History Archives

An early Christmas parade aimed to chase away some hard economic times

by Jennifer P. Brown
November 29, 2019

Prosperity had Depression on the run, at least in spirit, when the Chamber of Commerce organized Hopkinsville's first big Christmas parade.

Bethel closed more than 50 years ago but one of its buildings is still prominent on downtown landscape

by Jennifer P. Brown
November 21, 2019

Baptist churches in the region established an organization to create the private girls school in 1854. The main campus was on West 15th Street between Main and Canton streets.

Electrician, tinkerer created Hopkinsville’s first Christmas tree lights in color

by Jennifer P. Brown
November 14, 2019

Thomas Jefferson Baugh, who became an electrician after working for a phone company, put the colored lights on the city's tree at Peace Park.

Kentucky’s 51st governor was a young lawyer from Hopkinsville

by Jennifer P. Brown
November 7, 2019

In the 1963 Democratic primary, Edward Thompson "Ned" Breathitt Jr. defeated a former governor, A.B. “Happy” Chandler, for his party’s nomination. Then he beat the Republican nominee by approximately 13,000 votes.

Hopkinsville’s first public school opened in 1842

by Julia Hunter
October 31, 2019

The first public school in Hopkinsville operated from 1842 to 1844 out of a log cabin.

Mill Springs battlefield worthy of National Monument status

by Stuart Sanders
October 25, 2019

On Jan. 19, 1862, Confederate troops marched northward from the Cumberland River to attack advancing Union troops. Fought west of Somerset in the fog and rain, Mill Springs became a battle marked by confusion.

Hoptown nickname dates back to 1800s

by Julia Hunter
October 24, 2019

The use of "Hoptown" — Hopkinsville's longtime nickname — dates back to the late 19th Century.

Ted Poston’s short stories grew from regaling friends of life in Hopkinsville

by Jennifer P. Brown
October 17, 2019

The collection features fictionalized accounts of Poston's childhood, growing up in the 1910s in segregated Hopkinsville. The author and his buddies play the heroes, often outwitting the white community, but also their black elders.

3 Anvirdale streets on the National Register of Historic Places

by Jennifer P. Brown
October 3, 2019

The three streets that comprise most of the Anvirdale Historic District — Mooreland Drive, Latham Avenue and Alumni Avenue — are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Faith led Hal and Bettye Thurmond to be civil rights leaders

by Jennifer P. Brown
September 26, 2019

An oral history tells the story of Hal and Bettye Thurmond and how the Catholic faith led them to be civil rights leaders in Hopkinsville.

FBI historian will give Sid Easley lecture Sept. 24 at Murray State

by Constance Alexander
September 18, 2019

Douglas Charles will present the third annual Sid Easley Lecture in the Curris Center Ballroom on the Murray State University campus at 7 p.m. The presentation, entitled “The FBI in Time and Place, Then & Now,” is free and open to the public.

History on Tap will serve up a Christian County feud story Sept. 19 at brewery

by Jennifer P. Brown
September 10, 2019

History teacher Brett Pritchett will relate the story of the feud between the Dukes and the Bones.