Sentenced to prison, social connections set James Montgomery free. January 1862 was a time of great turmoil in Kentucky. The Civil War was still in its infancy — approximately nine months old — but wartime violence in the Bluegrass State was on the rise. Skirmishes and small-scale engagements erupted as…

Confederate monuments are in the crosshairs. Officials in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and beyond are calling for the removal of memorials to rebels and their cause. In Kentucky, authorities evicted the Jefferson Davis statue from the capitol rotunda. Members of Congress have also considered striking rebel names from military bases…

Mayor of Louisville met a tragic end When Thomas Howell Crawford’s basement exploded, it was said to have shaken the earth for hundreds of yards. Friends, neighbors, and residents of nearby Louisville, Kentucky, were shocked when Crawford died from the blast. …

For some of us, our resolve is cracking. Weeks spent at home avoiding the coronavirus has been tiring. We’re depressed. Our resilience is fading. To bolster my patience, I remember the Americans who endured the Great Depression and the shortages and horrors of the Second World War. Specifically, I think…

When sickness sweeps through a community, institutions suffer. Because of COVID-19, schools and universities are empty. Businesses and restaurants are shuttered. Hospitals face shortages. Churches have closed. When looking at our history, the story of one Kentucky church reveals that institutions can thrive after enduring tragedy and illnesses. It also…

African Americans squared off against Kentucky slave hunters in 1852 In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published a novel that altered the nation’s moral compass. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which illustrated the tragedy of slavery to readers unfamiliar with the institution, bolstered the fight for abolition and weakened support for the…

We have all learned that pandemics create economic losses, breaks in the supply chain and shortages. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, worry over hospitals having too few ventilators has contributed to school, library and restaurant closings, the cancellation of public events, mass telecommuting and calls for “social distancing.” Although some…