Tales From The Kentucky Room

Lexington Public Library

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Stories of Lexington, Kentucky’s history and people.

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88 episodes

Quilting Kentucky's Stories: Pants by Retha Hicks

Retha Hicks joins us with a tale of how she successfully protested the dress code for teachers in  Fayette County Public Schools in the early 1970's.   Retha Perkins Hicks is a writer, a tour guide at Waveland State Historic Site, and a retired public school teacher. She was born in an Eastern Kentucky coal camp and lived in several different coal camps until she was eight years old. Those coal camps are the background of many of her childhood stories. She is a proud mother of four sons and grandmother of four grandchildren. She lives in Lexington with her Miniature Schnauzer, Edgar.   Theme song "Appalachian Lofi" composed and performed by Bryan Klausing and Christine Cole.

5m
Mar 19
Quilting Kentucky's Stories: Donna Carter's Speech for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Quilting Kentucky's Stories is a year-long series of autobiographical tales from Lexington Residents, some of them funny, some of them heartwarming and some heart wrenching, but all of them important as they build the quilt of Kentucky life.   Donna Carter joins us for our inaugural episode, performing the speech she gave on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for Winchester (Clark County), Kentucky. She recounts her 30 years in recovery, and how equity helped her to build the life she has now.   Donna resides in WInchester, KY with her husband of 23 years and their 14 year old daughter. Donna has over 20 years of HR experience within various industries.  Over her career she has been responsible for leading HR departments and DEIB initiatives in the manufacturing, non-profit, government, education and private sectors. She is currently the Director of Professional and Community Development at Internal Family Systems Institute, headquartered in Chicago, IL and also oversees the HR department.  

11m
Feb 20
Pralltown (2024)

Mariam sits down with JP Johnson, Kentucky Room Librarian to discuss his research into Pralltown, one of Lexington’s best known Black Enclaves. They talk about the founding of Pralltown, how the residents of Pralltown stood up to urban renewal and destruction of their neighborhood in the mid-twentieth century, and a few of Pralltown’s famous residents: community leader James Herndon, known to most as Sweet Evening Breeze; Lou Johnson, the professional baseball player for the Dodgers; and Tony Briggs, a leader in Lexington’s Punk music scene.

32m
Feb 16
Coming Soon: Quilting Kentucky's Stories

Join Sylvia Lovely for a preview of the upcoming series presented by Tales from the Kentucky Room: Quilting Kentucky's Stories.  Quilting Kentucky's Stories is a year-long series of autobiographical tales from Lexington Residents, some of them funny, some of them heartwarming and some heart wrenching, but all of them important as they build the quilt of Kentucky life. Theme song "Appalachian Lofi" composed and performed by Bryan Klausing and Christine Cole.

2m
Jan 30
Anatomy of a Duel: an Interview with Stuart Sanders

Mariam sits down with Stuart Sanders to discuss his newest book,They talk about his role and artifacts at the Kentucky Historical Society, why dueling was so embraced in Kentucky (Henry Clay himself dueled more than once), and Stuart’s previous and upcoming projects. Stuart is the Director of Research and Publications for the Kentucky Historical Society and has written four other books exploring interpersonal violence in the Civil War Era. examines why white male Kentuckians engaged in the "honor culture" of duels and provides fascinating narratives that trace the lives of duelists. Stuart W. Sanders explores why, during a time when Americans were killing one another in open, brutal warfare, William T. Casto and Colonel Leonidas Metcalfe engaged in the process of negotiating and fighting a duel. The book is available for checkout at the LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=912394884 and for purchase at your local BOOKSTORE https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813198453/anatomy-of-a-duel/#:~:text=In%20this%20excellent%20work%2C%20Stuart,sociology%20of%20violence%20in%20America.. During the episode, Stuart mentions a memento ring from a duel that is available to view online. You can see it at the Kentucky Historical Society’s ONLINE ARCHIVE. https://kyhistory.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/626B095F-023B-43EF-8702-972611012000

21m
Jan 25
Village Branch: The Little Library That Could (2023)

In our last episode of 2023, Mariam sits down with Betty Abdmishani, retired Village Branch manager and Jackie Arakaki, one of the original staff members at Village Branch, to discuss the history of the Village Branch location. Village Branch became an essential and beloved part of the community by never saying "we don't do that here" and helping customers with whatever they needed, in many ways shaping the services the Library now provides at all locations. In 2024, twenty years after Village Branch opened, the newly designed and far larger Marksbury Family Branch will open on the site of the original Village Branch. They reminisce about the founding and opening of Village Branch, staffing, and the unique challenges and successes for the Village community.

