The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, better known as Shakers, was a Protestant sect founded in 1747 in England. Its members were known for whirling and dancing vigorously as a part of their communal worship practices. In…

Anglo-American activity in the area can be traced to 1774, when a party led by explorer James Harrod came ashore after canoeing up the Kentucky River from the Ohio. As a result, this section of the riverbank was sometimes called Harrod’s Landing by…

The names of two women are listed among the 1776 “Mercer County FIRSTS [sic] in Kentucky”: Jane Coomes and Ann[e] [Pogue] McGinty. The contributions of both women to the history of Anglo-American settlement in frontier Kentucky are worthy of further…