2009 Junior Miss - Kelli Ralston

Congratulations to Kelli Ralston, senior at Nelson County High School, the winner of the 2009 Nelson County Junior Miss! The full interview with Kelli can be seen in Episode 1 of The Coulter Plough...coming soon!

Buttermilk Days 2009

"Buttermilk Days" held each year in August in Bardstown is a time of family, friends, and good (free) food! Look for the story in Episode 1 of The Coulter Plough!

EPISODE 1 TV SPOT

Here is the new TV spot for Episode 1 of The Coulter Plough hosted by Kevin Harned!

Enjoy!

Seeking Local Cooks!

Have you ever submitted a family recipe to a church or local cookbook? If so, we at The Coulter Plough are asking you to take it a step further and share your recipe "on-camera" in one of our episodes of The Coulter Plough! E-mail us at jcoulter@tunnellmill.com.

Small Town Sexy - PUBLIC RELEASE

Small town America has a new allure according to Bardstown, Kentucky economic developer and author Kim Huston who tells all in her new book Small Town Sexy. The public release of Small Town Sexy will be in Nelson County:

Saturday, August 22nd, 12-2pm

Bardstown Booksellers

129 North Third Street

Bardstown, KY

Sunday, August 23rd, 1-3pm

Olde Bloomfield Meeting Hall

104 Taylorsville Road (Main Street)

Bloomfield, KY

www.smalltownsexybook.com

Kim Huston - Small Town Sexy

Bardstown's Kim Huston is passionate about small town life. In her new book, "Small Town Sexy," she reveals why residents love their not-so-big-city lifestyle and how small town charms are seducing newcomers. Huston speaks from experience, as small town girl who cherishes her roots -- and as a professional who is helping develop her town’s economic prosperity.

“Small towns aren’t just for small businesses anymore. The internet has made sure of that,” says Huston. “Towns joining the wired world of technology realize that you don’t need an office tower in Big City USA to do a million dollar deal, you can do it from Main Street USA.”

The romance reaches beyond business interests. Says Huston, “There are 20 to 40 year-olds coming back home with a real desire to raise their families in communities similar to where they grew up. And, retirees are drawn to many small towns that have the climate, recreational opportunities and accessibility to highways and airports that they are seeking.”

Flipping through Small Town Sexy, chapter titles hint of the authors’ humor and insight:

• It’s Not Your Mayberry Anymore

• Confessions of a Small Town Politician

• Can Big Fish Swim in a Small Pond?

• No, seriously, Size Does NOT Matter

• Big City Envy

Christmas Pickles in July - Part 3

Christmas Pickles: The Final Step to these tasty treats! Try them with

cottage cheese!

This Day in Weather History

15 August 2007 → Record heat baked central Kentucky: Bowling Green 104, Louisville 103, and Lexington 101.

Welcome Host KEVIN HARNED!

We are proud to announce that Kevin Harned will be the Host of The Coulter Plough DVD Magazine Show!

Trail Cameras: To Catch a Deer and A Thief

I recently purchased a trail camera for my father for the upcoming deer hunting season. After doing much research, I decided to go with the Moultrie i40, an affordable trail camera that delivers excellent results and has great feedback all across the internet by purchasers. A newer version is now available, the i60, but you'll pay a hundred bucks more. After giving it a little thought, I wondered why I'm not hearing more about these cameras being used as security devices in addition to cameras for tracking deer?

It's my opinion that if these cameras are safely hidden or made secure by protective coverings, every homeowner should have one. To only be a 4.0 megapixel camera, the Moultrie i40 delivers extraordinary images. I would argue that there isn't much difference in the Moultrie cam as there is in my 8.1 megapixel still shot camera when it comes to picture quality.

Recently, an old pre-Civil War era mansion was burned in Bloomfield (KY). Before the fire, the home had been the source of tremendous theft and over the years hundreds of antiques had been stolen that were left behind locked doors when the owners moved to another residence close by. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have a few trail cameras hidden in the shadows of the large house? I can imagine it would have made a tremendous difference and many of the burglars would have been caught.

My only complaint would be the fragility of the shell design of the Moultrie. More expensive trail cameras are more sturdy in their build. But you can't beat the low cost of the i40 Moultrie and the reliability is excellent. But I can't say the same for the plastic casing that houses the camera. Drop the camera a foot to the ground and it could be destroyed quite easily. My suggestion would be to go the extra mile and purchasing protective casing for the camera. Also, the i40 is not camouflaged.

I had a friend paint a camouflage design over the entire body of my Moultrie. You'll want a camouflage camera, especially if the camera is strapped to a tree in the woods, to greatly help prevent thieves stealing the actual camera. Some hunters like to check their camera once a week for images. I would recommend every couple days if you are able to...just for the sake of making sure it isn't stolen.

Also, if you are a deer hunter, make a small tag and tape it to the bottom of the camera where it can only be read if a trespasser is standing close to the camera and is considering stealing or damaging it. Don't be afraid to pose an exaggerated threat: say something to the nature of that by the time they have read the note, the camera has taken and sent photos via GPS satellite to a computer where they will be downloaded and reviewed, so destroying or stealing the device is not a good idea as they are already busted.

