A Kentucky Kind of Place: Ballard County

Photo: Discover Ballard County

Ballard County was established in 1842 and named for Bland Ballard, a frontier scout and veteran of early Kentucky conflicts.

This is Kentucky’s westernmost point, where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi. That confluence helped shape trade, migration, and strategy during America’s westward expansion.

The city of Wickliffe sits on bluffs above both rivers. Just outside town, Wickliffe Mounds preserves the site of a Native American village that thrived here centuries before European settlement.

The Fort Jefferson Memorial Cross stands at the location where George Rogers Clark built a fort in 1780. On a clear day, you can see for miles across both rivers, a reminder of why this place mattered.

Ballard County is also home to the Barlow House Museum, a Victorian home that shares the story of early life along the rivers.

To the south, Axe Lake Swamp protects a rare cypress-tupelo wetland. It’s a quiet, flooded forest home to migratory birds, waterfowl, and the occasional eagle.

Speaking of which, Ballard County hosts one of the largest winter populations of bald eagles in Kentucky. The open water and abundant fish draw them here each January.

Water worth finding: The confluence itself. Stand where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet. Watch the currents mix. You’ll understand why this place has drawn people for thousands of years.

Where should we go when we visit?

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