Hot Browns Across Kentucky: A Sunday drive along the Ohio River

I find river towns fascinating. My husband and I have visited quite a few since moving back to Kentucky, and each time I visit one, no matter how big or small, I fall in love with it. We had visited Cloverport, Kentucky twice before, but that was about four or five years ago. We were in the area recently, so took advantage of a beautiful sunny day to explore some more. I had been trying to check in with the happenings there online, and had noticed the downtown area had been fixed up and some buildings were for sale. That's always a good sign!

When you arrive in Cloverport, you drive over a small bridge that crosses over Clover Creek right where it meets the Ohio River. The first thing that will catch your eye is the Higginbotham's building, and the large barn quilt displayed on the side of it.

The Higginbotham building was first the location of Needle Craft, then became a grocery store in 1933. Mr. Higginbotham passed in 1971, but his son took over the business. I'm not sure when the grocery store closed, but hope to be in town sometime when the town museum is open. I think the Higginbotham building is what I am most interested in, and would love to get some more information on it.

I had been to Family Ties Flowers & Gifts a few years ago and chatted for quite a while to the sweet owner. That was probably in 2019, so I'm having trouble remembering if this shop has moved to a new store or if it's the same one I visited. It could just be that the building got a facelift. It's such a cute store and I wish I could have gone in again. That's the downside to Sunday afternoon drives - everything is closed!

The history of this small town is so interesting. From producing coal oil that lit Buckingham Palace, to the button factory, railroad maintenance shops, to Mickey Mouse dolls produced there! Who would have thought Mickey Mouse dolls were being made in a tiny Kentucky river town and shipped out by train? My, times have changed. Made in China, anyone? I've been doing some research, trying to find some information or a photo of these Mickey Mouse dolls but haven't had any luck. If you've never looked into vintage Mickey dolls, boy, some of them are REALLY creepy looking!

Cloverport is part of the Lincoln Family Trail through Kentucky, and I am so grateful to live near it and visit all these sites. The Lincoln Family crossed the Ohio River into Indiana near this spot, and when you stand there and really think about that, it is very strange (at least for me!) to wrap my head around. A future President of the United States was once standing on the bank of this very river, just like I was. I would have been very scared crossing the river on a log raft, and I wonder what was going through his head at the time.

Even though it was cold and snowy, we took a walk around town to read some more of the historical markers and take some photos. There's lot of barn quilts scattered around the town, and I located as many as I could!

We had such a lovely drive that day. I am so happy to see so many buildings for sale, and look forward to seeing what will occupy them. It will be interesting to go back and look at the photos I took of Cloverport the last time we were there and compare them to what the town looks like now in 2025. Five years can really change a town. I am noticing it in my own town, and my husband and I were just talking about that yesterday. It makes me look at things differently, and I want to document so many things, no matter how insignificant they seem. One day some of my favorite spots in town could be completely gone, like it never even happened. It's really sad when you stop and think about it.

I am hoping this year that we can explore more of the western part of our state! I have quite a list of towns I'd like to visit!

Here is a photo I snapped when we got back to our neck of the woods. What a gorgeous day we had!