February 13, 2025
William H. Townsend and Lincoln papers, 1947
William H. Townsend, Lexington attorney and one of a small group of Abraham Lincoln experts present when the private papers of the Civil War president were opened on July 25, 1947, examined in his office here, items from his collection of Lincoln memorabilia. Townsend reported that he did not believe the newly opened collection would produce any startling new information about the Great Emancipator. Robert Todd Lincoln, President Lincoln’s only surviving son, for some reason, in the latter years of his life decreed his father’s papers be impounded until 21 years after his, Robert Lincoln’s death. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Traveling by horse and mule power, 1982
John Raymond Cowan traveled along Ky 90 in Wayne County, in August 1982, in a wagon pulled by a mule and a horse that he used on his farm in Frazier, Ky. Cowan had been visiting friends and was on his way home, traveling by wagon for about six miles. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
Painting school board clock tower, 1980
Jack Burnett and Johnny Shepard, painters for the B.L. Radden Company, had little room to work, and little margin for error, in July 1980, as they prepared the clock tower atop the Fayette County school board building on East Main Street for a fresh coat of paint. The building was originally Henry Clay High School, which opened in 1928. The school moved to it’s current location on Fontaine Roads in 1970. Photo by E. Martin Jessee | Staff
Kentucky freshmen bunk in Alumni gym, 1946
University of Kentucky students Ray Evans, bottom left, Sam Lee, upper left, and William Rogers, right, straightened their beds after spending the night in Alumni gymnasium in September 1946. Several hundred Army cots were installed in the gym to care for new students registering at UK until quarters were ready in prefabricated housing units. First year men students, a great majority of them war veterans, outnumbered freshman women during the fall quarter by almost four to one. Approximately 1,770 men and 465 women were among the freshmen and new students who went through the first day of classification tests, physical exams, advisory conferences and orientation. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Transylvania freshmen welcomed, 1991
The freshman class at Transylvania University gathered September 1, 1991 in front of Old Morrison, the administration building, so the incoming men and women could serenade each other, as part of the school’s welcome to campus activities. New students for the fall term arrive on campus today. Classes begin September 4. Photo by Clay Owen
Elvis ticket for concert that never was, 1977
A concert ticket from a 1977 Elvis Presley show at Lexington’s Rupp Arena that never happened. The concert was scheduled for Aug. 23 but Presley died exactly one week before he was to perform to a sold-out crowd in the city’s new arena. This upper-arena seat cost $7.50, which is $30.88 today adjusted for inflation. Lower-arena seats, which cost $15, were sold-out in 45 minutes. Thousands of fans waited in line to buy tickets for the show – some choosing to camp out two days after the concert announcement. Many fans decided to keep their unused tickets as a memento, rather than return then for refunds. Click on the image for a closer look. Herald-Leader file photo
“What About the Children” rally, 1997
The “What About the Children” rally was held Sunday Aug. 17, 1997 at Bluegrass Aspendale Park as part of the National Children’s Day celebration. The rally was organized by Fresh Start Inc., a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program and the House of God, a Hebrew Pentecostal church. The aim of the rally was to encourage the community, especially the children, that there is hope for a better way of life without drugs and violence. Photo by David Perry | Staff
Preschool immunization clinic, 1946
A group of preschool children received diphtheria inoculations in the first series of immunization clinics conducted by the city-county health department in September 1946. The children were treated in the nurses’ room at Ashland School. At left, Miss Mitty Price, nurse with the health department, inoculated Sonia Smith. Watching the proceedings were Thomas Hall, Phil Powell, John McClintock, Barzelle Branham, and Vincent Long. Right, Nurse Mary Neill immunized Jimmy Johnson while Bobby Huffman awaited his turn. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Aretha Franklin performs in Lexington, 2007
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, performed at the TOBA National Awards at Hill N Dale Farm in Lexington Saturday, September 8, 2007. Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had died Thursday morning at age 76 from advanced pancreatic cancer. Photo by Matt Goins
Kentucky State Fair, 1985
After a long day at the Kentucky State Fair in August 1985, 12-year-old Michelle Catlett, from Harrodsburg, curled up next to her Jersey cow, Sugar, and took a nap. Gates open for this year’s State Fair at 7am this morning and exhibits open at 9am. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
Photo reprints
See a photo that you would like to have a reprint of? All photos that appear in this blog can be purchased from
MyCapture .
TITLE
 | Follow us on Twitter @KYPhotoArchive |
TITLE
Kentucky.com news feed
- First look at the new Lexington Minton’s: Appetizers, cake, fries and all your favorites
- Lexington is stinky. The city set aside $8 million to fix it. But what’s been done?
- Kentucky GOP lawmaker revives her effort to ban DEI offices, spending at public colleges
- KY woman jumped through hoops to expunge her criminal record. She wants to make it easier
- Fayette Co. schools must cut at least $620K from budget amid state funding shortfall
- Sleet and snow or springtime warmth? What the rest of February has in store for Central KY
- Computer science has gone mainstream in US education, yet young women are still underrepresented in Kentucky
- Who can build what, and where? This Central KY town battles land disputes in court
- Who gets money from the NIH in Kentucky? With new cap, these organizations could be affected
- Whole barrel of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon is available for first time in Sazerac auction