KY:Historical Society - Historical Marker Database

KYHistorical Society

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Adolph F. Rupp (1901-77)
(Marker Number: 1826)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Memorial Coliseum, Lexington

Description: "Winningest" coach in history of college basketball. Native Kansan who played under famed coach "Phog" Allen. Head coach at UK, 1930-72. Won 4 NCAA titles, won or tied SEC crown 27 times; coach of 1948 US Olympic team that won gold medal. Natl. coach of yr. 4 times. Never a losing season; 879 wins-190 losses. Nicknames include "Man in Brown Suit" and "Baron of the Bluegrass."

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Albert B. "Happy" Chandler
(Marker Number: 1984)

County: Henderson
Location: Park Field, Adkinson Park, off Elm St., Henderson

Description: This Henderson Co. native (1898-1991) was state sen. and lt. gov. before becoming governor in 1935 and 1955. U.S. sen., 1939-45. As baseball commissioner, he approved contract making Jackie Robinson first modern black major league player, 1947. Chandler elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1982. Presented by Henderson World Series Association, Inc.

(Reverse) Albert Benjamin Chandler - This colorful orator and two-term governor was born near Corydon, Ky. As governor, Chandler was driving force behind establishment of Univ. of Ky. Medical Center, later named in his honor. Buried at Pisgah Presbyterian Church, Versailles. Park Field in Henderson was site of the 1996 Bambino World Series dedicated to "Happy" Chandler. Presented by Henderson World Series Association, Inc.

(Subjects: African American | Baseball Hall of Fame | Chandler, Albert Benjamin "Happy" | University of Kentucky)

Albert B. "Happy" Chandler, 1898-1991
(Marker Number: 2309)

County: Henderson
Location: US 60, Corydon

Description: This Henderson County native was state senator and lt. gov. before becoming governor in 1935 & 1955. U.S. senator, 1939-45. As baseball commissioner, he approved contract making Jackie Robinson first modern black major league player in 1947. Chandler was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

(Reverse) This colorful orator and two-term governor was born near Corydon, Ky. As governor, Chandler was the driving force behind establishment of the Univ. of Ky. Medical Center, later named in his honor. Buried at Pisgah Presbyterian Church in Versailles. Park Field in Henderson was site of the 1996 Bambino World Series dedicated to “Happy” Chandler.

(Subjects: Baseball Hall of Fame | Governors | University of Kentucky | Baseball)

Ashland Park/ Olmsted Brothers
(Marker Number: 2305)

County: Fayette
Location: South Hanover median

Description: In 1904, descendants of Henry Clay hired famed landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and John Charles Olmsted, to design Ashland Park neighborhood on the 600-acre estate. Constructed over a 15-year period, development was completed around 1930. The brothers designed U.S. Capitol & White House grounds, and the Chicago World’s Fair 1893.

(Reverse) Olmsted Brothers in KY.- This landscape design firm from Brookline, Mass. helped design the park system in Louisville and the grounds of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. In Lexington, they consulted on the master plan for the University of Kentucky, Ashland Park & Transylvania Park neighborhoods and Woodland Park.

(Subjects: Architects | Clay, Henry | University of Kentucky)

Barker Hall and Buell Armory
(Marker Number: 2070)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Administration Dr., Lexington

Description: Dedicated in 1901 and known as Alumni Hall. The original structure was a central, three-story building with a gymnasium and a drill hall on either side. Expanded in the 1930s with aid of WPA funds. The 19th-century bell from the Peter Taylor Methodist Chapel in Carrs (Lewis Co.) was installed in 1989. Class of 2001.

(Reverse) Barker Hall and Buell Armory - Site of first UK basketball games. Utilized for physical education, student clubs, dance, and ROTC. Converted to an infirmary during 1918 flu epidemic. Named for UK's second president, Henry Stites Barker (1911-1917) and Union Civil War General and UK trustee Don Carlos Buell. Class of 2001.

