About the Book
What was it that gained Bardstown the national recognition as the “Most Beautiful Small Town in America”? Picture a place so unique that church steeples dot the skyline and bourbon warehouses pepper the landscape.
No other book has taken you on such a visual journey of Bardstown as it extends far past historical treasures. BARDSTOWN brings the town to life and takes you from the downtown to the farmland with images of events and celebrations and many stunning never-seen-before aerial views.
Author Kim Huston chronicles her love affair with Bardstown with 161 poignant images from the most talented photographers who call Bardstown and Nelson County home. They capture the essence of the personality and soul of this enchanting small town and illustrate what makes Bardstown such an inviting place to spend a day or maybe even a lifetime.


As President of the Nelson County Economic Development Agency, Kim spends her days persuading people to fall in love with Bardstown, whether it’s to locate a corporation, re-locate their family, or just visit for a few days. She woos you with her best southern hospitality and good Nelson County bourbon.
Kim’s first book Small Town Sexy, the allure of Living in Small Town America, speaks about her passion for small town life that sent her on a national book tour and overseas adventure as part of a small-town dream team consulting with small communities in Western Australia. In 2019, she co-authored the Rebirth of Bourbon: Building a Tourism Economy in Small Town U.S.A. telling the story on how Bardstown became known as the Napa Valley of the bourbon industry.
She’s been a radio D.J, news reporter, voice over actor, talk show host, football cameraman, TV news anchor, speaker and author. So, it is evident, Kim likes to tell stories, thus the passion behind this book. Telling the story of her beloved Bardstown in photos.
Photographers
BARDSTOWN would not be possible without the photos of an elite group of talented photographers. I want to thank each of them for bringing the beauty and character of Bardstown to life. Every photo in this book is worth framing, so if you see one you would like to have a copy of, please feel free to contact them.
Zachary A. Sinclair
Grizzly Media
www.thegrizzlymedia.com
thegrizzlymedia@gmail.com
502-275-9146
Kip McGinnis
Kentucky Media Art
www.KentuckyMediaArt.com
info@KentuckyMediaArt.com
502-349-1589
Jimmy Gartland
Rockstar Images
www.rockstarimages1045.com
John A. Coulter
Tunnell Mill Pictures
www.tunnellmillpictures.com
Joseph Caban
Joe Caban Photography
Spalding Hurst
spaldinghurst.com
David Asher
David Asher Photography
Jim Silliman
Bardstown for the Arts/The Gallery
502-348-0044
Meg Kirkpatrick
mk Photography
Adam Holt
Adam Holt Photography
adamholtphotography.net
Kay Lewis
Salt River Electric
Leslee Mitchell
lesleemitchell.com
Kacie Goode
The Kentucky Standard
kystandard.com
Forrest Berkshire
The Kentucky Standard
kystandard.com
Andy Henderson
Steven Gray
A special thanks to the following businesses and organizations for providing photos for the book:
Stephen Foster Story
www.stephenfoster.com
Bardstown/Nelson County Tourism
Mary Speer- Photographer
www.visitbardstown.com
Kentucky Bourbon Festival
www.kybourbonfestival.com
Barton 1792 Distillery
www.1792distillery.com
Jim and Jeanette Cantrell
Bardstown Art Gallery
502-348-6488
Bardstown Bourbon Company
www.bardstownbourbon.com
Bourbon Manor Bed and Breakfast
www.bourbonmanor.com
Willett Distillery
www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com
In the News
The Definitive Coffee Table Book
…like a good coffee table book, it’s a book you literally want to get your hands on. It’s a hefty, full color book with the word BARDSTOWN embossed on its cover. In other words it not only looks good but it feels good in your hands. You’ll want to pour your favorite bourbon neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail and daydream about visiting this beautiful small town. [READ MORE]
Captures the Beauty and Elegance of our Town!
This book “Bardstown” captures the pictorial beauty and elegance of our town. I am certain residents and visitors alike have enjoyed the people, places and things presented in this wonderful publication. Now we can all have this at our fingertips.
One of America’s Most Beautiful Small Towns!
Bardstown deserves the title as one of America’s most beautiful small towns and its only right that there should be a book to document the fact. BEAUTIFUL!
Kentucky by Heart
The colorful images provide astute narratives in the seeing… and will provoke a stirring interest in wading into greater depths of understanding for this west-central Kentucky hotbed off Marta Layne Collins Parkway. [READ MORE]
Photo Book Captures Beauty of Bardstown
Even for those that have lived their entire lives in Bardstown, the book offers some unique angles – some from a bird’s eye view – of sights they likely pass by every day and go unnoticed. [READ MORE]


BARDSTOWN,
published by Butler Books in Louisville