45m
Dec 29, 2023
Kentucky and the War of 1812: the Governor, the Farmers and the Pig: An Interview with Doris Settles (2023)

Mariam sits down with local author Doris Settles to discuss her latest book, detailing Kentucky’s heavy involvement and heavy losses during the War of 1812. Doris details how Henry Clay pushed for the fledgling United States’ declaration of War on Great Britain, and what led to Governor Isaac Shelby leading 4000 Kentucky farmers north to fight on the northwestern front. They also discuss Doris’s gardening book for children, and her contribution to the book with Dixie Hibbs.   is available for purchase from local booksellers, from DORIS SETTLES’ WEBSITE https://dorissettles.com/#books and from THE PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467154857/. It is also AVAILABLE FOR CHECKOUT https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=868858747 from the library.

28m
Nov 30, 2023
Segregated Lexington: An Interview with Rona Roberts and Barbara Sutherland (2023)

Mariam sits down with Rona Roberts and Barbara Sutherland to discuss their work on Segregated Lexington. Segregated Lexington gathers primary sources and research to show how systemic racism in housing result in unequal life opportunities for Lexington’s Black residents versus white residents. They speak on redlining in particular, as well as the effect of realtor steering in relation to home ownership. They talk about how, as white women, they can contribute to repair, and how it’s important to understand our past to move forward together in the future. You can visit Segregated Lexington at https://www.segregatedlexington.com   This podcast episode is produced in conjunction with the Library’s Community Read of by Richard Rothstein (available for checkout https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=619848) and the exhibit at Central Library, available for viewing until November 17, 2023.  

32m
Oct 10, 2023
Bluegrass Paradise: the History of Royal Spring with Gary O’Dell (2023)

Mariam interviews local author Gary O’Dell about his new book . Royal Spring is the largest spring in central Kentucky and is located in Georgetown, Kentucky. They discuss how Gary became interested in springs in Kentucky, and how he gathered the information for his new book about Royal Spring. They also discuss Kentucky’s pioneer history, the discovery of Royal Spring, and the growth of Georgetown around it until it was made into a State Park. is available for purchase at your local bookseller and available for checkout https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=807912292 at the Lexington Public Library.

58m
Sep 29, 2023
Street Names in Lexington, Part Two: The Streets Not Named for Horses (2023)

David guest hosts to interviews Wayne about more street names and how streets are named in Lexington. Part Two covers the names of streets in subdivisions and major roads around Lexington.

39m
Sep 12, 2023
Lexington's 1965 Fallout Shelter Plan (2023)

Shelby joins us to read selections from Lexington’s Fallout Shelter Plan from 1965. The plan was created in a pilot program funded by Stanford Research Institute and the Federal Offices of Civil Defense to maximize survivability using shelters in the event of an atomic attack. One city in each state developed a plan, and Lexington was the representative city for Kentucky. The full plan can be found in the Library’s Digital Archives https://rescarta.lexpublib.org/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=d89ff9d9-679f-4ea8-891a-2dcf99bb2f66/KYLX0000/20190520/00000001&pg_seq=1&search_doc=&query1_modifier=AND&query1=fallout&query1_field=ALL.

27m
Jul 20, 2023
Gay Poems for Red States: An Interview with Willie Carver, Jr. (2023)

David guest hosts to interview Willie Carver, Jr., Kentucky Poet and 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year about his new work, “Gay Poems for Red States.” They discuss Willie’s approach to poetry, growing up gay and Appalachian in the 90’s, and the effect on book banning in schools on students. Willie reads his poem “First Crush” for the podcast.  “Gay Poems for Red States” is available for checkout https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=795807948 and for purchase at your local bookseller.

23m
Jun 23, 2023
Street Names in Lexington, Part One: Horse Names (2023)

David guest hosts and interviews Wayne about street names in Lexington. The first episode of this two-part series covers streets named after racehorses, racetracks, and horse farms in Lexington.    The Week of June 5th is Secretariat Week in the Kentucky Room, so check our events page https://events.lexpublib.org/events?r=thisweek for more information about the programs for this week.

