Where it all began for me . . . sort of: Visiting with Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone

Besides the tidbits of history I can recall learning in kindergarten up through third grade, it was in 4th grade that I was introduced to history, learning the history of the United States and Kentucky from its colonial origins (the Commonwealth was, of course, part of one of those other commonwealths--Virginia--during its colonial phase) up to the beginning of the Civil War. I took to history immediately. No doubt a large part of that was due to the incredible Social Studies teachers that I was privileged to have and sit in their classrooms. They each made history fun with the energy they brought to the classroom, their passion for the subject, and the stories they told. History was story time where I got to meet legendary American figures and they made those individuals come alive for me.



In 4th grade, I learned my history not from my regular classroom teacher, a very young teacher probably not more than a year or so on the job, but from the veteran teacher across the hall, Betty Boone. The first thing I can recall is her telling us that she was a part of Kentucky's royalty (not her exact words, but mine). She had married into the Boone family, Daniel Boone's family, a prominent frontiersman in early American history. If not Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Boone is the very first historical figure that every young Kentuckian encounters in the classroom, or so they did when I was a mere cog in Kentucky's educational system. As my year as a fourth grader unfolded, Mrs. Boone's enthusiasm for the subject and especially Kentucky's state history was palpable indeed. I took to the subject in general naturally and delved into Kentucky's colonial and early history as a state, reading supplementary books in her classroom. Subsequently, I must have impressed her because I was selected captain of our school's Kentucky history team, which went to Frankfort, the state capital, where we participated in the Governor's Cup, a quick recall-like competition in which teams from schools across the state competed in a battle royale over the state's history. Sadly, we came up short in the semi-finals or else we would have stood a great chance at winning (perhaps the lack of a gold medal on my trophy case still haunts me, but I can vividly recall sitting on the sidelines conferring with my team members as we knew every single question asked in the final round but one!).

After fourth grade, I got my fill of American history in fifth grade and beyond; however, Kentucky history was no longer an emphasis in our curriculum. Truth be told, I have lost much of what I knew then. I feel as if I know much more today about my adopted state's history than I do about my native Kentucky. Still, Daniel Boone remains one of any native Kentuckian's most beloved figures. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the gravesite of Kentucky's pioneer legend at Frankfort Cemetery, overlooking the Kentucky River and the state's modern capitol building . . . or did I?


There seems to be some debate as to whether the site actually does contain the body of Boone and his wife, Rebecca. I enclose some links below to stories about Boone, his actual bones, and the controversy.

The Body in Daniel Boone's Grave May Not Be His (New York Times article from 1983)

Where is Daniel Boone Buried? (a video segment from Kentucky Public Television)

Boone's Bones Broohaha

Daniel Boone (find a grave website)

Nevertheless, here are some of the photos that I took of Boone's gravesite, with the remarkable view of the state capitol building in the distance, and the marble reliefs that appear on each side of Boone's "grave."