User:FloNight/McConnell Springs (park)

McConnell Springs is a twenty-six acre park and recreation area located at the historic springs where the city of Lexington, Kentucky was named.

Geography
McConnell Springs lies in the northwestern area of Lexington, Kentucky in Cahill Industrial Park. The park is located off of Old Frankfort Pike inside New Circle Road near downtown Lexington.

Springs


McConnell Springs' two artesian springs are a visible part of the of the karst spring system located at the site. Water in the Blue Hole and Boils maintain a constant temperature of 56 degrees F indicating that the water in the karst system flows a long distance. The steady temperature allows a micro environment to develop at these springs.

Blue Hole
The Blue Hole, the first artesian spring, is an open body of water that is approximately 15 feet deep.

Boils
The second artesian spring

European settlement
In 1775 William McConnell, a Pennsylvanian, claimed the McConnell Springs site for use as a Presbyterian colony.

Trotter gunpowder mill
In 1810 Samuel Trotter purchased property that included McConnell Springs and built Trotter Powder Works, the largest gunpowder factory in Kentucky. During the War of 1812, gunpowder made at the factory was used in several famous battles, including the Battle of New Orleans and battles for control of the Northwest Territory.

Park
For recreation and fitness there are two miles of hiking trails passing by the springs, plants, wildlife, stone fences, and ruins of historical buildings.

Management
McConnell Springs is owned by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and is managed through the Division of Parks and Recreation. The Friends of McConnell Springs

The Friends of McConnell Springs
The Friends of McConnell Springs is an independent non-profit organization that works with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Parks and Recreation to assist in the restoration and preservation of McConnell Springs.