34m
Jun 05, 2023
A History Lover's Guide to Lexington with Peter Brackney (2023)

For our 75th episode, Mariam interviews Peter Brackney about , his new book co-written with the late Foster Ockerman, Jr. They discuss some of the places that were selected for the book, and how it's important for history to remain in context as markers are placed or removed, or places renamed. The History Lovers' Guide to Lexington, KY is available for checkout from the library https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=745133859or for purchase from your local booksellers.

25m
May 08, 2023
The 1964 March on Frankfort (2023)

Mariam hosts a roundtable discussion with librarians Brenna and Heather about the 1964 March on Frankfort. On March 5, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball player Jackie Robinson, and band Peter, Paul and Mary participated in a march from Louisville to Frankfort to advocate for the passage of a bill to end segregated public accommodations in Kentucky. This bill was eventually passed in 1966, but previous to that time, a pivotal moment in Kentucky Civil Rights history was several Black NBA players, including Bill Russell, were not allowed accommodation in the Phoenix Hotel because of their race.    Producer Erin briefly joins the conversation when the talks move into how the March, and many aspects of Kentucky history, including Civil Rights, are not taught in Kentucky schools, and how surprised Heather, Mariam and Erin were to discover the March had happened only as adults.   There is no known transcription of the speeches given at the March on Frankfort, but the Library does have a digitized copy https://rescarta.lexpublib.org/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=a20be5ef-1fb8-444f-b98b-0e8776b1bd78/KYLX0000/20200212/00000001&pg_seq=1&search_doc= of the program available in the Digital Archive. Brenna makes many recommendations for further learning on this topic, including oral histories, in the episode.

30m
Mar 31, 2023
The 20th Anniversary of the Lexington Ice Storm

February 15, 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of the 2003 ice storm that brought Lexington to a standstill and nearly half of utility customers (over 140,000) without electricity. Mariam interviews Wayne Johnson about the storm, and his experiences riding out the storm with no electricity. Our producer, Erin, pops into the booth to tell her experience of the storm as a high schooler in Lexington. 

40m
Mar 01, 2023
Julia Perry, Composer (2023)

Mariam interviews David Bryant about the life and work of Lexington-born African American composer Julia Perry (1924-1979). David covers her early life in Lexington, KY, and Akron, OH and her move to Europe. He also discusses her musical style, with three examples of her works. Special thanks to Dr. Yvonne Giles for her assistance with the research for this episode.

16m
Feb 01, 2023
100 Years of the Kentucky Theatre: An Interview with Fred Mills (2022)

Mariam interviews Fred Mills about the history of the Kentucky Theatre and his 50 year tenure as the theatre’s manager. They discuss the opening of the theatre in 1922, and the ups and downs of the theatre industry, and of the Kentucky Theatre itself, from funding issues to the building fire that shuttered the theatre for years.  

57m
Dec 01, 2022
Black Enclaves of Lexington (2022)

Brenna guests to share her research on three of Lexington’s Black enclaves, founded by formerly enslaved persons after the Civil War. In this episode, she discusses DAVIS BOTTOM (est. 1865; redeveloped in 2010s to make way for Newtown Pike road expansion), ADAMSTOWN (est. 1870; razed in early 1900s to make way for Memorial Colosseum), and BRUCETOWN (est. 1865; still exists today). Brenna highlights the history we know, and points out that much of the history of these hamlets and their residents are lost to time, despite their vital contributions to Lexington’s development and growth pre- and post-Civil War. 

13m
Sep 29, 2022
John Wilkes Booth in Lexington (2022)

Mariam and David discuss the sordid life of John Wilkes Booth before his assassination of Abraham Lincoln, including his visit to Lexington during the Civil War as a theater actor. SOME LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED as they discuss his womanizing, his racist and pro-slavery views, and the conspiracy theories surrounding his death. 

13m
Sep 02, 2022
Library Building History (2022)

Mariam and Wayne talk about the history of Lexington Public Library spaces, from its beginning as a subscription library in 1795 to the building project for the new Marksbury Family Branch (formerly Village Branch) now in 2022. 

