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Category: History
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Turkey Capital of Kentucky
“When Perry Browning switched enterprises back in the late 1930s, he had no way of knowing then that he was giving Thanksgiving one of the greatest assists since the Pilgrim Fathers started the whole business 340 or so years earlier.” This quote came from Joe Creason in the November 22, 1959 issue of the Courier-Journal. …
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Memories of Appalachia
I came across a family snapshot recently. It dated back to my childhood and was of my aunt, grandmother, and great aunt. Floodgates of memories came rushing to the surface. The photo was taken at the family cemetery in eastern Kentucky. I did not grow up in Appalachia. I watched it from the outside. It…
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Gobble! Gobble! Turkey Farming in Clark County
In the 1960s, Clark County was famous for its turkey farms—the “Turkey Capital of Kentucky.” Clare recalls that when she and her brother Barry were kids, they used to ride their bikes out Waterworks Road. When they came to the Browning turkey farm, just for fun they would yell, “Gobble! Gobble!” and the response would come…
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A night to remember
It was the night of March 4, 1966. The Clark County High School gymnasium was packed—filled to capacity. The Mt. Sterling Trojans had come over to play the Clark County Cardinals in the first game of the district tournament. I was attending UK then, but still a rabid fan of my alma mater. My friends…
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Winchester observes Fanny Cole Day
October 14th was celebrated as Fanny Cole Day, in honor of former slave Fanny Cole who became a successful entrepreneur in the 1820s. The event, hosted by Abettor Brewing Company, offered food trucks, vendors, and a performance by Jane Burnam portraying Fanny Cole. Despite facing discrimination, Cole managed to expand her grocery business, achieve commercial…
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John B. Huston
John Boyd Huston was one of the most brilliant attorneys to ever practice law in Winchester. Huston was born in Nelson County on October 1, 1813. His parents, devout Presbyterians, hoped to educate their only son for the ministry. After graduating from Centre College, he dashed their hopes by enrolling in law school at Transylvania…
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James Craddock’s Unusual Will
Most 19th century wills start something like this: “I, John Smith, of the County of Clark and State of Kentucky, do make this my last will and testament . . .” James W. Craddock’s will began a little differently — “Dear Sweet, The mails are stopped for the present . . .” This was the beginning…
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Sycamore Forest
Sycamore Forest was located on the ridge between Johnson Creek and Hancock Creek, near present-day Renick on Van Meter Road (KY 2888). Old depositions in Clark County state that the forest was a grove of sycamores about 200 yards wide and about half a mile long. The grove ran along the ridge top and did…
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African American Blacksmiths of Clark County
Following Emancipation, former enslaved men who had learned a trade had much better economic prospects than unskilled laborers. One of these trades, blacksmiths, were much in demand in Kentucky after the Civil War up until the mid-1900s. In addition to shoeing horses, they made and repaired farm implements and a variety of tools. William Webb…
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Upper Howard’s Creek
Upper Howard’s Creek takes its name from John Howard, who claimed 1,000 acres at the mouth of the creek by virtue of an improvement he made there in 1775. He established an inspection warehouse on his land and a ferry across the Kentucky River. A number of Clark County and Montgomery County roads converged at…