Mariam and Wayne discuss the history of Lexington & Fayette County’s merged governments, one of only fifteen merged city-county governments in the United States. They discuss how and why the merger was planned, how it was enacted, and briefly touch on Lexington’s famous mayoral race, known as the “Spider Election”, of 1973.

Jamie tells an abridged history of Russell’s Cave, Fayette County’s largest cave, including a description of the area, evidence of Native American’s habitation of the land, Colonel William Russell’s military grant of the land including the cave, and our favorite event: the Cassius Marcellus Clay fight with Samuel Brown at a political rally. 

Mariam and Wayne discuss the construction of New Circle Road, the transition of the downtown streets to one way, and other major transportation projects in Lexington. (You might notice some light construction noise after the 25-minute mark - there were renovations happening on the floor above us, our apologies!) An image of Main Street while it was still two-way is available on the Kentucky Photo Archive here. 

Producer Erin takes a turn on the other side of the mic to tell the story of the unsolved murder of Alexander T. Hays. She explores the coverage of the crime, the investigation, the suspect, and two theories of the 1846 crime. 

Mariam and Wayne discuss the National Guard’s shooting of unarmed student protestors on Kent State’s campus in 1970, and how protests against the shooting, including the ROTC building fire, on UK’s campus led to curfews and lockdowns by Kentucky’s Governor. This episode was recorded in September 2020. May 4, 2021 was the 51st anniversary of the shooting, and May 6, 2021, was the 51st anniversary of the fire. An image of the fire and more can be found on ExploreUK.

Mariam interviews Lauren Burke, of the podcast "Bonnets at Dawn", about Elizabeth Keckley, dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln. They discuss her life as a slave, her move to Washington D.C., and the effect of her memoir on her relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln. They also discuss Lauren’s podcast, "Bonnets at Dawn", about women writers from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Lauren’s upcoming book about Elizabeth Keckley is titled A Stitch in Time. 

Denise guest hosts and give sketches of the lives of three Lexington Civil War era women: Elizabeth Harbeson Hummons (Reminisces of Aunt Betty Hummons), Francis Dallam Peter (A Union Woman in Civil War Kentucky), and Ella Bishop Ransom, who saved a Union flag from Confederates. 

Guest Host Naomi interviews Reverend L. Clark Williams, the chairman of The People’s Campaign, about what progress has been made in Lexington since the June 4, 2020 march of Lexington’s Black Faith Leaders to deliver a call for racial justice to Mayor Linda Gorton, Police Chief Lawrence Weathers, and Sheriff Kathy Witt. 

Wayne, resident sports expert, interviews sports broadcaster Alan Cutler about his career and new book, Cut to the Chase. Cut to the Chase is available to check out from the library, and is available for purchase online and in local bookstores. 

Mariam and Wayne share the story of David Rice Atchison, born in Lexington, KY and later senator from Missouri, the only person in history who was possibly president for a day.