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The initial edition of Images of America: The Kentucky Bourbon Trail was published in 2009, and since then, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tourist attraction has grown to include 10 of the state's largest and most famous distilleries along with members of the new Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour®.

This revised edition contains nearly 100 new images of the bourbon industry, past and present, making it an essential companion for bourbon enthusiasts as they visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® distilleries. Along the KBT™, tour guides and exhibits offer visitors a variety of interesting facts and often a taste of this uniquely American spirit. This book offers a look back at some of the pioneers of whiskey distilling, the distilleries that have come and gone, and the history of those brands that carry on the craft today. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® are experiences that rank among Kentucky's most famous and fastest-growing tourism attractions, with over 3 million visits in the last five years

The railroads and coal industry permanently changed both the economy and culture of Floyd County, Kentucky.

Floyd County, named for Kentucky pioneer John Floyd, was formed in 1799. Originally encompassing all of the Big Sandy River Valley and much of eastern Kentucky, the boundaries included portions of what are now Pike, Martin, Knott, Magoffin, and Johnson Counties. Because of its river access, Floyd County developed earlier than many counties in eastern Kentucky; Prestonsburg, the county seat, became a major river port and center of trade in the region. With the coming of the railroad in 1903 and the coal industry, the county rapidly grew, in no small part thanks to the rapid rise in population due to the migration of white Americans from around the country, European immigrants, and African Americans from southern plantations and coalfields. What had been an agrarian, white population suddenly took on a whole new face, one more reflective of the nation. The history of coal production plays a large role in this book, particularly the Wheelright Coal Camps, but we know how much Kentucky has given to contribute to the story of America.

Floyd Collins is perhaps the most famous person you've never heard of, but this young man's tragic death made him celebrated as the Greatest Cave Explorer Ever Known.

Collins was a Kentucky cave explorer in the early part of the 20th century, characterized by his lack of fear when exploring the most difficult cave passages, and few people could match his persistence and endurance. In the winter of 1925, Collins became trapped for more than two weeks in a cave located within the boundaries of what is now Mammoth Cave National Park. The story of Floyd Collins becoming trapped and ultimately dying alone in a cave held a powerful grip on the hearts and minds of people the world over. The resulting media coverage put Mammoth Cave on the map and helped usher the actual designation of Mammoth Cave as a national park. His explorations laid the foundation for others to later discover the truth of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave in the world.

Marking the ridgelines and hearts of the Appalachians during the Great Depression, packhorse librarians delivered hope, one book at a time.

When the Great Depression started, folks stumbled on hard times. Many lost their jobs and homes, and they struggled to support their families. But people craved hope for the future, and hope arrived with the packhorse librarians through Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1933. Each week, children, families, and schoolhouses celebrated when their packhorse librarian arrived at their doors with books. After being handled by many cherished hands, reading materials needed to be taken out of circulation. The librarians constructed scrapbooks and filled them with beloved items—recipes, quilt patterns, pictures, and stories. Challenges awaited the librarians at every pass. From muddy creeks to snowy hillsides, the packhorse librarians delivered books and hope to their patrons. Although the program ended in 1943, the lasting effects on literacy and the communities these packhorse librarians visited can still be seen today.

Author Nicki Jacobsmeyer lives in rural Missouri, where she writes fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. She inspires others to discover and dream through reading and believes books are windows to the world. 

Take a visual, historic tour of the world's longest known cave system with caving enthusiasts Bob and Judi Thompson.

Mammoth Cave National Park is made up of more than 53,000 acres. The region is characterized by what geologists call karst topography, a landscape dotted with sinkholes and caves. One of America's first tourist attractions, the cave was opened to the public in 1816, and was preceded in popularity only by Niagara Falls. The park was established as a national park on July 1, 1941, a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990.

The 200 vintage images found in Images of America: Mammoth Cave and the Kentucky Cave Region represent a look back at over 100 years of photography and tourism at Mammoth Cave and other caves that make up the Kentucky Cave Region. Rare images of early transportation, hotels, cave guides, cave tours, as well as important cave discoveries, and cave explorers such as Floyd Collins, are shown throughout the book.

Join native Kentuckian Deborah Adams Cooper as she retells the rich history of Letcher County using vintage images.

