Kentucky Historical Society

LIBERTY - Back Home In Kentucky publishers Jerlene Rose and William E. Matthews will be among those who will autograph "Kentucky's Civil War 1861-1865" at the Casey County Public Library at 7 p.m. tonight. The 160-page, four-color book is available in both softcover ($27.95) and hardcover ($37.95). A limited number (95) of leather-bound editions are available at $75. Perhaps the most comprehensive book yet published on the war in Kentucky, "Kentucky's Civil War 1861-1865" represents the work of 30 different authors, including four of the commonwealth's Civil War scholars.

As a fifth-grader, Dewey Pope read a book about the Bataan Death March of World War II. He learned about the torture exacted upon the soldiers and the courage those men displayed. By the end of the story, he was hooked. Years later, the Winchester native encountered the Death March again when he joined the Kentucky National Guard. "It always stuck with me," he said of his fifth-grade reading endeavor. "When I came to the Kentucky National Guard, I found out a troop in Kentucky went to Bataan.

Despite his early fascination with military history, he had yet to read a book about the Bataan Death March of World War II. He learned about the torture exacted upon the soldiers and the courage those men displayed. By the end of the story, he was hooked.Years later, Winchester native Dewey Pope encountered the Death March again when he joined the Kentucky National Guard. "It always stuck with me," Pope said of his fifth-grade reading endeavor. "When I came to the Kentucky National Guard, I found out a troop in Kentucky went to Bataan.

FRANKFORT -- Sen. Ed Worley, (D-Richmond), is co-sponsoring legislation to establish a Kentucky commission to plan events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (1861-1865). Senate Bill 129, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Tuesday, would create the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission under the umbrella of the Kentucky Historical Society. "It is important that we educate those who do not realize our state's significance in this historic era and recognize our ancestors for their roles in the war and aftermath," said Worley.

PERRYVILLE - Perryville will kick off the award-winning Central Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trail, a week-long Civil War event July 18 that involves 10 historic sites. The Perryville portion, which will include an informal reception to start the festivities, will focus on speakers, living history and battlefield tours. "We're fortunate to have excellent speakers attending this event," said Stuart Sanders, Civil War history specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society and chairman of the trail planning committee.

FRANKFORT - I dropped by the Kentucky History Center last Tuesday to pay a visit to Annie Denny, a Mercer County woman who was a day shy of retiring after 29 years as a tour guide. She led tours there, at the Old State Capitol building and at other facilities operated by the Kentucky Historical Society. When I told the folks at the information desk who I wanted to see, Denny's co-workers turned into a fan club. "We love Annie," said Mary Ann Stevens, a greeter. "She has so much knowledge about Kentucky's past.

The Kentucky Historical Society will dedicate a replacement historical highway marker 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ephraim McDowell House. Sponsored by Ephraim McDowell Health and Kentucky Historical Society, the marker will honor Ephraim McDowell, a physician who often is referred to as the "father of modern surgery. " On Dec. 25, 1809, McDowell performed the first successful abdominal operation in his home. During the surgery, McDowell removed a 22-pound ovarian cyst from Jane Todd Crawford.

FRANKFORT - A Kentucky Historical Society project and a joint project of KHS and the Kentucky National Guard recently received Leadership in History Awards from the American Association for State and Local History. "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" and "Bataan: The Harrodsburg Tankers - A Time for Courage - A Time for Heroes" received Awards of Merit from AASLH. "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" consists of four interpretive components that explore the importance of Kentucky and Kentuckians throughout Abraham Lincoln's life, and place the state's bicentennial commemoration in historical context.

FRANKFORT - Kentucky's 16th president and native son will be the focus of "A Day with Lincoln," scheduled for Nov. 15 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. This event is held in conjunction with the 27th annual Kentucky Book Fair and will feature presentations by authors as well as a noon luncheon with guest James L. Swanson, author of "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. " The schedule of events includes: 9:15 a.m., presentation by Jane Gentry, Joe Survant, Richard Taylor and Frederick Smock regarding Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky.

McDowell House Museum recently received a Kentucky Oral History Commission Project Grant through the Oral History Commission of the Kentucky Historical Society. This grant exists to facilitate oral history interviews so that knowledge does not pass away over time. McDowell House Museum applied for this grant to preserve the unique history of the house. The grant will allow the house to continue a tradition of oral history preservation. Carol Senn, executive director, conducted a series of interviews in the 1980s.