May sound hilarious, and it won't work every time, but believe me, I have seen it work and it's better to pose a threat as opposed to the trespasser running off with your $200 camera.

The Interment and Disinterment of John May Hamilton

THE INTERMENT OF JOHN MAY HAMILTON

An account in "A History of the Civil War in Nelson Co., Kentucky" by John B. Thomas, Jr. tells of the fate of John May Hamilton. The story begins on the night of June 17, 1864, when Col. George M. Jessee's Confederate Cavalry with about 200 men camped somewhere in - mostly Rebel - Nelson County between Bloomfield and Bardstown, possibly at Camp Charity. Five of his men went to the home of John R. Jones who lived nearby in a large brick home that still stands near the Bluegrass Parkway and the Bloomfield-Springfield road [Ky 55]. They demanded a horse, saddle and bridle. Jones refused and fired on the men through the front door, inflicting a fatal wound on one before being killed himself. He was buried three days later at a place called the Camp Ground with a large crowd in attendance.

The previous month, from Washington, Joseph Holt, Adjutant General of the Army, had sent a message to Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge of the Military District of Kentucky suggesting punishment - which might even have been interpreted as execution - of Confederate soldiers captured a second time after being released on an oath not to fight again. Some say Holt - whose wife was from Nelson County - and Burbridge wanted an excuse to shoot Confederate prisoners.

On July 16, 1864, Burbridge issued General Order 59, establishing a policy stating: "When an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prisoners in the hands of the military authority and publicly shot to death in the most convenient place near the scene of the outrage." This order started what is known as Burbridge's Reign of Terror in Kentucky. During the next seven months, over 60 prisoners, usually selected by lottery, were sent to various places in the state and shot or hanged. The case of John R. Jones was one of the first to come to the attention of Burbridge.

Two young men, John May Hamilton and Richmond Berry, were brought to Nelson County, not knowing their fate. They had been held as prisoners-of-war in Lexington, Kentucky after being captured as guerrillas who served with "Partisan Rangers" in Tennessee and Kentucky. The men in these outfits "lived off the countryside" and were more or less recognized as having official standing by the South, but were seen as bank robbers, outlaws, and guerrillas by the North. Hamilton had been with "Sidney Cook's Guerrillas" when they raided Flemingsburg, Ashland and Olive Hill in Eastern Kentucky. He was captured March 6, 1864, while on a raid in Johnson County, near his home farm. They were taken to "Bunker Hill" [now called Schoolhouse Hill] and executed by firing squad to atone for the death of John R. Jones, a man they had never seen.

In a history of the town, Dr. A.H. Merrifield called it "the gloomiest day Bloomfield had during the war."

The local account of the deaths of these two men tells of the bravery of John May Hamilton, when he realized they were to face a firing squad. "Their bodies were given over to the good people of Bloomfield and were buried handsomely in metal caskets. Before interment their bodies were laid out in the Masonic hall where the whole town wept over these innocent young men." A number of years later the local women's club - who thought he was from Richmond, VA instead of Morgan Co., KY - erected a stone for John that notes, "Though a stranger, he lies among friends."

(The grave of John May Hamilton is shown above - Photo by Stacie Munroe)

THE DISINTERMENT OF JOHN MAY HAMILTON

Hamilton enlisted in Co. K, 5th Kentucky Infantry of the CSA at the beginning of the Civil War.

On Saturday, August 8, 2009, the 5th Kentucky Infantry Re-enactment group at the request of Hamilton's decedents, disinterred the body of John May Hamilton from Maple Grove Cemetery in Bloomfield for removal and re-burial at his home in Keaton, Kentucky. The remains of Hamilton were found and placed in a new coffin and Hamilton returned home after 145 years.

A Cooney-Neck Social

J.L. Yates (pictured) of Bloomfield plays a fiddle that was given to him as a gift. Every 2 or 3 weekends, the Yates family has an old-fashioned cookout and plenty of Bluegrass music. With my camera in tow, I set out last Saturday night and had a wonderful time talking to the old-timers and listening to some great music, provided by local musicians. The main course at dinner was Florida crappie, deep fried to a golden brown. The atmosphere was wonderful and pure Kentucky. My video journal of the night will be featured in Episode 1 of The Coulter Plough this month.

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed susan

Now blooming in Kentucky

Christmas Pickles in July - Part 2

Day 2 continued of making Christmas pickles!

Christmas Pickles in July - Part 2

Day 2 of making Christmas pickles!

Heath Seymour

Today we were out on location in a rural field taping a segment with Heath Seymour, a wonderful Kentucky artist. It is an honor to have Heath be part of the Plough series and his art will be the official artwork of the The Coulter Plough DVDs! This is a tremendous honor. Though today was the first time meeting Heath personally, I have followed his work for years. In 2002, I purchased one of Heath's original pieces from Sutherland Gallery in downtown Bardstown. The gallery has since closed. Heath's work caught my eye immediately. I loved his work for the simplicity and grace and style. His work also captured my attention in that he painted subjects that very much connected to my own tastes. The Coulter Plough has allowed the opportunity to not only meet Heath, but to work with him as well. I look forward to Heath's beautiful art being the official "look" of The Coulter Plough DVDs.