Kentucky is home to two military bases. Fort Knox, however, is the only base near Lexington. It is approximately thirty five miles south of Lexington, and employs over forty thousand soldiers. It has served as the home and training grounds for many US armored divisions, as well as the Human Resources Center of Excellence and the Patton Museum. It is also known for its high level of security due to the placement of a U.S. Treasury depository on base.
The history of Fort Knox dates back to the civil war as a series of fortifications constructed by both the Union and the Confederacy. After the war, this area was used for military training, and in 1918 land was leased to the U.S. government to construct a permanent military base. An airfield was constructed on the base that was used for training members of the Army Air Corps and the Kentucky Air National Guard.
In 1937, The U.S. Treasury began using a portion of Fort Knox for storage and protection of gold. This portion of the base is still used for this purpose and is considered one of the highest-security areas of any military base in the country. The depository safely houses over 5,000 tons of United States' gold and other precious items. At one point, the depository even held the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence for safekeeping.
The Patton museum is located on base and is home to many artifacts of the mechanized cavalry, as well as General George Patton. This museum is considered a major tourist attraction, displaying now-retired artillery and even artillery that is still used. The museum also houses many artifacts from the life of General Patton, including his famous ivory pistol.
In 2005, the BRAC commission issued changes to selected military bases, including Fort Knox. In the change, Knox was changed from a standard installation for housing and training troops to the home of the Army's Human Recourse Center of Excellence. While this change did see some military divisions moving to other bases nationwide, the program allowed for over 13,000 new civilian and military jobs to be created. BRAC estimated a $322 million annual payroll increase for the region due to these changes.
