I look forward to going to Eminence to enjoy the Small Town local flavor. Located in the next…read morecounty from me it is just a short drive to Henry County. Henry County is located in north-central Kentucky in the outer Bluegrass Region. Eminence is the largest city in the county with an estimated population of 2,231. Eminence is located 69 miles northwest of Lexington; 38 miles northeast of Louisville; and 65 miles southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. Henry County was carved out of a population of Shelby County in 1798. The county was named for Patrick Henry, famous for his "give me liberty or give me death" speech. The city of Eminence was not formally surveyed until April 1854 when a local man named Gideon King gave the right of way through his land for the railroad. The plat was laid 330 feet to the inch and the locations of the New Castle Turnpike, I. C. & I. Railroad, the Christian Church lot; D. Thomson's lot and G. Kings residence are marked. When railroads were obtaining their right of ways, it was Gideon King who persuaded the powers that be to run their road over his land. He gave them land, not only in track and station, but also for the freight house and cattle pens. So the road was "detoured" to pass through Gideon King's Farm. The railroad (completed in 1849) crossing the New Castle-Shelbyville Turnpike on its way from Louisville to Frankfort was the catalyst for the growth of Eminence. Eminence, which means "high place", is the highest point along the railroad between Louisville and Lexington and lies 900 feet above the sea level. Bringing the train through Eminence is credited with increasing the population of the city, making it larger than the county seat. At one time, the county boasted seven railroad depots. The Eminence passenger depot is still a focal point of the downtown property and only one of two remaining in the County.

Stopped by the Captain William Shannon Landmark while passing through town and ended up…read moreappreciating it more than I expected. It's a simple monument, but once you read into it, you realize how important William Shannon was to the founding of the area he actually donated land that helped establish Shelbyville back in the 1790s. The marker itself isn't anything flashy, so don't expect a big attraction or anything interactive. But if you enjoy local history, it's worth a quick stop. It gives you a real sense of how early settlements were formed and the role individuals played in shaping towns like this. I'd say it's a solid quick visit nothing you go out of your way for, but definitely a nice historical touch if you're already in the area.

In today's world you can do many tasks on-line via your own computer. Sometimes, it's nice to have…read morea face to face conversation with a human being to have circumstances reviewed and questions answered. That face to face meeting was exactly what I needed to happen with the Social Security Administration. After phoning the appropriate phone number I was a tad bit worried about the experience I may have during an actual meeting. If rating the phone experience alone it would be a 2.5 stars. This is based on busy signals, rambling messages, worming through the transfer system and the inability to talk to a live representative. So I went to the Social Security Administration without having a scheduled appointment. I feared disorganization and long waits. Oh how I had misjudged this agency with wrong preconceived notions. I met my husband in the parking lot and we entered the building together. Upon entering we were greeted from a distance by a security guard who pointed to a registration machine. Wow, a nice clean touch screen system, where you enter your Social Security number, then follow the prompts for reason for visit, etc. At the end it spits out a small paper tag with your registration number. We had a seat in the clean lobby and proceeded to wait for our number to be called. Within 10 minutes we were called to window "number" B. We met briefly with that employee who determined we needed to meet with a case worker who could further answer our questions, print out our options, and assist us with evaluating the whole picture. So we went back to the lobby area to wait. I figured it would be another 10-15 minutes. Wrong again. We no more than took a seat and we heard our last name announced and were told to go to window number 11. The case worker was a delightful, intelligent young lady who understood our questions and was armed with computer print outs of our collective Social Security data. She plunked the information we presented into the system and printed out our options. We were not rushed to make a decision but advised to take the information home with us and decide what works best with our current financial situation. She informed us because we had shown up in-person to make the inquiries she would generate a letter that was good for six months to make that date be the application date. WOW, my head is still spinning with this positive experience. Now we have a phone number to call to make an appointment or we can complete our application process on-line. A true five star experience with a government agency.

Had a chance to visit the Sheriff's office again today. The staff ladies are always so nice,…read moresmiling, helpful and welcoming.

It's hard to miss this brick building next to the train tracks in downtown Frankfort and so it was…read morehelpful to have the historical marker present to give some explanation. The marker is on two sides and reads, "Built by Louisville & Nashville R.R., 1908, to replace depot located here by Lexington & Frankfort R.R. in 1850s. Present station was used by Chesapeake & Ohio, Louisville & Nashville, Frankfort & Cincinnati, and Kentucky Highlands. The last scheduled passenger train was C&O George Washington, April 30, 1971. Presented by Ky. Assoc. of Highway Contractors." And on the opposite, "Early Tunnel in Kentucky - Early transportation tunnel in Kentucky. It was hand bored by Lexington and Frankfort Railroad in 1849. First passenger train went through on February 23, 1850. Replaced incline, built 1835 just east of here, previously used by railroad to enter Frankfort. Incline built by Lexington & Ohio, the first railroad in Kentucky. Presented by CSX Transportation." No passengers trains here since 1971, kind of a bummer. [Review 13560 overall, 879 of 2020.]

We LOVE this fire department. They do so much good for the community…read more We've been coming to their Community Halloween party for years and it never disappoints. They serve food, treats, and drinks.. all free. There's a variety of games and activities for the kids to participate in while dressed up in their spookiest costumes. I highly recommend to anyone in the area to stop by one of their events. Your kids will thank you!

This is another landmark that we came across while we were in the area exploring. Is the Jaycee…read moreBarnett library Landmar. It is located in the heart of the town.

This is the review for Kentucky State Reformatory, which has a number of programs located on the…read moreKSP campus, including the Jefferson vocational, prison industries and many others. Today I went on a prison tour with Students from the Kentucky Innocence project (KIP). Walking through the gate means that everything on you will be searched, thankfully not strip searched. There are metal detectors and I was patted down to make sure I wasn't packing weapons or drugs. (Seriously, don't bring that stuff to a prison, you will end up in prison) We were told the original KSR was located in Frankfort, but it flooded and was moved to LaGrange in 1930. We got a chance to look at cell block A, the psych unit, segregation, medical unit and the dog program unit. As you can imagine, the dog unit was a favorite for everyone on the tour. The dogs are trained up for a couple weeks, then are available for adoption through the Oldham County Humane Society. They are well behaved & cute--the dogs, not the tenants. Like most prisons, this place is best just to visit and not for an extended stay. This place still isn't a Hilton so it loses a star.