On June 2, 1814, Shaker Village became official after nine years in development with New Lebanon, NY . In 1805, they set out from NY to Kentucky. By 1823, 491 Shakers lived at Pleasant Hill and owned approximately 4,500 acres.
On June 2, 1865, the Army of the Trans-Mississippi agreed to surrender terms ; the last significant Confederate Army to lay down, marking one of several landmark actions ending the Civil War. Fifty-four days earlier, Lee surrendered in Wilmer McLean’s parlor.
Thursday, June 2, 1887, Hanover defeated Oneko, by 30 lengths, in the 4th Belmont Stakes going the 1 ½ miles on a heavy track in 2:43 ½ and earned $2,900. Born on Runnymeade Farm in Paris, Oneko was the last stallion to be the leading sire in North America for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler achieved the feat in 1965.
Tuesday, June 2, 1896, Hastings, with Harry Griffin up, won the 30th Belmont Stakes over three others by a neck. August Belmont’s connections won the $3,025 purse. The 1 3/8 mile went in 2:24 1/5 on a good track. Hastings skipped the May 6 Derby and the June 6 Preakness.
Wednesday, June 2, 1909, Joe Madden won the 43rd Belmont Stakes over four others and earned $23,550 . The 1 3/8 miles went in 2:21 3/5. Joe Madden skipped the May 3 Derby and the May 12 Preakness.
June 2, 1910, Kentucky dedicated the 4th permanent and current capitol building in a grand ceremony led by Governor Augustus Willson, the 36th governor. The Capitol houses the executive suite on the 1st floor, supreme court on the 2nd floor, and the House and Senate chambers on the 3rd floor. The final cost was $1.82 million some of which the federal government provided for Civil War damages and the 1898 Spanish American War. They made no plans for parking because popular opinion said automobiles were a fad.
June 2, 1933, Burkesville native William Marrion Branham reported 14 converts . His followers believed miraculous signs accompanied his ministry.
June 2, 1945, Darby Dieppe won the Blue Grass Stakes held at Churchill Downs. DD placed 3rd in the June 9 Derby.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Wes Unseld , born in 1946.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Steven Carl Raible , born in 1954. Steven announced the radio play-by-play for the Seattle Seahawks and anchored for KIRO 7-TV in Seattle, Washington, until his retirement. He played for the Seahawks for six seasons.
On June 2, 1960, two off-duty Lexington policemen received fines for beating a man at a local softball game . The officer who hit the victim received a two-week pay fine ($168.50), and the officer who held him paid a one-week fine ($76.30). They agreed to work for free and went back immediately.
On June 2, 1965, a senate banking subcommittee approved a bill that excluded bank mergers from anti-trust laws. Meanwhile, Louisville’s Chief of Detectives Major Bob Gregory stated, “Robbing banks, once a profession of the highly-skilled, has fallen into the hands of bumbling armatures, even housewives are doing it.”
June 2, 1974, a large crowd gathered on Louisville’s Riverfront Plaza for the 2nd annual U.S. Bluegrass Music Festival .
June 2, 1975, the Kentucky State Racing Commission refused summer racing dates to the Commonwealth Race Course in Louisville for the 1st time since it opened in 1956. The commission split the dates between Churchill Downs and Ellis Park.
On Wednesday, June 2, 1982, Keeneland sale graduates Golden Fleece and Touching Wood ran 1st and 2nd in the Epsom Derby.
June 2, 1983, Air Canada Flight 797, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, caught fire during a flight over Kentucky ; 23 of 46 passengers died from smoke inhalation even after the crew successfully landed the aircraft in Northern Kentucky.
June 2, 1989, Rick Pitino became UK’s 19th head basketball coach .
On June 2, 1992, federal authorities indicted Louisville native Douglas Phillips, known as the “Houdini of Credit Card Fraud ,” one of Kentucky’s finest scam artists. Phillips conned Proctor & Gamble’s CEO out of $11,400 while in a Kansas prison. Mr. Arztz, P&G’s CEO, earned $1.4 million in 1991. In 2020 their CEO earned $22.9 million.
June 2, 2002, in a stark shift for the Bush administration, the U.S. sent a climate report to the United Nations detailing specific and far-reaching effects claiming global warming would inflict on the American environment. Later in the evening, Buckingham Palace caught fire on the night of a planned celebration for QEII’s 50th year on the throne. Eric Clapton, who announced he would stop touring for his pregnant girlfriend, entertained the Queen.
June 2, 2005, Deputy Sheriff Roger Dale Lynch, Livingston County Sheriff’s Department , died from a gunshot after responding to a domestic violence call.
On June 2, 2009, 145 GOP conservative lawmakers wrote a letter to Mitch M. stating that if he didn’t fight Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor with all his might and tools, he should resign. The F.B.I. had an ongoing investigation into the originator of the letter, Manuel Miranda, for hacking DNC computers.
On June 2, 2014, Washington, D.C. made a historic call to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. At the time, Kentucky received 90% of its electricity from coal. As a result, Kentucky claimed the top spot for top C02 emission rates, followed by WY, WVA, and IN.
June 2, 2016, for the 53rd time, the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame accepted a new class. The 2016 rooster included: Darel Carrier, Kyra Elzy, Lakeside Swim Club, Philip Haywood, Scott Davenport, Shaun Alexander, and Joel Utley.
On June 2, 2019, Paul McCartney sang to a sold-out crowd, 19,000 plus, in Rupp Arena . From Beatles to Wings, the stunning set included 37 songs delivered in a 2.5-hour concert with no intermission. In addition, The Courier-Journal spotlighted Will Jacoby’s leather shop. Made from Kentucky bison, presidents, royalty, and common folk had lined up to purchase his products.
June 2, 2020, while Kentuckians continued to protest police brutality in Lexington and Louisville , Lexington Police officers marched beside the people they protected. Also, the Louisville Police released a video showing that David McAtee shot a gun before he was shot dead. Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the video “does not answer every question.”
On June 2, 2021, Churchill Downs suspended Bob Baffert from all their racetracks for two years. The suspension started immediately and lasted through the 2023 Spring Meet, which also applied to his employees. They would later extend the ban through 2024. Meanwhile, Fayette County schools decided not to mandate the coronavirus vaccine for their students.
On Friday, June 2, 2023, Churchill Downs suspended racing operations for several weeks after 12 horses died over the past month. Seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the days before the May 6 Derby. Churchill relocated to Henderson’s Ellis Park for the remainder of the meet. “What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,” Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs.
On Sunday, June 2, 2024, the Cats Pause and Washington, D.C. did what they do best.