Hartford (Kentucky)

Hartford, along with Beaver Dam and Rosine, are towns in Kentucky's Western Coal Fields. Hartford is the Ohio County seat with a population of about 2000 (plus a few soreheads as signs into the community proclaim). Beaver Dam is the largest town with about 3000. Rosine is widely known as the birthplace of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music.

Get in

By car

Two roads that were originally part of Kentucky's parkway system of toll roads, all of which are now freeways, enter Ohio County, connecting Hartford with the rest of the state. The Western Kentucky Parkway (often locally called the "WK") is the east-west highway that links Paducah and I-24 with Elizabethtown, along with I-65 North and the Bluegrass Parkway (leading to Lexington).

Interstate 165, originally the Green River Parkway and later the William H. Natcher Parkway, is the north-south route that connects Bowling Green and I-65 South with Owensboro and the Audubon Parkway and Henderson. The WK and I-165 intersect southeast of Beaver Dam.

By plane

Get around

US 62 parallels the Western Kentucky Parkway (both the segments signed as such, and the part now signed as Interstate 69) for that road's entire east-west route, including Ohio County. It connects the Hartford-Beaver Dam area with the town of Rosine and further east to Horse Branch and beyond to Grayson County. To the west, US 62 passes McHenry and Rockport before crossing the Green River into Muhlenberg County.

US 231 parallels I-165 for the latter road's entire length from north to south. From the south, it enters from Butler County and passes Cromwell before entering Beaver Dam (where it provides access to the Western Kentucky Parkway at Exit 75). US 231 connects Beaver Dam with Hartford as a four-lane thoroughfare with shops and restaurants, along with Ohio County High School. To the north US 231 passes near Beda and Pleasant Ridge before entering Daviess County.

KY 69 connects Hartford with the northeastern community of Fordsville before heading toward the Ohio River at Hawesville. From Fordsville KY 54 West connects with Whitesville and Owensboro, while KY 54 East connects with Leitchfield. There is an interchange at I-165 with KY 69, providing Hartford with easy access to Owensboro and Bowling Green. KY 69 continues west to Centertown.

KY 505 links Rosine with US 231 near Cromwell to the south and KY 878 in Olaton to the north. There is no interchange with the Western Kentucky Parkway south of Rosine.

See

Entertainment
  • Rosine Barn Jamboree, 8205 Blue Moon of Kentucky Hwy (US 62). Bluegrass music and dancing every Friday night.
  • Horse Shows-Ohio County Park, 4th Saturday of every month.
  • Tri-City Drive In Theatre, US 231 South, Beaver Dam, +1 270 274-3168. Open mid-March - October.

Museums
  • Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum, 5608 US 231 North, +1 270 298-7765. Vintage American motorcycles from 1906 to present on display. Please make an appointment.
  • Fordsville Depot & Museum, 69 Ridgewood, Fordsville, +1 270 276-5656. Rich with railroad history and reminiscent of early L&N train stations.
  • Ohio County Museum, 415 Mulberry St, ☏ +1 270 298-3444. Open May through October, Wednesday through Friday 1-4PM. Includes a historic log cabin, one-room school house, historic home and genealogy library. 
  • Ohio County Veterans' Museum, 415 Mulberry St, ☏ +1 270 298-3444. Open Saturday 9AM – 4PM. Uniforms and memorabilia from all branches of service. 
  • Jerusalem Ridge. Rosine. Jerusalem Ridge refers to the area just a few miles outside of Rosine and is best known as the birthplace and childhood home where the Monroe Family settled and lived in the early 1900s. The Jerusalem Ridge/Monroe farm was almost 1000 acres in size and provided the Monroes with fertile farmland, logging and coal resources with sustained their humble existence. Young Bill was an especially hard and dedicated worker, a trait that he was always proud of and formed his dedicated work ethic and strong personality throughout his life. The Great Depression of the 1920s brought economic devastation and hardship to the region and the Monroe Brothers were forced to migrate north to seek work in the factories and refineries to help support the family back in Kentucky. Despite their best efforts, the family, facing increasing pressure to simply survive, were forced to leave their beloved family home on Jerusalem Ridge and the farm was foreclosed on and sold at public auction, a event that Bill and his brothers bitterly regretted for the remainder of their lives. A local businessman owns the property and its future as a historical landmark remains in question. 

Do

Spring
  • Beaver Dam Strawberry Festival Memorial Day Weekend. +1 270 274-7106.
  • Rosine Spring Festival 2nd weekend in June. +1 270 274-9062.

Summer
  • Rockport Days +1 270 274-4219.
  • Centertown American Legion Walking Horse Show Last weekend in June.
  • Sparks in the Park 4th of July. +1 270 298-3551.
  • Dundee Community Days 2nd Saturday in August. +1 270 276-3945.
  • Country Music Jamboree-Ohio County Park Labor Day Weekend.
  • Centertown Days Early September. +1 270 232-5062.

