September 20, 2024
The Shawnee Chief, 1986
The Shawnee Chief, left, piloted by Jim Harney, led a group of boats near the end of the Admiral’s Day Parade on Aug. 31, 1986, on the Kentucky River at Fort Boonesborough State Park. The Shawnee Chief was an excursion boat berthed at the state park and ran tourists up and down the river from April until October. More than 50 boats took part in the annual parade, which had been going on for 30 years at that time. Photo by Alan Lessig | Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Smiley Pete, 1950
Smiley Pete received his daily handout of dog food from Tommy Taylor at Carter Supply Co. in October 1950. Smiley Pete started living in downtown Lexington about 1946 and became something of the “town dog,” spending much of his time on the sidewalks between Welch’s Cigar Store and Brandy’s Kitchen on the east corner of Main Street and Limestone. After his death on June 18, 1957, Smiley Pete’s human friends collected $66, and the University of Kentucky College of Engineering cast a bronze plaque as a memorial to the town dog. It was installed in May 1958 Main and Limestone beside what is now Courthouse Plaza. Carter Supply, owned by Frank and John Carter, carried pet supplies; dairy and poultry supplies; dog foods and remedies; garden supplies; and bird seed, cages and bird supplies. See Tom Eblen’s story about Smiley Pete on Kentucky.com and in Sunday’s newspaper. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Laura Bell Bundy, 1984
Two-year-old Laura Bell Bundy after she won the 2- to 3-year-old category in the state Little Miss USA competition, March 14, 1984. Bundy won four trophies and the title “Precious Little Miss USA.” Laura said winning the trophies made her “feel happy.” She rated high in the interview she had with the judges. She told them she wanted to be Miss America and wear a crown. Bundy then went on to the national Little Miss USA competition in Nashville. A Lexington native, she grew up to become a singer and actress who has performed on Broadway, on TV and in movies. She recently married TBS executive Thom Hinkle in a ceremony at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Click here to see another image of Bundy from our archives. Photo by John C. Wyatt | Staff
Dewey’s Pool Hall in Shelbyville, 1989
Regulars spent the afternoon shooting pool at Dewey’s in Shelbyville on Feb. 3, 1989. Later that month, owner and manager Tootie Hulette closed the 60-year-old establishment for good. Tootie had worked there since he was 7 years old and figured it was time to retire. The pool hall had operated six days a week, and in its heyday, when there were supermarkets and a factory downtown, there were five bartenders behind the bar and customers five or six deep on the other side. They would have to shove customers out on the sidewalk at midnight. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
U.S. Public Health Service Hospital open house, 1955
Several hundred people toured the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, now the Federal Medical Center, on May 27, 1955, in connection with an open house to observe the hospital’s 20th anniversary. Visitors were taken on group tours of the hospital during the day. The hospital’s front entrance, seen here, was dedicated May 25, 1935. The site, on 1,000 acres about seven miles northwest of Lexington, was originally known as the “United States Narcotic Farm,” where people with drug abuse problems were “voluntarily” admitted and treated, mostly with experimental treatments. It was the first of its kind in the United States and included a farm where patients worked. Shortly after beginning operation, the name was changed to the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital. In 1967, it became the National Institute of Mental Health, Clinical Research Center. In 1974, the institution became a federal prison, and today, it houses male and female inmates requiring medical or mental health care. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Nutter Field House construction, 1992
Construction of the University of Kentucky’s Nutter Field House on May 29, 1992. In the background is Commonwealth Stadium, home of the football Wildcats. The $8.5 million indoor practice center was dedicated on Sept. 3, 1993. The climate-controlled structure, used for winter conditioning and indoor track and field meets, features an artificial turf football playing field of 108,000 square feet, surrounded by a six-lane, 290-meter track. It also has an electronic netting system that allows for various combinations of sports to practice safely and simultaneously by dividing the playing field into multiple practice areas. The fieldhouse has hosted six SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
Johnson School construction, 1939
Aerial photo of the “new” Johnson School under construction on East Sixth Street in June 1939. The old Johnson School at Fourth Street and Limestone, built in 1888, was due to be auctioned when the new school opened in January 1940. The new Johnson school, built at a cost of $125,000, was to contain 15 classrooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, a library and auxiliary service rooms, and it was to be a kindergarten and an elementary school. When this building was completed, the Lexington public school system would have only one structure, Russell school at Fourth and Campbell Streets, that was built before 1900. The Johnson School building currently houses the STEAM Academy. Photo by Bob Wisner | Staff
Muhammad Ali visits Lexington, 1995
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, center, greeted people of all ages on Feb. 18, 1995, during his visit to Lexington’s Dunbar Community Center. He posed for pictures, signed autographs and playfully shadow-boxed with kids. The visit was intended to promote the play “Ali” the next weekend at the Lexington Opera House and to help heal the city after a police shooting sparked public protest and raised racial tensions across Lexington. Ali, then 53, didn’t speak much during his 2 1/2-hour morning visit with about 300 people at Dunbar Community Center. He was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and talking was difficult. But he cuddled and kissed babies, embraced his fans and signed scraps of paper, boxing gloves and a Muhammad Ali pinball machine. By the time he left, he had a smear of pink lipstick on his left cheek and dozens of small boys clutching at his coattails. Click here to see another image from his visit to the Dunbar Center. During the daylong visit to Lexington, Ali also attended a University of Kentucky basketball game. Click here to see an image from our archives of Ali sitting on the UK bench. Ali died on June 3, 2016. Photo by David Perry | Staff
Henry Clay High School graduation, 1992
Lexington’s Henry Clay High School graduation ceremony on June 2, 1992, at Rupp Arena. Diplomas were handed out to 390 students of the school. A total of 1,456 students graduated that year from the five Fayette County public high schools. By contrast, there were more than 2,640 graduates in 2017, an all-time high. Photo by Charles Bertram| Staff
Kentucky’s bicentennial celebration, 1992
Fireworks burst over the Capitol in Frankfort on June 1, 1992, as Kentucky celebrated the 200th anniversary of statehood. The fireworks concluded an all-day celebration on the Capitol grounds. At 12:30 p.m., church bells, school bells and other bells in all 120 counties of the commonwealth rang out in unison to celebrate Kentucky becoming the 15th state to join the Union when it separated from Virginia in 1792. Kentucky’s population was about 100,000 when it became a state. This year, several celebrations are scheduled for Thursday, June 1, when the state turns 225. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
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