May 2, 2024
Great Saltpetre Cave, 1985
Richard Mullins stood in front of the Great Saltpetre Cave in Rockcastle County in August 1985. Mullins was caretaker of the cave and at the time of the photo was taken, the cave was for sale. It is now owned by the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy and operated by several other organizations. The cave is only open to the public one weekend a year. During the War of 1812 it served as an important sources of saltpeter, a vital component of gunpowder. From 1938 to the 1970’s the cave was a commercial property and open for tours, ballroom dancing and weddings. Photo by David Perry | Staff
Overcrowding in Fayette clerk’s office, 1947
In December 1947 the fireproof vault at the Fayette County Clerk’s office was so over-crowded with county deeds, marriage licenses, wills, settlements, contracts and other legal transactions that County Clerk J. Porter Land asked the Fayette Fiscal Court to enlarge it. Two workers seeking specific records were forced to search through disorderly stacks of books on a low mezzanine around the top of the vault. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Winner of Purcell’s Father’s Day contest, 1956
Theresa Graves, 19, was congratulated by George S. Wiedeman Jr. with Purcell’s Department store after winning a weight guessing contest in June 1956. The contest, sponsored by Purcells in connection with Father’s Day, “Dad is worth his weight in gifts”. All the contestants had to do was guess the total weight of gifts that Purcells prepared for the occasion. Graves used a simple formula for her guess, reversing her age to the number 91 for the pounds. She was born on the 10th of the month, so she added this to the form as ounces, making her guess 91 pounds and 10 ounces. The total weight of the gifts, which ranged from cuff links to a radio, was 91 pounds, 14 3/4 ounces. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Rodeo barrel-racing at Ky Horse Park, 1981
Barbara Zaleski reached for her whip during the barrel-racing event at the three-day Raleigh Lights Hall of Champions Rodeo at the Kentucky Horse Park July 5, 1981. Tonight rodeo fans can catch the Lexington Rodeo, which is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and presented by the Rotary Club of Lexington, at the Kentucky Horse Park. Photo by David Perry | Staff
Switzer covered bridge, 1999
Stone masons worked on the approach to the Switzer Covered Bridge in Franklin County in June 1999. Designated as the official state covered bridge in 1998, it spans North Elkhorn Creek and is 120 feet long and 11 feet wide. It was built by George Hockensmith about 1955. The bridge was restored in 1906 and closed to traffic in 1954. It was again restored in 1997 after a flood swept the bridge off its foundation. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Lake-side development, 1975
Aerial view of the lake-side development on Lake Park Road on Reservoir Number 2 in April 1975. The site is now Lakes Edge condominium Complex. New Circle Road, with the on and off ramps for Richmond Road on the left. Lakeshore Drive can be seen at upper center where it crosses the reservoir. Photo by John C. Wyatt | Staff
Author Walter Tevis, 1982
Author and former University of Kentucky alumnus Walter Tevis was in Lexington in August 1982 as one of the faculty of the UK Writing Workshop for Older persons at Carnahan House. Three of Tevis’ books were made into movies, The Hustler, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Man Who Fell to Earth. Born in San Francisco, Tevis moved to Lexington when was 11 years old. He attended Ashland Elementary School, Morton Junior and Henry Clay High School. He joined the Navy when he was 17 and served in the Pacific Theater. After his discharge he graduated from Model Laboratory School in 1945 and entered the University of Kentucky, where he received a B.A (1949) and M.A. (1954 degrees in English literature and studied with A.B. Guthrie, Jr. He died in New York City in 1984 and is buried in Richmond, Ky. Photo by E. Martin Jessee | Staff
Millersburg Military Institute, 1982
Cadets at Millersburg Military Institute marched behind the color guard on the grounds of the college prep school in Millersburg, Ky. in November 1982. Then, the most recent incarnation of the military school, the Forest Hill Military Academy, had closed and would be auctioned at a master commissioner’s sale on October 1. The school was founded in 1893 by Col. C.M. Best. Community Ventures purchased the more than 100-year-old Millersburg Military Institute in 2016 for $450,000. After a more than $1.1. million renovation, the new campus is a mix of office and event space in the small town in Bourbon County. The new campus will be called Mustard Hill. An open house will be held on Monday, June 11. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
The Springs tourist court, 1949
The Springs, a new tourist court, on Harrodsburg Pike as seen in June 1949. Click on the image for a closer look. It opened in 1948 with 68 rooms and became known as the Springs Motel. Across the two-lane road from the motel was a farm that would later become Turfland Mall. Even as newer hotels and motels were built, because of its proximity to Keeneland, the Springs remained popular with people in the horse industry when they came to town. The dining room was popular for its hot Browns, prime rib, fried chicken and Southern-style green beans. It was renamed the Springs Inn in the 1980s, and it closed on Nov. 23, 2008. The landmark motel was razed the next year. A CVS drugstore, a McDonald’s and a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant were built on the site. Click here to see an aerial photo of the motel in 1962 and here to one of the sign from the road in 1985. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
State baseball quarterfinals, 1966
Ashland’s Billy Lynch pitched against a Middlesboro batter during the quarterfinals of the Kentucky State High School Baseball Tournament, June 8, 1966 at the University of Kentucky’s Sports Center. Lynch struck out 18 batters en route to a one-hit, 3-1 win. The Tomcats went on to win the state title, finishing the season undefeated at 25-0. This year’s KHSAA state baseball tournament is underway this weekend at Whitaker Bank Ball Park. Photo by Billy Thompson |Staff
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