Logan County Glade State Nature Preserve is perched on the south-facing slopes of a knob within the city limits of Russellville. It is one of the best examples of a limestone slope glade community found in Kentucky. Limestone glades are naturally open areas with scattered ledges and slabs of limestone outcropping at or near the surface. The soil is thin and the hot, dry conditions on the south-facing openings leave exposed trees sparse and stunted. These seemingly adverse conditions offer a special refuge for many prairie and glade plants.
Logan County Glade protects several species that are considered state and globally threatened or endangered. These include the Fame Flower, for which this is one of only two known occurrences in the state; the Carolina Larkspur, a tall, pale, whitish-purple flower similar in shape to the garden variety; a nondescript shrub commonly known as Upland Privet; and the Glade Violet. Many prairie species are found here because rocky soils and steep slopes have made Logan County Glade unsuitable for agriculture.
There are a number of cultural features that hint at the area’s past uses. The limestone fence along the preserve’s southern border was built before the Civil War. The trail along the base of the knob was an old county road. In the early twentieth century, the John Dockins family farmed the top of the knob for corn and tobacco. In 1960 the land was sold to the county to build a hospital. Other than constructing a radio tower and a small building that housed communication equipment for the hospital, the glade and knob were generally left undisturbed by the county.
The preserve was officially opened to the public in 1991 after local Boy Scouts from troops 303 and 58 helped to clear cedars and other trees from one of the glades and built a trail through the property. The half-mile loop leads hikers to one of the glades, through the woods to the top of the knob and back to the trailhead. The preserve is open to hiking, nature study and photography from sunrise to sunset. Picnicking, camping, hunting, pets, bicycles and ATV’s are prohibited.