(Subjects: Buell, Don Carlos | Methodist Church | University of Kentucky)

Desegregation of UK
(Marker Number: 2022)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Administration Circle, Lexington

Description: In 1948 Lyman T. Johnson filed suit for admission to UK. In March 1949 Federal Judge H. Church Ford ruled in Johnson's favor, and that summer nearly 30 black students entered UK graduate and professional programs. Undergraduate classes desegregated in 1954. Class of 1999.

(Reverse) Lyman T. Johnson (1906-1997) - Educator and civil rights leader Lyman T. Johnson led the fight for the desegregation of UK. A Tennessee native, he was an educator in the Louisville Public Schools for forty years and served as president of the Louisville NAACP. UK awarded Johnson an honorary degree in 1979. Class of 1999.

(Subjects: African American | Civil Rights | Louisville | University of Kentucky)

Early Schoolhouse
(Marker Number: 1730)

County: Campbell
Location: Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights

Description: A part of cabin, moved here from Grants Lick area, stood adjacent to Gosney School, and typifies first schoolhouses of Campbell County. Forty-two were erected. Two of them-John's Hill (ca. 1880-1906) and St. John's (ca. 1847-1857)-were within three miles of here. This site is part of land patent of David Leitch, early settler. Presented by Northern Kentucky University.

(Reverse) Northern Kentucky University - Northern Ky. University began as an extension center of University of Ky., 1948. It became community college, 1962, and by 1976 was a state university. It moved here from Covington in 1972. The 300-acre NKU campus is part of land first surveyed in April and June 1785, and issued as land patents by Isaac Shelby in 1792. See over. Presented by Northern Kentucky University.

(Subjects: Schools | Shelby, Isaac | University of Kentucky)

Gillis Building 1889
(Marker Number: 2012)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, between Gillis & Administration Buildings, Lexington

Description: Erected in 1889 as U.K.'s first Agricultural Experiment Station; now second oldest building on the campus. Destroyed by fire in 1891, it was rebuilt on the same site. Named for Ezra Gillis (1867-1958) who joined the U.K. faculty in 1907 and served as Registrar from 1910 to 1937. Class of 1996.

(Reverse) Gillis Building 1889 - Home to the Chemistry Department (1905) and the College of Law (1925). In 1939 it became the Student Health Service and Infirmary, complete with 40 beds and medical services for students. Beginning in 1962 this structure housed offices of Admissions (1962-86) and Registrar (1962-91). Class of 1996.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Gov. Albert B. Chandler (1898-1991)
(Marker Number: 1900)

County: Woodford
Location: Jct. Pisgah Pike & US 60

Description: Known as "Happy," this Henderson Co. native was state senator and lt. gov. before becoming governor in 1935 and 1955. U.S. senator, 1939-45. As baseball commissioner, he approved Jackie Robinson's contract, making Robinson the first black player in major league baseball, 1947. Chandler elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1982. Over.

(Reverse) Albert Benjamin Chandler - This colorful orator and two-term governor began his law practice in Versailles. As governor, he was the driving force behind the establishment of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, later named in his honor. "Happy" Chandler lived in Versailles and is buried in the Pisgah Cemetery in this county.

(Subjects: African American | Baseball Hall of Fame | Cemeteries | Chandler, Albert Benjamin "Happy" | Schools | University of Kentucky)

Governor Thomas E. Bramlette
(Marker Number: 2234)

County: Jefferson
Location: Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville

Description: Lawyer, legislator, soldier, and governor, he was born on Jan. 3, 1817, in present Clinton County. During Civil War he raised and was colonel of 3rd Ky. Union Inf. In 1862, Pres. Lincoln appointed him US Dist. Attorney for Ky. The next year he became governor after an election rife with Union military interference. Over.

