Our First Day of Caching in Frankfort 4/29/2009

Mom and I, after our day of work, took off this morning to do some caching around the Frankfort area. Our first 2 caches were in the small town of North Fork and I do mean small as if you blinked your eyes on the way through you would miss it, a four corners and that's all. The first cache was at the North Forks Baptist Church in the cemetery. Next was a cache at Switzer Covered Bridge. Franklin County's only covered bridge spans North Elkhorn Creek and is 120 ft. long and 11 ft. wide. It was built by George Hockensmith circa 1855. each entrance has a sawtooth edge; the lattice is pinned with trunnels (treenasil). Restored in 1906 by Louis Bower. Closed to traffic in 1954. This bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1974. The Switzer Bridge once carried KY 1262 across North Elkhorn Creek at Switzer in eastern Franklin county. It is a 120 foot long Howe truss design built in 1855 and restored in 1906 and again in 1990. On March 1, 1997 the bridge was washed away in a flood and was restored in 1998.
Then it was back into Frankfort for a cache outside the Jim Beam Kentucky Whiskey plant and the next was in Lakeview Park in the woods. Then we drove to Cove Spring park for a Earthcache at Hurst Falls in the park. The park/nature preserve consists of approximately 100 acres of wetlands, streams, springs, waterfalls, forested ravines and other natural and historic features.
Then we went to Greenhill Cemetery where we had a cache that brought us to the only Kentucky African American Civil War Veteran's Monument. Erected by the Colored Women's Relief Corps No. 8 of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1924, this marker is the only monument to Kentucky African American Civil War soldiers and one of only four monuments to African American Civil War soldiers in the nation. The monument is a simple tapered shaft, ornamented with the seal of the Grand Army of the Republic on the front and featuring the names of 142 African American soldiers from central Kentucky on the other three sides. The contribution of African American Civil War soldiers in Kentucky was great, comprising nearly one-third of all Kentuckians who served in the Union forces. This is particularly remarkable since the recruiting of African American soldiers was not allowed in Kentucky until March 1, 1864 (some African Americans who wished to enlist before this time, did so out-of-state). 23,703 Kentucky African Americans served in 23 Union regiments. Impressively, only the state of Louisiana provided more black recruits than Kentucky. Enlistment in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) also granted emancipation for enslaved Kentuckians, though attempting to flee to one of the ten USCT recruiting camps in the state was a very difficult and dangerous task for a fugitive slave.
Then it was on to East Frankfort Park and a cache in the woods near a disc golf course. After we found the cache we dog Muffy and Raggs to the dog park and let them loose so they could run around awhile, which they seemed to like.
Next 3 caches were NRV with one in a telephone booth, one near a neighborhood watch sign and the last in a small over grown park on the campus of Kentucky State University. After we finished it off back to the RV and lunch and Mom did the blogs and we watched TV till dinner. We ate and that was our day. Well until next time we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad