floatingsheep: Geocoding Historic Photographs in Lexington, KY

floatingsheep: Geocoding Historic Photographs in Lexington, KY: As part of my undergraduate iWorlds class this semester, I assigned students the task of geocoding historic photographs of Lexington, KY. T...

Harriette Simpson Arnow papers to open with an exhibition and program

Photograph by Dey, Ann Arbor

Special Collections is pleased to announce the opening of the Harriette Simpson Arnow papers with an exhibition and program on November 17, 2011 at 4 pm. Arnow was the Appalachian author of The Dollmaker, Hunter's Horn, Seedtime on the Cumberland, Flowering of the Cumberland, and Old Burnside. The program will be held in the Great Hall of the Margaret I. King Building and features talks by Appalachian writer Gurney Norman and Arnow scholar, Sandy Ballard. Music will be provided by Dennis Bender and Ron Pen. A reception will follow the program. To see the full invitation, click here. For additional information about this event, contact kate.hesseldenz@uky.edu or 859-257-1742.

Kentucky's University

Historic promotional film from the University of Kentucky Archives. Film preserved and digitized by the MediaPreserve at Preservation Technologies.

Ralph Barker Richlawn Farm film

The MediaPreserve at Preservation Technologies just delivered another amazing digitized film! This is just a brief clip of the original 19 minute amateur film.

In 1879, Myron Barker, a major tobacco broker, set up residence on land that he called Richlawn Farm in Carrollton, Kentucky. He raised tobacco and operated as an independent broker until 1902 when he sold his interest to the American Tobacco Co. In the early 1900’s, after Myron’s death, the farm land was owned by Adelaide (Barker) Fisher, Myron’s daughter. She and her husband, William Fisher, built a summer home on the property. In 1918, Adelaide and William lost their house to a fire and they began a rebuilding process over the next five years. Sadly, nearly one year before the home was finished, Adelaide became ill and passed away. At that time, William Fisher sold the land along with the nearly completed home to Adelaide’s brother, Ralph M. Barker (married to Nell Long Barker), whom completed work on Highland House in 1923. Richlawn Farm was significant to citizens of Carroll County as it was a place of social events and gatherings. During holidays such as Christmas and Fourth of July, the Richlawn yard would be elaborately decorated. Ralph M. Barker owned the R.M. Tobacco Company, started the Carrollton Phone System, the Carrollton Cannery and was a prominent local businessman. In addition, he was known for his love of dogs and at one time owned 37 Great Danes.


The Ralph Barker, Richlawn Farm Film Collection, ca. 1935-1964 consists of 121 films; 47, 8mm films and 74, 16mm films. The bulk of the collection is amateur home and vacation movies in color and black and white; there are also two Castle Films News Parade reels. The amateur films document the family life of Ralph M. Barker, his friends, and family on Richlawn farm in Carrollton, Kentucky. Common scenes include: Mr. Barker and his dogs; visiting friends; scenes around the home; floods and high water; the Kentucky River and river transportation; Easter activities; Christmas scenes; farm work and activities; setting tobacco; Birthday parties; and Fourth of July celebrations.

The films also document Cincinnati Reds baseball games, Florida training sessions and other baseball games and players including: The 1939 World Series; Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh; Boston Bees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers, 1940; the Yankees and Cardinals in 1940; Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer, Don Lang, Whitey Moore (Lloyd Albert Moore), and others.

Exhibit about Librarian, Margaret I. King

In conjunction with the 80th anniversary of the King Building (dedicated in October 1931), a newly re-designed permanent exhibit about Margaret Isadora King, the University of Kentucky's first librarian and the namesake of the King Building, is now on view in the Special Collections lobby. Through photographs, artifacts, and information from King's papers housed in Special Collections, the exhibit, The Heart of the University: Margaret I. King and the Library chronicles King's career and the expansion of UK's library. King oversaw the development of the library serving as its head librarian from 1909 until her retirement in 1949. In 1948, the UK Board of Trustees named the library in her honor. UK's president at the time, Herman L. Donovan in a letter to King said, "We...often think of you and appreciate the great work you have done in building for the University a magnificent library. Your life has been spent in a good cause in making books available for students and faculty and scholars..."

UK Libraries Aquire Early Henry Clay Letter

Special Collections has recently acquired one of the earliest known letters of Henry Clay. Unpublished, it was written in Virginia, over a year before his move to Lexington in November of 1797. Dated July 16, 1796, it is addressed to Peter Tinsley, clerk of the High Court of Chancery of Virginia and was written when Clay would have been only nineteen years old. The letter, in which Clay discusses his poor health, is a revealing one. Young Clay states that he has “unwrapt his soul” and wishes to make amends for a misunderstanding in his terms of employment with Tinsley.

From his appointment with Tinsley, Clay moves on to work with Chancellor George Wythe, the teacher of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, and is granted a license to practice law in Virginia in 1797. He was soon afterwards admitted to practice in the Fayette County circuit court, taking the oath on March 20, 1798.

The UK Libraries housed the Papers of Henry Clay editorial project, which produced eleven volumes of Clay documents over a forty year period. The earliest item in the first volume dates to August 22, 1797 and is a legal paper. The first piece of correspondence in the edition dates to December 27, 1798. This new acquisition prefigures all of the printed material in the published Clay papers and sheds significant light on Clay’s precocity and his early association with an important figure in Virginia’s public life. U.K. Libraries holds one of the largest collections of Henry Clay letters, rivaled only by the Library of Congress.

Lexington Ky, on Historypin

Explore historic images of Kentucky through Historypin http://www.historypin.com/photos/#/geo:38.014,-84.484/zoom:7/date_from:1840-01-01/date_to:2001-12-31/

"Historypin is a way for millions of people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.

