
HISTORY
HISTORY
HISTORY LIVES HERE
The Commonwealth of Kentucky was born in Danville in 1792. The story of Danville since then is told today through stately homes and state parks, cemeteries and country stores, hand-carved woodwork and modern art glass, bourbon distilleries and battle reenactments.

Abraham Lincoln Museum
Lincoln’s grandmother lived in the Forkland area of Boyle County for over thirty years; her descendants still do. This museum features memorabilia about our sixteenth president and historical artifacts of the beautiful Forkland area. It’s open noon-4pm, May through October, for special events or by appointment.
16479 Forkland Rd. (Rt. 37) Forkland Community Center, Gravel Switch, KY 40328
+1 (859) 936-7489

African American Forgotten Landmarks
This driving tour will guide your travels to some landmarks of the rich African American history and culture of Danville-Boyle County.
Click below to learn more and download the African American Forgotten Landmarks Driving Tour Brochure.

Boyle County Veterans Memorial
Honor lives on at the Boyle County Veterans Memorial. Installed and unveiled at the Boyle County Fairgrounds in 2013, it includes a 1950s-era military tank and a Veterans Wall of Honor inscribed with the names of over 1,500 local veterans, along with a proud row of flags and carefully-tended flowering plants. The site, described as “one of the nicest in Kentucky,” is overseen by the grateful people of Boyle County, the City of Danville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the National League of POW/MIA Families, and Ole Glory Flags.

Civil War Driving Trail
Hosted by the Geotourist app, this tour highlights Perryville’s famous Battle for Chaplin Hill and touches on other Civil-War-era notables and historic sites.

Constitution Square Historic Site
This verdant park, with its central statue representing the official seal of the commonwealth, is the birthplace of Kentucky’s statehood. Tour the site of the signing of the state’s constitution, its frontier jail and meetinghouse, and the first post office west of the Alleghenies.
Cabins open April through October.
105 E. Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422
+1 (859) 236-7794

Great American Dollhouse Museum
Fascinating for adults and children alike, the museum contains over 200 intricate and beautifully detailed miniature buildings and scenes from throughout history and across the globe.
344 Swope Drive, Danville, KY 40422
+1 (859) 236-1883

Hemp Highway
This self-directed, free tour winds through the beautiful Bluegrass countryside, highlighting sites of interest in the rich story of hemp production in Kentucky.
+1 (800) 734-5611

Historic Merchants’ Row – Perryville Walking Tour
Perryville’s storied history reaches far beyond its famous battlefield. The Perryville Walking Tour takes you down historic Merchants’ Row, a series of original 1800s buildings that now host restaurants, gift shops and museums.

Jacobs Hall – Kentucky School for the Deaf
This museum showcases life for deaf students in 19th-century Danville at one of the only institutions of its kind at that time. Tour dormitories and classrooms inside a beautiful, historic building.
202 S Second Street, Danville, KY 40422
+1 (859) 239-7017 ext. 2801

Lincoln Heritage National Scenic Byway
This tour through Kentucky’s Knobs region touches on Lincoln’s early life in nearby Hodgenville as well as Kentucky’s pivotal role as a border state in the Civil War. The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, America’s oldest Trappist monastery, and parts of the Bourbon Trail are highlighted along the way.

McDowell House Museum and Apothecary
Dr. Ephraim McDowell made medical history here on Christmas morning of 1809, when he performed the first successful ovarian tumor removal in history, earning the title of “The Father of Abdominal Surgery.” Today, a guided tour of the house and grounds documents the skill and innovation of medical pioneers (and the bravery of their patients!) at that time.
Closed November through January.
125 S 2nd St, Danville, KY 40422
+1 (859) 236-2804

Penn’s Store
A store site since 1845 and in the Penn family since 1850, Penn’s Store is the oldest country store in America in continuous ownership and operation by the same family. Its weathered boards, coal stove, cigar-box “cash register” and “Picking and Singing” events truly transport visitors back in time.
257 Penn’s Store Rd, Gravel Switch, KY 40328
+1 (859) 332-7706

Perryville Battlefield
1862’s Battle of Perryville was the most important Civil War engagement fought in Kentucky; some historians believe it was as decisive as any fought during the Civil War. Take a self-guided Perryville Battlefield Walking Tour, or visit in October for the world-famous annual reenactment.
1825 Battlefield Road, Perryville, KY 40468
+1 (859) 332-8631

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
Home to the third largest Shaker community in the United States from 1805 to 1910, this vibrant site offers countryside vistas, beautifully-crafted historic buildings and furniture, spirited hospitality, fresh-air adventures and great discoveries.
3501 Lexington Rd, Harrodsburg, KY 40330
+1 (800) 734-5611