three forks historical center

The Lee County Historical Museum was a fantastic stop during our visit to Lee County. We were given a tour by the town historian: Bob Smith, who was very informative and passionate about the history of the community. There are several rooms within the museum, complete with numerous displays. Many of the displays portray the household life of old Kentucky. My personal favorite was the kitchen and laundry room display that showed the typical kitchen setting of a home in the hills. In addition, the museum had an upstairs display that held much more local history and a room set aside specifically for the veterans of the community. This room included photos, letters, uniforms, medals, helmets, etc. from those who had been in the military; dating back to the Civil War! Some of the cool artifacts in the museum include an arrowhead collection, the last letters of a Vietnam soldier, photos from the Dachau Concentration Camp, pictures and memorabilia from the visits of President Reagan, Carter, and Clinton to Beattyville, and a variety of guns dating back decades. This was a really cool tour and definitely worth a stop if you are in the Lee County/Beattyville area. The museum is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and is completely free and completely awesome!

My colleagues and I from Berea College were given a personal tour by the founder and primary curator of this treasure box of Lee County history. Bob Smith, co-editor of the Three Forks Tradition, a Beattyvile newspaper took time out of his day to walk us through highlighting the most meaningful items. Contained in this museum is donations from local residents, from the present and the past, items such as house furnishings that are no longer used; a woddburning stove, washing machine, even a moonshine coil. There are pieces of miner's money, pieces that miner camp towns gave to their residents as their only means of exchange, solely used in the mine town's general store. There are muskets decorating the walls in one room, actually used in battle. One is actually from General Custard's last stand! The biggest treat is a flag that was actually flown at half mast the day after Pearl Harbor day! The museum was definitely worth stopping in and absorbing carefully. Not all of the items are marked so it is helpful to allow a curator to walk you through. The museum also hosts events such as storytellings in the large gazebo with a campfire. For the buff who has researched the nation's wars and for those who are fascinated with how people lived in days gone by you will be in heaven! On a main highway, (Hwy, 11) right next to the Toursit information caboose!

16 Berea College students and faculty visited the Three Forks Historical Center for a talk with Billie Haddix, Joe Broadwell, Lee County Deputy Judge and Dedra Brandenburg, the new Lee County Tourism Director on May 22, 2012. We are exploring the wide range of traveler and tourism destinations and attractions in small towns in Eastern Kentucky.The ancient Native American cultures are well presented along with the pioneering history of logging, railroad heritage, county’s agriculture and oil boom days. There is evidence of the local prison craftsmanship in the museum’s interior feature. Well worth a stop and conversation with the local folks.

A neat little museum tucked away in the Beattyville, near the office of newly appointed Lee County tourism director. Recently added Veteran Hall is probably the most impressive section of the museum. There is a nice combination of graphics, like wartime posters and pictures and tangible objects, like sabres, badges and even uniforms. Each uniform has a name and a little dossier – it really brings home the reality of war. There are also many other interesting and more cheerful items in the museum to tell you about the history of Lee County: the old signs, models of the farm, statues… Great place to visit to get a visual impression of the history of the region.