CAPTAIN BILLY BUSH
FRIEND AND COMPANION OF DANIEL BOONE
This plaque and monument remembers and honors Captain Billy Bush, one of the original settlers of Boonesborough. Captain Billy is one of many brave adventurers that contributed to the settling of Kentucky but never got the publicity Daniel Boone did. This monument is not Captain Billy’s gravestone, but his gravesite is not far from here on private property.
Captain Billy Bush was born William Bush. He was not actually a Captain in a military sense, but was given the title of Captain by those who knew him and respected him as a leader. Captain Billy seemed to be always on an adventure. The first to be documented was being a part of the group of frontiersmen Daniel Boone gathered in 1775 to blaze what became known as the Wilderness Trace from the old settlements in Virginia to Boonesborough. Daniel Boone took a party of thirty riflemen to seek out and mark the proposed Trace. To complete this task he had recruited about 20 of the most experienced and capable frontiersmen to be found on the western border. They included such men as Square Boone, Michael Stoner, and William (Billy) Bush, Benjamin Cutberth and many others destined to become famous in the settlement of Kentucky.
Captain Billy was there on that memorable day on Sunday, July 14, 1776, when the Indians captured Elizabeth (Betsey) and Frances (Fanny) Calloway, the two daughters of Richard Calloway along with Daniel Boone’s daughter, Jemima Boone. He joined the rescue party led by Daniel Boone, which on the third morning, successfully rescued the girls who were unharmed.
In 1779 Captain Billy appeared before a Court of Virginia Commissioners and proved his claim to all the land between Two Mile Creek and Lower Howard's Creek, by reason of improvement and raising crops of corn on the same in 1775 and 1776. It was on this land that he established Bush Settlement.
The house on the other side of the road is a wood siding covered log house where Captain Billy lived. The rock barn was built much later than the log house, it is a fine example of mid 1800 stone masonry. I have not been able to learn much about the history of the barn from the owners or from local historians.
The cache location is at N37 55.XXX W84 15.37Y.
You will use the date the plaque was dedicated to solve for X and Y. This date is at the very bottom of the plaque. In the photo on this page there are 4 digits from that date that are smudged (the date in August and the last two digits of the year).
To determine XXX add up all the digits from the date in August and the last two digits of the year. Subtract that sum from the last three digits in the plaque location Latitude. That result is XXX.
To determine Y look at the Old Rock Barn across the road. There are one or more very small windows in the side of the barn. Count the number of those small windows and subtract that from the number 10. That result is Y.
You can park at N37 55.026 W84 15.391.
