apothecary shop face Constitution Square in downtown Danville. The home, built on land owned by Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor and McDowell's father-in-law, has been restored and is open to the public. Dr. McDowell was the son of Samuel McDowell, president of the convention that framed the first constitution of Kentucky. Dr. McDowell studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and later settled in Danville to become the foremost surgeon west of the Alleghenies. It was in his home on Christmas Day 1809 that Dr. McDowell successfully removed a 20-pound ovarian tumor from Jane Todd Crawford of Green County. The 25-minute operation was done without the benefit of anesthesia. Dr. McDowell and Dr. Adam Rankin opened an apothecary shop in the brick building adjoining the house and it was used by their successors until 1856. Dr. McDowell practiced medicine until his death in 1830. In the center of McDowell Park, next to First Presbyterian Church, stands a monument to Dr. McDowell. The house is open seven days a week, Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m.; Sundays from 2-4 p.m.

Pioneer Playhouse

Pioneer Playhouse offers summertime theater for its fans, and training for young actors and actresses. Some of the``unknowns'' which have appeared in playhouse productions in years past have achieved star status -- John Travolta, Jim Varney and Lee Majors among them.
Pioneer Playhouse sits on the outskirts of Danville in its own little ``town''-- an 18th century pioneer village. The old-fashioned shops are filled with antiques.
For a reasonable price, you can enjoy a play and dinner there, or dine elsewhere and visit the theater. The site also offers a campground, biking trails and a picnic area in the 200-acre complex.
Pioneer Playhouse claims the distinction of being Kentucky's oldest outdoor theater. It is located on U.S. 150, or you can follow the signs on various roads in Danville.
For reservations, call (859) 236-2747. Dinner is served at 7:30 p.m.; showtime is 8:30 p.m.
All performances are nightly except Sunday and Monday. Performances will be indoors in case of rain.

Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge

For a glimpse of what the pioneers found in Boyle County, visit the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge.
You can hike one of the six main nature trails, varying in length from a beginner's .2 mile to the 2.6-mile Circle Trail up the knob.
You can observe birds and wildlife from a trail, beside a pond or from an excellent bird blind near the caretaker's house. There the close-up view of feeding birds provides an opportunity for nature study and photography.
If you're more interested in flora than fauna, take one of the wildflower walks offered periodically. Evening walks for star-gazing occasionally are offered, too.
The 500-acre refuge includes land typical of the area, with knobs, flat farmland, two ponds, deer trails and a waterfall. Among the residents of the area are many animals and birds.
Wildflowers grow in profusion, providing a changing tapestry of color throughout the year.
In 1965, a group of local people decided to establish a wildlife sanctuary. They bought an old farm with 100 acres of fields and 400 acres of forest. The forested ridge, with its remarkable array of wildlife habitats, was maintained in its natural state. The fields were leased as farmland to provide a small but steady income to supplement the local donations that fund this unique small-town nature preserve.
The Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge is 13 miles from Danville on Carpenter Creek Road. Take Ky. 34 (Lebanon Road) to Parksville; turn left onto Ky.1822. At Ky. 37, turn right and go 1/2 mile to Carpenter Creek Road. There is no charge to visitors, though donations are welcome.
School groups and other groups are always welcome. Guided trail walks area vailable. To arrange one, call Jim and Rose Marie Roessler at (859) 332-7333, G.W. Newsom at (859) 236-2830, Rob Pendygraft at (859) 854-6800 or Vera Gilmer at (859) 236-6096.
Parking is near the lodge. Though hiking, photography, painting and nature study are encouraged, visitors are requested to stay on the trails. Special permission is required to collect rock, plant or animal specimens.

Penn's Store

Penn's Store has serviced the Forkland community for over 150 years. It is the oldest in the country that has been in continuous operation by the same family.
Judging from the license plates -- Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan, Penn's Store on Ky. 243 near Ky. 37, serves a greater purpose than just meeting the household and automotive needs of this small community in the tri-county area of Boyle, Casey and Marion.
In 1850, Gabriel Jackson Penn, became the first Penn to operate the store.
Penn's, which actually opened in 1845, is located 20 miles from Danville and next to a popular swimming hole where the Little South Creek meets North Rolling Fork.
One of its most famous characters was Martin Haskell ``Hack'' Penn, who ran the store after his mother died in 1972 until he died in 1993 at age 84.
The Great Outhouse Blowout event was created for the dedication of the store's first outhouse and the first event in 1992 drew the attention of national media by featuring country music great Chet Atkins.
In addition to the annual outhouse event, which now features an outhouse race, other events have been added, ``Fiddling and Whittling,'' ``Rocks and Bones,'' a gathering of herb enthusiasts and ``A Country Store Christmas. ''Each year, they also produce a book of writings.

Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site

The Battle of Perryville, fought here on Oct. 8, 1862, has made Perryville a memorable one for Civil War buffs. Each October, thousands gather in Perryville to watch the battle re-enacted by skirmishers in period dress.
The area where the battle was fought is now a state park. The Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site features cemeteries for Union and Confederate soldiers and a museum filled with information and Civil War artifacts.

The Battle of Perryville

A border state, Kentucky felt the wrath of both sides during the Civil Warbut never more than after the bloody Battle of Perryville.
Mistakenly informed that Kentuckians would rally to their cause, Confederate generals Braxton Bragg and Edmond Kirby Smith brought their armies from Tennessee. On Oct. 7, 1862, 61,000 Union soldiers under Gen. Don Carlos Buell encountered 16,000 Confederate soldiers at the Chaplin River near Perryville.
After a day-long battle, the outnumbered Confederates appeared to be winning, but Buell sounded the retreat at midnight after learning that over 40,000 fresh Union troops were at nearby.
Area residents were left to cope with the consequences of the battle. They buried the dead and created temporary -- and not so temporary -- hospitals.

Community Arts Center

The old Federal Building at 401 West Main Street retains a lot of its perennial charm. It still has all sorts of hidden nooks and crannies, old wood from when it was built early in the 20th century, and one fascinating, curved, metal staircase that leads up to the attic. Hints of its past lives have been retained in the new face of the Community Arts Center building, which it now hosts.

The CAC has a gift shop, coffee shop, art exhibits, hosts various classes and various other activities related to the arts.

The CAC is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. It is open at other times for special events or nighttime classes. Call the Center at 859-236-4054 for information. The CAC is handicapped-accessible, inside and out.

Old Fort Harrod

Old Fort Harrod State Park is located on U.S. 68 and U.S. 127, in the center of Harrodsburg. It contains a full-scale replica of the fort built by James B. Harrod in 1774. The cabins at the fort are furnished with handmade utensils, furniture, crude tools and agricultural implements used by the pioneers. Craftsmen in authentic costumes portray pioneers who lived in the the fort and demonstrate some of their crafts. Also in the park complex is the recently renovated Mansion Museum, which contains a collection of paintings, Indian artifacts, Civil War relics, a gun collection, music boxes and a Lincoln collection. The fort also features the Lincoln Marriage Temple -- housing the cabin where Abraham Lincoln's parents were married -- and a memorial which was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934. The fort is open year round.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

The restored Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill represents a preservation effort spanning 29 years that has saved 30 historic Shaker buildings and 2,700 acres of Shaker farmlands. Shakertown, as it is known locally, gives visitors an opportunity to look at the lives and labors of this bygone culture. It was the first historic site in the country to be designated a National Historic Landmark from boundary to boundary. The village was established in 1805 and by the 1830s had reached its peak of productivity. Carrying a name bestowed upon them because of their frenzied ``laboring'' in their worship services, the Shakers built a way of life based on celibacy, communal ownership, racial and sexual equality, conservation of resources, standards of simplicity and utility, and diligent attention to God and work. At the restored village, there are 81 guest rooms in 15 different buildings, all original, historic structures. The Village is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The Trustees' Office dining room offers southern cuisine in the Shaker style. A country buffet breakfast is served at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. each day. Lunch seating begins at 11:30 a.m., 1 or 2:30 p.m. and dinners are served at either 5:30 or 7:15 p.m. Reservations are required. Pleasant Hill also has two craft sales shops and daily demonstrations of Shaker crafts. At Shaker Landing, the Dixie Belle, an authentic stern wheeler owned and operated by Shaker Village, offers daily excursions and special cruises on the river. For more information about Shakertown, call (859) 734-5411.

Beaumont Inn

Beaumont Inn has been operated by the same family since it first opened. The Inn was constructed in 1845. It was a school for young ladies, the Greenville Institute, until 1855. For the next 40 years, the school was known as Daughters' College, under the direction of John Augustus Williams, former president of the University of Kentucky and founder of Columbia College in Missouri. In 1894 the school was bought by Colonel Thomas Smith, veteran of the Confederate Army, and operated as Beaumont College until 1916. It was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Glave Goddard in 1917 and converted into an inn two years later. Mrs. Goddard was an 1880 graduate of Daughters' College and taught at Beaumont College. The inn has been operated by the same family for its entire history, with the fourth generation now in command. The current innkeepers are Charles ``Chuck'' Dedman and his wife, Helen. The Beaumont Inn is internationally known for its fine food and has been featured in many books and periodicals. Signature dishes at the inn include two-year-old country ham, corn pudding, and Yellow-Legged Chicken.

There are four seatings for dinner, Monday-Thursday 5:30, 6, 7 and 7:30p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 5:30, 6, 7 and 7:45 p.m., and two on Sunday at 6 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday brunch is served at 11 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 1:30p.m. Lunch is served Tuesday-Saturday at 11:30 a.m., noon and 1:15 p.m. No lunch is served on Mondays.

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