Blue Licks Battlefield State Park
Encyclopedia
Blue Licks Battlefield State Park is a park located near Mount Olivet, Kentucky
in Robertson County
. The park encompasses 148 acre (0.59893528 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
.
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, and although under the general leadership of Major John Todd, Major Hugh McGary of the Lincoln County contingent made a brash and fateful decision to pursue immediately (after an insult for being timid from Todd), 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.
By the mid-19th 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.
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.
, and offers canoeing and fishing. The Licking River Trail offers a one-mile (1.6 km) hike along the riverbank.
The park also features a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) nature preserve containing a cedar glade. This glade was previously maintained as an open area by the large numbers of herbivores, such as bison, elk, and woolly mammoths who frequented the area. Today much of the glade has transitioned into forest, but the remnant areas are being maintained by controlled burn
s and removal of Eastern redcedar. These remnants are home to the federally endangered
Short's goldenrod
and the state threatened Great Plains Ladies'-tresses.
tooth found during an excavation of the site to relics from the American Civil War
. Exhibits focus on the area's natural and cultural history, including prehistoric animals and fossils, area Native Americans and 18th century pioneers
, as well as a diorama
of the battle.
The museum was dedicated in 1931 and restored for the 225th commemoration of the Blue Licks Battle in 2007. The museum is open year round and an admission fee is charged.
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.
Mount Olivet, Kentucky
Mount Olivet is a city in and the county seat of Robertson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 289 at the 2000 census. The population has declined from 442 in 1970, 346 in 1980, and 384 in 1990....
in Robertson County
Robertson County, Kentucky
Robertson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 2,282. Its county seat is Mount Olivet, Kentucky. The county is named for George Robertson, a Kentucky Congressman from 1817 to 1821. Robertson is a prohibition or dry county...
. The park encompasses 148 acre (0.59893528 km²), and features a monument commemorating the August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks
Battle of Blue Licks
The Battle of Blue Licks, fought on August 19, 1782, was one of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battle occurred ten months after Lord Cornwallis's famous surrender at Yorktown, which had effectively ended the war in the east...
. The battle was regarded as the final battle of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
History
The earliest accounts of Blue Licks describe it as a place where animals gathered to lick the salt deposits flowing from the springs in the area. The Reverend James Smith provides this account in his 1795–97 diary:"As you approach the Licks, at the distance of 4 or 5 miles from it,
you begin to perceive the change. The earth seems to be worn away; the roots of the trees lie
naked and bare; the rocks forsaken of the earth, that once covered them, lie naked on the
neighboring hills, and roads of an amazing size, in all directions, unite at the Licks, as their
common center. Here immense herds of buffalo used formerly to meet and with their fighting,
scraping etc., have worn away the ground to what it is at present."
In 1782, British Captain William Caldwell
William Caldwell
William Caldwell may refer to:*William Caldwell , English cricketer*'William Caldwell', Field Maple cultivar named for eponymous nurseryman.*William W. Caldwell , U.S...
led a force of Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
against the small Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
settlement of Bryan's Station. Caldwell met stiff resistance, and after two days, retreated toward the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The pioneers – Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
among them – were inclined to wait for reinforcements before pursuing the enemy, and although under the general leadership of Major John Todd, Major Hugh McGary of the Lincoln County contingent made a brash and fateful decision to pursue immediately (after an insult for being timid from Todd), 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
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
eventually arrived and drove Caldwell's forces from Kentucky for good.
By the mid-19th 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
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
to gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
. 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.
The battlefield was once on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, 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
Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
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.
Natural features and State Nature Preserve
The park is located along the Licking RiverLicking River (Kentucky)
The Licking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river and its tributaries drain much of the region of northeastern Kentucky between the watersheds of the Kentucky River to the west and the Big Sandy River to the east.-Origin of name:The Native...
, and offers canoeing and fishing. The Licking River Trail offers a one-mile (1.6 km) hike along the riverbank.
The park also features a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) nature preserve containing a cedar glade. This glade was previously maintained as an open area by the large numbers of herbivores, such as bison, elk, and woolly mammoths who frequented the area. Today much of the glade has transitioned into forest, but the remnant areas are being maintained by controlled burn
Controlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
s and removal of Eastern redcedar. These remnants are home to the federally endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
Short's goldenrod
Solidago shortii
Solidago shortii, commonly known as Short's goldenrod, is a species of goldenrod that is considered one of the rarest plants in the world. The only known populations of Short's goldenrod occur around the Blue Licks Battlefield State Park area of Kentucky and Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Indiana...
and the state threatened Great Plains Ladies'-tresses.
Pioneer Museum
The Pioneer Museum is the park's major attraction. It houses a variety of artifacts, from a mastodonMastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
tooth found during an excavation of the site to relics from the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Exhibits focus on the area's natural and cultural history, including prehistoric animals and fossils, area Native Americans and 18th century pioneers
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
, as well as a diorama
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
of the battle.
The museum was dedicated in 1931 and restored for the 225th commemoration of the Blue Licks Battle in 2007. The museum is open year round and an admission fee is charged.
Events
The Battle of Blue Licks celebration is held annually in mid-August, and features a re-enactment of the Battle of Blue Licks.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.
External links
- Blue Licks Battlefield State Park – official site
- Battle of Blue Licks – includes information about the Pioneer Museum, the battle and the re-enactment group