Kentucky History & Haunts

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of a murder scene and a suicide. Please use care deciding when or whether to listen.

We pick up moments after Mayor Dr. George P. Archer is found shot beside his car outside his clinic in Prestonsburg, KY (July 12, 1973). A witness reports a beige-on-green Buick LeSabre fleeing the scene—similar to the car driven by Judith Archer, the city clerk and executive director of the Housing ...

Content Warning: This episode discusses a murder scene in detail as well as a suicide. Please use care deciding when or whether to listen.

In this episode of Kentucky History & Haunts, we travel back to 1970s Floyd County to uncover the high-profile—but surprisingly underreported—murder of Prestonsburg Mayor Dr. George P. Archer.

Born into a prominent Eastern Kentucky family of doctors and civic leaders, Archer carried on a legac...

In this episode of Kentucky History & Haunts, we head back to August 1925—a month of sensational scandals and small-town crime sprees that made big headlines.

First, you’ll hear the wild tale of Lucy Wagner McMills, a young woman accused of kidnapping her husband and tricking him into marriage after a whirlwind romance. Newspapers from Kentucky to New York branded her a “Modern Cavewoman,” while her groom swore he’d been too dru...

In this offbeat episode, we take a break from heavy historical biographies and dive into something a little lighter. What started as a routine property history search for a Louisville listing led me down a rabbit hole of vintage newspaper clippings, culminating in an unexpected and fascinating journey through the early nudist (or naturist) movement in Kentucky and Indiana.

You’ll hear the bizarre headline that sparked it all—“Bee In...

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life of Brigadier General Charles Young — a man born into slavery in Mays Lick, Kentucky, during the Civil War who went on to break barriers across the U.S. military and beyond. Despite facing relentless racism, repeated demotions, and exclusion due to his race, Young became a pioneer and trailblazer, achieving numerous historic firsts as a Black officer in the U.S. Army.

You'll lear...

Episode 150 (hooray) explores the historical significance of the Passenger Pigeon, the life of Junius Booth, and the cultural impact of extinction. It delves into the tragic story of the Passenger Pigeon, once abundant in North America, and the role of hunting and habitat loss in its extinction. The discussion also highlights the life of Junius Booth, father of John Wilkes Booth, and his connection to the passenger pigeon, revealin...

Mary Byron was waiting for her car to warm up in the parking lot of the mall where she worked on the night of her 21st birthday. She was about to head home to decorate the Christmas tree with her family. Instead she was shot to death by Donavan Harris, her former boyfriend.

Just a few weeks earlier, Harris was arrested for holding Mary hostage at gunpoint and assaulting her in the basement of her own home. He was released on bond, ...

Dr. Britton was the first black woman in Kentucky to practice medicine... but there is so much more to her story! Born in Lexington in 1855, she grew up a free black citizen and went to private schools in Lexington, then Berea college. She studied medicine in Battle Creek, Michigan under Dr. Kellogg.

Dr. Britton helped open the Colored Orphans home in Lexington. She caused a stir at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. She protested the ...

In the late 1830s, the owner of Mammoth Cave hoped to attract more tourists to the area. One of the key figures in making that happen was a slave named Stephen Bishop. Stephen became one of the most popular guides in the caves history, as well as a brave and savvy explorer, responsible for the expansion of the cave system with his discovery of several 'new' areas like the Bottomless Pit and Ruins of Karnak.

It was stipulated in his ...

Welcome to another installment of 'A Century Ago in Kentucky', where I share some of my favorite newspaper clippings from Kentucky newspapers in 1924. This episode includes stories of prisoners celebrating behind bars, while others are set free in time for the holidays, hundreds of gallons of wine are poured into the sewer by the Feds, plus fires and other accidents, burglars, crossword puzzles, and a special appearance by my great...

In the 1840s, a doctor from Louisville purchased Mammoth Cave. One of his motives for purchasing the land was to conduct an experiment by inviting tuberculosis patients to live underground during the winter months to cure them.

It did not go well.

For more on this topic, check out THE PURSUIT OF HEALTH IN THE MAMMOTH CAVE, published in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 1971, by Stanley Sides & Harold Malloy.

Follow the...

On a cold January evening in 1925, after a long day of widening an entrance to a newly discovered cave, Floyd Collins lost his footing, knocked over his light, caused a shift in the tunnel and was pinned under a rock. Floyd was hopelessly stuck. Over the next two weeks, miners, geologists, engineers, family members and the Kentucky National Guard worked tirelessly to rescue Floyd. Floyd had passed by the time they reached him, but ...

This is part one of a two part series about the Fall family. Part one discusses the life of Phillip Fall, preacher, teacher, Southern sympathizer. Phillip Fall made connections with major religious figures in Kentucky during the Reformation movement. One of Phillip's sons, William, would later have a son named Albert Fall, who holds the infamous title of being the first U.S. Cabinet member convicted of a felony. Part two will f...

In the early 1990s, the Meade County police, Louisville police and Kentucky State police thought they had gotten it right when they arrested Garr Keith Hardin and Jeffrey Clark for the murder of Louisville native Rhonda Sue Warford. It took decades and assistance from the Kentucky Innocence Project to right the wrongs made during the investigation and trial. Let me know what you think. You can send mail to my work address- 9115 Lee...