Those of you who regularly follow my blog know that I am always looking for historic sites to visit, so I follow many of our county tourism pages. A while back, I saw a post for Jailhouse Pizza in Brandenburg. I’m always up for a restaurant in a historic building and when you throw in a ghost or two, my daughter will always jump at the chance! So, I did a little more research. I needed something else for us to do in addition to pizza and found a hiking trail nearby that led to a waterfall. Although this is not our typical adventure, it was nice to throw in something different. We loaded up in the car this past week and hit the road in a new direction, arriving in Brandenburg right at lunch time.
Jailhouse Pizza at the Old Meade County Jail
The building that now houses a pizza restaurant was originally the Meade County Jail. Built in 1906, it was the third jail to be used in Meade County, and cost $7,947.50 to build. It was located behind the courthouse, at the time it was built, and was in use until 1976.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the two story brick ell building looks almost exactly as it did when it closed in 1976. The original front of the building faces the river and would have been the home of the jailer and his family. This is where the meals for the prisoners (3 a day) would have been prepared by the jailer’s wife. The back of the building housed the prisoners in jail cells that you can still see today. One of the most notable prisoners of the Meade County Jail was Hank Williams, Sr.
Today, you enter the building from a side entrance. A dining room has been added to the front of the building. We were seated in the dining room addition, but we were able to tour the jail, seeing the cells on both floors. You can also see the stairs that the prisoners would have used and the gallows (a drop floor) built into the second floor. While they were not seating people in the cells on the day of our visit, there are tables within several of the cells. I do wish we had been able to be seated in one, but I suppose if they had been using them for seating, we wouldn’t have been able to explore and take such fun pictures! I love the last photo the most! 🤣
The 1974 Tornado
In April of 1974, Brandenburg was hit by an F-5 tornado that practically leveled the town.
After the tornado of 1974 that destroyed the courthouse and caused it to be rebuilt on Hill Crest Avenue, a fourth jail known as the Meade County Detention Center was built adjacent to the new courthouse.
Meade County Tourism
Historic Buttermilk Falls
After our delicious lunch at Jailhouse Pizza, we drove over to the 3.2 mile out-and-back paved walking trail that leads to Buttermilk Falls. This trail was originally a country road that connected River Street on the Ohio River to Kentucky State Route 933. There are more than a dozen cliff springs in the Buttermilk Falls area and for many years, these springs were sources of water for Meade County residents. (Maybe that’s the reason it is called Historic Buttermilk Falls??) Pipes were added to help with water collection – some of these can still be seen today – as families came to fill up water containers, and water bladders on farm trucks were filled up to be delivered to nearby homes where the water would be stored in cisterns.
In 1982, the springs of Buttermilk Falls were closed to public consumption due to a hepatitis outbreak. Septic tank seepage and farm land runoff had contaminated the water that made its way to the springs.
Then, in 1996, Brandenburg paved the country road, cleaned up roadside trash, and added benches to create a park-like setting that would highlight the most scenic “resurgence” in Meade County.
A resurgence is where the subterranean water flow reaches the surface, or better known as a spring. … More than 40 significant springs have been indexed in Meade County with seven of these considered major resurgences. … The Buttermilk Falls complex is the smallest of the major resurgences but one of the most scenic.
GeoCaching.com
I agree completely that the area is scenic. The walking path is fully paved at what I believe to be the full width of a road. It’s a gentle incline from the river to the waterfall and even on the 90+ degree day, the tree canopy kept us fairly comfortable. I think the hike from the parking area to the falls was about a half a mile, nothing too major. There were other families out with strollers, and others out for a run, but it wasn’t crowded and you could still enjoy the peace-and-quiet that you try to find when out “in nature.”
Other Historic Markers
After our walk to the falls, we drove back to Main Street at the river to check out the other historic markers noting the history of the town.
