John Martin was a pioneer of Clark County, Kentucky, where he lived on Lower Howard's Creek. John had been a blacksmith in Goochland County, Virginia, where he married Rachel Pace. He owned a small farm there before moving to Ballenger Creek in what is now Fluvanna County. John and Rachel were the parents of thirteen children. In the late 1780s, the parents and children moved to Kentucky. John settled on a hillside farm in an area then known as the Bush Settlement. John now has descendants too numerous to count, some still in Clark County, the others spread all over. Our John Martin has been confused with a number of other men of the same name, and their deeds have been conflated to create a mythical man. One goal of this work is to provide a fully documented history of the life of John Martin of Lower Howard's Creek. Illustrated, indexed.

No one played a more important role in the settlement of Clark County than Capt. William "Billy" Bush. Born in Orange County, Virginia, Billy came out with Daniel Boone in 1775, resided for a time at Fort Boonesborough, then spent the rest of his life living a few miles from the fort. He thus became one of the first permanent settlers in Kentucky. Billy was also a key figure in establishing Providence Baptist Church, the first church in Clark County. Their place of worship-the Old Stone Church-is now the oldest church on Kentucky soil. Billy Bush laid claim to thousands of acres of land between Winchester and the Kentucky River, and Daniel Boone ran the surveys for him. This land became the foundation of the Bush Settlement.

Orson Martin was born in Goochland County, Virginia, the son of John and Rachel Martin. Orson learned the blacksmith trade from his father. After the Revolutionary War, the family moved to Kentucky and settled near Boonesborough in an area that became one of the earliest industrial centers west of the Allegheny Mountains. Orson's brothers William and Valentine became prominent figures in the neighborhood. It was Orson, however, who had the vision to recognize the commercial potential of the Lower Howard's Creek valley, along with the initiative and skills to take advantage of the opportunity. During the early 1800s, he was one of the leading entrepreneurs of the valley, where he had his own sawmill, gristmill and blacksmith shop. Unfortunately, after such early promise, Orson's career crashed under the weight of family problems and business reversals brought on by the influence of alcohol. This biography describes the successes and failures of Orson Martin, blacksmith.

Unusual place names evoke a sense of mystery and wonder. How did a place come to be called the "Wolf Pen" or the "Shot Factory"? Where in the world were the "Indian Old Fields" and "Brandenburg's Mill"? Researching these names often reveals fascinating stories about local history, families, events, and politics. Clark County, Kentucky is blessed with many such interesting places. The articles in this book are collected from a column in the Winchester Sun called "Where in the World? " Each article describes an historic place or person in Clark County, some well known, some not so well known. The articles were written for the Bluegrass Heritage Museum in hopes of fostering an interest in local history and the Museum. This book is intended to do the same. This work includes 62 articles that appeared in the Sun between September 6, 2007 to June 3, 2016. A few articles were updated for this publication after additional information became available.

One of the earliest roads in Kentucky led from Fort Boonesborough to a prime hunting location known as the Lower Blue Licks, or the Lower Salt Spring. Salt licks attracted buffalo in large numbers and were favored spots for hunters. Licks also provided a valuable source of salt that was critical for preserving meat. In 1775, Kentucky's settlement year, the hunters at Boonesborough discovered the Lower Blue Licks by following a series of connected buffalo traces. The path crossed the river near Boonesborough and went up Lower Howard's Creek in present-day Clark County. There it traverses the Lower Howard's Creek Nature & Heritage Preserve. This report describes the history and geography of the Salt Spring Trace, as well as other early roads in the Preserve.

The Encyclopedia of Kentucky contains detailed information on States: Symbols and Designations, Geography, Archaeology, State History, Local History on individual cities, towns and counties, Chronology of Historic Events in the State, Profiles of Governors, Political Directory, State Constitution, Bibliography of books about the state and an Index.