Kentucky History & Haunts

Albert Bacon Fall, a Kentuckian, was the first US Cabinet member in history to be convicted of a felony. Albert, the grandson of Reverend Phillip Fall, moved out west, practiced law, got into politics and got mixed up with some less than virtuous characters, eventually leading to his involvement in the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal.

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 con...

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 sen...

From winning baking contests and cooking for wealthy families, to a federal indictment- welcome to episode 140, the fascinating life of Lucy Anderson Hicks. Lucy was born Tobias Lawson in Waddy, Kentucky in the 1880s. Lucy, a black, trans woman from rural Kentucky, baked award-winning desserts, cooked for the most prominent families in Oxnard, California, hosted benefits and parties of all kinds,...

Cozy up with your bayberry candles, your Hoppin' John, your whiskey and your black buns. It's time to discuss New Year's traditions. I'm making sure you know how to prepare your meals, who to invite into your home, and how to clean your furniture as we enter the new year. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Boy is this episode all over the place, but in a good way. Enjoy a variety of stories related to the Ohio River, including tales of a Welsh prince, escaped slaves, alligators, and my parents! Some true, some questionable. Happy New Year to all! If you have topic suggestions, or I need to make a correction, or you just want to say hey, send an email to kyhistoryhaunts@gmail.com. Connect with the sh...

Welcome to another installment of the A Century Ago in Kentucky series. This month we have fistfighting judges, yuletide bribes, a destructive cow, a Christmas tree accident, and much more! Please leave a review wherever you listen and be sure to follow the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kyhistoryhaunts. Follow the show's Instagram @kyhistoryhaunts and if you have topic suggestions, fee...

In October of 1923, a group of armed young men attempted to escape from Eddyville prison in western Kentucky. After shooting multiple prison guards, they realized their original plan wasn't going to work. They barricaded themselves in the dining hall in the center of the prison yard and the following days resulted in a standoff between the surrounded inmates and the prison guards, plus several...

Tarantula bites, jailhouse weddings, drunken traffic cops, voter fraud, post office heroes, safety pin mishaps, baptism confusion, and so much more! Time travel with me, to November 1923 in Kentucky. Connect with the show on Instagram @kyhistoryhaunts, find the show on Facebook under Kentucky History & Haunts, and be sure to join the Facebook group Kentucky History & Haunts & More! Ple...

Knox County native Walter Campbell graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1902 and the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 1906. He was retained by the Kentucky Experiment Station at UK and worked prosecuting food law violations in Louisville, before being scouted by the federal government to help form and run what would later become the Food and Drug Administration. Walter wa...

Belle Gunness was born in Norway in the 1850s. Three decades later she moved to Chicago and started a family and business with her first husband. Tragically, their house and business mysteriously burned. The family collected the insurance money and moved to Texas. While living outside of Austin, Belle's family members began dying off one by one, in the strangest of circumstances. Then another...

Belle Gunness was born in Norway in the 1850s. Three decades later she moved to Chicago and started a family and business with her first husband. Tragically, their house and business mysteriously burned. The family collected the insurance money and moved to Texas. While living outside of Austin, Belle's family members began dying off one by one, in the strangest of circumstances. Then another...

It’s the time of the season, yall. Enjoy these stories about a 500 year old water moccasin, haunted houses, prohibition, evil creeks, spooky caves, and… Nazis. I have a little bit of everything to get you in the spooky mood this October!

Mary Langley was born Mary Hinderer in Ohio in the 1880s. In her early years, she and her family moved to Indiana near Camp Chesterfield, a popular community for spiritualists and mediums. By the 1920s, Mary was a successful medium, traveling regionally to offer her services. By the mid-1920s she was working in Covington, where she was arrested and put on trial for disorderly conduct. The local au...

This episode features two spooky tales of murders that took place a century ago in Kentucky. The first takes place at a mental institution in Louisville, and if you’d like more on the topic of Lakeland Asylum, revisit episode 106. The second story today takes place in Lawrenceburg, also the location of the haunted Anderson Hotel, which I visited in episode 63. Thank you for listening. For feedback...

Back for another round of ‘A Century Ago in Kentucky!’ Listen to stories about the Kentucky state fair, terrifying automobile mishaps, hidden bootlegging operations in chimneys, a duel in northern Kentucky, a drunk mayor, gypsies, dynamite and more!

In the early 1920s, Valparaiso University was in major financial trouble and looking for a bailout. A man named Milton Elrod, editor of a Klan newspaper, started floating stories that the Valpo board of trustees was negotiation with the Indiana Klan. There were rumors they’d put down an earnest money deposit, they wouldn’t alter the curriculum, they were going to invest millions into the school an...

Isaac Shelby did such a good job being Governor of Kentucky the first time around, the people begged him to come back for a second term at the onset of the War of 1812. He even led a group of men in the Battle of the Thames, WHILE he was serving his second term, when he was in his sixties. This episode covers Shelby’s early life, his travel and military service, and his political life. If you have...

One early morning in April 1923, Alfred Warren left his home on Clay St to go to work in downtown Paducah. A short time later, he heard an explosion in the distance. Unfortunately, the explosion came from his home. The research for this episode came from archives from The Paducah Sun and The Lexington Leader. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Connect with Kentucky History & Haunts on...

One early morning in April 1923, Alfred Warren left his home on Clay St to go to work in downtown Paducah. A short time later, he heard an explosion in the distance. Unfortunately, the explosion came from his home. The research for this episode came from archives from The Paducah Sun and The Lexington Leader. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Connect with Kentucky History & Haunts on...

Lots of family drama in Kentucky, 1923. A wife claims her stepdaughter attempted to murder her. The stepdaughter claims self defense. A drifting alcoholic harasses his younger brother and his family until the younger brother puts a stop to it. How will the court system handle these situations? Well it’s 1923, you just never know! Research from this episode comes from the Louisville Courier Journal...

A century ago there was bootlegging, fortune telling, calculator pedaling, national park advocating, squirrel shooting, and much more! Sit back, relax and enjoy this trip back in time one hundred years. All articles read in this episode are from The Courier Journal archives. More at www.kyhistoryhaunts.com. Join the Facebook group- Kentucky History & Haunts & More!

On a snowy February afternoon in 1982, six year old Kelly Hollan vanished from his small community in Knott County, Kentucky, and was never seen of heard from again. For more info visit www.kyhistoryhaunts.com. If you have information regarding this case please contact the Kentucky State Police.

In the early 19th century, secret societies were having a moment. A professor at Transylvania University’s Medical Department decided it would be a good idea to start one for his students. The Kentucky Chapter of the Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates didn’t last long, but the seeds it planted spread all over the country, eventually influencing the formation of the American Medical Association. F...

This episode covers a 1970s lawsuit filed by two Louisville women denied a marriage license by the county clerk. It also covers the Louisville Gay Liberation Front of the early 70s. For more on this topic, check out the article ‘It Could Be Dangerous! Gay Liberation and Gay Marriage in Louisville, Kentucky, 1970’ by Catherine Fosl. Available here: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/571585/pdf ✨ For add...