May 11, 1785, Lexington trustees held their 1st meeting of the year and issued deeds for “Inn Lots” to Evan Francis, Simon West, Casper Carsner, and Percival Butler. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr. pg: 19
Wednesday, May 11, 1825, The Marquis de Lafayette, the namesake of Fayette County, reached Louisville from Nashville after a steamboat accident. George Washington Lafayette, his son, accompanied him. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr. pg: 34
On May 11, 1847, Henry Clay gave Abraham Lincoln the book The Life And Speeches Of Henry Clay Vol. 1. The inscription on the flyleaf read: “To Abraham Lincoln: With constant regard to friendship H. Clay Ashland.” The book contained the life and speeches of Henry Clay, who revered his influence on the young native Kentuckian.
On May 11, 1871, Robert Fox won a lawsuit in the U.S. district court in Louisville against the Central Passenger Railroad Company for denying him access to its streetcars. He filed in federal court because state courts did not allow black testimony. The monetary award was small, $15, but it represented a huge symbolic victory for Louisville’s Black community. The day of the ruling and the next day, Louisville witnessed intense and violent demonstrations on their streetcars, clogging the streets and wreaking havoc on the city’s public transportation system. It all culminated with the beating of a black youth, Carey Duncan, who refused to leave a streetcar.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Natlee (Owen County) native Rear Admiral Willis Augustus “Ching” Lee Jr. , born in 1888 in Owen County. A skilled sport shooter, Willis won seven medals in the 1920 Olympics shooting events, including five gold medals.
Wednesday, May 11, 1892, Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton rode Azra to victory in the 18th Kentucky Derby in a three-horse field. Fifteen-year-old Lonnie became the youngest jockey ever to win the Derby. The duo also won the Clark Handicap and Travers Stakes later in the year. The mile and a half went 2:41 ½ on a heavy track to win $4,230 for owner Bashford Manor and trainer John H. Morris.
May 11, 1902, Deputy Sheriff Jesse Mitchell, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office , died from a gunshot aboard an excursion steamer on the Green River near Spottsville.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Minerva (Mason County) native Stanley Forman Reed and Winifred Elgin , who wed in 1908. Winifred graduated from Lexington’s Campbell-Hagerman College. The new couple moved to New York City and Reed continued his law studies at Columbia University for a year.
On May 11, 1914, Gulnare (Pike County) native John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo died . John attracted corporate interest in Eastern Kentucky’s coal deposits, which led to the development of commercial coal mining in the region. His “broad form deed” changed the coal mining game in the early 1900s.
On May 11, 1924, Louisville’s National Better Homes Week convention showcased an “electrical home.”
May 11, 1929, Isaac W. Bernheim established Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest and created a foundation to manage it. He envisioned “A sanctuary for birds…trees labeled carefully and protected…a natural park with a profusion of things that gladden the soul and please the sight…where the people of Kentucky and their friends may enjoy the values of forest and field.”
May 11, 1935, Kentucky bred Omaha won the 60th Preakness for the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown.
On May 11, 1938, Simmie Colton died of tuberculosis, “Big Tit Lil’s” son, one of Belle Brezing’s best girls on the hill before she decided to clean houses. Again, someone got to Belle’s big heart, and she took Simmie in at the last stages of his life. Madame Belle Brezing by Buddy Thompson pg: 131.
May 11, 1940, Colonel Edward R. Bradley’s Bimelech won the Preakness and wore the Black-Eyed Susans floral blanket for the 1st time.
May 11, 1950, Patrolman Clarence Lee Meenach, Russell Police Department , died from a gunshot with his own service weapon while processing a prisoner.
May 11, 1953, Lexington native David “Davey” S. Moore made his professional debut, age 19 , beating Willie Reece by a decision in six rounds. He boxed eight times in 1953, with a total record of six wins, one loss, and one no contest.
On May 10, 1955, a bill to provide a “whopping” $31,488,206,000 for the nation’s defense came before the House. The administration’s military manpower cuts loomed as the main point of controversy. President Eisenhower wanted to rely more on nuclear and air power than manpower; however, he got everything else he asked for.
On May 11, 1959, Sue Bennett College, in its 62nd year, inaugurated Earl F. Hayes, 41, the 6th President of the London (Laurel County) private institution of higher learning.
On Saturday, May 11, 1980, Cratis Dearl Williams, 74, a well-known Appalachian folklorist, ballad collector, singer, linguist, professor, scholar, and college administrator, died one day before he was to receive his fifth honorary degree. He rose from humble beginnings in the Caines Creek community of Big Sandy Valley in Lawrence County to become a specialist in the region’s culture and win the sobriquet “Mr. Appalachia.”
May 11, 1992, in a year that saw two sheriffs and a deputy slain in the line of duty, law enforcement officers from across the state gathered in Frankfort for the 15th annual Kentucky’s Peace Officer’s Memorial Service .
On May 11, 2004, Ashland native Lynndie England claimed in an interview that she had been “instructed by persons in higher ranks” to commit acts of abuse as a form of psychological operations, and that she should keep doing it, because it worked as intended. England noted that she felt “weird” when a commanding officer asked her to do such things as “stand there, give the thumbs up, and smile.”
May 11, 2013, the largest archery tournament ended in Louisville , according to the Guinness World Records . The National Archery Schools Program had 9,426 participants.
May 11, 2019, authorities pulled airline pilot Christian “Kit” Martin off a jet at the Louisville airport just before takeoff . He murdered three people in Christian County in 2015 in two different locations. In 2021, he received three life sentences without a chance of parole. The case attracted national attention.
On Monday, May 11, 2020, a Richmond daycare center sued a Wisconsin insurance company for $400,000 after they denied an insurance claim, for business interruption, during the coronavirus pandemic. Governor A. Beshear ordered all daycare operators centers to close on May 20. The governor in his daily update, “We’ll get past this; we’ll get to the vaccine stage. Our battle and our war is still going on.”
May 11, 2021, Bob Baffert began his campaign to attempt to clear his name when he called a press conference and explained an “ointment” rubbed in on Derby day caused Medina’s Spirit drug overage.
On May 11, 2022, 36-year-old Attorney General (AG) Daniel Cameron from Elizabethtown (Hardin County) filed papers to run for governor. The first Black AG, whom Mitch and Donald supported, faced a crowded primary against career politician, Ryan Quarles, and billionaire Kelly Craft. After a loss to the governor in 2023, Daniel is prepping for a Senate run in 2026 and has raised the most money to date.
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. officially ended the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration that began in March 2020. Shutting the economy down and printing $6 trillion in 12 months solidified today’s inflation and moved the dollar closer to collapse.
On Saturday, May 2024, Sayre High School, Lexington’s school for families with extra cash, won an impressive two girls state titles in three years in Lacrosse. They crushed Bowling Green 14-3 in the finals. Title game MVP, Anna Mullikin, led six Spartan scorers with four goals, three in the first half. In 2023, Sayre lost in double OT to the Lexington Catholics.