Roads
Warrior's Path
The first route through this area was the Warrior's Path. It was part of a network of trails that had been used by Native Americans for centuries. This particular section ran between the Cumberland Gap to the south and Ohio to the north. The trail forked in Montgomery County near the headwaters of the Hinkston and Lulbegrud Creeks. From there one trail went northward through present day Mt. Sterling and on through the north edge of Bath County to Blue Lick at the Licking River. The other fork went northeast crossing Slate Creek at Howard's Mill, on through Mud Lick (Olympian) Springs in Bath County to the Licking River and up into Ohio.
Iron Works Road
The first road of significance built by early settlers in Bath County was the Iron Works Road. It was built for the purpose of shipping finished iron products from Jacob Myers iron furnace on Slate Creek just south of today's Owingsville on west through Mount Sterling, Winchester and Paris to the Kentucky River at Frankfort. Jacob Myers had patented his land there in 1782 and built the iron furnace in 1791. The furnace went into operation in 1792. Included with the land patented by Jacob Myers was Mud Lick Spring.
First Stage Coach Line in Kentucky - 1803
The barely visible dotted lines on Munsell's 1818 map show the roads of the day. The stage coach road between Lexington and Olympian Springs has been highlighted in white. The mineral springs there soon became a well known attraction.
William Ramsey built a boarding house and cabins at Mud Lick Spring in 1796 advertising 8 different springs at the location. Henry Clay's father-in-law Col. Thomas Hart acquired Mud Lick Spring in 1800 and changed the name to Olympian Springs.
In 1803, John Kennedy a Lexington Resident established Kentucky's first stage coach line. It ran the 47 miles between Lexington and Mud Lick Spring following the same route as the above mentioned Iron Works Road. A post office opened in Olympian Springs in 1811.
Contacts
Marvin Allen  Bath County Coordinator |
| Suzanne Shephard KY Asst. State Coordinator |
| Jeff Kemp KY State Coordinator |
