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The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal Catholic service organization begun in the 1880s. In 1903, the local Bluegrass Council 762 became the third chapter in Kentucky, and it acquired its 4th degree status in 1920. One of the organization's earliest missions dealt with local unemployment before WWI and assisting with families in its parishes, and it also supported local veterans.
Information from Knights of Columbus, Kentucky State Council
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The Lexington Public Library’s Digital Archives provide open access to researchers and students to learn more about the rich history of Lexington and Fayette County. It contains a fraction of the Library’s physical holdings, which are housed and available for reference in the Kentucky Room at the Central Library. New material is being digitized and added constantly, so there's always something new to find.
The archives have a simple keyword search, and it is possible to browse the collections by subject, area, or decade. The Lexington Public Library actively reviews and labels materials in our archives with statements that indicate how you may reuse the images, and what sort of permission, if any, you need to do so. Please check the information for each image to determine its legal status.
The Lexington Public Library has made an effort to ensure that all of our digital collections are public domain, or that we have gotten approval from the copyright holders to display their work. Most - but not all - of these collections, to the best of our knowledge, have no known US copyright restrictions. Some items in the collection are under copyright but qualify for online display by libraries under Section 108(h) of United States Copyright Law. Some of the collections provided in the Library's Digital Archives are made available under an assertion of fair use, which does not necessarily apply to an individual's use of them.
The materials in these collections are physically housed in the Kentucky Room at the Central Library and can be viewed during the Central Library's open hours.
For more information about a specific item, including any copyright restrictions on that item, please click on the information button:
Learn more about Fayette County and our rich history with the Kentucky Room's Digital Archives. Search photo collections, historical newspapers and publications, and community collections with a simple search. New material is continually being scanned and added.
The Digital Studio provides people of all skill levels the tools for filmmaking, photography and digital art, music making, and media preservation.
An eligible parent or legal guardian can complete this form to apply for a digital library card for a juvenile.
Eligible applicants can complete this form to apply for a digital library card.
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Discover unique resources in our Digital Archives that tell the story of Fayette County. Visit cemeteries throughout Central Kentucky using our cemetery maps. Contact our resident experts in the Central Library's Kentucky Room with questions.
Mariam and David discuss the sordid life of John Wilkes Booth before his assassination of Abraham Lincoln, including his visit to Lexington during the Civil War as a theater actor. Some listener discretion is advised.
The Council of Defense books contain records for Fayette County’s Army soldiers, Navy sailors, Marines, and Army nurses in World War I, and include information regarding the person’s residence, birth place and date, specific units and engagements, commendations, injuries and disabilities, desertions, and discharge or casualty information.
These records are especially distinctive because they include service records from soldiers, sailors, marines, and the Army nurse corps; nurses served throughout various wars in the United States, but World War I became the first time that nurses were given officer ranks and insignia.
At the session of the General Assembly of Kentucky, which convened January 8, 1918, an act was passed and approved on March 15, 1918, creating the Kentucky Council of Defense. This act was approved as the state’s response to the Council of National Defense, which was formed in August, 1916, to support the nation’s war effort in World War I. The Kentucky act gave the state organization the authority and responsibility to coordinate the Kentucky war efforts within the state with the national war effort, for the duration of the war.
Within the act, these responsibilities included appointing representatives through the state ‘to report treasonable acts or utterances;’ coordinate state-wide war efforts; coordinate all voluntary patriotic organizations and committees and supervise donations; acquire its own private donations; encourage support of the war effort through activities and speakers, publishing pamphlets and bulletins; create its own committees for support or advisory boards; and report on its activities to the state governor each year. The lists of committee members are included in the beginning of Volume I.
In addition to the responsibility of supporting the state war effort, the Council was given the authority to investigate questions regarding its responsibilities, through subpoenas of witnesses and petitions when necessary.
The first state session met in Louisville in March of 1918, and Fayette County’s meeting followed on June 25th, 1918, in the director’s room of the Fayette National Bank in Lexington, on the corner of West Main and North Upper, in what is currently the 21c Museum Hotel.
After the war, each county’s service records were copied, bound, and presented to the county, though many of the Council of Defense books have since been lost. Of 120 counties, the whereabouts of 36 are known. In addition, a Kentucky set is housed in the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs in Frankfort, and the Filson Historical Society houses the entire 144 volume set of the civilian records.
- Information regarding the Council of Defense activities and responsibilities from Report of the Activities of the Kentucky Council of Defense to January 1, 1920, p. 8-23.
- Information regarding the current whereabouts of the volumes from Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Home Front by David J. Bettez, p. 400-402 (2016)
Read the Lexington Herald-Leader in its original printed format, including pictures. Digital issues from January 1, 2016 to present.
Monday, December 11 2023 5:30pm - 6:30pm
In this hands-on workshop, learn how to design a holiday card using the Digital Studio software.
The Kentucky History collection contains Kentucky-related documents not specifically related to Fayette County.
