A Cold Case in Caldwell County | Kevin McPartland

Being a part of a close-knit neighborhood is something that many people aspire to. Barbecues, football games, and community events can help neighbors feel a sense of connectedness and community. But neighborhoods can also be places of separation and division, with boundaries drawn between families and neighbors. Join us today for a discussion with a former graduate research associate who has written an article about one Kentucky community that was torn apart by violence shortly before the Civil War. Kevin McPartland is a visiting assistant professor in public history at the University of Missouri—Columbia. He earned a PhD in history at the University of Cincinnati and his work focuses on the American South in the Civil War Era. In 2022, he was a Graduate Research Associate at the Civil War Governors of Kentucky. His article “‘He Has Ever Been Considered, a Good and True Hearted Citizen’: Neighborhood and Community in the Wadlington Case” appeared in the Summer 2022 edition of the Register. This article won the Richard H. Collins Award, a prize given annually to the article published in the Register that is deemed “to have made the most outstanding contribution to Kentucky history.” KHS Chronicles is inspired by the work of researchers from across the world who have contributed to the scholarly journal, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, in publication since 1903. Hosted by Dr. Daniel J. Burge, associate editor of The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and coordinator of our Research Fellows program, which brings in researchers from across the world to conduct research in the rich archival holdings of the Kentucky Historical Society. Kentucky Chronicles is presented by the Kentucky Historical Society, with support from the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation. history.ky.gov/about/khs-foundation Our show is recorded and edited by Gregory Hardison, who also wrote the original underscoring of the interview. Thanks to Dr. Stephanie Lang for her support and guidance. Our theme music, “Modern Documentary” was created by Mood Mode and is used courtesy of Pixabay. To learn more about our publication of The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, or to learn more about our Research Fellows program, please visit our website: history.ky.gov/