From 1870 to 1900, Louisville became a larger part of the American Industrial Revolution. The expansion of railroads was a key factor to becoming a center for industry, trade and commerce. Paul Jones Jr. helped the city become a world leader in bourbon production, and Louisville was the largest tobacco manufacturer due to successful brokers like Andrew Graham. John Leather's jean cloth facility was among the most productive in the world. The largest box factory also resided in the city, and Louisville became the banking capital of the South. Author Bryan S. Bush details those behind the massive industry in the City of Progress.

A gripping and inspiring book, Civic Passions examines innovative leadership in periods of crisis in American history. Starting from the late nineteenth century, when respected voices warned that America was on the brink of collapse, Cecelia Tichi explores the wisdom of practical visionaries who were confronted with a series of social, political...

The Filson Club History Quarterly, first published in 1926, has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the nation's finest regional historical journals. Over the years it has published excellent essays on virtually every aspect of Kentucky history. Gathered together here for the first time are twenty-eight selections, chosen from the first fifty years of the journal's publication. These essays span the range of Kentucky history and culture from frontier criminals to best sellers by Kentucky women writers, and from Indian place names to twentieth century bank failures. Included among the essayists are Thomas D. Clark, J. Winston Coleman, Jr., Robert E. McDowell, Lowell Harrison, Hambleton Tapp, Julia Neal, Allan M. Trout, and many other well-known authorities on Kentucky history. The editors have arranged these essays into five chronological periods, which include the pioneer era, the antebellum years, the Civil War, the late nineteenth century, and the twentieth century. They have carefully chosen essays that provide a topical diversity within each category. Included in this volume are two brief introductory essays sketching the history of The Filson Club and The Filson Club History Quarterly.

A history of the facts and folklore surrounding this legendary American whiskey. Kentucky Bourbon: The Early Years of Whiskeymaking tells the story of bourbon’s evolution, debunking many popular myths along the way. First published more than twenty-five years ago, it looks at a variety of fascinating historical subjects, from the role of alcohol in colonial America and in the lives of frontiersmen to the importance of the Kentucky product in the Revolutionary War. Like a fine liquor, the book has aged well in its elegance and complexity. “The first [book] of its kind to carefully trace the early years of bourbon in Kentucky and to draw from extensive research of 17th and 18th century newspapers, court records, diaries and journals.” —Kentucky Alumni

Located in southeastern Jefferson County, Louisville's Fern Creek community was settled in the 1780s with land grants given by Virginia for military service. The construction of the Louisville-Bardstown Turnpike encouraged Fern Creek's growth as farmers settled the land along the route. Originally known as Stringtown for the appearance of the houses that sprang up along Bardstown Pike, Fern Creek is named after the creek that meanders through the area. Due to the abundant sources of water throughout the southeastern portion of Jefferson County, several mills operated in the area, most notably in Buechel, on Cedar Creek, and on Floyd's Fork. The erection of mills provided early settlers the means to grind corn and wheat. Originally an agricultural community of fields, orchards, and stables, Fern Creek established the Farmers and Fruit Growers Association in 1880 and the Jefferson County Fair Company, which operated at the Fern Creek Fairgrounds until 1928.

In Kentucky, the slavery debate raged for thirty years before the Civil War began. While whites in the lower South argued that slavery was good for master and slave, many white Kentuckians maintained that because of racial prejudice, public safety, and property rights, slavery was necessary but undeniably evil. Harold D. Tallant shows how this view bespoke a real ambivalence about the desirability of continuing slavery in Kentucky and permitted an active abolitionist movement in the state to exist alongside contented slaveholders. Though many Kentuckians were increasingly willing to defend slavery against northern opposition, they did not always see this defense as their first political priority. Tallant explores the way in which the disparity between Kentuckians' ideals and their actions helped make Kentucky a quintessential border state.

The story of African Americans in Kentucky is as diverse and vibrant as the state's general history. The work of more than 150 writers, The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia is an essential guide to the black experience in the Commonwealth. The encyclopedia includes biographical sketches of politicians and community leaders as well as pioneers in art, science, and industry. Kentucky's impact on the national scene is registered in an array of notable figures, such as writers William Wells Brown and bell hooks, reformers Bessie Lucas Allen and Shelby Lanier Jr., sports icons Muhammad Ali and Isaac Murphy, civil rights leaders Whitney Young Jr. and Georgia Powers, and entertainers Ernest Hogan, Helen Humes, and the Nappy Roots. Featuring entries on the individuals, events, places, organizations, movements, and institutions that have shaped the state's history since its origins, the volume also includes topical essays on the civil rights movement, Eastern Kentucky coalfields, business, education, and women. For researchers, students, and all who cherish local history, The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia is an indispensable reference that highlights the diversity of the state's culture and history.