Kentucky – Louisville (Apr 25, 2020)

cimino.adventures@gmail.com0

We were getting a little stir crazy after almost 7 weeks of self-quarantine so we decided to take a drive to Louisville. The drive was about an hour so that allowed us some time to just get away. Dublyn slept in the backseat happily.

The first stop was at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park. “He was born at the Sinking Spring site south of Hodgenville and remained there until the family moved to the Knob Creek Farm northeast of Hodgenville when he was 2 years old, living there until he was 7 years old. The Sinking Spring site is the location of the park visitor center.” “The country’s first memorial to Lincoln, built with donations from young and old, enshrines the symbolic birthplace cabin.” Of course, the Memorial Building was not open due to COVID-19 but the park was set up nicely. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park preserves two separate farm sites in LaRue County, Kentucky where Abraham Lincoln was born and lived early in his childhood. 

The Memorial Building “by housing and protecting the “symbolic” birth cabin of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States.” On February 12, 1909, the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt and the building was dedicated on November 9, 1911, by President William Howard Taft.[3] 
This is a picture of the log cabin inside that was pulled from the web. Interesting note about the logs in this cabin, which are reported to be original logs from his cabin. Today, historians recognize that the former claim that these logs were from Lincoln’s birth cabin was essentially inaccurate.
The Nancy Lincoln Inn and its cabins were built to serve the many visitors who wished to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places but is not operational. The inn rented out the cabins and served food until World War II; the cabins would once again be rented out after they were restored by their owners Carl and Sharon Howell, Jr. in 2005, with air conditioning added. However, it appears the cabins are not being used.
Knob Creek Farm where Lincoln lived after he was 7 years old.
Driving towards Louisville, we passed Jim Beam Booker Noe Plant. Of course, we were not able to stop and visit.

We finally arrived in Louisville and wanted to see the murals. We have since learned that they are called “street art” and not murals – at least in Kentucky. Found a lot done by The Art Cartel and Often Seen Rarely Spoken mural companies. We missed many, of course, and you probably could spend a couple of days trying to find all of them. Check out The Courier-Journal story which shows many of them.

Thought this was funny – too bad we couldn’t toast it with a shot of whiskey.
While looking at a mural, this was on the street and found this interesting. This was across the street from the below mural.
The Chicken King
The seating areas in front of the mural below. Many of these throughout the area as you can see in the picture.
Inspired by African American crazy quilts, this mural of two large hands sewing together bright, colorful patterns of a crazy quilt represents the diversity of the Smoketown Community and how cultures have merged together in Smoketown to create a place that is improvisational, resourceful and beautiful. 
Feeding baby in the Smokehouse community
Located on the side of Nord’s Bakery
on Nord’s Bakery. Wish we could of bought some doughnuts
This mural outlines the Woman of Many talents. Elmer Lucille Allen – Woman of Many Talents. A Smoketown native who became the first female African American chemist at Brown-Forman who used her talents to create beautiful works of visual art.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Artist Brandon Marshall was able to sit down with this living legend and collaborate on this beautiful piece. Her experiences, skills, and life are retold through waves of colors and photos that piece together this beautiful collage on S. Jackson street.
Victor Sweatt created this with historical giants of Smoketown. Some notables are Muhammad Ali and Joe Ali.
Great mural of Ali – too bad it was defaced recently.
This was found while driving down the road and was under a bridge. Funny thing was when we pulled up there were three cop cars there huddling. They immediately left when we showed up.
Often Seen Rarely Spoken created this mural.
Edgar Allen Poe, the Raven

So we were able to get out and stay in our car so we kept our social distancing. We are will be in Texas starting next week.

Leave a Reply