Since 1795, when Peter Whitaker built the first known settlement on what is now Linefork Creek, Letcher Countians have demonstrated the perseverance and fortitude for which Appalachian people are known. The majesty of Pine Mountain in the south of the county or the rare beauty of old-growth forests that became Lilley Cornett Woods must have brought Daniel Boone to seek a paradise in ""Kanta-ke."" Whitesburg and Letcher County have seen their resources of timber, oil, and coal bring growth, as well as decline. With the rise of the coal industry before World War I came a steady flow of Eastern European immigrants who contributed a new and exciting perspective on life, business, and art. It was Italian stonemason John Palumbo Sr. who led other Italians to Whitesburg because the beauty of it reminded him of his home in the Campania region of Southern Italy. The churches, homes, and buildings they established stand in homage to their energy and skill.

Located in Northern Kentucky, Newport is a small, historic river town bustling with business in a respectful and developing community. While it is now known for its charm, Newport once had a dark and sinister past known as its Sin City years.

Newport earned its reputation for vice, crime, political corruption, bootlegging, casinos, brothels, and bookie joints early in the city's history. During the Civil War, soldiers stationed at the Newport Barracks were offered entertainment from various saloons and bordellos located in the city. At the turn of the 20th century, John Thompson, a Newport native, invented the Thompson Machine Gun. The tommy gun was made infamous by gangsters during Prohibition. Citizens of Newport, fed up with the city's sordid reputation, eventually banded together to drive out the vice and reclaim their city. After a long struggle, Newport is now a pleasant and enchanting community.

Lake Cumberland is a premier vacation destination for millions of people each year. Before Lake Cumberland became a recreational paradise, the wild and wondrous Cumberland River ruled the land.

With its 1,255 miles of federally protected shoreline, an average depth of 90 feet, and a surface area of more than 60,000 acres, Lake Cumberland is one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States, yet visitors may not realize the storied history that lies beneath the deep water. Although plagued by spring floods, towns and communities prospered along her banks. In an effort to control the Cumberland River and reduce flooding, Wolf Creek Dam was constructed following the Flood Control Act of 1938. With the dam in place, Lake Cumberland began filling in 1951. The dam offered protection to South Central Kentucky, but it drowned or forever changed many thriving towns and communities. Images of America: Around Lake Cumberland shows what life was like along the banks of the Cumberland River before Lake Cumberland was born.

Interesting tales of beauty, progress, intrigue, and murder are chronicled in this volume on Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Settled by English and Scotch-Irish descendants who ventured ""over the mountains"" in search of adventure, land, and fortune, Breathitt County, Kentucky, has a long history. ""Bloody Breathitt"" was the site of a long series of feuds that lasted from the early days of the ""Cattle Wars"" until the 1970s and beyond. Through the years, the city of Jackson and Breathitt County have experienced booms and busts centered on its natural resources, which included salt, timber, oil, and coal. Since its establishment on April 1, 1839, the county has been a place of educational opportunity through community schools, school districts, Lees College, and a vocational school. From its rugged mountain roots filled with feuds to a community working to embrace new technology and the reemergence of timber and coal industries, Breathitt County has always been in transition, and its continued growth must be grounded in a firm understanding of its past.

Maysville, Kentucky, and the seven counties surrounding it are represented in this book. Sitting beside the swift currents of the Ohio River about 60 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio, Maysville was established in 1787 by Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone and was originally named Limestone, later to be named Maysville. A shipping port for bourbon, wrought iron, and tobacco in the early years, it later became both a manufacturing hub and an agricultural community known as the world’s finest tobacco market. Today, Maysville’s Gateway Museum, just a few blocks from the iconic Simon Kenton Bridge, preserves the story of how the town became “the gateway to the south.” Rosemary Clooney, US Supreme Court associate justice Stanley Reed, and many other prominent people are from this area. Some older businesses that helped this town grow have closed, but others like the Pogue Distillery, Caproni’s Restaurant, and Wald Manufacturing live on as this town continues to thrive.

Tom Roberson was born in Mayslick, Kentucky, and grew up in Maysville. Most images came from the author’s 40-year hobby of collecting early-1900s historical postcards. Roberson is a retired residential builder and is always on the hunt for new images to add to his collection. 

Journey back in time for a visual history of the Derby City in the Victorian Age!

