Coastal forts

President Lincoln tried to find a way to save the lives of the soldiers at the coastal fort at Fort Sumter without causing a war.  Fort Sumter was in the bay of Charleston Harbor.  One of  ideas he considered was to add resources to Fort Pickens.  Fort Pickens had soldiers and was located at the coastal area at Pensacola, Florida. Lincoln was unable to keep Fort Sumter but in the process of the capture of the fort the soldiers were sent North to safety.  Fort Monroe on the coast of Virginia was in the region of the South but was never captured in the war between the states.  During the war of the rebellion Lincoln stayed at Fort Monroe to meet with generals involved in operational planning. 

Dr. John Croghan

William Croghan and Lucy Clark Croghan owned the land at Locust Grove near the Ohio River.  Their son was John Croghan.  After he completed his degree in medicine he set about in the field of tuberculosis treatment.  To this end he purchased Mammoth Cave to provide for the care and healing of people with tuberculosis. Men who had mined saltpeter from Mammoth cave reported that after being in the cave they  experienced feeling better.  Dr. John Croghan thought that the cave would do the same for people with tuberculosis.  After some people with tuberculosis stayed in the cave for some time Dr. Croghan observed that living in the cave did not help.  

Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted gave Louisville the plans for its parks and for parkways connecting major areas of the community. In addition the Olmsted firm was hired to lay out the grounds for some of the bourbon manufacturing sites.  Some landowners selected the Olmsted firm to design the fences and gates at their homes.

Rowing across the Atlantic

The boat used to row across the Atlantic

Tori Murden McClure was the first American woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean. The first time she tried she was frustrated by Hurricane Danielle. After she tried to cross the first time she talked with Muhammad Ali. The second time she tried she completed the crossing. She showed perseverance and leadership.

The Shakers

The Shakers set up communities at South Union and at Pleasant Hill in Kentucky. Men and women lived communally in separate houses. The communities began operation around 1810.  The last members left around 1910.  There were communities in Ohio and New York State. The Shaker movement began in New York State. The seeds sold by the Shakers were popular with buyers.  The Shakers had a good reputation as sellers. 

Knowledge was once appreciated

Kentucky was once considered to be “the West.”  When Ephraim McDowell was perfecting his skill at treating people, Kentucky was considered to be a location where the best minds were living and working.  In more recent times an antipathy has has come to the fore about expertise.  Experts in their field are mocked.  Kentucky was once a place that drew the top minds of  North America.  In Kentucky knowledge was once appreciated.

The most difficult problem

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky.  There is a Lincoln Birthplace property that people can visit to see this site in a rural area in Kentucky. Of all the presidents Lincoln had the most difficult problem to deal with during his term of office.  It is remarkable that he bought the nation through the rebellion that threatened the nation’s existence.