Colonel Harland Sanders began the part of his life that brought him fame in a small gasoline service station on the opposite side of this highway. Born on September 9, 1890, near Henryville, Indiana, he left school at twelve to support his family and held a wide variety of jobs as a farmhand, soldier, railroader, secretary, insurance salesman, and ferryboat operator until 1930, when he came to Corbin, moved his family into quarters behind the station, and started pumping gasoline. Because this was then a main route to Florida from the north, he sold meals to tourists during the Great Depression to augment his meager income, and as his food gained favor, his reputation grew and his career as a restauranteur began. In 1932 he bought the small restaurant near this site, where he combined good cooking, hard work, and showmanship to build regional fame for his food. His restaurant and motel flourished, and as he constantly experimented with new recipes and cooking methods to serve patrons better, he created, developed, and perfected his world famous Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe there. In 1956, when plans were announced for a federal highway to bypass Corbin, he sold the restaurant and, undaunted at age 66, began traveling America selling seasoning and his fried chicken recipe to other restaurants. His success in that effort began the world's largest commercial food service system and made Kentucky a household word around the world.