On August 1, 1883, the eyes of the nation turned to Kentucky as thousands crowded the lanes of Louisville's Southern Extension. Tugging a silken cord, President Chester Arthur set the machinery in motion for an event that changed the town forever. Touted at home and abroad as the 100 Days that Louisville Opened Its Doors to the World, the occasion was the inauguration of the Southern Exposition, an early world's fair with a wide variety of mechanical, scientific, and cultural displays showcasing the latest advances in the cotton industry.

In the first 88 days, an astounding 770,048 visitors came. As a result, tremendous growth occurred, the city's first suburb eventually sprang up, and the site became populated with a new neighborhood containing architecturally opulent residences. Known as Old Louisville today, it counts as one of the country's largest historic preservation districts, with hundreds of magnificent structures providing a glimpse into a fascinating Victorian past.

African Americans have lived in Boyle County, Kentucky, since the first settlement of the area in 1775. Mostly enslaved, by the Civil War, the county had one of the largest population of free Blacks in the area with the exception of Jefferson and Fayette Counties.

Their presence in Danville, the county seat, but also in population centers scattered throughout the county resulted in a deep and broad influence, much of which was lost in the early 1900s due to out-migration, deaths, and especially urban renewal between 1963 and 1975. Within Danville, the South Second Street area was the heart of the Black community. Restaurants, groceries, pool halls, barbershops, and beauty shops were the center of commerce from the 1890s until the 1970s. The Bate School also drew students from the outlying settlements that did not have high schools of their own. Today, the majority of the African American community continues to live in the city of Danville, with small pockets in Perryville and outlying areas of Boyle County.

Michael Thomas Hughes is a native of Boyle County and grew up in a segregated society. Michael J. Denis is a retired history teacher from Maine who moved to Boyle County and immediately fell in love with its history. The photographs in this book are mostly from the Danville Boyle County African American Historical Society Inc. collection (DBCAAHS), of which the authors are charter members.

Concentrating on the early twentieth century, Images of America: Louisville celebrates a dynamic community and the people, both famous and everyday, who have contributed to its lasting legacy.

Since its founding at the Falls of the Ohio by George Rogers Clark in 1778, Louisville and its people have looked to the mighty Ohio River as the city's lifeblood. Louisville has counted on the river for transportation, commerce, leisure, culture, and natural beauty. Characterized by abundant opportunity-both professional and recreational-this renowned city has grown and prospered to become the business and industrial center of Kentucky.

Is Louisville the southernmost midwestern town, or is it an upper south, southern city? This identity crisis has arisen from a historical diversity of people, industries, architecture, and commerce. Louisville has been home to large populations of German, Irish, French, and other immigrants. Large multi-national corporations, such as General Electric, Brown Forman, Philip Morris, and UPS have also called Louisville home over the years. The city counts among its famous sons William Clark, who, with Merriwether Lewis, led the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803, and sports icon Muhammad Ali. Local streets boast modern architectural treasures such as the Humana Building, designed by Michael Graves, and the American Life Building by Mies van der Rohe. Louisville is also home to Churchill Downs and the country's premier equestrian competition, the Kentucky Derby. These and many other notable facets of the city's rich heritage are illuminated in the vintage photographs within this volume.

Find out how and why Glasgow earned its reputation as ""The biggest little town in Kentucky.""

Glasgow is nestled in the heart of south-central Kentucky. From its pioneer days to the advent of the 21st century, Glasgow has been known as a progressive center for agriculture, commerce, education and medicine. The community has been home to many of distinction, including an early African-American mayor, two governors, a world-renowned musician, a winner of multiple Pulitzer Prizes, a decorated U.S. Air Force general, the president of a major television network and a leader in the control of tuberculosis. Equally important to the tale of Glasgow's past are all the ordinary folks who were paramount in making the community the solid, thriving locale that it remains.

Louisville's Germantown and Schnitzelburg documents community's historic transformations, from agricultural center to industrial powerhouse.

Believed to have been named for the citizens who settled the area as early as the 1840s, Germantown and Schnitzelburg are located just east of downtown Louisville. The first parcels purchased and settled were part of the 1,000-acre land grant that was awarded to Col. Arthur Campbell in 1790 for his service to Virginia in the Indian Wars. Spanning more than 160 years of growth, the area developed from farms and dairies in the 1850s, to the industrialization of the 1880s, and then the halcyon era of the 1950s as a safe haven of family, community, and church. Remarkable historic landmarks include a Victorian-era cotton mill, DuPont Manual High School's football stadium, and the eclectic collection of residential architecture classified as shotgun and camelback. Numerous neighborhood taverns and bakeries are both historic landmarks and popular eateries in this community. Look inside and enjoy the history and beauty of a bygone era and the development of a thriving community.

