'The Father of Bluegrass Music', Bill Monroe's Home Place

I recently took a 3 week trip to West Virginia from my home in the Ozarks to attend a 4 day bluegrass & roots music festival & to visit some old bandmates & brothers…

…the highlight of my trip, however, was my visit through Rosine, Kentucky…

…you see, Rosine, Kentucky is where ‘The Father of Bluegrass’, Bill Monroe, grew up & was inspired to create the legendary music known as ‘bluegrass’…a music that has brought so many people together from all walks of life & all over the world…

…just outside of Rosine on Jerusalem Ridge stands Mr. Monroe’s boyhood home…though vacant & dilapidated at the beginning of the century, it has since been restored to full glory using as many of the original pieces as possible & is a tourist attraction for people from all over the nation…

The Bill Monroe Homeplace also hosts an annual bluegrass festival on the property…taking place the weekend of September 13th, Mr. Monroe’s birthday…

…and earlier this year in Rosine they cut the ribbon to open the Bill Monroe Museum…displaying furniture, clothing, instruments…all items owned & used by Mr. Monroe…including his 1992 Cadillac with only 81,229 miles on it…

…I spent the entire afternoon in Rosine…first visiting the museum…then traveling the short distance to ‘Uncle Pen’s Cabin’…a now rebuilt cabin on the site of what once was the home of Pendleton Vandiver, Bill Monroe’s uncle ‘Pen’, who played the fiddle in the local dance hall & who influenced & inspired the young Bill Monroe in many ways…

(the mantle in this photo is an original log from the old cabin)

…after leaving Uncle Pen’s I made a stop at the Rosine Cemetery, Mr. Monroe’s final resting place & spent some time taking photos & finally honoring his memory & his influence upon my OWN life by playing one of his songs at the site…

…I left Rosine, Kentucky feeling very serene…as if I’d experienced something very special & almost magical…

…it was a wonderful experience for me & I would encourage any other fan of bluegrass music to make the small pilgrimage to visit these historic places…

…thank you all for reading & watching…
…Peace, Light, & much Love…