Kathy's Cafe & Morgantown, IN

After spending the first part of our day at the Lincoln sites at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown, KY and then at Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood at Knob Creek we headed into Indiana. As much as we love Kentucky we LOVE Indiana so much more (especially southern Indiana). Indiana is a gorgeous state! If it weren't land locked and Hotch found an amazing community college job there, then we would move in a heart beat. We took the scenic route on IN-135 which passes through some of the most amazing countryside in Indiana. We crossed a cool bridge from Kentucky into Indiana and even found a Delaney Park on our drive.

Our next destination was Morgantown, IN where my mother-in-law, Maria, grew up and where she married my father-in-law, Paul, forty-six years ago this September. Our favorite place in Morgantown is Kathy's Cafe. We attempted to make it in time for dinner and were so sad to find out that it is closed on Thursdays. After driving all day with visions of Kathy's Cafe's famous pies dancing in our head we had to settle for lunch the next day.

All the kids could talk about was eating at Kathy's Cafe! We love the old-fashioned, cozy, country cafe environment. We were the youngest people by a few decades which makes it even more fun to eat there. I forgot that they only accept cash or check so the waitress pointed me to the local bank ATM across the street and around the back. After getting back in two minutes with cash we dined on the most delicious home-made cooking. Delaney and I got meatloaf, mashed potatoes and salad while Alyssa and Braxton both went for grilled cheese sandwiches. Alyssa's grilled cheese had a huge hunk of ham in it and when it arrived it smelled like heaven. All the food was a major hit!

Our first experience here was two years ago with Hotch's parents while visiting for my husband's maternal Denney and Flake family reunions. We have been talking about it ever since! It is that good and we feel a connection to our past in that darling cafe. We had the most incredible pie then and the kids have been dreaming about it ever since. You can't leave Kathy's Cafe without having some pie and people come into tiny Morgantown, IN just for the pie. Delaney opted for a huge brownie and Braxton chose cherry pie. Alyssa picked chocolate pie while I tried the custard pie.

If ever you are driving south of Indianapolis, IN stop on by Kathy's Cafe and in the mood for great home cooking. Remember to bring cash, an appetite and a hankering for pie because it is a detour you will not regret!

Here is the enchanting church Paul and Maria were married in on September 24th 1966. Next time we visit Morgantown, IN we will have to call ahead so we can go inside. It is so pretty!  

Last but not least Maria's childhood home. It was well kept and pretty when she was growing up, but the current owner's rent it out now. Sad to see that the tenants don't take good care of it. If ever we heard it was for sale then we would buy it and fix it up to its former glory. 

Lots of my mother-in-law's memories and history is found in the small town of Morgantown, IN. It neat visiting the town where she grew up.

Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek

After seeing the Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Memorial Cabin and Lincoln Heritage House at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown, KY we headed south on down to the next stops along our Lincoln route. We love Kentucky! It is absolutely gorgeous. This part of our trip took us by corn fields and farms as far as the eye could see. It looked like waves on the ocean.

We headed on down to Hodgenville, KY which is a very small town that takes great pride in its Lincoln connection. There are two statues of Lincoln in the town square along with Kentucky's official Lincoln Museum. We plan to check out the museum and take photos of the statues later this year when we have more time. We also learned about Sinking Spring which is below the hill where Lincoln was born and added it to the Lincoln sites we need to see.

We had two Lincoln sites to see when we arrived: Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek and Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace National Historical Park. We went to Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek first which we enjoyed far more than I expected. It is about 6.5 miles outside of Hodgenville on US-31E. Just as we started to doubt if we had gone the right way along this country road it emerged on our left.

Before doing anything at a National Park we always ask for Junior Ranger books. The kids learn about the National Park we are visiting and get to earn a Junior Ranger badge after completing the tasks in the books. The programs are free, educational and a bunch of fun. Here is the complete list of Junior Ranger Programs. They are a must do for families with children!

