Saturday, May 01, 2010

RABBIT RABBIT - Good luck in um... holy cow, is it MAY already? Yipes~...where did April disappear to? Okay, well, I stumbled across another quaint Rabbit related road stop that is definitely on my map for my next visit through Kentucky.

In a world that seems to be changing constantly, the Rabbit Hash General Store is a heaping slice of Americana from another era. A working general store since 1831, the Rabbit Hash General Store is the heart of historic Rabbit Hash, a quaint little Northern Kentucky river-town whose fortunes literally have risen and fallen with the waters of the Ohio River.

The town's name, "Rabbit Hash" is said to have originated during the flood of 1847 when the abundant local rabbit population was driven to higher ground and became a food staple in a special stew called "hash." Little documented history of Rabbit Hash actually survives, primarily because devastating Ohio River floods in 1884, 1913 and 1937 deluged the little town and ruined many records.

The Rabbit Hash General Store was completely submerged during the 1937 flood that crested at an unheard of 79.9 feet. There is still mud in the store's attic crawl space from the historic 1937 flood, and the only reason it has survived the river's often angry waters is that it is anchored securely to the ground by a series of iron rods which run through the entire structure. Much of the rest of Rabbit Hash was not so fortunate during the historic flood. Several residences, outbuildings, the creamery, a tobacco warehouse and the blacksmith shop were washed away in 1937.


The Rabbit Hash General Store looks untouched by both time and river waters. Its large front porch with roof overhang is the town's social focal point.

A large painted sign welcomes visitors to the store itself, which still sells groceries and other staple items for local residents. As a major tourist attraction, however, the Rabbit Hash General Store features antiques, collectible Bybee pottery, hand-woven towels from Boston Weavers, brooms made at Berea College in Kentucky, hand-made soaps, wooden kitchen utensils, enamelware, and the necessary hats, shirts and postcards. Lots of delicious foods are offered as well, such as Mom Blackmans cream pull candy, Windstone Farm blackberry jam, shortbread wafers in tins, Lion coffee and Saponi Soaps handmade olive oil soaps.



In addition to the General Store, Rabbit Hash features the Rabbit Hash Museum, historic homes, and shops such as the Kentucky Huckster, which offers a variety of Appalachian crafts and quilts. Day-long riverboat cruises on the Ohio River to Rabbit hash are offered from Covington (directly across the river from downtown Cincinnati) by area sightseeing cruise operators such as BB Riverboats. It sounds like a whole lot of fun, and I've stuck a pin on my destination map for my next road trip.

4 comments:

javajazz said...

Rabbithash, Rabbithash,
for those who indulge...!
great story,
great name of a town...
i might want to
retire there...!
xo

Doug The Una said...

Blub blub

k. riggs gardner said...

Coincidentally, the Kentucky Derby is about to start, I'm wearing an elaborate hat and drinking a mint julep.

photowannabe said...

Oh wow, I would love to go there. The name itself iswonderful.