Everyone has history to share: whether its sitting in yellowed albums in the attic, collected in piles of crackly tapes, conserved in the 1000s of archives all over the world or passed down in memories and old stories.

Each of these pieces of history finds a home on Historypin, where everyone has the chance to see it, add to it, learn from it, debate it and use it to build up a more complete understanding of the world.

Historypin has been developed by the not-for-profit company We Are What We Do, in partnership with Google." from the Historypin site.

Here's an example from our collection

http://tinyurl.com/42hgo59

You can become a member and upload your own!

The Kentucky Game

University of Kentucky basketball and football negatives

Name the first SEC player to make the all-conference team in basketball and football?

The Kentucky Game

University of Kentucky general photographic prints, circa 1900 - 2005

What governor proposed the community college system?

The Kentucky Game

Postcard Collection, circa 1890-1990

Which city is higher in elevation Lexington or Louisville?

The Kentucky Game

What Shelby County tavern is famous for its Southern specialties?

The Kentucky Game

What were Confederate troops led by General John Hunt Morgan nicknamed?

The Kentucky Game

What Maysville singer became famous during the big band era?

Russell Theatre, 9 East Third Street, Maysville, Kentucky
Collection on Lafayette Studios

The Kentucky Game

Louisville was never the site of any Civil War battles. True of false?Nick Barton, Civil War veteran
Doris Ulmann Photographic Collection, 1915-1925

The Kentucky Game

Name the largest county in Kentucky?Goodman-Paxton Photographic Collection, 1934-1942

The Kentucky Game

What authors are noted for their guides to Kentucky plants and wildflowers?

The Kentucky Game

Who won the first Boys State High School Basketball tournament held in 1918?

The Kentucky Game

True of false, Daniel Boone died in Kentucky?

(Handwritten Note On Verso - Natural Chapel, Camp Daniel Boone, Kentucky. Y.W.C.A. Period, August 1918. No Postmark)

Postcard Collection, circa 1890-1990

The Kentucky Game

Iroquois Hunt Club is located in what county?

Blessing of the Hounds (Iroquois Hunt Club) Collection on Lafayette Studios

The Kentucky Game

The capital of Nevada is named for what early Kentucky scout?

(The postcard image above depicts Reno, not the capital of Nevada - James Edwin Ed Weddle Photographic Collection 1948-1981 )

The Kentucky Game

Goodman-Paxton Photographic Collection, 1934-1942

What three Northern Kentucky counties make up one of the most populated areas of the state?

The Kentucky Game

Collection on Lafayette Studios

What color is bourbon before it is aged?

The Kentucky Game

Wealthy industrialist T. Colman duPont donated the land for what Kentucky State Park?

The Kentucky Game

What famous general did Don Carlos Buell save at Shiloh?

The Kentucky Game

What Kentucky horse breeder and business left an estate of almost $15 million when he died in 1914?

The Kentucky Game

Shropshire Collection, 1947-1959

In what direction is a horse race run, clockwise or counterclockwise?

The Kentucky Game

Where was the first federal narcotics sanitarium located?

The Kentucky Game

University of Kentucky Postcard Collection,
circa 1890-1990

Who founded the first permanent settlement in Kentucky?

The Kentucky Game

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889); President of Confederate States of America

Mt. Sterling Library Association Photographic Collection, 1861-1880

Who opposed his daughter Sarah's marriage to Jefferson Davis?

The Kentucky Game

Recently we came across a group of cards each containing five questions about Kentucky history called the Kentucky Game. We thought it would be fun to post a question a day and give the answer the following day. Let's see how you do...

What Famous food critic lent his name to a line of food products?

Who Am I?

Can you help us identify this man?

Pictured above, Claude Sullivan - holding the WVLK microphone - is interviewing this mystery man, circa 1948-1952.

Big Blue Sports Archive

In celebration of the University of Kentucky's appearance in the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament, we are uploading the video created to raise awareness for the Big Blue Sports Archive initiative. Celebrate the tradition of Kentucky basketball.

Go Cats!

Did You Know?

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, "Improvements in transportation, communication, and photography made people naturally curious about other places."

Furthermore, "people had readily consumed photographers' images of distant lands, so when the amateurs were able to shoot their own images, they were more than ready.

The smiling faces of family members in front of scenic locations or landmarks became trademarks for the budding amateur. And as these landmarks became well known, more people visited them and they became tourist destinations. The more destinations there were, the more they photographed and included in the family album."

For further reading please see, "The Appraisal of Amateur Photography" by Deirdre A. Scaggs

Civil War Exhibit and Event

Did You Know?

Women's basketball was organized as a sport before men's basketball at the
State College (University of Kentucky).


Women's basketball team, Kentucky State College, 1903
http://name.kdl.kyvl.org/KUKUARP-2001UA025-0157

In 1902 the program was established for women and men's basketball followed in 1903.

Highlights from the Collection

The Mikada (play) "This is the picture of the play I was in - maybe you can get a better idea of what it was like by this." circa 1924
Ida Kenney Risque Harper scrapbook, 1921-1925

The Ida Kenney Risque Harper scrapbook, 1921-1925 includes items related to Harper's student life at the University of Kentucky during the years 1921-1925. It includes dance invitations and dance cards, theatre programs, some correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Many of the items relate to Ida Kenney Risque Harper's involvement in the Lambda Alpha chapter of Chi Omega Women's Fraternity. Of note, there are several citations from the Woman's Self Government Association indicating rules that Harper had broken. The photographs predominantly consist of plays during the 1920s.

Frank L. McVey and the University of Kentucky: A Progressive President and the Modernization of a Southern University

http://kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=2602