Here Are 13 Things They Don't Teach You About Kentucky In School
By Jenn Shockley|Published March 07, 2016
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Jenn Shockley
Author
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
The catch phrase for our state is “Kentucky, where education pays,” but the system doesn’t teach us much about our actual state. We have the occasional field trip, which varies according to location, then you skip on to basics. There are a lot of interesting things to learn about Kentucky that stretch beyond a class room’s reach.
Here are 13 things we don’t learn about Kentucky in school:
They trust us enough to store $6 billion in gold in the underground vaults of Fort Knox. That is recorded to be the largest quantity of gold in one place anywhere in the world. Of course Kentucky is worth more than that… but one can’t put a number on such things.
Our economy as a state is important, including where it comes from. Our biggest money makers for the state are the Kentucky Derby, the Derby Festival, bourbon and tobacco.
This gent is the brother of the renowned Clark or Lewis and Clark. He founded the city of Louisville and had much to do with the way the city was designed. His presence weighs heavy around the area.
Given the nickname due to the blanket of roses that is placed on the winner, the Kentucky Derby is the longest consecutively run horse race in the United States. It has ran every year since 1875.
Kentucky has the only memorial to Union soldiers killed in the Civil War south of the Ohio. The tribute to the 107 local residents who fought against the North are honored in Vanceburg.
The Victorian era was fascinating, from the clothing to the architectural designs. Old Louisville is the largest and most well preserved Victorian district in the world. It would make a wonderful field trip to introduce kids to that era.
The states name, according to some of the tribes who dwelled and hunted here, was Kenhtahkeh. The meaning behind the word was meadowland or prairie. Another pronunciation deems it the great hunting ground. It varies according to tribe, but all considered this to be a beautiful, fertile land.
So many people actually believe the grass is blue. In fact, it has a bluish purple bud that only gives that illusion. Once the bud is gone, the grass is just as green as any other blade would seem.
We have more miles of running water in the Bluegrass State, than any other state in the lower 48. I could be wrong, but I don’t believe we have a town in the state that doesn’t have a water way somewhere, including natural and manmade rivers, creeks, and streams.
The beauty of creating something out of basic materials like our ancestors did is a unique and educational experience. It can take us back to the root of Kentuckians when wooden spoons and stick dolls were luxury items.
1. Cumberland Falls is magical.
This is one of the few places in the world where you can see a moonbow. The environment has all the perfect elements to make it almost common here. Seeing a rainbow in the dark is possible if you happen to be at the falls.
There is so much more to learn about Kentucky than what is found in old textbooks. What interesting things about our state did you not learn in school?
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