Danville, KY Summary

Danville, founded in 1775, is in a historic region, 31 miles south of Lexington, in central Kentucky. Transylvania Seminary, the first institution of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains, opened at Danville in the 1780s. It later moved to Lexington where it has become Transylvania University.

In 1785, Danville became the seat of what was then the county of Kentucky, within the state of Virginia. During 1784-92, 10 conventions were held here to discuss statehood. Kentucky’s first constitution was adopted in 1792 at Central Constitution Square, now a state historic site. It has replicas of log-cabin meeting houses, a courthouse, jail, and post office.

There is also an art gallery and historical society museum. There are many attractions in the Historic Downtown Area.

The McDowell House and Apothecary Shop is in the home of Dr Ephraim McDowell, who made medical history by removing a 22-pound tumor from the ovary of a 46-year-old woman, without anesthesia, in 1809. This is considered the start of successful abdominal surgery. McDowell’s house (circa 1800) retains some original furnishings. Antiquated medical instruments are on display in the shop.

The Kentucky School for the Deaf opened in 1823 and its oldest surviving building is Jacobs Hall, constructed in 1855-57. Currently it houses the superintendent’s office and a museum about the school.

Also of interest is the Ida Crow Inn, the oldest stone house west of the Alleghenies. This 23-room manor house was built between 1776 and 1792. The landscaped grounds include walking trails, native plants, and wildlife.

Ten miles west of Danville is Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, where Kentucky’s most significant and bloody Civil War battle took place on October 8, 1862. Confederate troops finally retreated, marking the end of the Southern campaign to win Kentucky. There were over 6,000 casualties, with 70 percent of them on the Union side. Visitors can take self-guided walking and driving tours and visit a burial ground, monuments, and a small museum.

Nine miles northwest is Harrodsburg, the oldest permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains and the site of the state’s first law court, school, and religious service. Pennsylvania’s James Harrod founded it in 1774.

Old Fort Harrod State Park has a re-creation of the original fort with period cabins and blockhouses, the oldest cemetery west of the Alleghenies, and actors in eighteenth-century period costume demonstrating quilting, blacksmithing, and other frontier crafts.

On summer evenings there is an outdoor drama about Daniel Boone’s life. Relocated from its original site in Elizabethtown is the cabin where Abraham Lincoln’s parents were married in 1806.

The 1830 Mansion Museum, just below the fort, displays items covering the period from 1774 to the Civil War, including a cast of Lincoln’s face and hands.

Downtown Harrodsburg is the historic district featuring various architectural styles dating back to the late nineteenth century. Historical walking and driving tours are available. Morgan Row, the oldest row house in Kentucky, is the headquarters of the Harrodsburg Historical Society and contains pioneer displays.

Nearby Lexington has Blue Grass Airport and is serviced by bus.