Brandenburg was built on a 3,000 acre land tract purchased by Solomon Brandenburg in 1804. He established a tavern and a ferry that crossed the Ohio River. The area was then known as Solomon Brandenburg’s Landing and Ferry.
…on January 8, 1825, an act of the General Assembly authorized Solomon Brandenburg’s Landing and Ferry as the seat of justice and the town was named Brandenburg. On April 4, 1825 five commissioners were appointed to provide a county courthouse on the public square donated by Solomon Brandenburg. With the heavy river traffic, Brandenburg prospered as a trade center. Solomon Brandenburg’s old log tavern hosted such notables as John James Audubon, Aaron Burr and James Wilkinson.
Brandenburg.KY.Gov
As noted on the historic marker above, Brandenburg found itself in the path of the Confederates during the Civil War when General John Hunt Morgan and his Raiders (approximately 3,000 troops) crossed the Ohio River on their way north to Indiana.
The CSA Army commandeered two steam boats, the McComb and the Alice Dean. The Alice Dean was burned after the crossing and the remains could be identified for many years. There were skirmishes with the Indiana Militia stationed on the Indiana side of the river. Requests for restitution were presented to the United States for damages to the courthouse and the Methodist Church (which was used as a hospital). Highway markers identify various sites of Morgan’s activities in Meade County.
Brandenburg.KY.Gov
Finally, we took a walk around the Confederate Monument located on the hillside at the river. I did not realize that this was originally located in Louisville and had no idea it had been moved to Brandenburg. Confederate Monuments always spur great discussion between my daughter and me, and this time was no different. We discussed the need to remember our history, we discussed what we think we would have done in their shoes in those times, and we discussed why it was moved and where it was moved.
I told my daughter that I’d prefer to refer to the monument as a statue than a monument. As we discussed, a monument is erected to commemorate, or show respect, to a notable person or event. While originally the monument was erected to remember and show respect to our Confederate Soldiers, I think today it’s about remembering the people that fought and the events that took place, and less about the respect for it. For me, it’s no longer a monument but a statue that helps us to not forget that time in our history. As I noted, the statue started a pretty deep conversation between the two of us, and for that, the statue did exactly what it needed to do. I spurred a conversation. I also told my daughter that I agree with moving Confederate monuments off of our courthouse squares, not to be destroyed, but to be moved to more historic locations (like this one where Confederate Soldiers crossed the river) or to cemeteries where Confederate Soldiers are buried. These statues are still needed. They tell the story of our history, of a time when people behaved differently, believed differently, and fought for what they believed was right or best for either themselves or the country. I do believe new historic markers should be placed next to them to tell the new chapter, as they have done in Brandenburg, to explain that this is a view of the past and not what is believed today. We wrapped up our conversation by stating that we’ve made progress but there is still more to be done, but I believe Brandenburg has done it well.
Our Visit & Reflection
We truly enjoyed our afternoon down by the Ohio River in Brandenburg. The pizza at Jailhouse Pizza was well worth the drive to get it. It’s some of the best pizza I’ve had in quite awhile. I loved the easy walk to Buttermilk Falls, which was much needed after eating too much pizza! It really is a beautiful area and if you enjoy waterfalls (although small), you should take the time to check it out. Of course, there is much to be discussed regarding the history in Brandenburg, from its 1804 establishment to the Civil War, the ’37 flood, and the 1974 tornadoes. They really have seen a lot!
We wrapped up our trip across the road from Jailhouse Pizza, at Main Street Creamery and Cafe, where we grabbed some delicious ice cream (I recommend Buckeye) and a Peach Ale-8. I mean how can you pass up an Ale-8 on a Kentucky road trip, right?? From there, we loaded up and headed home. It had been another successful summer day trip, just me and my girl!
Until next time, get out and see Kentucky!
If anyone knows the history of Meade County look no further than the Meade County History Museum and its knowledgeable staff. The director of the museum, Gerald Fischer, recently published his second book on Civil War guerrilla warfare and also published a book on the last witch burning in America that took place nearby in 1840.