This Invention Put Corbin A Small Town In Kentucky On The Map

Corbin, Kentucky, has long been known for its unrivaled outdoor recreation. It’s the home of the “Niagara of the South” and, more broadly, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. But those natural wonders aren’t the only feather in Corbin’s cap; Corbin is home to the famous Colonel Harland Sanders… and the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken! While the Bluegrass has long been known for its amazing Southern cuisine, the Colonel’s Kentucky Fried Chicken truly put Corbin on the map; and today, the Colonel’s restaurants can be found all over the continent.

Corbin is your typical Kentucky small town. This little locale of just 7,300 is nestled in the heart of the Bluegrass State, in the center of the beautiful Daniel Boone National Forest.

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This region of Kentucky is known for its standout outdoor recreation, with Cumberland Falls State Resort Park its crown jewel.

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But that’s not the only feather in Corbin’s cap… and we mean this quite literally!

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Corbin, Kentucky, is the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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It was here where Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, operated the restaurant from 1940-1956.

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Colonel Sanders was born on Sept. 9, 1890, in Henryville, Indiana. His father died in 1895, and after his mother got a job at a tomato cannery, Harland was left to look after and cook for his siblings.

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His childhood was a bit chaotic, with Sanders moving around quite a bit, and eventually enlisting in the army in 1906. After being discharged, Sanders worked a number of jobs, but never quite found his calling.

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In 1930, the Shell Oil Company offered Sanders a service station in North Corbin, Kentucky, rent free, in exchange for paying the company a percentage of sales. Sanders began to serve chicken dishes and other meals such as country ham and steaks… and they were an instant success.

City of Corbin/Facebook

So Sanders kept at it. The recipe took some fine tuning, and by 1940, Sanders had finalized his “Secret Recipe” for frying chicken. One of his secrets? He used a pressure cooker that cooked the chicken much faster than pan frying.

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In 1952, Sanders franchised his secret “Kentucky Fried Chicken” recipe for the first time, to Pete Harman of South Salt Lake, Utah, the operator of one of that city’s largest restaurants.

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So while Corbin is where it all began, the first KFC franchise was actually opened in Murray, Utah, in 1952.

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Crispy and crunchy, marketed as “finger-lickin’ good,” Kentucky Fried Chicken is iconic and ubiquitous, with 24,000 KFC outlets in 145 countries and territories around the world today!

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But Corbin, Kentucky, was where it all began. Sanders Cafe was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and is a must-visit place for your Kentucky bucket (of fried chicken) list!

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Did you know that Corbin, Kentucky, was the home of Kentucky Fried Chicken? What a cool claim to fame!