The Chaplin River is an 85.6 miles (137.8 km) tributary of the Beech Fork

Beech Fork

The Beech Fork, or Beech Fork River, is a river in central Kentucky in the United States. It is a tributary of the Rolling Fork of the Salt River, with its waters flowing eventually to the Ohio River and ultimately the Mississippi River....

 of the Salt River

Salt River (Kentucky)

The Salt River is a river in Kentucky that drains . It begins near Danville, Kentucky, rising from the north slope of Persimmon Knob south of KY 300 between Alum Springs and Wilsonville, and ends at the Ohio River near West Point...

 in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

.

The name comes from Captain Abraham Chapline, an early explorer of the area.

The river's headwaters begin on the knob edges of the Cumberland Plateau

Cumberland Plateau

The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...

 near Parksville, Kentucky

Parksville, Kentucky

Parksville is a small unincorporated community on the Chaplin River in south central Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the eastern end of Ky Route 300, where it intersects with Ky Route 34, near the US Post Office. The global position of Parksville is 37.597N latitude and...

 and the Parksville Knob, flow in parallel with the Salt River proper through the hilly Eden Shale belt and ending at the Beech Fork

Beech Fork

The Beech Fork, or Beech Fork River, is a river in central Kentucky in the United States. It is a tributary of the Rolling Fork of the Salt River, with its waters flowing eventually to the Ohio River and ultimately the Mississippi River....

 of the Salt River

Salt River (Kentucky)

The Salt River is a river in Kentucky that drains . It begins near Danville, Kentucky, rising from the north slope of Persimmon Knob south of KY 300 between Alum Springs and Wilsonville, and ends at the Ohio River near West Point...

 near the town of Chaplin. The river flows through the counties of Washington

Washington County, Kentucky

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 10,916. Its county seat is Springfield. The county is named for George Washington. Washington County was the first county formed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky when it reached statehood...

, Mercer

Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...

, and Boyle

Boyle County, Kentucky

Boyle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Danville. In 2000, its population was 28,432. It was formed in 1842 and named for John Boyle , a U.S...

.

The river flows through the middle of Perryville

Perryville, Kentucky

Perryville is a historical city in western Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 763 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, the site of an 1862 American Civil War battle

Battle of Perryville

The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...

. The stream was a strategic natural resource used by both the Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 and Confederate

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

armies, though the river is but a large stream at this point in its journey.