Ohio County, located in the Kentucky Derby Region of the state, has many attractions, not the least of which is the childhood home of Bill Monroe - also known as the Birthplace Of Bluegrass.
A visit to Kentucky's Ohio County can take many shapes, whether one is here for a festival or to visit one of the many attractions, such as the Fordsville L&N Depot Museum, the Bluegrass Motorcycle Museum, or the Ohio County Veterans’ Museum. Easily one of the biggest draws, however, is Bill Monroe's childhood home - the Monroe Homeplace - considered the Birthplace Of Bluegrass.
Bill Monroe, often referred to as the Father of Bluegrass, was a star of the Grand Ole Opry for over 50 years, received the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 1995, and is still the only person to be inducted into three Halls of Fame: Bluegrass, Country, and Rock and Roll.
Bill Monroe spent his formative years here in Ohio County during the first part of the 20th century, on his family's farm near Rosine. He even wrote a song about it that you may know, entitled “I’m On My Way Back to the Old Home.”
Once part of a nearly 800-acre farm that supported tobacco, corn, cattle, hogs, chickens, coal, and timber, the Monroe Homeplace is located high on Pigeon Ridge. Though Bill Monroe was born in a smaller home nearby, it was here that he worked with his family of five brothers, two sisters and their two parents - without the benefit of machinery.
Now you can step back in time with a visit to the Monroe Homeplace, restored as a museum in 2001. Inside, you'll discover cherished family belongings, vintage furnishings from the early 20th century, and rare photographs of Bill Monroe and his two brothers, Birch Monroe and Charlie Monroe - also professional musicians.
Ohio County is home to not only to the birthplace of Bill Monroe but also his final resting place. Bill, his mother and father, and all of his siblings are interred in Rosine cemetery, just down the road from the Monroe Homeplace. You can also visit the restored cabin of Bill Monroe's famous Uncle Pen, whom Bill lived with after the death of his parents, took musical inspiration from, and wrote a famous song about: "Uncle Pen."
The Monroe Homeplace, Uncle Pen's Cabin, and Rosine Cemetery are all in or near Rosine in Ohio County - come see the Birthplace of Bluegrass and take a guided tour of the Monroe Homeplace.
