Founded in 1860, Wolfe County in eastern Kentucky is known as a gateway to Appalachia, where the Red River, designated a National Wild and Scenic River, and the North Fork of the Kentucky River flow through woods shaped by sandstone arches, waterfalls, and towering rock cliffs. Daniel Boone National Forest and Clifty Wilderness offer hiking, camping, and rock climbing, while a strong tradition of music and arts has nurtured generations of mountain people. Edgar Tolson became one of Kentucky’s finest folk artists, with work in the Smithsonian Institution and galleries nationwide, and the music of Darley Fulks and Bob Kash is widely emulated by a new generation of old-time fiddlers, with recordings preserved in the Library of Congress. Education has long been prominent in Wolfe County through Hazel Green Academy, founded in 1880 by W.O. Mize, J.T. Day, and G.B. Swango and operating until 1963; Kentucky Wesleyan Academy in Campton, open from 1896 to 1912; the Alvan Drew School, founded in Pine Ridge in 1913 and continuing today as the Dessie Scott Children’s Home; and Bethany Home, begun in 1926 and now providing elementary education as the Bethany Christian Mission Center. The Old Burial Grounds in Campton holds many of the county’s founders, including Fielden Hanks, the uncle of Abraham Lincoln, and Wolfe County is celebrated for its culture, heritage, natural beauty, and reputation as the friendliest town in the mountains.