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Bracken County is home to Augusta, named one of the top 10 historic sites in the state by Kentucky's foremost historian, Dr. Thomas D. Clark. Early historians referred to Augusta as a "beautiful situation" where the Ohio River flows below its banks for 9 miles without bends. From the Ohio River, early settlers such as William Bracken and Philip Buckner risked death to travel the hollow hills in search of salt wells and fertile soil. However, they returned to the area adjacent to the river where Buckner brought settlers to inhabit the former Fort Ancient Native American burial grounds. Those who followed brought with them a desire for a cultivated life. The early trustees founded private schools, Bracken Academy, and the first Methodist college in the world so that their sons and daughters could receive a superior education.