National Register of Historic Places

Hensley Settlement

Cubage, Bell County, Kentucky
Listed
January 8, 1980
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
80000367

About this property

Hensley Settlement is an Appalachian living history museum on Brush Mountain, Bell County, Kentucky in the United States. The settlement is part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and it is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of the park visitor center on Ridge Trail. The settlement contains twelve homestead log cabins, a one-room school house, and a blacksmith shop. A restored spring house on the property was used by the settlement as food storage. The settlement began in 1903 when brothers-in-law Sherman Hensley and Willy Gibbons settled their families on plots from acreage purchased by Burton Hensley Sr. Most inhabitants belonged to either the Hensley or Gibbons families. The settlement never developed modern infrastructure or technology. The last resident was Sherman Hensley, who left in 1951. The school, together with some forty-five settlement structures and the agricultural environment, were restored to their original state in the 1960s by the Job Corps.

Location

Cubage, Bell County, Kentucky
36.67091, -83.52860

Categories

ARCHITECTUREAGRICULTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Industrial
9.2 mi
Cumberland Gap Historic District
Listed
9.2 mi
Mt. Moriah Baptist Church
Industrial
11 mi
Middlesboro Downtown Commercial District
Listed
11.1 mi
Pineville Courthouse Square Historic District
Industrial
11.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Cumberland Gap Operations 1862
1862Civil War
8.6 mi
Capture of Cumberland Gap (1862)
1862Civil War
8.7 mi
Recapture of Cumberland Gap (1862)
1862Civil War
8.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hensley Settlement listed on the National Register?

Hensley Settlement was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Hensley Settlement?

Hensley Settlement is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hensley Settlement?

The period of significance for Hensley Settlement is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Hensley Settlement?

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