If you want to step back in time, there are many places throughout Kentucky that you can visit to experience just that. In a state with so much history, the evidence and remnants of a vibrant past remain in our big cities and small towns. Some areas of the state have moved on more than others, while many towns have beautifully preserved their place in history. The tiny town of Stanford, located right in the center of Kentucky, has maintained much of its historic charm with a lovely Main Street and many buildings and places from the past that are beautifully frozen in time.
As one of the oldest towns in Kentucky, Stanford was founded in 1775 and has managed to keep that history alive today. The Main Street area and surrounding streets have always had that small town charm, making you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time when you visit.
GoogleMaps
Facebook/Old Kentucky The photo above allows you to really see what the town was like around the year 1900. This shows many people gathered outside of the historic St. Asaph Hotel in downtown Stanford.
Although you may not (often) see horses strolling down Main Street anymore, you will find the occasional tractor parked alongside the road. The beautifully maintained buildings decorate the town and you’ll find local restaurants, antique shops, and other small businesses throughout downtown.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
One popular restaurant that serves true farm-to-table recipes, as you can tell from the photo below, is The Bluebird. You’ll fall in love with this eatery that appears as a historic cafe on the outside and a modern restaurant filled with southern charm on the inside.
Facebook/The Bluebird
Another beloved destination in Stanford is Coleman’s Drug Store, an old-fashioned soda fountain, and deli, as well as a full-service pharmacy. The store opened in 1916 and has been an important part of the community for generations.
Facebook/Coleman’s Drug Store
Facebook/Coleman’s Drug Store
Also in the town of Stanford, you can see where the L&N Railroad once stopped in town and learn about its history at the beautifully restored L&N Depot & Museum.
Photo Courtesy of Brad Barker/@southern_pirate
Photo Courtesy of Brad Barker/@southern_pirate And visible from the Depot is Baughman Mill, an incredible building that was completed in 1881 and is currently being restored. Both the Mill and Train Museum stand as important pieces of history that remain for us to experience today.
Lincoln County and Stanford are in the heart of Kentucky and also have managed to maintain the heart of our state’s history.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn To visit one of the oldest settlements in the Bluegrass State is to step into a town that is beautifully frozen in time and it will hopefully remain that way for the future generations of Kentuckians.
Stanford is a quaint town that is filled with history and that simple style of life that most of us crave. It’s a wonderful city to visit to get a sense of the true heart of Kentucky. Have you spent time in Stanford? What other towns in Kentucky take you back in time? Let us know in the comments!
GoogleMaps
Facebook/Old Kentucky
The photo above allows you to really see what the town was like around the year 1900. This shows many people gathered outside of the historic St. Asaph Hotel in downtown Stanford.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Facebook/The Bluebird
Facebook/Coleman’s Drug Store
Photo Courtesy of Brad Barker/@southern_pirate
And visible from the Depot is Baughman Mill, an incredible building that was completed in 1881 and is currently being restored. Both the Mill and Train Museum stand as important pieces of history that remain for us to experience today.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
To visit one of the oldest settlements in the Bluegrass State is to step into a town that is beautifully frozen in time and it will hopefully remain that way for the future generations of Kentuckians.
For more information on all you can experience in Stanford and Lincoln County, visit their website here.
And if you’d like to learn more about other train towns in Kentucky that are filled with history, check out our previous article here.
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