The Gap Cave Tour at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is the busiest tour in the park. The cave tour is offered every day from Memorial Day to the middle of August. After that the tour decreases to three or four days a week until the end of the September when the tours stop. The …
Iron Furnace at Cumberland Gap NHP
Sometimes people come to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and they aren’t hikers. They ask what they can drive to. The Pinnacle is the first place we send them, but the second place is the Iron Furnace. The Iron Furnace is the oldest man-made structure in the park. It is located in the town of …
First Visitors to Cumberland Gap
Last week we had our first visitors to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Although we have hundreds of visitors every day in the park, these visitors were special to us: Eric and Sandy Shaw; Steve, Amy, and Emma Winstead; Bob Walliser, Megan Spade and Cheryl Giddens. This group was the core of our Boy Scout …
“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver
I recently finished “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. The book really made me think about food and how we obtain the food we eat, so I thought I would share it with you. Barbara Kingsolver is a best-selling novelist, known for books such as “Demon Copperhead” and “The Poisonwood Bible.” She has written over …
Juneteenth and the Enslaved People of Kentucky
We recently celebrated Juneteenth in a special living history event at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. We had a great weekend being outside and interacting with visitors. For me, however, celebrating Juneteenth in Kentucky was a little problematic. Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major …
Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia
Our destination for Thursday was Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia. We have been exploring the things that are around Cumberland Gap. When we work at the Visitors Center we are often asked about other things in the area, so we try to visit as many as we can. Natural Tunnel was a surprise …
Sonny’s BBQ in Corbin, Kentucky
On the day we went to Corbin, Kentucky, we ate at Sonny’s BBQ. It was our anniversary dinner, and Tom let me decide where to eat. We went to Corbin in order to go to the Harland Sanders Café and Museum but I didn’t want fried chicken, as delicious as KFC can be. I wanted …
Processing Flax from Plant to Linen
I have been practicing processing flax during my time here at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. My focus in doing Colonial Living History is textiles and I have a detailed talk from my time at Fort Frederica. But here at Cumberland Gap I have been able to do some hands on experimenting in processing flax. …
Harland Sanders Café and Museum
When we were looking at the map with Mom and Dad, describing how we would travel to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Mom pointed at Corbin, Kentucky and exclaimed, “Harland Sanders Café and Museum!” Mom and Dad had visited the museum on their way through Kentucky several years ago. That piqued our interest, because we …
Dulcimer Gathering at Cumberland Gap
The Dulcimer Gathering at Cumberland Gap was held the first week that Tom and I were working at the park. It was a delightful introduction to the park programs and gave us another way to meet and interact with folks. Volunteer Julie, of course, was the one who told us about the Dulcimer Gathering and …