Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Logan County native James Bowie, born in 1796. According to his older brother John, this was James’s birthdate.
March 10, 1810, Judge John Boyle, became the 5th Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice.
March 10, 1856, the General Assembly approved an “Act to incorporate the city of Paducah.” Paducah was no longer an incorporated town, but a city! The Act included elections for mayors, judges, city attorneys, wharfmasters, and a city council. It was now okay for the city to pave the sidewalks and roads.
March 10, 1864, Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, high on the Kentucky River Palisades, began to draft Blacks for the Civil War. What unfolded over the next ten months was one of the most extraordinary events in the entire Civil War. Around 57% of all age military black men in Kentucky joined the Army, the highest percentage of all states. More than 500 U.S. Colored Troops mustered into service during June 1864, and a record 1,370 new troops enlisted at the camp in July. Approximately 10,000 African Americans received emancipation from slavery in exchange for service in the Union army.
March 10, 1869, Kentucky created Menifee County from Powell County, Wolfe County, Bath County, Morgan County, and Montgomery County and named it in honor of Richard H. Menefee, a Kentucky U.S. Congressman. The county seat is Frenchburg. Other localities include Denniston, Korea, Mariba, Means, Pomeroyton, Scranton, Sudith, and Wellington. The 114th county created, Menifee County, covers 206 square miles.
By David BenbennickMarch 10, 1870, Kentucky created Martin County from Lawrence County, Floyd County, Pike County, and Johnson County and named it for John P. Martin, Kentucky U.S. Congressman. The county seat is Inez. Other localities include Beauty, Job, Lovely, Laura, Pilgrim, Tomahawk, and Warfield. The 116th county created, Martin County, covers 231 square miles.
By David BenbennickOn Saturday night, March 10, 1923, the Manual Boys and the West Louisville Girls won the State High School Championship on UK’s campus. The university turned away hundreds after 2,000 fans packed every inch of the gym. The Fall City boys defeated the Clark Countians 41-17, and the Crescent City girls lost 8-5. Of the five state tournaments, three went to Lexington and two to Manual.
On March 10, 1924, the Starks Realty Company of Louisville announced they were constructing the largest office building in the south. The 16-story structure would hold 1,000 offices. The work had begun despite the bad weather.
March 10, 1925, Deputy Sheriff Enos Murphy, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, died while going to the assistance of another deputy and the Madisonville Police Chief, who were involved in a shootout with two suspects.
March 10, 1926, Chief of Police Bart Rowe, Elkhorn City Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day when a drunk man selling moonshine shot him in Elkhorn City.
March 10, 1933, Deputy Sheriff Theopolis Madden, Knott County Sheriff’s Office, died while confronting a drunk man. Earlier in the evening, other county officers told the murderer to leave town and go home.
On Monday, March 10, 1940, the General Assembly opened a four-day session. They would adjourn sine die on Thursday. Legislators named the session “Pet Bills” for certain Assembly members who stood by the Keen Johnson administration. Over two-thirds of the 830 bills died.
Friday, March 10, 1950, Ms. Smith, president of the Lexington Education Association chapter, urged all her members to attend the legislative sessions in Frankfort. The teachers had participated in the night sessions since January. The turnout exceeded expectations.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Columbia native William Lance Burton, born in 1960. Lance performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people as a magician. In 2010, he ended his 31-year show in Sin City.
March 10, 1968, Army PFC Walter E. Anderson, Jr. from Lexington died in the Vietnam War.
March 10, 1969, Marine Corps PFC Buford Hardy from Richmond and Army CPL John W. Hill, Jr. from Louisville, both died in the Vietnam War.
March 10, 1973, as President R. Nixon sought to bring back the death penalty, a federal court ruled that coal operators could ignore the U.S. Bureau of Mines regulations and the millions in fines assessed to the companies. Meanwhile, the violent standoff at Wounded Knee in the Sioux territory of South Dakota ended.
March 10, 1976, the CDC made the difficult decision to delay a vaccine because of a lack of outbreaks for an unusual swine-type influenza. The Center reported only five individuals tested positive.
March 10, 1989, Kentucky basketball finished the year with a 13-19 record, its 1st losing mark in 61 seasons.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Grace Victoria Cox, born in 1995. The television actress is known best for her role as Melanie Cross on CBS’s Under the Dome. She then starred in Starz’s Now Apocalypse and Netflix’s The Society. In 2019, she acted in the biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
March 10, 1997, Deputy Sheriff Gregory Hans, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, died by a gunshot at the scene of a domestic dispute.
March 10, 2005, President George W. Bush spoke at the University of Louisville to promote his idea of overhauling Social Security by letting citizens invest their own money in the stock market if they wanted to. What could go wrong?
March 10, 2013, Madison Central defeated Ballard High School by one point to win the KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 Basketball Championship in Rupp Arena in front of 17,315 fans.
March 10, 2018, a Keeneland graduate won Santa Anita’s GII $400,690 San Felipe Stakes for three-year-olds.
Sunday, March 10, 2019, Trinity High School won the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament in Rupp Arena 50-40 over Scott County.
On March 10, 2020, Madison County’s Berea College announced the coronavirus shut them down. Governor A. Beshear wanted all nursing homes to ban visitors except loved ones receiving end-of-life care. Meanwhile, N.Y. City Health Commissioner stated, “We don’t recommend using masks.” The Italian government put the entire country on lockdown after the elderly died at an alarming rate.
March 10, 2023, federal regulators shut down the 16th largest bank in the U.S., Silicon Valley Bank. More than 550 banks shut down between 2001 and the start of 2023. However, this was noteworthy because it came at a time when many feared a recession. It was also the largest bank to fail since Washington Mutual closed its doors amid the financial crisis 2008.
