Visit to Munfordville, Kentucky (2012)
A mural recognized the role of Munfordville in the Civil War when a siege occurred in September 1862. The Munfordville Presbyterian Church was commandeered by the Union Army for use as a hospital. Those who died in battle or of wounds were removed to Nashville. Another 359 who died from other causes were buried in scattered and unmarked graves. Confederate casualties were buried on the field.
The Munfordville Presbyterian Church and Green River Lodge No. 88, is located at 3rd and Washington Streets in Munfordville, Kentucky. Constructed around 1835, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Originally, the upper floor served as a meeting hall for the Green River Lodge No. 88 (Masonic group) until the late 1970s, while the lower floor was used for worship. Following the destruction of the Hart County Court House by fire in 1928, the church building temporarily hosted the county courts.
The Thomas Munford House, while not particularly well preserved, at least by exterior appearance, it one of the older homes in town. The organization is Federal style with five bays.
This beautiful old home was built around 1835, the date impressed on several of the bricks used in construction. F. A. Smith moved to Munfordville in 1830 and started a general store and later a meat processing plant. During the war, Smith a staunch Union man, refused to sell any products to the Confederacy. It is unknown as to why they did not confiscate his goods, unless his friendship with Buckner had some influence. The Smith house was at different times occupied by senior officers of both armies. John Hunt Morgan, the notorious Confederate cavalry leader, occupied the residence briefly in September 1861 while awaiting his original troop of cavalry in the Confederate service.
The Old Munford Inn is a two-story double log house with a large central chimney between two original wings. Built around 1810, the inn was tended in its early years by Thomas Bolin Munford, brother to the founder of Munfordville. According to legend, it was one of the most famous inns of what was known as “the West” and was especially renowned for its food and the genial, intelligent host’s hospitality. As a way-station for visitors to Mammoth Cave, the Inn entertained many of the most significant travelers of the 19th century. The building was restored by, and is owned by, the Munfordville Women’s Club.
THELMA HAWKINS STOVALL (1919 -1994)
Born In Munfordville, Ky., Thelma began working at Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co. at 15 to help her family during the Depression. There she met L. R. Stovall; they married in 1936. Thelma studied at UK, EKU and LaSalle Extension University. Her first elected position was a recording secretary for a union. A dedicated public servant, she held elected various positions, appointed and including sec. of state and state treasurer for over 30 years. In 1975, Thelma was elected Kentucky’s first female Lieutenant governor. As acting governor in 1978, she fought for legislation in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The Chapline Building was built in 1893. It has been the home of a bakery, a dry-goods store, a newspaper office, and a telephone exchange. Presently, it serves as the home of the Hart County Historical Museum. Visitors can view the Society’s extensive collection of historic objects, images, books, maps, and papers relating to the history of Hart County.
Since the destruction of the county courthouse by fire in 1928, the Historical Museum has become the main source for information about the early denizens of the county. In addition to the Museum, the Chapline Building is also a repository for genealogical research. The museum is open Monday, Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The historic Hart County Deposit Bank and Trust Company Building is a historic two-story commercial structure built in 1895. Its architectural design blends Late Victorian and early commercial styling. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. The main storefront is framed and divided by slender, decorative classical pilasters that extend to an ornate entablature. The main central entrance is topped by an ornamental lintel, while a second entry sits on the far left. Large glass commercial display windows flank the entryways, common for late-19th-century financial and retail institutions. The second floor features three symmetrical, vertical four-over-four sash windows. The window frames are accented with prominent, classical triangular pediment hoods. The building features a decorative, textured corbeled brick molding directly beneath a flat roofline parapet.
The Hart County Judicial Center makes an effort to blend in with the historic building stock that surrounds it.
The George Thomas Wood & Henrietta Helm Wood House was built circa 1834. It is built on a slight slope, and the ell is only one story high. The front has been dignified by an impressive two-story gallery, which shelters a fine Federal entrance with elliptical fanlight and sidelights.
George Wood, whose wife was the sister of Kentucky Governor Charles Helm, was active as County Clerk from the time Hart County was formed in 1819.
A member of the Kentucky Military Board during the Civil War, George T. Wood’s son – Thomas J. Wood would attain the rank of Union Major General in the Civil War. As a child, Confederate Brigadier General Simon Bolivar Buckner often spent the week here while he attended the local school.
During the war, Thomas Wood and his friend Buckner would be pitted against each other at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Had the Confederates left Munfordville in September 1862, the two would have met in battle on their old playground.
Kentucky’s Stonehenge is a roadside attraction located in Munfordville. The site was built by Munfordville native and former mayor Chester Fryer. The stones are on private property at 201 Lynn Ave, though visitors are generally welcome to walk through. Fryer scoured over 1,000 acres of nearby Hatcher Valley to collect the stones for his sculptures. In addition to the Stonehenge replica, the grounds also feature a “Garden of Gethsemane” and “Earth Mysteries”.