Paragon Tunnel

Off 519 in Rowan County, on the opposite side of Cave Run Lake is a flooded former creek called Paragon. The road now travels over what used to be a tunnel that was collapsed on itself several years back when it was deemed unsafe. As a child, I used to go fishing here with my family. When we went through the tunnel, my dad would stop in the middle and turn out the headlights. The sound of water dripping from the rocky ceiling, the darkness, and general spooky atmosphere of the place would freak me out! Of course, my dad also used to tell me that the branches poking out of the water were dead people's bones, but that's a whole different post! In the photo, the place where the road curves up over the hill is where the tunnel used to be.

Abandoned Daycare

Another Frenchburg find is this closed daycare along US 460. No one plays in this yard anymore, and the parking lot is being slowly overgrown by weeds.

Shop Rite or don't shop at all!

This defunct grocery is in downtown Frenchburg. The fixtures are still inside, waiting for someone to restock the shelves and open for business.

Update: NR Crump General Merchandise

On my way to Lexington and I saw this old store is no longer there. The child's playhouse is gone, too.

Scranton, Ky

Scranton, Ky is a tiny community near the Long Bow area of Cave Run Lake. This building once served as the general store as well as the post office.

Sportsman Paradise

Sportsman's Paradise is one of several defunct bait and tackle stores near Cave Run Lake. It is located on 1274 beside the Bangor boat ramp, near the Rowan-Menifee county line.

Lions, Tigers and Graves OH MY!

The hubby and I took the youngsters to the Louisville Zoo this past summer. Thanks to my online acquaintance, Jeffery Scott Holland, I was ready for this little bit of weirdness. In the middle of the zoo, there is a really old cemetery! There are no individual headstones, just this single large stone bearing the names of those who were buried here. There is a marker nearby that reads:

"The American branch of the Phillips family began with Jenkin Phillips, born in 1744 in Loudon Co., Virginia. He fought with George Washington and helped survey what was then called Kentucky County for Patrick Henry and the Commonwealth of Virginia. For his services, Phillips was deeded 1,00 acres of land radiating out from this spot. At the time of his death in 1822, the family owned land extending from this area into southern Indiana."