Visit Bill Monroe in Ohio County, KY

	BILL MONROE HOMEPLACE The Monroe Homeplace has been called the most musical home in America. It is not only the birthplace of three famous musicians, it is also the birthplace of the American musical form known today as Bluegrass.
After farm chores were done, the home was a magnet that drew local traditional musicians including Bill's legendary Uncle Pen. In the summer the music and dancing took place on the porch or in the yard. In the cooler months furniture was moved outside and square dances were held in the home. There has been so much music played in the home that the fibers of the wood actually changed in response to the vibrations. The end result is that the home has become a musical instrument itself. It is believed that this is the original home site of the first Monroes who arrived here from Virginia in 1832. Bill was born in a log cabin on this site in 1911. The log cabin was destroyed by fire when he was five years old. This framed house was built on the same spot around the original sandstone chimney. The Monroe homeplace was restored by the Bill Monroe Foundation in 2001.
		Plan A Pilgrimage To The Homeplace In the Fall of 1911, on a lonely ridge near Rosine, Kentucky, Malissa Monroe played the mandolin under a shade tree in the yard of her home. Little did she know the son she would soon give birth to would one day create an entirely new genre of music and come to be known worldwide as the “Father of Bluegrass”. That tree still stands near the white clapboard house, the birthplace of William Smith Monroe. The house, overlooking five acres of the original 1,000 acre Monroe farm, was restored in 2001 and is filled with cherished family belongings and signs of a remarkable career. Vintage photographs placed on rough-hewn fireplace mantels and dressers, tell a story of the early days of Malissa, musical brothers Charlie, Birch, and Speed and the famous Uncle Pen, the fiddler and mentor who was the inspiration for one of Monroe’s most beloved songs. Travelers from around the world now regularly visit "The Homeplace" of Bill Monroe and Bluegrass Music, to learn of his life, family and the inspiration in his music. Just down the road visitors can pay their respects to Bill and his family in the Rosine cemetery. Monroe remains the only person ever to be inducted into the trio of the Bluegrass, Country, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. He received the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton in 1995. DIRECTIONS: From North: Follow signs. Take Wm. Natcher Pkwy south to Exit 48. Take Hwy 69 W. to Hwy 231 So., turn left at Hwy. 62 E, go approximately 6 miles, turn right at sign. From South, East or West: Follow signs. Take Western KY Pkwy to exit 75. Take 231 North, turn right at Hwy 62 E, go approximately 6 miles, turn right at sign. HOMEPLACE ADDRESS: 6210 Hwy 62 East, Rosine, KY 42349 Phone 270-274-9181 www.jerusalemridgefestival.org