Okay, I know it wasn't politically or geographically correct in any way, but one of the most comforting landmarks on my drive from Lexington to Danville along US 27 has always been the TeePee.
It's had several incarnations, but basically it's one of those tourist-trap trinket stores with a giant teepee out front. I remember as a child it seemed to loom in the distance; I guess it seemed so out of place, it was like seeing something magical. I only went in the little store once, just a few years ago, so I don't know what it was like early on. I imagine it's probably one of those things that cropped up in the 50s when kids were running around with Davy Crockett hats and Westerns ruled the Silver Screen.
A friend of mine who was raised in the area remembers that they used to have a place in the hillside where you could supposedly view Indian remains behind glass (I'm sure he'll correct me if I've collapsed stories together). I don't know if that hill is natural or a mound; we do have remains of the Adena and Hoppewell cultures here and there. I don't even know if these were real; this whole place was Kitsch with a capital 'K'.
And now it's gone. Well, the concrete building is still there. They're building a big wooden fence around it, like they're preparing for an equipment yard or something like that. But there is no teepee. No landmark. It existed longer than I've been alive. I don't know if the owners died or sold the property or just moved on to the 21st century. It wasn't really historical, but it was part of my historical setting, and I miss it. Funny the things we get attached to, hmm?
I tried to find a picture online; I figure many people have photographed it over the years. But those photos are probably in family albums or library archives. If anyone has one, I'd be happy to post it here. It was located in Garrard county near Bryantsville, a little before you turn off from 27 onto the Danville road.
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