In 1790, when the pioneer settlement of Lexington, Kentucky, was still concerned with hostile attacks by Native Americans, the Lexington Fire Company was formed by volunteers to protect against fires.

The company was the first fire department west of the Allegheny Mountains. The first horseless fire engines were purchased in 1911, while the last horse-drawn hose wagon was retired in 1926. During 1949, under Chief Earl R. McDaniel’s direction, the city began allocating the funds to create a first-class fire department with modern equipment. In 1974, the county fire department was consolidated into the Lexington Fire Department under the merged government. Today, the department operates 24 firehouses, with over 500 sworn firefighters.

William M. Ambrose is a local historian and former chairman of the Lexington History Museum. Foster Ockerman Jr., a Lexington attorney, serves as chief historian at the Lexington History Museum. Authors’ proceeds from this volume will benefit the Firefighter’s Toy Program of the Lexington Fraternal Order of Firefighters.

Bringing to life more than a century's worth of fascinating stories and history of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

Best known for its pivotal role in opening up the western frontier and its association with explorers and pioneers, the legendary Cumberland Gap has long been celebrated in music and literature. To better preserve that history, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was authorized in 1940 and now covers more than 24,000 acres in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Daniel Boone is remembered here, as well the Native Americans who used the path through the mountains for trade and warfare, the Civil War soldiers who took turns guarding this strategic portal, the geologists and industrialists who saw the potential for development, the businessmen who built one of the nation's first roads for automobile travel and the displaced residents who gave up their homes for the park. The dream of a few dedicated individuals to one day restore the historic Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap came true in 2002 after decades of planning, and visitors can once again walk in the footsteps of the pioneers.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Trigg County, Kentucky with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

In January 1820, the acting governor of Kentucky, Gabriel Slaughter, signed a bill put before him by the state's legislature to create a new county from portions of Christian and Caldwell Counties in Western Kentucky.

Trigg County was named to honor Revolutionary Warsoldier and Native American fighter Col. Stephen Trigg. Organization of the county government commenced on May 15, 1820, at the home of Samuel Orr in the community of Warrenton. Justices of the Peace Boyd, Wadlington, Goode, Orr, Scott, Slaughter, Daniel, Fowler, and Dawson swore one another into office and set about the business of the new county. The village of Cadiz, located along the banks of Little River, was soon established as the county seat.

Author Thomas D. Harper is a native of Trigg County and possesses a passionate interest in the county's history. As a teacher of middle school social studies in Kentucky's public schools, Harper is able to share his love of regional, Kentucky, and American history with hundreds of students. He resides in Trigg County with his wife and two daughters, and it is his desire that the unique history of the area be preserved for future generations through Images of America: Trigg County and the works of other committed historians.

Take a journey through Muhlenberg county's rich history, hometown to the Everly Brothers and Warren Oates, in this this fascinating visual tribute.

Muhlenberg County has been famous for its record-setting coal production since 1890. But as the county grew and the coal piled higher, another kind of energy began to flow from the depths of the mines. Songs like ""Sixteen Tons"" and ""Paradise"" spotlighted the lives of the bent and bowed coal miners and put the county on the map. With the addition of the world's largest power plant and the world's largest coal shovel, tourism increased as visitors came to see the hometowns of the famous Everly Brothers, James Best, Warren Oates, and Merle Travis. The Duncan Cultural Center and Museum, a gift from Hamilton Duncan, is a beautiful gathering place where people today can enjoy music and art and learn about Muhlenberg's coal legacy and rich history.

Images of America: The Land Before Fort Knox illuminates the past while images bring to light people and places of yesterday.

