Perry County High Point Trip Report
Date: November 3, 2001
Author: Bob Schwab
Leave Interstate 64 at Exit 79 and drive north 1.2 miles to the intersection of 212 Overlook and 41 Doolittle
Mills Roads. Turn right (east) onto the dirt road (Overlook) and drive another 0.7 or 0.75 mile to a
driveway on your left (north) that you will see just after the road has topped out and turned to the east.
The driveway zigzags up to a large farmhouse occupied by Floyd and Ellen Underhill, but they told me they were
only renting the property, and that I'd need to talk with Terry Wright for permission to walk up into the pasture.
Mr. Wright lives in a yellow house about 0.25 mile east of the Underhills' driveway, and he gave
me permission to cross his property to visit the highpoint, which he said is actually owned by Joe Rheiman,
who lives on the other side of the hill.
Starting from the Underhill's yard, go through the gate and follow an old road that rambles a bit west,
then goes north as it ascends a broad horse pasture. Soon you will encounter a fence which must be crossed into
a cow pasture with a ruin on the top of the hill and a cow pond to the right (neither of these features appear
on my topo map). This ruin does not appear on the map, unless the small western spot on my topo is a
building instead of a tiny contour. I found the highest area here (area 1) to be just north and west of the
existing ruin as (38 deg 15.138 min N, 86 deg 34.956 min W).
To the east of the ruin, the pasture rises gently to a small fenced off area with some weedy, obviously
disturbed ground. I think this is where the building shown on the topo map must have stood at one time.
Mr. Wright told me there used to be a couple of buildings up on this ridge, including an old school, so I
suspect this is the school site at (38 deg 15.144 min N, 86 deg 34.914 min W). According to repeated hand level
checks, this spot (area 2) is higher than the area over near the ruin (area 1). I am still unsure whether there
really are two distinct 890 foot contour areas here, or whether the old ruin to the west was misread as a
separate contour. Future visitors can ponder this dilemma.
My biggest problem on this trip was getting back through the barbed-wire fence without ripping another
hole in my pants!