On March 13, 1751, Christopher Gist met two men and obtained a jaw tooth weighing over four pounds , other teeth, several rib bones 11 feet long, a skull bone six feet across the forehead, and several teeth he called horns over five feet long. The sellers found the items in 1744 at Salt Lick (Big Bone).
March 13, 1775, “monday I set out from prince Wm to travel to Caintuck on tuesday Night our Company all got together at W. prises on Rapedan which was Abraham banks Philip Drake Eanoch Smith Robert Whitledge & myself three abrams Dogs leg got broke by Drakes Dog…” From William Calk’s diary who traveled with Judge Richard Henderson. The Kentucky by Thomas D. Clark pg: 46
On March 13, 1878, Frankfort split the Agriculture & Mechanical (A&M) College of Kentucky from Kentucky University (Transylvania). Lexington gave the new A&M college 52 acres of a city park. The school then rented facilities at Ashland Estate and Woodlawns while construction began on temporary facilities. The president’s home, White Hall, and the Administration Building opened in 1882. The Squires Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.
March 13, 1886, Perryville native Elizabeth Madox Roberts passed away . The novelist and poet is known for her stories set in central Kentucky’s Washington County. She authored The Time of Man (1926), “My Heart and My Flesh ,” The Great Meadow (1930), and A Buried Treasure (1931).
March 13, 1897, Officer Henry Layne of the Hopkinsville Police Department died by a drunk man. Officer Layne had told the man to stop gambling and go home, but the man suddenly pulled out a gun and shot him. Two other officers at the scene killed the suspect.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Corbin native George McAfee , born in 1918. McAfee won three NFL Championships and was elected into the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames. As of 2018, he still held the NFL record for punt return average in a career.
On March 13, 1921, Woodford County lynched Richard James , a black male, for murder, in one of the last documented lynchings in Kentucky.
Saturday, March 13, 1926, St. Xavier High School defeated Danville 26-13 for its 1st “Boys’ Scholastic Basketball Championship ” and received a regulation-size silver basketball mounted on an ebony base. In addition, Danville received the runners-up silver basketball, and all players received gold and silver basketball charms. Previously in the day, Maysville defeated Henderson 23-16 for the girls’ title . The girls received the same prizes as the men, provided by UK and the Kentucky High School Association.
March 13, 1936, Mr. & Mrs. Terrance celebrated 75 years of marriage at their home in the Threlkel community of Butler County. He was 99, and she was 93. They got hitched in Edmonson County. The Confederates captured Hiram Terrance as he served in the 12th Kentucky Calvary during the Civil War during the Battle of Philadelphia, TN. He spent ten months as POW on Belle Island in the James River near Richmond, VA.
March 13, 1945, Bandana native Morris E. Crain died in WWII when a house defended by his men came under intense German attack. He ordered the men to withdraw while he held the position alone. The Germans set the house on fire, and Morris never made it out. For this, he received the Medal of Honor. Bandana resides in Ballard County.
March 13, 1950, the General Assembly amended earlier acts establishing licensing fees for theaters to include “open-air or drive-in theaters.” This reflected Kentuckians’ greater prosperity and mobility after World War II.
March 13, 1951, Army SGT Wilbur C. McCarthy from Daviess County died in the Korean War.
March 13, 1959, Louisville hosted Kentucky in McGaw Memorial Hall and won 76-61. Coach Peck Hickman beat Coach Rupp’s team, who finished the season at #2.
March 13, 1963, Muhammad Ali (18-0) fought Doug Jones (21-3-1) in Madison Square Garden . The fight sold out, the 1st sellout in the Garden since Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Louis in 1951. Jones hurt Ali early and often and staggered him in the 1st round. By the middle rounds Ali realized he was in a real fight, and started to use his powerful jab. While the ringside judges gave Ali a narrow victory, the crowd thought Jones had won and booed the winner unmercifully in the what Ring Magazine called the Fight of the Year for 1963.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Murray native Leigh-Allyn Baker, born in 1972. She gained fame for her recurring role as Ellen on Will & Grace .
On March 13, 1981, after pleas from Clay City residents , the only county doctor changed his mind about resigning. Instead, he requested and received resignations from three board members who oversaw his work.
March 13, 1988, Coach Sutton and his regular-season champs defeated Georgia 62-57 to win their 17th SEC tournament title . However, as part of NCAA sanctions imposed upon the program in 1989, the SEC schools’ presidents voted to strip them of both titles. Rex Chapman received MVP honors.
March 13, 1992, the Kentucky House easily passed Governor B. Jones’ plan to set up off-track betting parlors and use some of the profits to reward horse breeders. The criticism was using taxpayer money to guarantee purse money promises.
March 13, 1999, Ballard schocked Scott County 71-47 for the 81st KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Championship. Around 19,465 people attended the game in Rupp Arena.
March 13, 2000, Rep. Fred Nesier blamed illegal Hispanic immigrants for spreading disease in Kentucky and draining the local food banks. He made the statement because he wanted officials to enforce federal immigration laws. Lancaster Rep. Napier reminded Rep. Neiser his family migrated to the U.S. just years ago.
On March 13, 2003, Nathan Cole, an ex-Tates Creek student from Lexington, came home as a special guest to play with the Lexington Philharmonic at the Singletary Center. The violin protégé lived in the windy city and played 2nd chair for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
On March 13, 2006, in a $6.5 billion deal, newspaper publisher Knight Ridder (KR), the parent company of the Lexington Herald-Leader , agreed to be purchased by a competitor half its size. The McClatchy Company owned 12 newspapers and only kept 20 of the KR papers.
March 13, 2009, Coach Gillispie’s Cats lost to LSU 58-67 in the 2nd round in the SEC tournament . As a result, the Cat’s streak of 17 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances ended. Kentucky lost to Notre Dame in the quarter-finals of the NIT Tournament.
On March 13, 2015, retired Fayette Circuit Court Judge Armand Angelucci passed over . The judge lost his son Joseph Angelucci, a Fayette County Deputy Sheriff, in the line of duty. Judge Angelucci, the horse, placed 3rd in the Breeders’ Cup Classic behind Alysheba and Ferdinand.
March 13, 2018, Patrolman Scotty Hamilton, Pikeville Police Department , died from a gunshot at approximately 11:30 pm as he and a Kentucky State Police trooper conducted a criminal patrol on Hurricane Road in the Hurricane Creek area of Pike County.
March 13, 2019, Kentucky lawmakers approved a tax bill that cut revenue (taxes) by $105 million , largely for banks, as the state struggled to find money to pay down its $37 billion debt.
March 13, 2022, as the Wildcat basketball team lost in the SEC semi-finals to Tennessee , the Kentucky Wildcat Rifle team won its 4th NCAA team championship, making it two in a row and four overall. The Rifle team won in 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2022, all under Coach Harry Mullins.
On March 13, 2023, many Kentuckians couldn’t find their ADHD drugs. The overprescribed medication is a national tragedy.
