[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 100 (Thursday, June 13, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING HARRODSBURG, KENTUCKY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2024

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the citizens of 
Harrodsburg, Kentucky as they celebrate the 250th anniversary of their 
founding.
  James Harrod and a team of men were sent by Lord Dunmore to Kentucky 
to survey land promised by the British crown to soldiers who served in 
the French and Indian War. Harrod was the first to map out a town on 
June 16, 1774, making Harrod's Town (later Harrodsburg) the first 
permanent British settlement west of the Alleghenies and the first city 
in Kentucky. By 1776, they had established a county court, a county 
militia, and named James Harrod as a delegate to the Virginia Assembly. 
A blockhouse was established at Fort Harrod for the protection of 
settlers. After the Revolutionary War ended, the town grew rapidly and 
the original log cabins were replaced with brick structures.
  Many men from Harrodsburg fought in the war of 1812. After the war, 
agriculture and education were very important. Bacon College, 
Greenville Institute for Young Ladies, and the Harrodsburg Female 
Academy all opened between 1839 and 1847. Shaker Village at Pleasant 
Hill was founded in 1805 and became very prosperous. The local economy 
was based on livestock, hemp, wheat, corn, and valuable racehorses. By 
the middle of the 1800's, Harrodsburg had been home to three Kentucky 
governors and one U.S. Ambassador as well as a nationally known resort, 
Graham Springs.
  Like many areas in border states, Harrodsburg was divided by the 
Civil War and experienced much loss and destruction. Citizens picked up 
and treated wounded soldiers from both Union and Confederate forces 
following the nearby Battle of Perryville. After the war, the city 
rebuilt and prospered once again. The 20th century brought the Dix 
River Dam, constructed in the 1920's to provide electricity, and the 
reservoir, Lake Herrington, became a tourist attraction. A reproduction 
of Old Fort Harrod was constructed as well as a monument to George 
Rogers Clark which was dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934. 
Shaker Village was restored and became another tourist attraction. 
There has always been a strong military presence in Harrodsburg and 
World War II was no exception. Company D of the 192nd Tank Battalion 
was stationed in the Philippines in 1941 and included 66 from 
Harrodsburg. Forced to surrender to the Japanese, more than 7,000 
American soldiers died from the brutal Bataan Death March, including 29 
Harrodsburg men.
  Today the city of Harrodsburg continues as a thriving community with 
robust agriculture, tourism, and industry. Dedicated leaders from 
founder James Harrod to today's Mayor Bob Williams have led the city of 
Harrodsburg. I am honored to lift up this great American community 
before the United States Congress and to congratulate them on their 
250th anniversary.

                          ____________________