March 18, 2025
Burt Lancaster, 1954
Burt Lancaster, center, stopped briefly in Lexington en route to Cumberland Falls for filming of the movie The Kentuckian. An ex-circus acrobat, Lancaster rose to fame as a Hollywood leading man, known for his roles in From Here to Eternity and Judgement at Nuremberg. He was nominated four times for an Oscar and won once: for his work in Elmer Gantry in 1960. Accompanying Lancaster were production members of the Hecht-Lancaster Co. From left: art director Ted Haworth; Kentucky director of publicity Mack Sisk of Frankfort; Lancaster; cameraman Ernie Lazlo; and production manager Jim Vaughn. Published in the Lexington Leader on June 23, 1954.
Faith Lutheran Church, 1984
Members of the Faith Lutheran Church on Tates Creek Road after Sunday service on Feb. 19, 1984. Photo by John C. Wyatt | Staff
Kentucky at South Carolina, 1999
South Carolina’s B.J. McKie was surrounded by UK’s Wayne Turner, left, Jamaal Magloire and Heshimu Evans during Kentucky’s game against the Gamecocks on Jan. 5, 1999, in Columbia, S.C. UK won, 68-61. UK was coached by Tubby Smith in his second year, and the team finished No. 8 in the country in the Associated Press Top 25. The Cats lost to Michigan State in the NCAA Midwest Regional in St. Louis. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Senator Wendell Ford, 1988
Senator Wendell Ford took a tiny Mike Dukakis doll wearing boxing gloves from his pocket and showed it to those assembled on Oct. 17, 1988, before the opening of the Dukakis/Bentsen Fayette County headquarters on Winchester Road. The Kentucky Democratic icon died Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
Senator Wendell Ford, 1997
Sen. Wendell Ford, D-Owensboro, was the emcee for the 117th Annual Fancy Farm Political Picnic on Aug. 2, 1997. He was to retire in fall 1998. The Kentucky Democratic icon died Thursday. He was 90. Photo by Michelle Patterson | Staff
Hunter S. Thompson, 1980
Author Hunter S. Thompson, a Kentucky native, made an appearance in UK’s Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 18, 1980. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning has announced that Thompson is one of six writers to be inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. Also included will be Wendell Berry, Guy Davenport, Elizabeth Hardwick, Jim Wayne Miller and Effie Waller Smith. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 28. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
Fayette County courthouse stairway, 1960
The Fayette County courthouse, shown in August 1960, with a Y-shaped stairwell that led to offices and courtrooms on the second and third floors. In 1960-1961, the interior of the courthouse was extensively renovated to create more courtrooms and offices. The interior Y stairs were removed and the dome was closed off. The courthouse, Fayette County’s fifth, was built between July 1898 and Feb. 1, 1900. It was designed in Richardson Romanesque style as a three-story stone masonry building, and it had a dome, a clock and a cupola with a weather vane. The last trial was held in the courthouse in 2002, and in 2003, the Lexington History Center opened. In 2012, the courthouse was closed to the public after lead paint and asbestos were found in the upper floors. Proposals are now under consideration to restore the courthouse to its original design. This photo was published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Aug. 28, 1960.
Gas prices, 1998
Wilfong’s Chevron, at St. Ann Drive and Richmond Road in Lexington, showed gas prices on Dec. 10, 1998. At the time, it was the lowest price of gas since 1989. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Martin Luther King Jr., 1964
Martin Luther King Jr. was sheltered from rain by an umbrella as he addressed 10,000 people who attended a rally on March 5, 1964 at the State Capitol in Frankfort. Photographer Bill Strode, center, was on assignment for the Louisville Courier-Journal. King’s birthday, Jan. 15, is honored as a national holiday on the third Monday of the month.
Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service, 1987
Lewis Stout, left, helped light candles during a memorial service for Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 18, 1987, in the University of Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum. Photo by J.D. VanHoose | Staff
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