Featured Stories
Bottled Bourbon
Historical Marker #2103 in Louisville notes the significance of the “Old Forester” brand, which was the first commercially bottled bourbon.
It will likely never be known who produced the first bourbon distilled in Kentucky. The spirits’ history…
Simpsonville Massacre
Historical Marker #2283 in Shelby County commemorates the massacre of members of the 5th United States Colored Cavalry (USCC) near Simpsonville.
On January 25, 1865, Company E of the 5th USCC was transporting a herd of 900 cattle to Louisville. …
Cheapside Slave Auction Block
Historical Marker #2122 remembers Lexington’s Cheapside slave auction block and the thousands of enslaved Kentuckians sold here.
For decades before the Civil War, Lexington was the center of the slave trade in Kentucky. Located in the heart of…
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From Bois de Forges to Breathitt County: Kentucky's World War I History
21 Locations ~ Curated by Kentucky Historical SocietyRandom Stories
McCoy Cemetery
Historical Marker #2067 marks the McCoy Cemetery where three of Randolph McCoy’s sons—Tolbert, Pharmer, and Randolph, Jr. are buried. All three brothers, as well as Alifair and Calvin McCoy were killed by Hatfields in various incidents.
Tolbert,…
Garfield Place
Historical Marker #172 in Prestonsburg notes the location of the house built in 1857 by John M. Burns, which was used as a temporary headquarters for Colonel James Garfield after the Battle of Middle Creek.
James Garfield was born into a modest…
Adolph F. Rupp (1901-1977)
Historical Marker #1826 , which was erected in front of Memorial Coliseum in 1988, before the Senior Challenge Historical Marker Project began, honors Adolph Frederick Rupp. He was born to Mennonite German parents in Halstead, Kansas, in 1901 and…
Jennie's Creek
Historical Marker #571 in Johnson County commemorates Jennie's Creek, which is named for the famed frontier heroine Virginia Wiley. The creek was named for Wiley after she crossed the water to escape from Native Americans who had held her…
John Young Brown (1835 – 1904)
Historical marker #1650 in Hardin County recognizes the political contributions of John Y. Brown, a former U.S. congressman and governor of Kentucky.
Brown was born on June 28, 1835, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He graduated from Centre College…
Cleanth Brooks
Historical Marker #1977 on the Murray State University campus commemorates the life of Calloway County native and literary critic Cleanth Brooks.
In the twentieth century, Brooks and other writers challenged conventionality in the fields of…
ExploreKYHistory
A project by Kentucky Historical SocietyThe Kentucky Historical Society invites you to explore Kentucky history online and on the road with the new "ExploreKYHistory" smartphone app! "ExploreKYHistory" takes the stories behind our community-driven historical markers, adds related items from the KHS collections and combines it into a historical tour of our Commonwealth.
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