(Reverse) During the war, resisted Confed. guerrillas & Lincoln over black troops, habeas corpus, & civilian arrests. Governor until 1867, he supported pardons for ex-CSA and fought Freedmen's Bureau, 14th & 15th constitutional ammend. Estab. Ag. & Mech. College, forerunner to Univ. of Ky. After term was a Louisville lawyer. Died 1875.

(Subjects: Civil War | Confederate Army | Governors | Lincoln, Abraham | Louisville | University of Kentucky)

Grave of John T. Scopes
(Marker Number: 1698)

County: McCracken
Location: In front of Oak Grove Cem., Park Ave., Paducah

Description: Here is buried the man who, at age 24, taught Darwin's theory of evolution to a Dayton, Tennessee, biology class. The Paducah native and University of Kentucky graduate violated a Tennessee law forbidding the teaching of evolution. This test case, tried in Dayton, gained international attention. Popular play, Inherit the Wind, is based on the famous Scopes trial. Over.

(Reverse) Scopes "Monkey Trial" - The July 1925 trial of John T. Scopes had at issue academic freedom, separation of church and state, and reconciling of science and religion. Scopes' defender was Clarence Darrow; his prosecutor, William Jennings Bryan. Scopes was convicted and fined $100. Later worked as geologist in S. America and La. Law he violated was repealed in 1967. Scopes died, 1970. Over.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Kentucky Kernel
(Marker Number: 2169)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Grehan Building, Lexington

Description: Preceded by several earlier student newspapers, the first Kentucky Kernel appeared September 16, 1915. An eight-page weekly by 1923, after a varied publication schedule it became a daily newspaper in 1966. Housed in several campus locations before moving to the Grehan Building in 1951.

(Reverse) Initially University-centered, by the 1960s the Kernel increased coverage of issues beyond the campus such as civil rights, politics, and student protests. Established as an independent newspaper in 1972, it became one of Kentucky’s highest-circulating newspapers and the recipient of numerous awards for journalistic excellence.

(Subjects: Newspapers | University of Kentucky)

Main Building
(Marker Number: 2138)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Limestone St., Lexington

Description: Opened in 1882 and known as the Main or College Building, it contained classrooms, offices, and a chapel for student assemblies. Designed by architect H.P. McDonald and built of brick fashioned from campus clays and stone at a total cost of $81,000. Gracing the roof of the building was a tower crowned by a cupola, 157 feet in height. Class of 2004.

(Reverse) Main Building - A post office and bookstore opened in 1918 and a cafeteria in 1919. In the spring of 1948 the building, for the first time, housed only administrative departments. Interior renovations were carried out in 1929, 1939-40, and 1964. A fire on May 15, 2001, nearly destroyed the buidling, requiring extensive renovation. Class of 2004.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Maxwell Place
(Marker Number: 2069)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Rose St., Lexington

Description: Dennis Mulligan had Maxwell Place built in 1870-72 for his son, Judge James H. Mulligan and named for nearby Maxwell Springs. The property and Italianate home were purchased by UK in 1917 as the official president's residence. First occupied by President Frank L. McVey, it has served as home to every UK president since. Class of 2000.

(Reverse) Maxwell Place - Historically students lived at Maxwell Place, rooming in the attic or above the garage. Site of student events and host to visiting dignitaries, the home became a center of campus social life. Considered at one time for possible demolition, Maxwell Place was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Class of 2000.

(Subjects: National Register of Historic Places | Springs | University of Kentucky)

Memorial Hall
(Marker Number: 2089)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, South Limestone St., Lexington

Description: Completed in 1929 as a memorial to Kentuckians who died in World War I. The building project was financed by statewide contributions. Rosters of the deceased are mounted on the interior walls. The building has become a symbol of the University of Kentucky. Class of 2002.

(Reverse) Memorial Hall - The interior contains a fresco, created by Ann Rice O'Hanlon in 1934 for the Public Works of Art Project, depicting historical events in central Kentucky. The Hall and its outdoor amphitheater continue to host many student gatherings, speeches, concerts, lectures, and memorial services. Class of 2002.

