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Looking west from Old State Road in Blevins Valley,
fiat ground is still visible that mark an old stage coach
line that ran from Lexington to the Olympian Springs
Resort.
I
Ilamambar
when??
Olympian Spring
Resort once central
tO county history
Photo by Cecil Lawson
This short stretch of Stulltown Road is one of the
remaining parts of the old stagecoach line that
remains in use. This stretch of road connected with
Peeled Oak Road across what is now a parcel of
private land.
By Cecil Lawson
KyNewsGroup
cecil@kynewsgroup.com
Bath County was at one
Photo by Cecil Lawson time in Kentucky history
a prominent destination
for visitors and resort go-
ers seeking relief from the
hustle and bustle of the
city streets and from the
summer heat.
The Olympian Springs
Resort served as a center
for entertainment and up-
per crust social life for ma-
ny decades throughout the
19th and early 20th centu-
ries.
Early settlers in the Mud
Lick area of Bath County
became aware of miner-
al springs along Mud Lick
Creek. The mineral spring
types included epsom salt,
tea, chalybeate, black sul-
phur, alum; white sulphur,
and soda water.
The first buildings were
constructed by William
Ramsey around the year
1796, fifteen years before
the founding of Bath Coun-
ty. At the time, the area
was known as Mud Lick
Springs.
Around 1800, Col.
Thomas Hart, a well-to-
do hemp manufacturer in
Lexington, and father-in-
law of Henry Clay, attract-
ed visitors to the springs
by building a hotel and
boarding house.
He changed the name to
Olympian Springs, proba-
bly after Mt. .olympus, lo-
cated a few miles to the
SOUth.
The resort provided its
customers with the oppor-
tunity to "take to the wv
ters," to get a chance to
soak in the heated mineral
springs or to drink the bot-
tled mineral waters, which
were thought at the time to
have health benefits.
The resort also provid-
ed meals and had amuse-
ments such as dances,
horse races, and gambling.
The first" stage coach
line in Kentucky ran from
Lexington to the Olympian
Springs, passing through
Winchester, Mt. Sterling,
Howard's Mill, and Peeled
Oak, a total of about 47
miles.
The line was established
in 1803 by John Kennedy, a
Lexington resident.
Traces of the old stage-
coach road remain visible
today, in the form of How-
ard's Mill/Peeled Oak
Road, a short section of
Stulltown Road, and Old
State Road.
The missing stretch-
es now run over private
land from Peeled Oak to
Stulltown Road, and from
Stulltown, across an area
of hilly land to Old Stand
Road.
The stage line was im-
portant in opening up trav-
el and economic growth
across central Kentucky,
probably next in impor-
tance to the Iron Works
Road, which ran from the
Slate Furnace, just south
Of Owingsville, to Frank-
fort.
February 2 r 2012 - I r
Photo by Cecil Lawson
The Olympian Springs Resort was the end
destination of the Kentucky's first stage coach route,
established in 1803 and running from Lexington
through Winchester, Mr. Sterling, and Howard's
"Mill. The route continued along present day Peeled
Oak Road and Old State Road, which ends just to the
right of the above photo, which is the location of the
Olympian Spring Resort. The last of the buildings
was torn down in 1946, and all that remains is the
private residence.
R eflection s
hotography
00Jl00pher
Wedding
Seniors
Groups
Individuals
Pat Cohorn
859-749-0970
Tammy McConnell
859,749-6281
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