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Brown Hocker Collection
The Brown-Hocker Collection is a community collection of photos and realia from African American events and people in Lexington and Kentucky history.
The objects in the collection are primarily for events in African American schools and churches. Several items also involve to civil rights activism in Kentucky. The 1964 March on Frankfort, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jackie Robinson, attracted over 10,000 marchers. The two volumes of “The Kentucky Club Woman” were published by the Kentucky Association of Colored Woman’s Clubs, which represented over 100 Kentucky clubs across the state. There are also several objects honoring the life and legacy of Whitney M. Young, Jr. (1921-1971).
The Constitution School and Booker T. Washington Elementary School were both segregated schools for African American children in Lexington. The Constitution School closed in 1972, but Booker T. Washington Elementary is still in use today.
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Cyrus Parker Jones Funeral Notices
Compiled by Cyrus Parker Jones, a man formerly enslaved by the Parker family, these funeral notices cover 667 funerals of individuals in Lexington, including seven free blacks. The funeral notices cover the years 1806-1886. Jones donated his collection to a trustee of the Lexington Public Library prior to his death in 1887, who then added some notices and donated the collection to the Lexington Public Library in 1900.
Kentucky Progress Magazine (1928-1936)
The Kentucky Progress Commission was formed in 1928 in order to draw tourism and business to Kentucky. It was formed by the Kentucky Legislature, and was a 12 person board. The “Kentucky Progress Magazine” was used by the board to promote Kentucky, and features local interest stories, photographs of people, places, and activities. It also features ads placed by various cities around the state. It was published monthly from September 1928 through August 1932, and continued quarterly until the Spring issue of 1936.
Some issues contain material that is under copyright, but qualifies for display by libraries under Section 108(h) of US Copyright Law. It is the user's responsibility to determine the copyright status of the material they want to use.
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Black Community News Collection
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Duncan-Goff Scrapbook Collection
Various objects found in our Duncan-Goff scrapbook collection.
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Muhlenberg County Black Marriages Book c.1866
Scans of the Black Marriage records from the Courthouse in Greenville, Kentucky.
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Miscellaneous Newspapers
The Micellaneous Newspaper collection combines scattered issues of various historic newspapers in our archive collection.
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Almanac Collection
The first Kentucky almanacs were printed by John Bradford, on the same printing press that published the Kentucky Gazette. The Kentucky almanacs in the library's collection contain monthly calendars containing weather predictions, zodiac changes, and significant events, as well as the schedule of Kentucky court days, anecdotes, recipes (receipts), and essays on a variety of topics.
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Congregations and Religious Materials Collection
This collection contains materials from Lexington and Fayette County religious groups.
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Architecture Collection
Fayette County's buildings contain a great deal of history about the region and its inhabitants. The earliest structure in Lexington was built in 1779, the Blockhouse. Lexington currently has over 200 years of history reflected in its buildings all around the county. The contents of this collection show some of the published works about local architecture.
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Father William T. Punch Letter Collection
Letters from and/or about Father William T. Punch and the Punch family. Donated by a Lexington resident to Lexington Public Library. Father Punch was instrumental in building the 3rd St. Peter Catholic Church on Barr Street in Lexington, KY.
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Judge Kenneth Lyons Collection
The Judge Kenneth Lyons collection consists of an atlas, a journal, and letters. The atlas features copies of letters written on the blank pages of the atlas. The journal contains family and local history recorded by a Robert K. Bryan. The earliest date of the letters is 1863. Items are from Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky.
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The Reporter (1808-1817)
The Reporter was published from March 1808-September 1817, by William W. Worsley. It was a Republican paper (Jeffersonian Democratic Republican - liberal at the time). The paper was published throughout the War of 1812, and was occasionally semi-weekly when Congress was in session. The name of the paper changed to Kentucky Reporter in October 1817.
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Voyages, Adventures and Situation of the French Emigrants, translated by A Lady
This work contains information about French Emigrants to America over the years 1789-1799, and provides a history of the French Revolution. The work was originally in French, and was translated into English by an anonymous translator using the pen name, "A Lady." Published in 1800 in Lexington, KY, this work uses the "Long S" depicted as an "f".
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Directory Collection
The library has a variety of directories and yearbooks with local information. In the library's current digital collection, there is a selection of residential and street directories, yearbooks, school directories, and organizational directories. These are all fully word-searchable.
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Historic St. Paul Catholic Church
The St. Paul Catholic Church Collection includes materials from the Church's archive. The Roman Catholic church is over 150 years old, and is located on West Short Street, in downtown Lexington.