On 1 November, the Clarks traveled 15 miles. One of the leathers of the carriage broke which detained several hours. Dined at Mr. Buford’s in Lancaster – 1.25 and stayed all night a Capt. Taylors on the Dicks (Dix) River- cost 2.25 (near 37.57177N, 84.61332W- near Old Lancaster Road #2). The exact site is unknown. Mr. Buford’s Tavern was in the heart of Lancaster, KY and the present-day site of the Garrard County Judicial Center (37°61807N, 84°57905W) bound on the south by West Buford Street, west by the US Post Office, north by the Garrard County Court House and the east by US 27. We can appreciate Clark’s lack of comment because his mind was no doubt on the replacement of the leather strap for their carriage. Gerrard County Judicial Center Reaching Stanford, KY on 2 November they stopped at John Logan’s stone house, – Servant .75 Pr. Gloves Mrs. Clark 1.00 . KY Historical Marker number 1561, on KY 78, (37°53090N, 84°64234W). John Logan House in Stanford John Logan was the brother of Benjamin Logan founder of Stanford and Logans Fort (37°31.841′ N, 84°40.678′ W). While the fort was no longer in use in 1809, it was already a monument to the Logan brothers, Kentucky militiamen and leaders that served the First West. A few miles to the east along US 150 they passed the William Whitley House, the first brick house west of the Allegheny Mountains (37.46866N, 84.54937W). The Whitley house was not listed in the Clark journal but within sight of the road. William Whitley is one of the most recorded protectors of the Old Wilderness Road and the pioneers that traveled into the Bluegrass via the Cumberland Gap. (1) William Whitley House – Image Credit: Lincoln County William commented, Breakfast at Mr. Pleasants at the Crab Orchard, bad house, cost 1.50. Lodged a the Stone house very bad, cost 1.50. we could not get admittance at Mr. Smiths . Crab Orchard was named for the large number of wild crab apple trees near the Wilderness Road and a gathering place for people traveling East along the Wilderness Road. There was safety in traveling in large groups through the 130 miles wilderness. Notices of groups being formed at Crab Orchard appeared in the Kentucky Gazette, edited by John Bradford. The Gazette, printed in Lexington, KY, was “the” newspaper west of the Allegheny Mountains and covered a 500-mile radius. In 1793 Reverend Francis Asbury described the organizing of an east bound group at the Crab Orchard. (2) The Louisville Branch and the Lexington Branch of the Wilderness Road met at the Crab Orchard making it a significant geographic location for east bound travelers. In Meriwether Lewis’ 23 September 1806 letter to President Jefferson, the “Return Letter”, Lewis listed Crab Orchard as one of the reference points in the trip to Washington. (3) From the 1820’s to the 1920’s the 8 large mineral springs at Crab Orchard became the center of social and health spas with resort hotels having 250 rooms in one structure. (4) That night , lodged at stone house, very bad, we could not get admittance at Mr. Smith’s 26 miles. This was the first time that the Clark party could not find a room where they wanted to stay. They are on the Boone Trace and the Wilderness Road in the vicinity of Mt. Vernon, KY. (5) On 3 November, the Wilderness Road turned into a muddy path, rained all last night and today, proceeded on to Rockcastle at Mr. Farris, 6 miles – cost 6.00. John Farris’ Tavern was located south of Old Hazel Patch at the Fork of the Wilderness Road and Boone Trace. (6) The short travel distance clearly shows the conditions of the road they were traveling.
Sources
(1) https://stateparks.com/william_whitley_house_state_historic_site_in_kentucky.html
(2) Asbury, Francis, Rev., The Journal of the Rev. Francis Asbury: Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Applewood’s Books, New Bedford, MA, original 1821, page 164.
(3) Jackson, Donald, Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents 1783-1854, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1978, page 324.
(4) https://craborchard.ky.gov/Pages/history-and-tourism.aspx (5) https://www.outragegis.com/boonetrace/_v2/web/#close
(6) Kincaid, Robert, The Wilderness Road, Bobbs-Merrill Co., Middlesboro, KY, 1966, page 196