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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

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December 30, 1819, Kentucky created Todd County from Christian County and Logan County and named it in honor of John Todd, a military colonel killed at the Battle of Blue Licks.  Elkton is the county seat.  Other cities and towns include Guthrie, Trenton, Fairview, Allensville, Allegre, Claymour, Daysville, Clifty, Hadensville, Kirkmansville, Pea Ridge, Penicktown, Pinchem, Sharon Grove, Tabernacle, Tiny Town, Tress Shop, and Tyewhoppety.  The 64th county created, Todd County, covers 376 square miles.

KY 1819
640px Map of Kentucky highlighting Todd County.svg
By David Benbennick

December 30, 1862, LaRue County hosted the Civil War Battle of New Haven.

December 30, 1891, the Kentucky General Assembly began what ultimately became the longest session of the legislature in Kentucky history.  Legislators adjourned on August 16, 1892 but Governor John Y. Brown questioned the constitutionality of numerous bills passed, so he called the legislators back to Frankfort on August 25 to revise their work.  From December 3, 1892 to January 2, 1893 for the holidays, the session continued until a sine die adjournment on July 3, 1893.  The session amounted to 18 months and four days, depleting the state treasury.

December 30, 1901, the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded Shelbyville $10,000 for a new library.

1083px Graves at the library 1
By Nyttend

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Dry Ridge native Mary Penick commonly known as Skeeter Davis, born in 1931.  In 1973, the Grand Ole Opry banned her for making a “political speech” complaining about the recent arrests of members of a conservative Christian group.  Only the week before, Roy Acuff made an onstage plea to reinstate the death penalty after the murder of Kentuckian Stringbean, which was just as much a political statement as Skeeter’s yet received no fallout.  Skeeter returned to the Opry in 1975, but her career and the hits had stopped.

December 30, 1938, Hollywood released the major motion picture Kentucky, a Romeo and Juliet story set amidst the Kentucky horseracing community, in which a family feud continued from the Civil War days.

December 30, 1945, Town Marshal Grover George Owens, Brodhead Police Department, died after being retaliated against for arresting a subject for drunkenness the night before.  The prisoner had threatened to kill Marshal Owens after his arrest.  Released from jail the following morning, he and three of his brothers shot him at a service station in Brodhead.

December 30, 1952, Army SGT James A. Carroll from Henderson and 1stLT Air Force David T. Heer from Louisville, died in the Korean War.

December 30, 1953, Kentucky’s top officials proposed the State Health Department require annual vaccinations against rabies for all dogs in the Commonwealth.  The bill also required a dog pound and dog catcher for each city with a population of over 10,000.

December 30, 1953, “Pete” Widener III, former owner of Elmendorf Farm, became the Fayette County Police Chief.  The shy 28-year-old sold a majority of Elmendorf but kept 400 acres when his father passed.  He also owned a 7,500-acre ranch in Florida.  Besides his new duties, he remained a Director of Keeneland and Hialeah Race Tracks.

December 30, 1959, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring Ephraim McDowell on the 150th anniversary of the 1st successful operation to remove an ovarian tumor and to celebrate the founding father of abdominal surgery.

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By U.S. Post Office Designed by Charles R. Chickering

December 30, 1964, Paducah’s 1st public library, the Carnegie Library, caught fire due to faulty Christmas lighting.

December 30, 1967, Army SP4 Terry W. Holmes from Baxter in Harlan County died in the Vietnam War.

December 30, 1969, Army PFC Robert L. Rose from Vanceburg in Harlan County died in the Vietnam War.

December 30, 1969, Detective James Riley Ratliff and Patrolman Donald W. Gaskin, Louisville Police Department, died from gunshots when they responded to a robbery call at a local grocery store at 2328 Osage Avenue.

December 30, 1970, at 12:20 p.m. the Hurricane Creek Coal Mines 15 & 16 of Hyden, in Leslie County, exploded, killing 38 of the 39 men underground.  The massive coal dust explosion is the deadliest coal mine disaster in Eastern Kentucky history.

December 30, 1975, Louisville antibusing sympathizers met to discuss potential strategies.  These included boycotting schools when they reopened after the Christmas holidays, a Frankfort march when the General Assembly convened, and picketing the Kentucky Derby.