Thursday, December 07 2023 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Live bluegrass the third Thursday of every month, October through April. December's concert, moved to December 7, will feature Blue Eagle Band.
Sunday, December 10 2023 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Join us in watching John Chow's kung fu classic, Shaolin Soccer.
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Learn by doing. Get hands-on practice with cutting edge technology at our Digital Studio, Kloiber Foundation STEAM Lab, and Makerspace on your own or learn from our expert staff during structured programs.
The Publications Collection contains runs of historical Kentucky newspapers, almanacs, and magazines.
The Kentucky Images collection contains postcards, photographs and slides of people, architecture, and locations in Kentucky and Appalachia.
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.
Fayette County, Kentucky, has changed enormously since it was created in 1792. This collection contains government documents for the city of Lexington, for Fayette County, and for the merged Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, as well as funeral notices, club directories, scrapbooks, image collections and a history of Lexington Public Library.
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Find out what's happening at our locations. Browse upcoming events and discover our dedicated learning spaces. Reserve a meeting room. Explore our galleries and special collections.
Walking Tour
Join us for a walking tour of Lexington's Historic Lexington Cemetery. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops. You can pause the track while you walk between stops.
This tour covers a walking distance of approximately 1.5 miles.
Please note: You will be walking on paths also used by cars. Please take special care to watch and listen for approaching vehicles.
The music clips used in this tour are from “Walking Barefoot on Grass” by Kai Engel, and are used with a CCBY license. It is available here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/
Join us for a walking tour of Lexington's Historic Lexington Cemetery. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops.
Board of Trustees
Treasurer
Stephanie has been in the financial industry since 1993 and has a bachelor’s degree in finance is from the University of Kentucky. She is passionate about community involvement and that includes current board positions on the Lexington Public Library and a member of the finance council of the Diocese of Lexington. She is a past board member of Surgery on Sunday, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, the Lexington Chapter of the American Red Cross and a past Trustee for Lexington Catholic High School, which she chaired for several years. She served on the Saint Paul Catholic Church finance council, which she also chaired for many years, and a past member of the formation committee. She has been involved with Rotary and the Lexington Forum. She has lived in Lexington since 1977 with her husband Joe. They have two sons, Joseph III (Danielle) and Miles, both of Lexington.
Board of Trustees
Secretary
Yajaira Aich West is a Vice President at PNC Bank and serves as the Director of Client and Community Relations for central and southeast Kentucky. In this role she manages the philanthropic investments in the thirteen counties where PNC has a presence, coordinates the client events produced by the bank and leads employee initiatives around health and wellness. Yajaira graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Transylvania University in 2004 and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Business and Economics in 2011. Yajaira is an active member of the community via volunteerism and board service. She is currently is a Lexington Public Library Trustee, an Executive Committee member of the board of directors for the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County and LexArts, on the Policy Council for Bluegrass Community Action Partnership, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals advisory committee and the Fayette County Public School's First 5 Lex Committee. She is a graduate of the Commerce Lexington’s Leadership Lexington and Leadership Central Kentucky and the Leadership Kentucky programs.
In this two part series on the Barnes Family’s murder, Mariam interviews guest Ike Lawrence, whose father notified Mrs. Barnes of her family’s murder, and later, Wayne discusses the start of the crime, with the two killers escaping the custody of the US M
In the final part of this series, Wayne takes us through the murders of the Barnes Family, the murders and shootings in Falmouth, KY, and the aftermath of the crimes. Listener Discretion is Advised.
Board of Trustees
Casandra Hockenberry is a Program Manager with The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation, where she works across a broad number of initiatives at the crossroads of data, technology and improved outcomes for citizens. She manages the Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, which is dedicated to assisting states to improve their data collection on apprentices in order to support successful programs throughout the country, the Overseas Voting Initiative, which researches ways to improve the voting process for military and overseas citizens.
Prior to joining The Council of State Governments, she worked for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy as a public defender representing indigent clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors. Casandra received her degree in Political Science from Clarion University and her Juris Doctor from Case Western University. Casandra always enjoys a good book, heated debates about music, and time with her sausage dog, Remington.
Advisory Board
Carly Muetterties is the Director of Learning Design at Newsela, an edtech company. She works with a team to provide educational resources that support teachers in creating authentic and meaningful learning experiences for their students. A former social studies teacher, Carly has a passion for emboldening educators to enact inquiry-based learning and provide opportunities for civic engagement. Carly has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education in Social Studies (University of Kentucky), Master of Arts in History (UK), Master of Arts in German Studies (UK), Master of Arts in Education (Georgetown College), and a Ph.D. in Education Sciences (UK). Carly is active in civic organizations. Across her career, she has volunteered and collaborated with several national and state organizations. At present, she is on the Programmatic Board of CivicLex, executive council for the Kentucky Council for the Social Studies, and chairs the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition.