45m
Aug 02, 2022
J. Alexander Chiles: The Fight Against Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law (2022)

Mariam shares the history of Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law, and Lexington’s second African American attorney, J. Alexander Chiles, who took the fight to the US Supreme court multiple times in the 1890s and early 1900s. Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law was one of many of Kentucky’s explicitly racist Jim Crow segregation laws, and those who fought against it faced persecution, harassment and assault. J. Alexander Chiles was at the forefront of this fight for de-segregated equality. 

15m
Jun 30, 2022
Ten Hours of Terror: The Barnes Family Murder, 1973 (Part 2 of 2, 2022)

October 1973 saw one of Lexington’s most brutal crimes, the murders of Rev. John Barnes (47), his daughter Francine Barnes (18), and his son John E. Barnes (14). In the final part of this series, Wayne takes us through the murders of the Barnes Family, the murders and shootings in Falmouth, KY, and the aftermath of the crimes. Listener Discretion is Advised. 

25m
May 25, 2022
Ten Hours of Terror: The Barnes Family Murder, 1973 (Part 1 of 2, 2022)

October 1973 saw one of Lexington’s most brutal crimes, the murders of Rev. John Barnes (47), his daughter Francine Barnes (18), and his son John E. Barnes (14). In this part one of two series on the Barnes Family’s murder, Mariam interviews guest Ike Lawrence, whose father notified Mrs. Barnes of her family’s murder, and later, Wayne discusses the start of the crime, with the two killers escaping the custody of the US Marshals. The discussion of the crime continues in part two tomorrow. Listener Discretion is Advised. 

27m
May 24, 2022
Nick Carter, Bloodhound (2022)

Erin guests to talk about bloodhound Nick Carter and his handler Captain Volney Mullikin, who together searched for and found over 600 people in Nick Carter’s career as a tracking hound. She goes over his most profiled cases, and shares one case tracked by Nick Carter’s son, Nick Carter, Jr. 

13m
Apr 26, 2022
Washington’s Iron Butterfly, an Interview with Terry Birdwhistell and Don Ritchie (2022)

Mariam interviews oral historians Terry L. Birdwhistell and Donald A. Ritchie about their January 2022 book, . They discuss Bess Clements Abell’s (1933-2020) Kentucky history, her background and family life, her time in the White House during Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, and her later public relations firm. More information can be found about the book here https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813182261/washingtons-iron-butterfly/ and is available for check out here https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=510979747&currentIndex=0&view=fullDetailsDetailsTab.

26m
Mar 22, 2022
Charles Dickens’ Visit to Kentucky (2022)

Mariam and David discuss Charles Dickens’ visit to Kentucky in 1842, including his observations of America, particularly about American table manners, tobacco use, and the varied people he sought out for conversation during his travels. Readings by Bill Widener from Dickens’ work and from and newspapers. is available for check out here https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=382979227.

20m
Feb 28, 2022
Drowned Town: An Interview with Author Jayne Moore Waldrop (2022)

Mariam talks with Kentucky author Jayne Moore Waldrop about her first fiction work, , about the creation of Land Between the Lakes. They explore the differences between man-made displacements and natural disasters, as this episode was recorded just two weeks after the December 2021 tornado devastated parts of Western Kentucky. is available for check out at the library here https://catalog.lexpublib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=434449094and for purchase at your favorite bookstore. 

24m
Jan 25, 2022
Who’s the Scammer? A Tale of a Horse Sale (2021)

Join us for a dramatic reading by the TFKR Radio Players of several ads taken out by Dennis Nichols and Tazewell Marr in the 1846 , each accusing the other of foul play in the sale of a horse that was either already lame or became lame shortly after the sale. The injury to the horse is described as a spavin, which is an osteoarthritis condition and is degenerative. We checked for deeds and court records for the sale and threat of court action, but we weren’t able to find any records to say how this turned out. We hope you enjoy this special episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. 

8m
Dec 21, 2021
History of Lexington City & Fayette County Public Schools (2021)

After a year of pandemic created challenges for the public school system in Lexington, Mariam gives an overview of the history of the public schools in Lexington City and in Fayette County. She discusses the initial funding of the schools, through the creation of segregated public schools in 1864, and finally desegregation and the merging of the city and county public schools in the 1960s. 

15m
Nov 30, 2021