August 26, 1828, the Commonwealth swore in Thomas Metcalfe as the 10th governor . Joseph Desha, the outgoing governor, disliked Metcalfe so much he didn’t leave the residence till September 2. He believed that Metcalfe, a stonemason, was not governor material. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 2 by Kentucky Historical Society; pg: 15
August 26, 1895, Washington County lynched Harrison Lewis , a black male, for murder.
August 26, 1921, Chief of Police James Melvin, Paintsville Police Department , and a Federal Prohibition Agent J. H. Reynolds died while searching for an illegal still in Johnson County. A group of five suspects opened fire on the officers.
August 26, 1924, Patrolman Melvin Gregory, Harlan County Police Department , died in an ambush while speaking with a boy in Harlan. They sentenced the murderer to life, however, Governor William J. Fields pardoned him in 1927 after the judge in the case said he thought the suspect was innocent.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Hopkinsville native Jerry David Claiborne , born in 1928. UK’s 31st football coach led Kentucky to a national academic title by winning the 1989 CFA Academic Achievement Award for having the highest graduation rate.
August 26, 1935, Governor R. Laffoon pardoned 239 men from the Eddyville Penitentiary with convictions ranging from chicken stealing to murder. The governor freed the men on the condition they go home “and live sober, decent lives.”
August 26, 1937, Deputy Constable Gus Johnson, Floyd County Constable’s Office , died from a gunshot while arresting a man firing his gun in the road.
August 26, 1946, Miss Madonna Smith of Jenkins got word she would represent Kentucky in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City . The Kentucky State Fair crowned the original winner two nights earlier, a 17-year-old high school senior. Miss America contestants had to be 18 years old.
August 26, 1950, Army SGT William F. Ward from Mason County died in the Korean War.
August 26, 1953, women who brazenly expose their forms “to the gaze of the public” by wearing shorts are “straight on the road to hell” and are “ruining the morale of the people,” a delegation of 30 church members told the Winchester City Commissioners.
On August 26, 1963, Lexington Police near Harrodsburg killed a gunman who kidnapped seven persons after a 100-mile chase. Those abducted included a law officer, a married couple, and their four children. The chase started in Campbell County.
August 26, 1970, Army SP4 Curtis Estridge from Hoskinston in Leslie County died in the Vietnam War.
August 26, 1975, the Postal Rate Commission overruled an administrative judge and allowed a 1st class postage rate hike from 10 cents to 13 cents.
August 26, 1980, while almost 700 students waited for dorm rooms at UK , KSU hosted the 33rd annual State NCAAP convention. Kentucky called it the worse housing shortage in eight years and KSU needed some good PR.
August 26, 1985, Governor Martha L. Collins gave John Henry a rub on the nose when he arrived at Lexington’s Airport. The two-time Eclipse Horse of the Year came home to Lexington for his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park. John Henry won a Grade I at nine, the oldest to achieve the feat. He lived in the Horse Park for 22 years.
August 26, 1990, Kentucky’s NCAAP called on former Governor L. Nunn to resign as Chairman of the Kentucky State University Board of Regents as the battle between Nunn and the School’s president continued.
August 26, 1995, an estimated 10,250 fans, a Thoroughbred Bowl record, turned out to watch Leslie County High School star Tim Couch play in Lexington for the 1st time . He lived up to all the hype beating Highlands 44-42 in the 11th annual Thoroughbred Bowl Game at Tates Creek High School. Couch, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior, connected on 17 of 30 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He also carried the ball 22 times for 112 yards and ran for three touchdowns.
August 26, 2000, a Keeneland graduate superfecta won the $1,000,000 GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The $2 superfecta paid $4,043. Carl Nafzger won his 1st of two. The Kentucky bred won by a head.
August 26, 2002, UK started with the highest number of freshmen in the school’s 127 year history with 3,600, 800 more than last year.
August 26, 2006, the Kentucky bred won Saratoga’s GI $1,000,000 Travers Stakes going away. The $2.00 exacta paid $5.00.
On August 26, 2009, Breckinridge County High School’s head football coach took 20 players on a field trip to his church, where nearly half got baptized . One child participated without his parents’ knowledge, which didn’t go over well.
August 26, 2011, dignitaries, including Governor S. Beshear, dedicated a memorial for the 49 victims of the Comair 5191 , five years after the tragedy. The ceremony took place at UK’s Arboretum.
August 26, 2015, Air Force CAPT Matthew D. Roland, 27, of Lexington , died in Afghanistan, fighting in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
On August 26, 2017, NYRA sponsored the $1,250,000 GI Travers Stakes , and pulled an impressive field, including the three different winners of the Triple Crown races. The Keeneland graduate $2 exacta paid $357.00.
On August 26, 2020, as Kentucky school districts began virtual learning, Governor A. Beshear continued to alarm the public over the number of positive cases (696) and proclaimed that August positives had already surpassed July’s totals. However, he added that positive tests were the lowest in four weeks. It all seemed confusing. Lastly, the governor rejected the CDC’s new testing guidelines and urged people to get tested often.
On August 26, 2023, a Kentucky bred won the GI $1,250,000 Travers Stakes. Living up to its billing as the North American track to thwart champion race horses, Saratoga this year did not allow Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure, nor the race’s own favorite Forte to snake into the top three. The $1 exacta aid $36.25