Boone Trace marks 250th anniversary
Published 11:52 am Wednesday, May 14, 2025
To mark the 250th anniversary of Daniel Boone and his party carving the path from Tennessee to Kentucky, teams of explorers are following in their historic footsteps. They started from Kingsport, Tennessee, on April 23 and have hiked roughly 10 miles each day, symbolically passing a replica of an 18th century axe along the way.
The axe made its way through southwest Virginia and arrived at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park on Saturday. A delegation of CGNP staff, led by Ranger Dr. Lucas Wilder, in period dress and re-enactor Anthony Winegar who was portraying Daniel Boone himself received the axe that evening from Aaron Franklin, who had portrayed a native American at Wilderness Road’s America’s First Frontier event.
Following a procession through the Town of Cumberland Gap the group then made their way up the Tennessee Road trail to the Wilderness Road Trail through the exact spot in the “Saddle of Gap” where Boone first passed through 250 years ago.
From there they made their way down the Object Lesson Road Trail and the Thomas Walker Trail to the National Park visitor center.
The hikers were greeted by a group of reenactors who fired their 18th century weapons. Then author and historian Randell Jones gave a special presentation, sharing the real story of Boone’s epic journey through the Cumberland Gap.
Sunday the park hosted “Blazing Trails & Tall Tales” with a living history program that featured artisans demonstrating blacksmithing, leatherwork, candle-making and other skills used on the Kentucky frontier in the late 1700s.
Early Monday morning, Middlesboro Mayor Boone Bowling received the axe from National Park staff and led a group of hikers into the city of Middlesboro.
They were joined by the Middlesboro High School band and a MPD escort as they marched down Cumberland Avenue and headed to the Bell County Historical Society Museum. The band stopped at Fountain Square to perform some period songs and the procession continued down 20th Street.
On the steps of the museum, Bowling officially passed the axe to Keven Bisceglia, a Friends of Boone Trace board member, who would start the journey from Middlesboro to Pineville and Cumberland Ford.
They were joined by a large group of hikers, State Rep. Adam Bowling, State Sen. Scott Madon, Dr. John Fox, Museum Director Jes’Anne Givens and other members of the Bell County Historical Society.
Next door, inside First Presbyterian Church, a program was held featuring brief remarks from Mayor Bowling, Madon and Adam Bowling, as well as Dr. Fox, Judy Smith and a Daniel Boone re-enactor from The Boone Society and Givens. The event also featured a historic “Cumberland Gap Medley” performed by the Middlesboro Middle and High School Choir, an “Appalachian Folk Song Medley” performed by Choir Director Dr. Elizabeth Edwards on the dulcimer, and MHS student Taylor Goodman performing a solo of Jim Bowman’s “Kentucky Wind.”
A group of students from Tommy Joe Mike’s 8th grade Social Studies class at Middlesboro Middle School — Rhilyn Rogers, Chloe Brown , Aubrey Middleton , Josiah Gilbert, Alyssa Slusher, Jayden McCullough and Chloe Godsey —shared original poems and an essay each had written.
Following the program the museum hosted a brunch and visitors were able to speak with Daniel Boone author Randell Jones.
Tuesday the city of Pineville will be hosting their own Boone Trace 250th event with an axe passing ceremony at the Cumberland Ford at 4 p.m.
The relay will continue heading north on the 250-mile relay hike until it reaches Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky, just southeast of Lexington on June 7 for the 250th anniversary of the Settling of Kentucky. You can follow the relay at www.boonetrace250.com.
