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Located on the second floor of the Eastside Branch, the Makerspace is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring, and sharing. Through the intersections of technology, science, art, and culture, the space encourages entrepreneurship, personal growth, and artistic expression.
Lexington, Kentucky (February 1, 2024) – This February, Lexington Public Library is proud to join the nation in celebrating Black History Month, a time dedicated to honoring the achievements, contributions, and rich cultural heritage of African Americans.
Location Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9:30am-7:00pm
Friday: 9:30am-6:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am-5:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Location Mailing Address
3000 Blake James Drive
Lexington, KY 40509
Jonathan Coleman guest hosts this episode, and tells his favorite ghost stories from his popular Lexington History Walks. Dr. Coleman conducts Lexington History Walks year-round, which can be booked on his website: www.drcolemanwalks.com
Mariam interviews Doug Tattershall, author of Belle Brezing: American Magdalene, about his book. They discuss Belle Brezing’s early life, her years as the nationally known brothel owner, and the generally unknown final years of her life in seclusion.
Mariam interviews Foster Ockerman, Jr., author of Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky, and President and Chief Historian of the Lexington History Museum about his book and horse racing in Kentucky.
Mariam discusses the life of Margaret Garner, the real life Kentucky Woman who inspired Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. This episode may be difficult for some listeners to hear, listener’s discretion is advised.
Mariam interviews Dr. Jonathan Coleman, head curator of the Mary Todd Lincoln House, about her life in Lexington, the White House, and after the assassination. They also discuss the collections and events at the Mary Todd Lincoln House museum.
Jamie tells an abridged history of Russell’s Cave, Fayette County’s largest cave.
JP Johnson gives a biography of William “King” Solomon, hero of the 1833 Cholera epidemic. He also talks about later efforts to memorialize him by the city. This is the first episode in a four part series. Interlude music is “Life’s Ups and Downs” by José
Mariam and Wayne talk about the history of Lexington Public Library spaces, from its beginning as a subscription library in 1795 to the building project for the new Marksbury Family Branch (formerly Village Branch) now in 2022.
Mariam interviews Tom Eblen about the history and personalities surrounding Lexington’s Newspapers.
Mariam and Wayne discuss the 1968 removal of the railroad tracks from Downtown Lexington in time for the 50th
Mariam interviews Dr. Jonathan Coleman about the founding of the Faulkner Morgan Pagan Babies Archive and the upcoming “Out in Plain Sight” exhibit at Lexington Public Library.
Mariam gives a brief history of the public schools in Lexington and Fayette County.
Mariam and Erin tell the story of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque’s visit with naturalist John James Audubon, and how the resulting prank by Audubon on Rafinesque wasn’t fully discovered for nearly 150 years.
Mariam interviews Terry Foody, author of The Cherokee and the Newsman: Kinsmen in Words. They discuss Ms. Foody’s inspiration to write about the two men, their family lives, and how their words contributed to their communities.
Mariam interviews Wayne Johnson, librarian and local historian about the murder of Transylvania University student Betty Gail Brown in October 1961. In the first episode, Wayne and Mariam discuss the events leading up to the crime.
Mariam interviews Reinette Jones, founder of the Notable Kentucky African Americans database. They discuss Kentucky’s Centenarian Librarians, the boxer David Moore, and the prison shoe-making industry. Visit the NKAA at http://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/
Brenna Pye guest hosts to celebrate the life of Dr. Mary E. Britton (1855-1925), a passionate advocate for equality, her charitable works, and her professional accomplishments in teaching and medicine.
Mariam interviews Wayne Johnson, librarian and local historian about the murder of Transylvania University student Betty Gail Brown in October 1961. In the last episode, they discuss the court case and other theories of the crime.
Wayne tells the story of Pamela Brown and the ill-fated hot air balloon voyage across the Atlantic in 1970, in time for the 50th anniversary of the crash.
Mariam interviews Terry Foody, author of The Pie Seller, The Drunk and The Lady, about her book and the 1833 Cholera epidemic in Lexington, KY. They discuss the causes of the epidemic, and what treatments contemporary doctors attempted for this devastatin
Mariam interviews Megan Couch about her research into the 1849 outbreak of Cholera in Lexington. They discuss finding more deaths from cholera than were actually reported, and tell the stories of families that were completely wiped out by the disease. Thi
Jennifer and Erin review recipes from three celebrity cookbooks, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well by Ayesha Curry, and Stirring Up Fun with Food by Sarah Michelle Gellar. The recipes featured i
Erin and Jennifer discuss several books and kitchen tools that would make great gifts this holiday season. The books discussed this episode are Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski; Once Upon a Chef by Jennifer Segal; Waste Not by The James Beard Foundation; Bake
Jennifer and Erin review recipes from four Kentucky Cookbooks: Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy by Damaris Phillips (Pimiento Cheese Baked Rice), Bluegrass Gatherings: Entertaining through Kentucky's Seasons by Junior League of Louisville (Beer Cheese),
Jennifer and Erin review meat and vegetarian burger recipes from three grill-out cookbooks: Burgers: 125 Mouthwatering Recipes and Tips compiled by Good Housekeeping, Grilling Vegan Style: 125 fired-up recipes to turn every bite into a backyard BBQ by Joh
In this double length special episode, Jennifer and Erin discuss food preservation methods with their guest, Blayne, and review several books on the topic of food preservation and cooking vegetables from the fall harvest. The books reviewed on this episod
In this episode, Erin and Jennifer talk about slow cooking food, why so many slow cooker recipe books don’t have pictures, what to do when the photo on the book isn’t a recipe in the book, and making dessert in a crockpot. The books reviewed in this episo
Digital Archives - Collection
In the summer of 2019, the Lexington History Museum exhibited a 20th anniversary timeline and historical materials exhibit titled, Our Fair City: the 1999 Lexington Fairness Ordinance. The ordinance, Local Ordinance 201-99, passed on July 8th, 1999, and added sexual orientation and gender identity as explicitly protected classes against discrimination in Fayette County employment, housing and public accommodations.
From June 17 - July 19, 2019, the Lexington Public Library hosted the exhibit and several community events surrounding the anniversary. The exhibit also featured a community response section titled, "What Does Fairness Mean To You?" with an opportunity for attendees to give their own response. After the exhibit, the notes were collected and digitized, and are now available for viewing.
To view the 3D interactive exhibit, click here.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill has existed outside of Harrodsburg for over 200 years, and is a popular site to visit today. The library's collection contains a considerable amount of information on the community's origins and history.
The "Shakertown" pamphlet was written in 1921, and gives a very brief overview of the history and purpose of the original Shaker settlement outside of Harrodsburg in 1805. Old Shakertown and the Shakers by Daniel Mac-Hir Hutton was published in 1936, and contains illustrations, photos, and history of Shaker Village from 1805-1936. Both items are in the public domain.
