Civil War in Kentucky

The community of Maysville was divided throughout Civil War because it had economic ties to the North and cultural ties to the South. It was also heavily involved in the a misunderstood and clandestine feature of the abolitionist movement--the Underground Railroad. The Maysville area was surrounded by stations on the Underground Railroad, such as Phillip's Folly in downtown Maysville and Paxton Inn in old Washington. Conductors in the Maysville area and just north in Ripley, Ohio assisted in the emancipation of over 2,000 slaves.

The National Underground Railroad Museum, located at 115 E. 3rd St. in Maysville, chronicles this journey to freedom, and is a tribute to the local effort to preserve and interpret artifacts that help to better understand life on the Underground Railroad. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

The Mason County Museum, also in Maysville, offers a permanent exhibit with a book collection and video that illustrates the Civil War heritage in the community. The museum is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday though Saturday. In January, February, and March, the museum will be open Tuesday through Saturday.

Also visit the impressive Union monument which was erected in 1887 in the Maysville Cemetery.

Paxton Inn, mentioned above, is located in Old Washington, an important early settlement in Kentucky and the site of the slave auction that inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin. Also in Old Washington is the birthplace and childhood home of General Albert Sidney Johnson.