What I saw - Bernheim Forest

Kentucky native vine

Art Installation - Bernheim Arboretum

The Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a located in the Knobs section of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The Arboretum was the gift of Isaac W. Bernheim.  Mr. Bernheim immigrated to the United States from Germany.  He and his younger brother established a beverage distillery in Paducah in 1872.  Later they moved their operation to Louisville.  The statue of Thomas Jefferson at the Jefferson County Courthouse is a gift of Isaac Bernheim.

Though his works in Kentucky have been appreciated in the Commonwealth he also was associated with Colorado.  In the 1920s he moved to Denver, Colorado.

The Arboretum site was reclaimed from a heavily cut over area.  That area had salt production and iron production during the 1800s.  Both of these products used wood for fuel in their production.  Most of the trees were cut to accumulate wood for the industries. Many different trees live at the Arboretum. The site is privately owned and is open for visitors to see the trees of the Arboretum.

What I saw - West Point

Water cascading over the creek bed - Fort Duffield, KY

Wildflowers in bloom - Fort Duffield, KY 

A wooded area has been set aside for historic preservation along Highway 31W at West Point.  The U.S. army constructed a fort there during the American Civil War.  The high area where the fort was located could have controlled a large area of the surrounding land.  The fort and the area of  surrounding land was never attacked during the American Civil War.  The winter of 1862 was a harsh winter.  Some of the soldiers in garrison died of their illnesses during that winter.  There is a listing of deaths and the illness for each decedent if known posted at the park.

It is springtime in Kentucky.  There are numerous flowers in bloom along the streams in this historic park.

The quiet beauty of the flowers stands against the loss that occurred at Fort Duffield. The area speaks of healing.