Mariam sits down with Kim Wickens, author of Lexington: the Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse, to discuss her book and Lexington’s impact on the sport of horse racing in the mid-19th century. Kim tells us about Lexington’s racing career, how his racing career ended in 1855, and how his offspring fared in both w…

Leo York joins us to tell us about the magical experience he had in Kentucky's forests. Leo is a copywriter from Corbin KY. He writes commercial screenplays, and also writes all manner of narrative fiction, and helps assist inventors and entrepreneurs at Inventors Network KY. He is also cohost of the popular paranormal podcast, The 13th Floor. Them…

Yesterday, April 2, 2024, there were three confirmed EF-1 tornado touchdowns in three different Kentucky counties, with severe storm damage affecting many more, including Lexington. Today, April 3, 2024, is the fiftieth anniversary of the tornado super outbreak in 1974, with 7 F5 tornadoes attributed to this one storm. The super outbreak affected t…

Librarian JP Johnson joins Mariam to discuss his research into the life of Ella Offutt Pepper, avid horsewoman and long-time owner of the James E. Pepper distillery. When her husband James E. Pepper took ill, he sold her the distillery to manage, which she did until after his death in the early 1900s. JP tells us about her widely-reported divorce f…

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 cam…

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. Da…

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 reside…

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 quil…

This episode has mentions of violence of dueling, listener’s discretion is advised. Mariam sits down with Stuart Sanders to discuss his newest book, Anatomy of a Duel: Secession, Civil War, and the Evolution of Kentucky Violence. They talk about his role and artifacts at the Kentucky Historical Society, why dueling was so embraced in Kentucky (Henr…

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 c…

Mariam sits down with local author Doris Settles to discuss her latest book, Kentucky and the War of 1812: the Governor, the Farmers and the Pig 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 Gov…

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 e…

Mariam interviews local author Gary O’Dell about his new book Bluegrass Paradise: Royal Spring and the Birth of Georgetown, Kentucky. 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 abou…

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. And yes, Wayne does tell us the origin of the name Chinoe and how to pronounce it like a native Lexingtonian.By Lexington Public Library

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 represent…

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 …

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 for more information about the programs for this week.…

For our 75th episode, Mariam interviews Peter Brackney about The History Lovers' Guide to Lexington and Central KY, 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. T…

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 Ken…

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 experie…

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…

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. There is a brief di…

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…

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.…

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.By Lexington Public Library

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 again…

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 i…

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…

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.By Lexington Public Library

Mariam interviews oral historians Terry L. Birdwhistell and Donald A. Ritchie about their January 2022 book, Washington’s Iron Butterfly: Bess Clements Abell, an Oral History. 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 he…

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 American Notes and from The New York Times and The Paducah Sun newspa…

Mariam talks with Kentucky author Jayne Moore Waldrop about her first fiction work, Drowned Town, 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. Drowned T…

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 Observer & Reporter, 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 osteoarth…

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 ci…

Mariam and David discuss Lafayette's 1825 visit to Lexington, his tour through the 24 states of the United States, and touch briefly on his involvement in the American and French revolutions. David references several books: Hero of two worlds: the Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan; Lafayette In America, in 1824 and 1825: …

Mariam and Wayne discuss the history of Lexington & Fayette County’s merged governments, one of only fifteen merged city-county governments in the United States. They discuss how and why the merger was planned, how it was enacted, and briefly touch on Lexington’s famous mayoral race, known as the “Spider Election”, of 1973.…

Jamie tells an abridged history of Russell’s Cave, Fayette County’s largest cave, including a description of the area, evidence of Native American’s habitation of the land, Colonel William Russell’s military grant of the land including the cave, and our favorite event: the Cassius Marcellus Clay fight with Samuel Brown at a political rally.…

Mariam and Wayne discuss the construction of New Circle Road, the transition of the downtown streets to one way, and other major transportation projects in Lexington. (You might notice some light construction noise after the 25-minute mark - there were renovations happening on the floor above us, our apologies!) An image of Main Street while it was…

Producer Erin takes a turn on the other side of the mic to tell the story of the unsolved murder of Alexander T. Hays. She explores the coverage of the crime, the investigation, the suspect, and two theories of the 1846 crime.By Lexington Public Library

Mariam and Wayne discuss the National Guard’s shooting of unarmed student protestors on Kent State’s campus in 1970, and how protests against the shooting, including the ROTC building fire, on UK’s campus led to curfews and lockdowns by Kentucky’s Governor. This episode was recorded in September 2020. May 4, 2021 was the 51st anniversary of the sho…

Mariam interviews Lauren Burke, of the podcast "Bonnets at Dawn", about Elizabeth Keckley, dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln. They discuss her life as a slave, her move to Washington D.C., and the effect of her memoir on her relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln. They also discuss Lauren’s podcast, "Bonnets at Dawn", about women writers from the 18th,…

Denise guest hosts and give sketches of the lives of three Lexington Civil War era women: Elizabeth Harbeson Hummons (Reminisces of Aunt Betty Hummons), Francis Dallam Peter (A Union Woman in Civil War Kentucky), and Ella Bishop Ransom, who saved a Union flag from Confederates.By Lexington Public Library

Guest Host Naomi interviews Reverend L. Clark Williams, the chairman of The People’s Campaign, about what progress has been made in Lexington since the June 4, 2020 march of Lexington’s Black Faith Leaders to deliver a call for racial justice to Mayor Linda Gorton, Police Chief Lawrence Weathers, and Sheriff Kathy Witt.…

Wayne, resident sports expert, interviews sports broadcaster Alan Cutler about his career and new book, Cut to the Chase. Cut to the Chase is available to check out from the library, and is available for purchase online and in local bookstores.By Lexington Public Library

Mariam and Wayne share the story of David Rice Atchison, born in Lexington, KY and later senator from Missouri, the only person in history who was possibly president for a day.By Lexington Public Library

Mariam interviews Beverly Bell about her recent book, The Murder of Marion Miley, to mark the 79th anniversary of Marion Miley's death (September 28, 2020). They discuss Beverly’s research into Marion’s life, her interviews with the people closest to Marion at the time of her death, and how America entering World War II affected the memory of her t…

Wayne tells the story of Pamela Brown and the ill-fated hot air balloon voyage across the Atlantic in 1970, in time for the 50th anniversary of the crash. He tells of her early history and acting career, how they got the idea to try to be the first people to cross the ocean in a hot air balloon, what might have gone wrong with the balloon, and the …

Mariam tells a brief history of Lexington's first steam powered street roller, named the Willipus Wallipus. This episode was researched and written by Sarah Hubbard, Kentucky Room Manager.By Lexington Public Library

Mariam and Erin, the show's producer and editor, discuss a few of their many favorite moments from Tales from the Kentucky Room. They share clips and some behind the scenes fun as the podcast turns two years old. This episode was recorded online during COVID-19 social distancing. To share your favorite podcast moments with us, visit our Facebook pa…

Enjoy this discussion of Lexington born Major League Baseball players that was cut from the Kentucky Baseball episode. We hope you're staying healthy at home!By Lexington Public Library