(Subjects: Artists | University of Kentucky | World War I)

Miller Hall 1898
(Marker Number: 1953)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus at Miller Hall, Lexington

Description: Originally named Science Hall, this structure was one of the first UK classroom buildings. In 1940 it was renamed to honor Arthur McQuiston Miller (1861-1929), first Dean of Arts and Sciences, professor of geology, and first football coach at UK. Made of pressed brick trimmed with Bowling Green limestone, Miller Hall is a typical college building of its time. Class of 1994.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Patterson Hall
(Marker Number: 2106)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, South Limestone St., Lexington

Description: Women first enrolled at UK in 1880. In 1888, Belle Clement Gunn became the first woman awarded a degree. Women students finally obtained campus housing in 1904, when this hall opened. Built specifically as a women's dormitory, it became the first building constructed off the main campus. Class of 2003.

(Reverse) Patterson Hall - Named for President James K. Patterson, whose brother, Walter, sought funding for the building and oversaw construction. UK's second president, Henry Stites Barker, lived in the dormitory during his presidency. The dorm became co-ed in the 1990s. It is the oldest UK dormitory still in existence. Class of 2003.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Sarah Blanding
(Marker Number: 2011)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Blanding Tower, Lexington

Description: A 1923 U.K. graduate, Blanding (1898-1985) was President of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Captain of the women's basketball team. After two years as Acting Dean, Blanding was named U.K. Dean of Women in 1925. She also taught political science. Class of 1997.

(Reverse) Sarah Blanding - Blanding left U.K. in 1941 to become Dean of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. In 1946 she became Vassar College's first woman president, a position she held until 1964. In 1968 Blanding Tower was named in her honor. Class of 1997.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Scovell Hall
(Marker Number: 2009)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Scovell Hall, Lexington,

Description: Named for M.A. Scovell in 1913, this building was opened in 1905, with major additions in 1913 and 1937. Utilizing a colonial design, it was the largest building on campus for many years. Served until mid-1990s as a center of agricultural research, extension programs, and academic activities. Class of 1998.

(Reverse) M.A. Scovell (1855-1912) - Melville Amasa Scovell, Ph.D., was named first director of the Experiment Station in 1885 and the first dean and director of the College of Agriculture in 1910. During his tenure, staff increased from 3 to 60, the number of departments grew from 2 to 11, and the agricultural farm expanded from 48.5 to 240 acres. Class of 1998.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

Stoll Field
(Marker Number: 2262)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, Stoll Field near Patterson Dr., Lexington

Description: In 1880 the first college football game ever played in the South was held here at what was eventually named Stoll Field. It was dedicated in 1916 at the Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt game and was named in honor of alumnus and long-term Board of Trustees member Judge Richard C. Stoll. The field was the setting of early football games and an integral part of student life.

(Reverse) McLean Stadium- This field, which once pastured President Patterson’s cows, was used for military training during WWI and in 1924 it held McLean Stadium. It was named for Price McLean, an engineering student who was fatally injured in a football game in 1923. McLean Stadium was the site of Kentucky football games until they were moved to Commonwealth Stadium in 1972.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky | World War I | Sports)

Thomas D. Clark, 1903-2005
(Marker Number: 2232)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, behind the Main Bldg., Lexington

Description: A University of Mississippi graduate, Dr. Clark received his M.A. degree from UK and a Ph.D. from Duke. A historian at UK from 1931 to 1968, he chaired the history department for 23 years. Dr. Clark helped establish both the UK Libraries’ Special Collections and the University Press of Kentucky.

(Reverse) The author and editor of over thirty books, Dr. Clark had an influence that extended well beyond the UK campus. A former president of the Organization of American Historians, he was instrumental in the development of the state library and archives and the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort, which now bears his name.