Located south of the Ohio River and Louisville, Kentucky, the Fort Knox military installation is the location for the training of U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry forces. Known as the home of Mounted Warfare, Fort Knox is also the location of the U.S. Treasury Department Gold Vault that opened in February 1937. Fort Knox covers 178 square miles and spans parts of Hardin, Meade, and Bullitt Counties. The area was once home to Thomas Lincoln, father of the nation's martyred 16th president, as well as the burial place of Abraham Lincoln's grandmother, Bathsheba Lincoln. Images of America: The Land Before Fort Knox illuminates the past while images bring to light people and places of yesterday.

Once upon a time, the banks of the Ohio River provided an ideal location where amusement parks thrived  - the area simply known as Kentuckiana!

Picnic grounds flourished and steamboat travel was abundant at the coast the Ohio River known as Kentuckiana. Popular amusement parks such as Glenwood Park, Rose Island, White City, Fontaine Ferry, and Kiddieland welcomed visitors as early as 1902, and the more successful parks continued to operate well into the 1960s. Visitors to these parks enjoyed steamboat excursions, live music, rides, games, picnics, sporting events, and more. These parks were not only for amusement seekers but also for keen businessmen like David Rose, who purchased Fern Grove in 1923 and renamed the park Rose Island. Transportation businesses thrived, with steamboats like the Idlewild (now the Belle of Louisville) providing regular transportation to the parks along the Ohio River. In addition to an increase in river traffic, companies like the New Albany Traction Company purchased the area that would become Glenwood Park from the well-known Beharrel family, of New Albany, Indiana, and provided rail transportation to their park.

A pictorial history of Garrard County's everyday people going about their lives ... and so much more!

Nestled in the bluegrass region of central Kentucky, Garrard County traces its pioneer beginnings to the mid-1770s. Officially founded in 1797, the county remains predominantly rural to this day. Its citizens are patriotic, service-oriented, and proud of their communities and ancestors. In this volume, county resident Rita Mackin Fox has gathered more than 200 photographs, focusing primarily on residents on the farm, in towns and at school, work, worship and play. Each image will bring back memories or provide a glimpse of what life was like for earlier residents.

Fox also pays tribute to some notable people and events, including Kentucky Mountain Boy Bradley Kincaid, Carrie A. Nation, possible Uncle Tom's Cabin connections and a visit by a former king of England. This volume also contains images that show the formation of Herrington Lake, now a major recreation and tourism area.

Images of America: Bardstown is an educational and entertaining volume that will delight residents, visitors, and lovers of history everywhere.

A visitor to Bardstown today can view as many as 300 buildings listed on the National Register and marvel at their age and condition, but the original state of many of these landmarks has long since been altered or forgotten.

Fire destroyed many buildings during the late 1800s, and commercial progress in the 1900s prompted the demolition of more than 100 of the area's homes and businesses. In this remarkable new volume, the search of public and private collections for photos of local landmarks and events has resulted in the lost puzzle pieces needed to complete the history of Bardstown's physical heritage. In 190 rare photographs, Bardstown reveals the people and places who have contributed to its growth and gives readers the opportunity to witness the changes that have occurred throughout the history of this close-knit, Southern community.

Images in this collection include recently discovered photographs of the tragic Shepherdsville Train Wreck of 1917; the effects of Prohibitionn on a community with 12 distilleries; the changing faces of My Old Kentucky Home (the inspiration for Kentucky's state song); and unique views of the fires that destroyed Heaven Hill Distillery and the Talbott Tavern.

Ludlow depicts the gripping history of this small Kentucky town.

Disproportionate to its small size, Ludlow's history is undeniably spacious. Situated along the Ohio River, Ludlow is located in the northernmost region of Kentucky, south of Cincinnati. Although not officially incorporated until 1864, Ludlow had been established much earlier by a handful of affluent families. As an alternative to chaotic city life, Ludlow offered residents vast land and tranquil surroundings where they could build their estates. Shortly thereafter, however, the late 19th century would bring the railroad to Ludlow, sparking dramatic growth and expansion of the city. Images of America: Ludlow displays a spectrum of photographs, from the hardworking faces of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad to the lively happenings at the Lagoon Amusement Park. Opening in 1895, the amusement park provided over two decades of entertainment and leisure activities for the community. Extensively photographed, it now endows us with striking images featured in a unique chapter. Additional views of businesses, churches, schools, and citizens give further glimpses of early life in Ludlow. Several historic family homesteads are displayed, including Elmwood Hall, the city's earliest known permanent residence.

