On October 13, 1779, the Virginia Land Commission held court at St. Asaph / Logan’s Fort to resolve proper ownership of the lands in the new territory. The commission traveled from fort to fort and awarded land to settlers who could prove their valid claims. These actions helped increase the area’s stability, and migration began to rise from the East. A healthy ’79 corn crop also helped. The Virginians would hold their last court in 1780. A History of the Daniel Boone National Forest, 1770-1970 by Robert F. Collins
On October 13, 1800, Andrew Holmes and his wife Tabitha deeded to John Brown their Frankfort ferry, which had originally belonged to James Wilkinson. The Kentucky River by William E. Ellis, pg: 81
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mary Barr Clay of Lexington , born in 1839. The elder daughter of Cassius Marcellus Clay and Mary Jane Warfield became the 1st Kentucky woman to advocate for women’s suffrage. Mary divorced in 1872 and dropped her husband’s name and took back her surname of Clay; she also changed the last names of her two youngest children.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Maysville native Governor Augustus Everett Willson , the 36th governor born in 1846. A Republican in a primarily Democratic state, Willson won the governorship on his 2nd attempt. However, due to his handling of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars and his pardoning of several individuals involved in the assassination of Democratic Governor W. Goebel, Willson drew the ire of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. As a result, he faced a hostile legislature.
October 13, 1901, the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded Paducah $35,000 to construct a new library . The library stood until December 1964 when Christmas lights caught it on fire.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Evan Settle of Crab Orchard , born in 1912. Evan played for Adolf Rupp for three seasons and scored 27 points. He also played golf and baseball for the Wildcats.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to George Samuel Hurst, born in Ponza , Bell County, in 1927. The world-acclaimed scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur enrolled in Berea College at the age of 15 and graduated with a physics degree in 1947. The following year he earned an MS degree in physics from UK and then his distinguished career spanning 40 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
On October 13, 1946, the 1st commercial flight landed at Blue Grass Field. It carried one passenger: Earl D. Wallace, an oil company executive who flew to Venezuela every six weeks. The flight cost $14.85 and took two hours and fifteen minutes to travel from Atlanta to Lexington. On the same day, two Delta and an Eastern flight stopped over. Lexington Mayor Dan Regan and Fayette County Judge W.E. Nichols greeted Earl and pilots.
October 13, 1950, Army CPL James D. Webb from Letcher County and Army PVT Henry E. Beasley from Rowan County , died in the Korean War.
October 13, 1951, Army SGT Ernest L. Coakley from Taylor County , Army SGT Corbett Nickell from Menifee County and Army PVT William J. Roberts from Lincoln County , all died fighting in the Korean War.
October 13, 1952, Army PFC Mearl L. Harp from Barren County died fighting in the Korean War.
October 13, 1962, President John F. Kennedy, campaigning for his next presidential race, spoke at the State Fairgrounds in Louisville thirteen months before his assassination . The president discussed the importance for the nation to progress in areas such as labor, education, natural resources, and area redevelopment. He encouraged his audience to elect Wilson Wyatt as governor and re-elect Frank Burke as a congressman. Wyatt lost to Governor Breathitt (D), and Burke lost to Gene Snyder (R).
President Kennedy delivered remarks to a congressional campaign rally inside Freedom Hall Coliseum at the KY Exposition Center in Louisville. Photograph by Cecil Stoughton.
October 13, 1965, Marine Corps PFC William J. Gallagher from Covington died fighting in the Vietnam War.
October 13, 1966, Army SP5 Darius E. Brown from Beattyville died fighting in the Vietnam War.
October 13, 1967, Army PFC Leonard W. Campbell from Montgomery County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
October 13, 1968, Army SP4 David L. Lockard from Louisville died fighting in the Vietnam War.
October 13, 1976, Reds 3rd baseman Pete Rose watched the races at Keeneland . Rose, relaxing before the World Series, attended the races with a high school pal, Joe Kaiser (with binoculars), and shared a box with sportscaster Tom Hammond, rear, and UK basketball player Rick Robey. The Reds had won the National League Playoff Series against Philadelphia the day before. The defending champion Reds would face the New York Yankees in the World Series, sweeping the series to become the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason.
October 13, 1979, out-of-towners and locals operated their tables at Court Days in Mt. Sterling. The annual gathering started in 1794 when the circuit judge came to town to try criminal defendants. People came from miles around to sell crops, trade horses, mules, and other farm animals, and swap goods and services. Now, it’s all about guns, knives, and much more.
October 13, 1980, from what seemed like a scene out of a Hollywood movie, prisoners traveling from LaGrange to Eddyville shot two guards and overtook their bus . One of the 13 prisoners ran into the woods, and another started driving the bus while shooting at the guard trailing them until he flipped the bus over in a fiery crash.
October 13, 1990, less than a month after Kentucky’s General Assembly Tobacco Task Force asked jailers in three counties why they banned smoking in their jails , the Kentucky Jailers Association passed a resolution stating it didn’t support such bans. That task force looked out for Kentucky tobacco farmers’ interests, a strategy they pursued aggressively.
On October 13, 1995, to celebrate Jim Beam’s 200th anniversary of its James B. Beam Distilling Co., 121 guys named Jim Beam gathered on a grassy, shaded hillside on the bourbon’s grounds. A high-powered NY public relations firm told the world they had a $100,000 inheritance for all 21-year-olds and older named Jim Beam who could be at the T. Jeremiah Beam House by 11:00 a.m. Each Jim got a check for $826.45.
October 13, 2000, police confirmed Rep. Pete Worthington, 60, one of the longest-serving members of the Kentucky House, was drunk when he crashed head-on with another driver in Mason County. The engineer died as his truck exploded; Sherri Chambers, 40, died instantly. The results read .11%, the legal limit was .08%. Worthington lived in Ewing at his death and had represented Bracken, Fleming, and Mason Counties since 1978, the 6th longest-serving House member.
October 13, 2014, as the Ebola virus ravaged West Africa and began to appear in the U.S., it was announced an Owensboro based company Bioprocessing , would produce an experimental drug ZMapp full-time, to help guard against the virus. Zmapp makes the compound from tobacco plants which act as photocopiers to mass-produce proteins.
October 13, 2018, seven went to post in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup GI at Keeneland Racecourse . Four of the entries came from across the pond. Meanwhile, down south I-75, President Trump spoke in Richmond to help another lawyer, Congressman Barr, get re-elected.
On October 13, 2020, while the governor announced 776 new positive cases , Johnson & Johnson announced they paused the large late-stage clinical trial of their experimental vaccine because of an “unexplained illness” in a volunteer. Four months later, their vaccine became available. Officials administered the 1st vaccine in December 2020.
On October 13, 2021, Sanjay Gupta visited Joe Rogan, and they talked. “Before we get to that, does it bother you that the news network you work for out and out lied? Just outright lied about me taking horse de-wormer.” Sanjay Gupta, “They shouldn’t have said that.” Joe, “Why did they do that?” Sanjay, “I don’t know.” Joe, “You didn’t ask? You’re the medical guy over there.” Sanjay, “I didn’t ask. I should have asked before coming on your podcast.” Joe, “But they did it with such glee.”
On October 13, 2023, the government finally allowed Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion , the largest video game acquisition in history. The FTC tried to stop it, but Federal courts pushed it through. Regulators worldwide feared it would hurt competition and give Microsoft — which already owns Xbox — too much power in the gaming market. The new monopoly then proceeded to cut 1,900 jobs.
By Allen F. Brewer Jr. Romanita Winner of the 1957 Monmouth Oaks. Jack Skelly Up. 
