Little Egypt Ford Traditional Cache
GreenMinds: Greetings,
This cache has been temporarily disabled for some time now without any action taken on your part to address the issues with the cache. The cache is being archived at this time, so please return to this location and remove what is left of your cache.
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GreenMinds
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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According to Merriam-Webster a ford is a shallow part of a body of water that may be crossed by wading.
This ford is one of a few left in Bath County that is a public road. Most of the others have been replaced by bridges. This spot is popular for locals to fish and hunt. It is listed on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ web site as an access site for launching small boats into Slate Creek. Watch for muggles. This road connects Peeled Oak Rd. to Stepstone Rd.
Congrats to abeandsarah for FTF!
This portion of Slate Creek separates the Stepstone community and Peeled Oak. The cache is located on the Peeled Oak side and would we inaccessible from the Stepstone side if the water is up even slightly. The cache may be unavailable at times of high water from either side.
It is unsure as to why this ford is named “Little Egypt” but many other parts of the U.S. are nicknamed the same. These areas are often close to rivers or streams and are surrounded by fertile land, much like the Nile Delta in Egypt. The community of Peeled Oak was first settled in the late 1700’s, when Bath County was still a part of Montgomery County. Its name supposedly came about when on the first settlers to the area surveyed and marked a boundary line by peeling sections of bark from large oak trees, thus giving Peeled Oak its name. The community of Peeled Oak, which now only consists of the church and several private residences, was once a prosperous logging and lumber producing area.
In the early days Peeled Oak supported one of the largest tan yards in the region and was operated by one Colonel John Ficklin, who supplied leather to the greater portion of central and eastern Kentucky. Back then, tanning was done by digging large pits in the ground, lining the walls with logs, and alternating layers of hides to be tanned and bark from chestnut oak trees until these layers reached the top of the pit. Then the pit would be filled with water and covered for 12+ months. The acids from the decaying bark would slowly penetrate the hides and rot away the hair. After the process was complete the hides would be taken out of the pit and tanned in the sun.
This area’s real claim to fame may be that it is the final resting place of the Revolutionary War hero and Bath County resident, John “Jack” Jouett. Jouett is remembered as the “Paul Revere of the South” for his famous midnight ride to warn then Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson of an approaching regiment of British soldiers sent to capture the governor. For his actions he was issued a pair of engraved pistols and a sword by the state of Virginia in 1783. After the war Jouett moved to Mercer County, KY and then to Bath County in the latter years of his life. He served in the state legislatures of both Virginia and Kentucky. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Tanyard Cemetery just off of Tapp Lane. The Kentucky Historical Society placed a historical marker sign to honor Jouett in the Bath County courthouse lawn in Owingsville (Marker number 1528).
This information is compiled from several sources. The primary source in which most of it comes from is the book; A History of Bath County, Kentucky by John A. Richards, copyright 1961 by Southwest Printers, Yuma, Arizona.
Richards grew up in Bath County and gathered the information for his book over many years through personal interviews, town and court records, Virginia and Kentucky state records, and many other sources.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Uvtu naq qel
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