Hickman County was known to early French explorers as the ""Iron Banks,"" to Chickasaw Indians as ""the Dark and Bloody Land"" or ""Happy Hunting Ground.""

It was, to early settlers, ""the Promised Land,"" and finally to one and all who live here as ""God's Country"" or ""home."" Organized in 1822, Hickman County was named for Capt. Paschal Hickman, a hero of the War of 1812. From gently rolling knolls, abrupt hills, and deep ravines, to the rich bottomlands next to the river, all can be found in this 225-square-mile county. Visitors and residents enjoy camping and touring the Civil War museum at the Columbus-Belmont State Park, the beautiful scenery from the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, hiking at Murphy's Pond, or walking back in history at the Hickman County Museum.

Long associated with fine Thoroughbred horses, Kentucky's Bluegrass region is also home to America's oldest indigenous breed: the American Saddlebred horse.

A composite of several breeds, the Saddlebred was developed by 18th century colonists who sought a good looking, sensible, adaptable, and comfortable animal to ride and drive. These traits made it the mainstay of the Confederate cavalry during the Civil War and the choice mount of many generals on both sides. As the Industrial Revolution replaced the need for working horsepower, the Saddlebred evolved naturally into recreational activities. Affectionately known as ""peacock of the show ring,"" the Saddlebred's beauty, expression, and athleticism epitomize the essence of a show horse. In many ways, the breed's history parallels that of America and unfolds in pictures in Kentucky's Saddlebred Heritage.

After the American Civil War, many African Americans found a new life in ""River Town,"" later to become a major city in Kentucky.

Louisville became a historic marker for freed men and women of color who bought acres of land or leased shotgun cottages and lots from whites to begin their new emancipated life. Smoketown is the only neighborhood in the city of Louisville with such continuous presence. By 1866, Smoketown was settled by these freemen, and by 1871 the first public building, the Eastern Colored School, was erected. By the 1950 census, 10,653 people lived in Smoketown, and other historic black neighborhoods--such as Petersburg/Newburg, Parkland, California, Russell, Berrytown, Griffytown, and Black Hill in Old Louisville--were thriving. As these new neighborhoods sprang up, another historic event was taking place: in 1875, the first Kentucky Derby convened, and 13 of the 15 jockeys were black. Such astounding history embraces this city, and Images of America: Louisville's Historic Black Neighborhoods relives its magnificent and rich narrative.

This fascinating photographic history tells the story of Campbellsville, a town in Taylor county with a rich history.

Taylor County became the 100th county in the commonwealth of Kentucky when it was created on March 1, 1848. The county was named after Zachary Taylor, who gained fame as a general in the Mexican War and eventually became president of the United States. The town of Campbellsville, founded in 1817, was selected to serve as the county's seat of government. Throughout its history, the growth of Campbellsville and Taylor County has been marked by both boom periods and years of severe trials and tribulations. Despite the difficulties faced by the residents of Taylor County, its citizens have always shown admirable grit and determination in improving the circumstances of their families and community. Today the county features a diversified economic base that serves a population of 24,069. Of that number, 11,010 reside within Campbellsville's borders.

Images of America: Bell County celebrates the region's heritage with vintage images and informative text. Black-and-white photographs culled from a variety of sources highlight the spirit of a remarkable community, where self-made millionaires and peg-legged admirals were among the many unforgettable individuals to call the area home. This photo journal invites readers to rediscover Bell County and its treasures.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Carroll County, Kentucky with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

In 1794, the town of Port Williamwas established at the confluence of the Kentuckyand Ohio Riversjust two years after that portion of Virginia known as Kentucky Countyofficially became the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

In 1838, officials carved Carroll County out of portions of Gallatin and Trimble Counties and renamed the town Carrollton in honor of Charles Carroll, the last surviving man to have signed the Declaration of Independence. Over the years, Carrollton became well known for solid wood furniture and bourbon whiskey, and in the 1900s it became one of the top marketplaces for burley tobacco. For decades, Carrollton and Ghent, a city to the east, were common stops for steamboats and river barge traffic. Though still mostly agricultural, the county, halfway between Cincinnati and Louisville, is home to several steel and chemical plants, as well as General Butler State Resort Park.

Images of America: Carroll Countywas compiled by Phyllis Codling McLaughlin, a former editor of the News-Democrat, Carrollton's weekly paper published since 1868.