Featured Stories
Steamboat Inventor
Historical Marker #944 in Bardstown (Nelson County) commemorates steamboat innovator John Fitch, whose pioneering work helped set the stage for a transportation revolution.
Fitch was born on January 21, 1743, in Windsor, Connecticut. He first…
"Tommygun Inventor"
Historical Marker #1706 in Newport commemorates Brig. Gen. John T. Thompson, inventor of the Thompson submachine gun.
Thompson was born in Newport on December 31, 1860. He grew up on various military posts where his father, Lieutenant Colonel…
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…
Featured Tours
From Bois de Forges to Breathitt County: Kentucky's World War I History
20 Locations ~ Curated by Kentucky Historical SocietyExplore the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Hall of Fame
15 Locations ~ Curated by Kentucky Commission on Human Rights and Amanda L. HigginsRandom Stories
Charles H. Parrish, Jr. (1899-1989)
Historical Marker #2008 notes contributions made to the University of Louisville by Charles H. Parrish, Jr., the institution's first African American professor.
Parrish's father was born into slavery in Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1859.…
Buford-Salter House
Eminent Statesman/Crittenden House
Historical Marker #1154 in Frankfort notes the home of Kentucky statesman John Jordan Crittenden.
John J. Crittenden was one of Kentucky's most accomplished and well respected politicians of the nineteenth century. His reputation came, in…
Kentucky Educational Television (KET)
Historic marker 2542 in Lexington recognizes the importance of Kentucky's public education television network. KET: The Kentucky Network started broadcasting throughout the state on September 23, 1968, beating the debut of the national…
Frederick M. Vinson
Historical marker #636 in Louisa, Kentucky (Lawrence County) honors Frederick “Fred” M. Vinson, who served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, a federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as U.S. Secretary of the…
Riverview at Hobson Grove
Historical Marker #1127 in Bowling Green commemorates Riverview at Hobson Grove, which was occupied by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Built on high ground overlooking the Barren River, Riverview at Hobson Grove was the home of wealthy…
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.
Read more About Us