Wandering Hart County Kentucky Roads with Matthew Brown to Explore Kentucky History

If your Hart County outdoor adventure itinerary near Mammoth Cave National Park includes exploring underground, animal adventures, cycling in Kentucky, Kentucky hiking trails, or exploring the beautiful countryside along our rural roads, you will love including stepping back in time with a driving tour of our historical markers. 

Recently Kentucky writer Matthew Brown included on his Hart County visit stops at several of our markers that have been built and maintained by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS). The popular KHS program began in 1949 across the state, and the 15 markers in Hart County share stories of locations, people, or events that date as far back as the Revolutionary War. 

If you would like to check out all of the markers with their locations and narratives, you can view them and download a handy list of the Hart County signs here: https://history.ky.gov/markers/search-results?county=89&page=1&count=15

Keep reading here to see what Matthew Brown had to say about a few of the markers on his Wandering Kentucky historical marker tour of Hart County in 2025.

Hart County Historical Markers Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart

I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time in Hart County recently, exploring the backroads looking for history – or, more properly, historical markers. Among the easiest to find are a couple in Munfordville that discuss the founding of the county.

Hart County was named for Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart. His father was proprietor of the Transylvania Land Company and moved the family to Lexington when Nathaniel was around 10 years old. Nathaniel would go on to study law under the great Henry Clay and eventually became a lawyer.

Hart was also the captain of the Lexington Light Infantry, which brings us to our other place, Monroe, Michigan.

Hart was among the combatants at the infamous Battle of the River Raisin. He was wounded, but was promised his life would be spared and he’d be transferred to an English prison. As he and his fellow soldiers slept in Frenchtown, a raid was conducted and the buildings burned. Hart escaped briefly, but was eventually scalped and left for dead. (you can read more about this in my prior post on the whole incident, here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/197ePfikUY/ )

Hart was buried first in Michigan, then transferred to Frankfort Cemetery in 1834. He is one of nine soldiers from River Raisin with Kentucky Counties named after them.

One final note on Nathaniel Hart – his name is often listed as “Nathaniel G.T. Hart” on plaques, but this seems to be a typo that has persisted for over 150 years!

Hart County Historical Markers – Old Munford Inn

Tourism and hospitality have a long history in Western Kentucky, and the Old Munford Inn is one of the oldest remaining examples of this.

Built around 1810, the inn was run by Thomas Munford (brother to the founder of Munfordville). The inn centered on a central fireplace, separating it in to two wings. Both the food and the conversation were well-regarded by travelers of the time.

In 1829, the inn played host to a newly-elected Andrew Jackson, enroute to the Inauguration. Later, it was a popular stop for visitors to the areas caves.

The structure still stands, having been restored by the Munfordville Woman’s Club to help preserve it for posterity!

Hart County Historical Markers – Joseph Timberlake

We don’t always often associate Kentucky with Revolutionary War History. There wasn’t really a “Kentucky” then (the territory was part of Virginia still), and most of the fighting was out east anyhow.

However, in Hart County, you can find the grave of Joseph Timberlake, one of a relatively few number of soldiers selected by George Washington as his personal guard.

In 1777, as the war raged, Washington felt the need to surround himself with what was called, at least officially, “The General’s Guard.” There were a number of requirements established, including sobriety, cleanliness, and good build. Soldiers were to be between 5’8” and 5’10” and considered well-drilled. Four from each regiment were nominated, with 160 eventually chosen for the Guard.

Timberlake was chosen in that first year, perhaps even in the first group, and at first Washington’s Guard was mostly employed as just that, not entering into direct battle. They did have to endure that awful winter at Valley Forge, which was challenge enough for anyone. By summer of 1778, with the Guard now considered an elite unit, detachments were actively harassing the British. They became involved in a number of pitched battles, and were credited with turning back the Hessians with a bayonet charge in New Jersey and holding back a superior British force at King’s Bridge during a reconnaissance mission. There’s even evidence that members of the guard were part of the hand-to-hand combat at Yorktown, the decisive battle in the war for independence!

After the Treaty of Paris was signed, the Guard was furloughed. For his service, Timberlake was given land near what is now Hammonsville in Hart County, KY. Descendants still live in the area, and his grave stands upon a small hill off Highway 357 in the cemetery of Three Forks Bacon Creek Church. It’s a beautiful spot, befitting of one of the unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War!

