By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

ROSINE, Ky. — Traveling south from Owensboro toward Bowling Green on Kentucky’s William H. Natcher Parkway, a motorist can blaze a 90-mile swath through the hills and forests of central Kentucky without bothering to glance in either direction.

But in little-traveled towns off the Parkway – towns and villages that comprise the Blues, Bluegrass and BBQ Region of Kentucky – a wealth of attractions await history buffs and, in particular, lovers of the distinctly American music known as bluegrass.

Ten or so miles off the Natcher Parkway on Kentucky Route 62 (also known as the Blue Moon of Kentucky Highway) is the small hamlet of Rosine, where the “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe, was raised with seven siblings on a nearby, picturesque bluff known as Jerusalem Ridge. In a small cemetery in Rosine are the graves of Bill and some 20 other Monroe family members, including that of “Uncle Penn” VanDiver, who taught Monroe to play “hill music” on Jerusalem Ridge, along with Monroe’s mother, Melissa, who was Penn’s sister.

Also located in tiny Rosine is a period general store and the Rosine Barn Jamboree, where fiddlers, banjoists and other bluegrass musicians meet every Friday evening for a free barn dance.

Monroe’s birthplace and home on Jerusalem Ridge was restored from near-ruin in 2001 and visitors are now welcome to stop by and tour the humble, single-level abode he inhabited before departing on his now-legendary trip to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
“Bill went to the Grand Ole Opry in 1939 and invented bluegrass music,” said Bob Jones, a local who volunteers as a tour guide for the Monroe home through The Monroe Foundation.

Jones pointed out several interesting features in the home, such as the many “breezeways, walkways and dogtrots” that allow air to filter through the house. With a total of 17 windows and 10 doors, the sound of the early bluegrass music played by the Monroe brothers and Uncle Penn must have truly resonated across Jerusalem Ridge.

Family photos, paintings of Monroe and his brothers, an original vinyl pressing of Monroe’s signature “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and one of his old “tater” ukuleles are among the authentic items displayed in the home. Donated quilts and period furniture make up the remainder of the home’s contents.

“Not too long ago, all the windows were broken out and the floor rotted out, and the house was restored in 2001,” said Jones. “Now Jerusalem Ridge is being restored. Every October we have a lot of people here for the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration. This is hallowed ground for American bluegrass music.”

The annual Jerusalem Ridge Festival was first held in 2002 to honor and remember Monroe. Back by popular demand at the festival this year (Oct. 1-4) will be Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. To learn more online, visit www.jerusalemridgefestival.org
Monroe’s impressive grave marker is a monolithic monument dwarfing all others in the Rosine cemetery. A lengthy inscription informs the visitor that Monroe (1911-96) was the youngest of eight children born to James Buchanan Monroe and Van Diver, all on the Ridge.

Monroe and his siblings worked on the family farm as youths and attended nearby Horton Grade School until the seventh grade. Monroe spent his idle time as a youth fox hunting with his father and learning music from Uncle Penn. Monroe’s mother died when he was nine; his father, seven years later.

In 1935, Monroe married Carolyn Minnie Braun and had two children. After taking the stage at the Opry and announcing his music as “bluegrass,” Monroe went on to sell several million records and perform for four presidents.

One of Monroe’s children, William James Monroe, had the following inscription placed at the foot of his father’s tomb in 1997: “Walk softly around this grave for my father, Bill Monroe rests here as the blue moon of Kentucky shines on.”

The Bill Monroe Homeplace is located at 6210 Highway 62 East, Rosine, KY 42349; call 270-274-9181 for directions. It is open every day in summer, with limited hours in winter. See www.visitohiocountyky.org/billmonroe.html online for more information.