Custer Lives!
Hardin County Museum
Often when I visit small local museums I finish them pretty quickly due to content or they are limited by subject matter that has little national appeal. I can assure you that the Hardin County Museum isn't one of them. This is quite the small town gem. I spent several hours viewing the displays, taking photos, shooting video, and talking to the staff. The staff is second to none. I don't think I've ever meet a more friendly and helpful staff, they spent a lot of time with me making sure I had all my questions answered and providing assistance in contacting local personalities.
Parking for the museum is in the rear. There is an entrance in back that I went in. I came into the rear displays of the museum which I felt was an error. The museum is laid out in a mostly chronological order that is best absorbed in the proper sequence. You must travel to the front desk to pay the very modest entrance fee anyway, so walk around to the front. The front desk staffers warmly engaged me and provided a wonderful taste of local hospitality. I then started my trek through the displays.
There's a large display of local Indian artifacts with some especially nice arrowheads. Up next is a log cabin that is furnished with early settlers and their possessions. A good sized selection of pioneer implements is on display. Being originally from West Virginia, I immediately recognized the moonshine still. Next up is a display of prominent early settlers and various paperwork associated with early Elizabethtown. There's lots of household items, including clothing, that deals with early 1800's Elizabethtown.
I next came upon displays about prominent sports figures and teams, both amateur and professional, that have Elizabethtown connections. Immediately following is a display of public education. The fact that Blacks were segregated and relegated to second class citizenship is addressed and not ignored. Next up is a series of displays about the distilleries and alcohol production.
The Lincoln connection to Kentucky is started off with the door to the cabin President Abraham Lincoln was born in. Items from Honest Abe's presidential campaign include a very nice 1864 campaign badge. There are several vintage photographs and stereographs. Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Johnston's marriage license is also on display. The Lincoln section is quite large and has some nice busts in it also. There is an abundance of very informative placards lining the walls.
There is a nice display of World War II uniforms and many articles pertaining to that conflict. Many of the items are personal effects which really bring the conflict home. I liked the fact that many of the displays have the military man's, or woman's, photograph with the items. A very cool touch is the World War II displays lead you to a reproduction of a roadside general store of that era and a few years beyond it. The exterior reminded me of so many roadside stores and gas stations I saw and went into during my youth in the hills of West Virginia. The interior really knocked me out, as it looked dead on to some of my childhood memories. For just a few moments it seemed I had stepped back in time.
The museum's strongest section, in my opinion, came up next. The US Civil War section was very nice. There was a nice selection of materials and display types. Many personal non-military items were displayed that gave a nice insight to life in the Army and in Elizabethtown. There were several weapons, both firearms and swords, displayed. Bullets recovered from battlefields along with other small metal items were also shown. Befitting a border state, both Union and Confederate uniforms, along with their accessories were given equal space. One display I particularly liked had the wooden headstone from a fallen Soldier's grave along with his photo and letters. The display was titled "Returned Home" and was quite touching. Morgan's Christmas Raid of Elizabethtown was the dominant set of displays. There's a very large scale diorama of the raid and some very informative placards.
The General George Armstrong Custer section finishes up the displays. There are some nice old photos of the sites where the Custer's lived in Elizabethtown, the US 7th Cavalry barracks, and more. A painting of General Custer is the centerpiece of the displays. A copy of a 7th Cavalry ledger that General Custer kept is shown. Two framed displays give a nice history of the Custer's activities during the period the 7th Cavalry was stationed here.
After I completed my tour and was chatting with the staff, Ms. Mary J Jones came into the museum with her husband. I had just purchased a copy of her paperback book she had written about the General's time in Kentucky. The museum staff introduced her to me and she graciously autographed it for me. Her husband was an extra in the movie "Elizabethtown". An educational and entertaining few hours finally came to an end.
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This sign sits outside the museum. |
The Hardin County Museum. |
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Ms. Mary J Jones signs my copy of her book. |
An impressive collection of locally collected Indian arrowheads. |
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This log cabin is fully furnished inside. |
Some of the period clothing on display. |
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A display of local professional sports items. |
A copy of Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Johnston's marriage license. |
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The interior of the roadside general store. |
One of the many Civil War display cases. |
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The door from the cabin President Lincoln was born in. |
A President Lincoln campaign badge. |
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A Naval uniform in the African-American Military section. |
A display of Union and Confederate uniforms. |
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One of the Custer displays. |
One of the Custer displays. |
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A portrait of General George Armstrong Custer. |
One of the extremely helpful and knowledgeable museum staffers who assisted me greatly. |
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