05/28/2026
Sharing Reflections and Memories of Landmarks in Ohio County, Kentucky
The band Creedance Clearwater Revival once sung the following lyrics:
Well, take me back down where cool water flow, y’all
Let me remember things I love, Lord
Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite
Walkin' along the river road at night
Barefoot girls dancin' in the moonlight
I can hear the bullfrog callin' me, aw
Wonder if my rope's still hangin' to the tree, aw
Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly, get back to mother
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River
As a child, singer John Prine visited his family in Paradise, Kentucky. The visits inspired Prine’s hit song “Paradise”. When Prine passed away 2020 one of his wishes was fulfilled for his ashes to be scattered in the Green River at Rochester.
The Green River is a 384-mile long tributary of the Ohio River and was named after Nathanael Greene, a general of the American Revolutionary Way.
The Green River is one of the most biodiverse rivers in the country. It is home to more than 150 fish species and more than 70 mussel species.
The Green River has played an important role in Ohio County’s economy with a series of locks and dams that were built along the Green River to create a navigable channel for barges to transport coal, lumber and agriculture. In the 1960s and 70s passenger riverboats were known to navigate the Green River.
A fond memory is taking a ferry across the Green River from Ohio County into Butler County.
From riding the ferry at Rochester and driving across the Green River Bridge near Rockport one who is from Ohio County or has lived in Ohio County is flooded with memories of Green River. Time passes on but the memories will always remain.
