August 24, 1799, angry men sawed off Micajah Big Harpe’s head and stuck it on a pole in Henderson after a posse finally tracked him and his brother down. Ten individuals had died before Big, and Little Harpe’s killing spree came to Kentucky. The men shot Big Harpe off his horse while Little Harpe fled. The Harp brothers killed Moses Stegall’s family in Kentucky, however, the family got revenge – by slowly sawing off Big Harpe’s head. Before dying, Harpe confessed to at least 20 murders. As a warning, locals stuck Big Harpe’s head on a pole at an intersection in Henderson, later called Harpe’s Head. The brothers’ brutal deeds permanently stained the American frontier as America’s 1st known serial killers.
August 24, 1812, Governor Isaac Shelby retook the oath of office to become Kentucky’s 5th governor. Because the U.S. declared war on Great Britain in June of 1812, Shelby decided to enter the race less than a month before the election. They mocked Shelby because of his age (he was almost 62), calling him “Old Daddy Shelby,” however he won by more than 17,000 votes.
August 24, 1824, Joseph Desha became the 9th Kentucky governor while his political rival, Henry Clay, presided over the U.S. House in his 1st term as speaker.
On August 24, 1862, Cassius M. Clay just arrived from Washington, D.C., and persuaded General Lew Wallace, Union Commander in Central Kentucky, to give him two remaining regiments and artillery to fortify the Kentucky River palisades between Richmond and Lexington. The Battle of Richmond started within days. General Wallace later wrote Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880), called “the most influential Christian book of the 19th century.” Old Kentucky Almanac , #4 1997; pg 45
August 24, 1916, Deputy Constable Joel Martin Wright, Letcher County Constable’s Office , succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained 20 days earlier. A young girl shot him while he arrested her father on a warrant.
August 24, 1918, Irvin S. Cobb published his article “ Young Black Joe ,“ in The Saturday Evening Post. The article highlighted the discipline and courage displayed by African American soldiers fighting in World War I. It reached a national audience of more than two million readers, and was widely reprinted in the Black press along with his book The Glory of the Coming .
August 24, 1925, Mount Morgan native Win Ballou made his MLB debut for the Washington Senators.
August 24, 1931, Maysville native Augustus Everett Willson, our 36th governor passed away and is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.
August 24, 1950, Air Force MAJ Meade M. Brown from Louisville died in the Korean War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native, Chris Offutt , born in 1958. He is known for his short stories and novels, but has also published three memoirs and multiple nonfiction articles.
August 24, 1965, Marine Corps LCPL Donald D. Hansen from Burgin in Mercer County died in the Vietnam War.
August 24, 1968, Army PFC Billy Smith from Edmonton in Metcalfe County died in the Vietnam War.
August 24, 1969, Army SGT Dennis L. Henry from Bellevue from Campbell County , Army SP5 Larry Shea from Eminence in Henry County , and Army CW3 Bobby L. Tarter from Brownsville died in the Vietnam War.
Sunday, August 24, 1970, at least five major discount chains, Almart, Arlans, CSC, Tops, and Zayre, opened despite a temporary injunction ordering them not to sell most items. The chain stores challenged Kentucky’s 169-year-old law that allowed stores only to sell “items of necessity” on Sunday.
August 24, 1982, click to see teacher Meredith Slone surveyed his 18 pupils at Daniels Creek School in Banner (Floyd County .” The school, which began its 59th year the day before, was one of only three one-room schools in Kentucky.
August 24, 1996, Kentucky bred Will’s Way, who did not run in any of the Triple Crown races, won the $789,000, 127th Travers Stakes by less than a length over the Derby winner (Louis Quatorze), Belmont winner (Grindstone), and Skip Away. The Keeneland graduate $2 exacta paid $53.00.
August 24, 1997, the Belle of Louisville partially sank while docked . A former employee sabotaged the vessel by opening a valve.
August 24, 2002, a Kentucky bred and the favorite won the 133rd Travers Stakes for a $600,000 purse. Tom Durkin provided the call in which another Keeneland graduate exacta came in, paying $12.00 for a $2.00 ticket.
On August 24, 2006, Governor E. Fletcher and Greg Stumbo announced an agreement. The governor acknowledged that evidence “strongly indicated wrongdoing by his administration” but he did not admit any wrongdoing personally. Fletcher also acknowledged that Stumbo’s prosecution of the case “was a necessary and proper exercise of his constitutional duty” and ensured that abuses of the merit system would end. In addition to dropping the charges against Fletcher, Stumbo conceded that any violations by Fletcher’s administration were “without malice.”
On August 24, 2007, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart gave Mojo, a patas monkey, to the Louisville Zoo after it became too aggressive to keep as a pet.
August 24, 2013, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate won Saratoga’s GI $1,000,000 Travers Stakes . D. Wayne Lukas won for a 3rd time. Lukas called an audible during the week and chose the 21-year-old Luis Saez over Junior Alvarado. “I took a chance on an up-and-coming rider. You look terrible if it doesn’t work, but it’s sweet if it does.” The $2.00 exacta paid $313.00.
August 24, 2016, Humana and Aetna got mad at federal regulators and vented through their media partners. Both greedy healthcare corporations wanted to merge to make more money off their sick customers. The government said the merger would stifle competition and raise drug prices.
August 24, 2017, Louisville officials said they would spend thousands of dollars to remove paint from the John. B. Castleman statue in Cherokee Circle. Louisville and Lexington prepped for flash demonstrations on both sides of the issues near other historical monuments. Conquer and divide works every time.
August 24, 2019, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate won the GI $1,250,000 Travers Stakes. The $1 exacta paid $18.50.
August 24, 2020, Governor A. Beshear announced 373 new positive coronavirus cases and four new deaths . The governor also created a $15 million fund to help renters and decided not to overturn the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s decision to allow high school sports to move forward. Later that night, Kentucky’s AG Daniel Cameron spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
On August 24, 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated, “ In order for the U.S. to reach herd immunity against coronavirus, those who are unvaccinated will need to get inoculated . We can get herd immunity really easily if we get everybody vaccinated.
