Our Town: Burkesville | Kentucky Life | KET

Burkesville, a town of about 1,500 people and one stoplight, wins over visitors with its friendliness and natural beauty. The Cumberland County town is often referred to as the Gateway to Dale Hollow because it borders the northern edge of the state park.

For a small town, it's left a significant footprint on the history of the Commonwealth. In 1829, a man boring for salt brine struck oil; Kentucky's Great American Well is believed to be the nation's first gusher. (The oil was bottled and sold as medicine.) In 1852, Joel Owsley Cheek, the Maxwell House coffee entrepreneur, was born in a house on the edge of town. During the Civil War, the Cumberland River area saw frequent fighting, and Gen. John Hunt Morgan raided the town. In the late 1800s, Burkesville served as a vital river port when transport by water was the only way to go.

Cumberland County tourism officials like to remind folks about the lasting impression the town left on naturalist John Muir, who passed through here in 1867 on his walk to the Gulf of Mexico:

"Burkesville, in beautiful location, is embosomed in a glorious array of verdant flowering hills. The Cumberland must be a happy stream. I think I could enjoy traveling with it in the midst of such beauty all my life."

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