Eastward, Ho! Day 40: The Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum, Old Talbott Tavern and a Basilica

Thursday, July 15

Some more touring of Bardstown sights today.

First up was the Rowan Mansion on what used to be called Federal Hill, and now known as My Old Kentucky Home.  The name also of the famous song by Stephen Foster who was a friend of the Rowan family.

Allegorical painting of Stephen Foster being touched

by Angel of Musical Genius.  More details below:

It's a very nicely restored and preserved mansion of that era but no pictures are allowed inside, so no pictures for you either.  It's worth the admission fee of $12 ($10 for Veterans) though.  It had a "Downton Abbey Tour" feel to it, Kentucky style.  More info here:  LINK

Next was lunch at the Old Talbott Tavern, again near the center of town.  A historic tavern with pretty good menu.  It would rain very hard while we ate, good timing eh?

Old Talbott Tavern, today and before:

Next up was the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.  LINK

Bardstown claims to be the Bourbon Capital of the World so I guess its fitting that Oscar Getz, a whiskey distributor back in the day and collector of Whiskey memorabilia and artifacts should place his museum there.

Here's some of the items that caught my eye.  It's a free admission tour and worth the hour or so you'll spend exploring it.

Hatfield and McCoy whiskey set

I'd not known that Thomas Jefferson had a distillery

An unfortunate branding choice for this distillery

I'm thinking this was "fake news"/propaganda put out by 

the anti-prohibition people

A few of the many "novelty" whiskey containers used by distilleries to market their product:

And another President whom I'd not known to run a distillery:

Apparently, running a distillery was a

common option back then....

Old print showing Spalding Hall on the right and

the St Joseph Basilica on the left.

Spalding Hall Today, it appears to be 

missing a floor doesn't it but no

it's just lower below the ground level I shot from.

Spalding Hall is also where the Whiskey Museum is located.

Note: The lady greeting us in the whiskey museum mentioned to LTG Hal Moore graduated high school, then known as the St Joseph Prep School back in 1940.

We'd heard that the St. Joseph Basilica and Proto-Cathedral had a Renoir painting within, and while we couldn't find it, we did take a look inside:

Oh, two more pics from the whiskey museum.

Wonder why the Heavenly Hill Distillery built their barrel

warehouses so far apart from each other?

oh yeah....

The Heavenly Hill Distillery is located quite close to our campground.  The campground host claimed that when the fire occurred, bourbon that flowed into the nearby creek set it on fire!  Must have been quite the sight....I'm sure grown men stood and wept at the sight of all the Bourbon lost.  :)