History Archives

Round Table Literary Park, tucked into a grove of trees at Hopkinsville Community College, dates to 1974

by Jennifer P. Brown
April 16, 2020

The park features a replica of King Arthur’s sword in a large stone, a Round Table surrounded by 24 stone seats and a Graeco-Roman amphitheater with a sculpture of Melpomene.

Fewer than 200 people lived in Hopkinsville at the start of the 19th century

by Jennifer P. Brown
April 9, 2020

The city has seen varying degrees of growth with each decennial census. The 1950s marked Hopkinsville's largest population jump.

City’s old clock tower heralds a hopeful message in our modern crisis

by Jennifer P. Brown
April 7, 2020

Gov. Andy Beshear has asked Kentuckians to display green lights as a symbol of compassion and renewal.

Hopkinsville’s official city seal includes a nod to the Pennyroyal plant

by Jennifer P. Brown
April 2, 2020

The plant has a fragrance similar to spearmint. In certain quanities, the plant's extract is toxic.

Hopkinsville took big steps in 1895 toward modern conveniences

by Jennifer P. Brown
March 26, 2020

Also that year, the Kentucky Press Association met for a convention in Hopkinsville's Hotel Latham.

County historian joins church bell-ringing from his farm, recalls historic milestones marked by bells

by Jennifer P. Brown
March 22, 2020

The governor asked churches across the state to simultaneously ring their bells. This is the first Sunday churches are not able to have in-person worship because of the coronavirus.

Susan B. Anthony spoke in 1879 to a Hopkinsville audience that overwhelmingly did not support women’s suffrage

by Jennifer P. Brown
March 20, 2020

The South Kentuckian newspaper reported on Anthony's speech and stated local men "don't want the woman dabbling in politics ..."

Gant Gaither, an artist and Hollywood and Broadway producer, grew up in Hopkinsville

by Jennifer P. Brown
March 13, 2020

The son of a local surgeon, he graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 1935. Working in New York after World War II, he became friends with Grace Kelly.

Clairvoyant Edgar Cayce invented a game that has been sold for more than a century

by Jennifer P. Brown
March 5, 2020

In Cayce's game, the players act as traders battling for commodities such as sugar, wheat and coffee.

Civil rights attorney Louis McHenry’s teenage daughter Gail was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 28, 2020

Gail McHenry was 19 years old when she served as the youngest delegate at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Ebony magazine carried a three-page story about her that fall.

Philip C. Brooks Sr. built Hopkinsville’s only hospital for Black patients during segregation

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 20, 2020

Dr. Phillip C. Brooks Sr. was a graduate of Attucks High School. He built the hospital in his hometown during World War II.

Local man’s UBS cemetery research is enhancing Hopkinsville’s Black history archive

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 14, 2020

The Union Benevolent Society established the cemetery for African Americans shortly after the Civil War.