Hart County Historic Markers – Lt. Charles Moran

There’s a lot of history on this one sign in Horse Cave.

We’ll start with the main subject, Lt. Charles Moran, born here in 1924. Moran loved basketball, and eventually he ended up at what is now Western Kentucky University playing for the legendary coach, E.A. Diddle. In 1943, he left college to chase his passion for aviation. Moran joined the air force but remained stateside for the duration of WWII. In 1948, he was sent to Japan and learned night maneuvers. His plane during this time was a Twin Mustang, known for its powerful radar capabilities.

At the onset of the Korean War, Moran saw immediate action. Sent to provide protection for fleeing civilians, his plane took a hit in the skies over Seoul. Moran continued his mission, though, and shot down an enemy fighter. Though there was some dispute over the timing, another pilot confirmed that this was the first air victory of the conflict. He was decorated with an Air Medal, awarded for “acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flight.”

40 Days later, Moran went missing during another night mission. It took 18 months, but the wreckage was eventually found in the mountains. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried in the family plot in Horse Cave.

It is said that Moran was raised in great part by his grandfather, another man of renown who everyone called “Uncle Charley” (or Charlie, depending on sources).

Uncle Charley was born in Nashville in 1878. He was a baseball player in his youth, rising up to eventually be a part of the St. Louis Cardinals system. A broken leg ended his playing career, so he became an umpire. For 23 years, he called games in the National League, and was chosen four separate times to umpire in the World Series. That alone would be a notable career!

However, the elder Moran was also an accomplished football coach. He actually started as a player/coach at Bethel College, down in Russellville. He later took the helm at Texas A&M. He guided the Aggies to multiple wins over rival Texas, leading Texas to cancel the series. Without the revenue from that game, A&M athletics struggled, and Uncle Charley was relieved of his duties so Texas would resume playing.

Moran had other stops along the way, but he is probably most famous for a victory while he coached at Centre College in Danville. In 1921, the Centre Praying Colonels travelled to Boston to take on Harvard. Since the end of the First World War, Harvard had been one of the absolute best teams in all of college football. So while both teams entered undefeated, the Crimson were a heavy favorite.

The two teams played a scoreless first half. Centre punched in a touchdown in the third quarter and later stopped Harvard on the three yard line to preserve the victory. The game became known as C6H0, the impossible formula that undid Harvard. To this day, it is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.

Eventually, Uncle Charley retired to Horse Cave. He had a son named Tom, who played professional football for a time, and a wife named Pearl McGee. Together, they helped raise Charles II, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hart County Historical Markers –James Hardy

“I know nothing!”

Long before Sgt. Schultz said this on Hogan’s Heroes, an entire political party was known for the phrase, so much that the American Party (also known, in its time, as the “Native American Party”) became known as the “Know Nothings.”

James Hardy, who had moved from Virginia to what is now Hart County, was a prominent member of the Know Nothings. Their standard response to questions about the group’s beliefs was, as you might, expect, “I know nothing.” This creates a lot of ambiguity, and I’m not really inclined to tilt into politics here. The group lasted less than two decades anyway.

It does seem that Hardy had moved, in part, because he didn’t approve of slavery (though this wasn’t an official view of his party). He entered into political life out of Glasgow, rising eventually to be elected Lt. Governor under Charles Morehead. He only served a year or so before his passing.

His legacy includes having a community in Hart County named after him in an area where it is said he gave many of his stump speeches.

Hart County Historical Markers – Aetna Furnace

In the first half or so of the 1800s, iron was big business in Kentucky. More and more settlers were entering the area, some with little more than what they could carry on their backs, driving demand for everything from household goods to firearms. Furnaces popped up across the Commonwealth, turning native ore into pig iron that could be worked easily or shipped down river. Besides ore, a proper furnace needed a steady supply of water and plenty of timber. Hart County has both, and by the 1830s the Aetna and Henry Clay Furnaces were helping the state rank third in iron production in the United States.

By the late 1800s, with resources dwindling and new processes taking over, the old furnaces fell silent. A few still stand across the state, massive stone monuments to an industry that helped build our great state.

This is an article from Wandering Kentucky written by Matthew Brown. Thanks to Wandering Kentucky for allowing us to post this article on our website.