Fall
  • Rosine Fall Festival 2nd weekend in September. +1 270 274-9062.
  • Fordsville Days 3rd weekend in September. +1 270 276-5656.
  • Jerusalem Ridge Festival or Last weekend in September/first weekend in October. For information call +1 270 274-9181.
  • Habitat Fall Festival - Hartford 4th weekend in September.

Winter
  • Christmas Celebration - Beaver Dam First Friday in December. +1 270 274-3212.
  • Christmas Parades First Saturday in December. +1 270 274-3212.

Golf
  • Ohio County Country Club, 1151 Golf Club Ln, ☏ +1 270 298-7210. 9-hole golf course. 

Hartford
  • Ellis Park, Corner of Walker and Griffin. Playground and picnic area. Not to be confused with the thoroughbred track in Henderson.
  • Ohio County Park, 2300 KY 69 North, Hartford, ☏ +1 270 298-4466. Campground (75 sites), showers, restrooms, dump station, sewers and electricity. Horse Show Arena (indoor). 3000-seat amphitheatre. Two large multipurpose buildings, picnic area with shelter, restrooms, grills, etc. Golf driving range and putting green. Two basketball courts and volleyball courts (paved and lit). Muzzleloader range, archery range and paintball range. Kennels for 75 dogs. Nature trails (paved and natural) and bike trail (3.1 miles paved). 

Beaver Dam
  • Oldham Park Tennis courts, ball fields, children's play area and picnic shelter.

Water access
  • Access to Green River, KY 269 (Prentiss). Boat ramp at Highview. Scenic overlook at Highview. Natural trails.
  • Access to Rough River, KY 69 West off US 231. Boat ramp and picnic area.
  • Washburn Lake, KY 69, 5 miles NE of Hartford. 26 acres, fishing, launch area, boat rentals.

Buy
  • Ann's Flower Shop, 222 E. Union St, ☏ +1 270 298-3723. 
  • Antique Auction Barn, 200 East Third St, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-7005, +1 270 274-0487. Monthly antique auctions. Open also by appointment. 
  • Barnes Yesterday Antiques & Uniques, 117 N. Main St, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-2140. Antiques and collectibles. 
  • Downtown Antique Mall, 103 N. Main St, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-4774. Pottery, glassware, cast iron, books, records, and collectibles. 
  • Petal Pusher Florist & Gifts, 724 S. Main St, ☏ +1 270 298-3079. 
  • Rosine General Store, 8205 US Highway 62 E, ☏ +1 270 274-9627. Rosine. Built in the late 1920s, the Rosine General Store is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Eat

Hartford

Beaver Dam

Other Ohio County restaurants
  • Fordsville Diner, 36 E. Main St, ☏ +1 270 276-5050. Fordsville. 
  • Holland's Drive-In, 6568 US 231 South, Cromwell, +1 270 274-0017
  • Martino's Pizzeria, Corner of KY 69 and 54, Fordsville, +1 270 276-9631.

Drink

Ohio County is a dry community. The nearest wet community is its northeast neighbor of Daviess County, home to Owensboro. Owensboro is roughly the same distance from Hartford as another wet community, Central City, but is closer in drive time; also, since all of Daviess County is wet, alcohol sellers can be found well before reaching Owensboro.

Sleep

Hotels & motels
  • Budget Inn, 1080 North Main St, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-7121. 24 rooms, all remodeled. 
  • Days Inn, 1750 US 231 (at Western Kentucky Pkwy), Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-0851. 58 rooms. Jacuzzi suites available, continental breakfast, outdoor pool. Meeting rooms available. 
  • Veller Motel, 130 Veller Dr, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-3431. Six rooms. 

Bed & Breakfasts
  • Corniere Lodging Bed & Breakfast, 402 South Main St, Beaver Dam, ☏ +1 270 274-3447. Built in 1912, the Corniere Lodge has 2 suites and 1 apartment with beautiful antique décor, and outdoor seating area. 
  • Historic Hillside Bed & Breakfast, 403 E. Union St, ☏ +1 270 298-4233. Hartford. Two rooms and one apartment in a lovely home on the National Register of Historic Places. 
  • Ranney's Porch Bed & Breakfast, 3810 US 231 North, Hartford, +1 270 298-7976. One or two rooms in a peaceful country setting.

Campgrounds
  • Ohio County Park, 2300 KY 69 North, +1 270 298-4466.

Connect

By phone

Most telephone numbers in Hartford (and in the rest of Ohio County) consist of +1 270 plus a seven-digit number, but the county is now served by an overlay complex of two area codes, with +1 364 being the second. A local or in-state telephone call now requires all 10 digits of the local number be dialed (omitting just the leading +1 from a local landline call).

Signage on many established businesses may still display the original seven-digit numbers; dial 270 before these if no area code is indicated.

Go next
Routes through Hartford
Paducah via S and W ← Greenville ←  W  E  → Elizabethtown → END
END ← Owensboro ←  N  S  → Morgantown → Bowling Green
Paducah ← Greenville ←  W  E  → Elizabethtown → Columbus
Lafayette ← Owensboro ←  N  S  → Morgantown → Bowling Green


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