December 30, 1982, Valley of the Drums received the green light to clean their 23-acre toxic waste site in northern Bullitt County.  The site’s name comes from the waste-containing drums strewn across the property since the 1960s.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analyzed the property and creek in 1979, finding high levels of heavy metal and over 140 other chemical substances.  The site motivated Congress to pass the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act or Superfund Act of 1980.

December 30, 1984, many lawsuits finally ended concerning Kentucky’s famous oil field in Burkesville, known as God’s Land or the Hippie Lease.  A group of oil men named the wells after the owner, an artist, who deeded the land to God.

December 30, 1984, Police Officer Anthony E. Jansen, Newport Police Department, was accidentally shot and killed by another officer while investigating a suspicious person in the 700 block of York Street.

December 30, 1989, #8 Denny’s Cardinals played Rick’s Cats in Lexington and easily won 86-79.  LaBradford Smith (UofL-22) and Reggie Hanson (UK-24) took high-scoring honors for their respective teams.  Sean Woods and LaBradford each received technical fouls for pushing each other.

December 30, 1992, the Mistletoe post office in Owsley County closed.  For 11 months a year, the Post Master would see about 240 letters a month.  However, they received at least 10,000 cards and letters when December rolled around.  People from all over the U.S. wanted their Christmas cards stamped with the silhouette of two youngsters kissing under a sprig of mistletoe, designed by the Post Master’s son, Wendell Couch.

Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Frankfort native Miss Elizabeth and Macho Man Randy Savage, who wed in 1984 in Frankfort.  The couple split in 1992 and Miss Elizabeth died in 2003.

Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Sara Walter and Governor B. Combs, who wed in 1998.  It was the 3rd marriage for 40-year-old Sara and 77-year-old Bert.

December 30, 2006, Jared Lorenzen made his 1st appearance on the field in a Giants uniform.  He took one snap, a quarterback sneak, to make a 1st down on a third-and-one.

December 30, 2008, Paintsville native John Pelphrey earned his biggest upset as coach of the Razorbacks by beating #4 Oklahoma in Bud Walton Arena, 96-88.

December 30, 2009, using ground penetrating radar and metal detectors, researchers found the 225-year old site of General George Rogers Clark’s Indiana mill built in 1784.

December 30, 2014, Georgia rolled over Louisville in the Belk Bowl.  DeVante Parker lived up to his billing with eight catches for 120 yards for Louisville.

December 30, 2015, MVP Lamar Jackson carried the Cardinals to a 27-21 win over the Texas Aggies in the 18th edition of the Music City Bowl in Nashville in front of 50,478 fans.  The victory made Bobby Petrino happy.

December 30, 2017, a Kentucky bred won Santa Anita’s GI $300,000 American Oaks for three-year-old fillies.

December 30, 2019, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defeated Western Michigan 23-20 in the 10th First Responder Bowl in Gerald J. Ford Stadium at Southern Methodist University in Texas.  This was the 16th meeting between the two programs and the first since 1947; Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 12–4–1.

December 30, 2019, Scott Satterfield’s Cardinals (7-5) defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6) in the 22nd edition of the Music City Bowl.  Malik Cunningham won MVP honors in the 38-28 victory.

December 30, 2020, while A.G. Daniel Cameron informed the state he requested the F.B.I. to investigate ex-Governor M. Bevin’s numerous pardons, a judge ruled Lexington could not expand the Scott County landfill where Fayette’s trash has been sent since 2015, a significant victory for locals in Georgetown who had complained of nasty odors.

December 30, 2020, Governor A. Beshear, in a written statement, “The progress we have made is fragile; we need everyone to be safe this New Year’s Eve.  Do not gather in large groups.”  Kentucky reported its 7th largest day of positive cases, 3,784 and 29 deaths.  Meanwhile, doctors sounded another alarm about a new variant in California, claiming it was more contagious than the recent variant.

Positives:  3,784 / 265,262
Deaths:  29 / 2,623 – 1st Death 3/16/20
50&over: 2,559 / 49-30: 61 / 29&under: 3

On December 30, 2021, Kentucky played the High Point University basketball team in Rupp Arena.  Orlando “Tubby” Smith coached the Panthers.  Before the game, Tubby became the 44th person honored with a retired jersey. From 1997-2007 he won seven regular seasons SEC championships, five SEC tournament titles, and one NCAA championship.

December 30, 2021, Jerry Lundergan appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider overturning his conviction for illegally funneling $200,000 to his daughter’s political campaign in 2014.  They declined, and he currently sits in an Ashland federal prison serving a short 21-month sentence.