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Junior Ranger Activity Book (PDF)

We headed over to the Knob Creek where Abraham Lincoln almost drowned as a boy. His childhood friend, Austin Gollaher, saved him.  It was just a trickle when we went and the only sound was the crunch of the rocks beneath our feet. The kids really wanted to collect rocks, but it is prohibited. 

We found raspberries growing right next to the creek and imagined Lincoln feasting upon them as a boy. Knob Creek is an ideal place to explore and make believe. It is a child's paradise!

The Lincoln family moved to Knob Creek and leased 30 acres in 1811 when Abraham was only two years old. Sadly the following year, his younger brother, Thomas, died a few days after his birth. Little Thomas is buried somewhere nearby and next time we visit we must go visit his grave.

Abraham sporadically attended an "ABC" school two miles away with his older sister, Sarah. Their mother, Nancy Hanks, taught them   to read and write. She read to them from the Bible, Aesop's Fables and Pilgrim's Progress. These books became some of his most beloved reads.

Abraham's father, Thomas Lincoln, and nine of his neighbors were involved in a land title dispute in 1815 over the Knob Creek Valley. After losing a court case involving 300 acres of land at Sinking Springs in the fall of 1816, the Lincoln family moved from Knob Creek to Indiana. Their log cabin was torn down in 1870, but was rebuilt on the original site in 1931. None of the items inside the cabin belonged to the Lincolns, but they are period pieces that show what life would have been like.

A common problem in Kentucky during the early 1800s was land disputes. The property map below shows an example of how property lines were drawn back then. Obviously, with overlapping property lines it would be very difficult to determine who owned the land. Try to find the name of the famous American frontiersman, Daniel Boone. 

The kids loved checking out the old well as they filled out their Junior Ranger books. Braxton and Delaney love finding money and were so excited when they found a penny and Knob Creek commemorative coin.

The Lincoln family grew corn and pumpkins, raised vegetables which they ate in the summer and dried in the winter.  

The cool breeze felt amazing as we ate lunch and finished the Junior Ranger activity books. Since it was such a gorgeous day we stayed there for quite a while just relaxing. I enjoyed the silent, green beauty and the little ones played snakes to their heart's content. It's the perfect place to play snakes!

We ended up staying much longer than planned so we had to table a visit to Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace National Historical Park until our next visit later this year. All in all it was such a fantastic day!

Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Memorial Cabin & Lincoln Heritage House-Elizabethtown, KY

We stayed in Elizabethtown, KY our first night and in the morning we headed over to the Freeman Lake Park. In my search for Lincoln sites along our driving route I discovered the Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Memorial Cabin and the Lincoln Heritage House both located inside the park.

Sarah Bush (1788-1869) was born in Elizabethtown, KY and married Daniel Johnston in 1806. They had three children together (Elizabeth, Matilda and John) before Daniel passed away from cholera in 1816. Shortly afterwards, the Lincoln family lost their beloved wife and mother, Nancy Hanks, from milk sickness in 1818 while living in Indiana. Thomas Lincoln went back to Kentucky in 1819 to court their family friend and widow, Sarah Bush Johnston. They were married on Dec. 2, 1819. 

We visited the Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Memorial Cabin at the Freeman Lake Park. We were bummed that we couldn't go inside since we were there on a weekday, but it was neat to see the replica of the home Sarah was living in when she married Thomas Lincoln. It was built for Kentucky's Bicentennial in 1992 out of 122 year old logs.

Delaney was so excited to show me the tiny cemetery she discovered nearby.

We loved the community butterfly flower garden next to the cabin.

Then we checked out the Lincoln Heritage House which was the home of Hardin Thomas. The first smaller part was built 1789 and the second larger home was built in 1805 with the help of Thomas Lincoln. He was a family friend who also built the identical stairways, the mantel pieces and some other woodwork inside the house. 

The kids enjoyed relaxing on the swing and checking out the geese.

There was also a beautiful One Room School House next to the Lincoln Heritage House built back in 1892. School was held there for 61 years. I love the charming red eaves and window frames.

Glad we were able to learn more about Lincoln's stepmother and to appreciate the beautiful community park.