07/08/2026
A very cool piece of history Kentucky and American History.
In 1786, this was the site of a homesteader’s log cabin. On May 19, 1786, the homesteader and his three sons left the cabin to clear some additional land for planting. As they worked, they were set upon by a band of Shawnee warriors. One of the first arrows fired by a Shawnee hit the homesteader in the chest, killing him.
The oldest son, 16-year-old, ran back to the cabin to retrieve a musket. Twelve-year-old ran toward a fort about 1/2 mile to the north. The youngest son, nine-year-old, ran to his father's side.
When the 16 year old returned with the musket, young son the 9 year old was being dragged away by a Shawnee warrior. The oldest took careful aim and killed the Shawnee with a single shot.
The homesteader was buried on the south side of the cabin. A woman with three sons and baby daughter were at increased risk at the isolated cabin, so the homesteader’s wife, abandoned the cabin and moved with her children to Nelson County, Kentucky, about 40 miles south, to be with her family.
There, the boys grew to manhood and eventually married. The youngest son found love and married and they bought a farm near Larue County, Kentucky.
In time, they had a son
So, had the oldest son not been an excellent shot on that fateful day in 1786, the young might not have survived to father the 16th president of the United States