(Subjects: Authors | Kentucky Historical Society | University of Kentucky | Teachers)

Thomas Hunt Morgan
(Marker Number: 1714)

County: Fayette
Location: 210 N. Broadway, Lexington

Description: Winner of 1933 Nobel Prize was born in Hunt-Morgan house, 1866; grew up here. A nephew of John Hunt Morgan, he attended State College of Ky. (Univ. of Ky.). Taught at Columbia Univ. and there, influenced by Mendel's work, left embryology, his main field, for genetics. Headed up research team studying inbreeding of fruit flies. Observing offspring led to discovery of genes. Over.

(Reverse) Genetic Research - Morgan's research team confirmed Mendel's laws, proved reality of gene as part of chromosome, showed sex determined by chromosomes, demonstrated dominant and recessive traits. At 62, Morgan went to Cal. Institute of Technology, Pasadena, as biology dept. head to research cell differentiation. Died there, 1945. University of Kentucky named new school of biological sciences for him.

(Subjects: Morgan, John Hunt | Schools | University of Kentucky)

U.S. Research and Education Center
(Marker Number: 2118)

County: Caldwell
Location: U.K. Research and Education Center, 1205 Hopkinsville Rd., KY 91

Description: Established by Ky. legislature in 1924 as Western Ky. Sub-experiment Station of the Univ. of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Original 400 acres donated by Caldwell Co. citizens. S. J. Lowry was supt., 1924-63. First office/service building was completed in 1931. The Research and Extension Building was dedicated in 1980.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

WBKY/WUKY
(Marker Number: 1966)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, McVey Hall, Lexington

Description: UK initiated radio broadcasting in 1929 in cooperation with WHAS radio in Louisville. Each weekday, live musical and educational programs were broadcast from the campus studios over WHAS. Later, WHAS and UK started radio "listening centers" in eastern Ky. Battery-powered radios gave residents public access to educational programs. Class of 1995.

(Reverse) WBKY/WUKY - In 1941, UK initiated radio broadcasting in Beattyville, Ky. WBKY broadcast educational programming for local residents. In 1944 UK established a radio station on the campus and WBKY began broadcasting from McVey Hall. Station call letters were changed from WBKY to WUKY in 1989. WBKY/WUKY is the oldest university-owned FM station in U.S. and Ky.'s first public radio station. Class of 1995.

(Subjects: University of Kentucky)

What's in a Name?
(Marker Number: 2289)

County: Fayette
Location: UK campus, White Hall Plaza, Lexington

Description: The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky (A&M) was established in 1865 as part of the private Kentucky University. In 1878, A&M separated from Kentucky University (now Transylvania University) to become an independent public institution. Lexington donated a 52-acre park south of downtown for a new campus, which is the present site of UK.

(Reverse) By 1880, the A&M College was commonly known as State College. A&M achieved university status in 1908 and was named State University, Lexington, Kentucky. In 1916, the legislature officially changed the name to University of Kentucky.

(Subjects: Lexington | University of Kentucky)

William H. Townsend (1890-1964)
(Marker Number: 2029)

County: Anderson
Location: Lawrenceburg, Anderson Co. High School, US 127

Description: This renowned scholar, raconteur, and lawyer was born in Anderson Co. Educated first in a one-room school at Glensboro, he graduated from U.K. Law School in 1912. Among his books was Lincoln and the Bluegrass (1955). His talk on Cassius Clay, "The Lion of White Hall," now a taped classic. Presented by Mary Genevieve and Joe Murphy.

(Reverse) William H. Townsend (1890-1964) - Townsend had the largest private collection of Lincolniana in U.S. Recognized as a leading expert on Abraham Lincoln, Townsend was a founder of the Ky. Civil War Round Table, 1953. He served as its first president until his death. Named posthumously to Fayette County Bar's Hall of Fame, 1996. Presented by Mary Genevieve and Joe Murphy.

(Subjects: Books | Clay, Cassius M. | Lincoln, Abraham | University of Kentucky)