On October 19, 1775, Mary Ingles and an old Dutch woman decided to escape from Big Bone and the Native Americans who captured them.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Madison County native Cassius Marcellus Clay, born in 1810, “The Lion of White Hall.”
October 19, 1818, Kentucky gained 2,000 square miles with the Jackson Purchase. The agents included the U.S. and the Chickasaw Nation. The aging Isaac Shelby and Gen. Andrew Jackson represented the U.S. Levi and George Colbert, Chinubby (the Boy King), and Tishomingo represented the Chickasaws. The purchase included eight Western Kentucky counties.
On October 19, 1826, the Kentucky Association held its 1st race at the Williams Race Track in Lexington. The three-day meet had to suffice until the Association bought land for a new racecourse.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Cobb native Dr. David Amoss, born in Caldwell County in 1857. The tobacco farmer helped his peers break free from the Duke Tobacco monopoly.
October 19, 1901, Kentucky State College (UK) beat Georgetown’s 2nd string team 17-0 in Georgetown. In his second and final season, Coach William H. Kiler went 2–6–1 record with a mark of 0–2 against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) opponents.
October 19, 1920, Isham Talbot became Kentucky’s 6th Class Three U.S. Senator. The seat sat empty for six months.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Jimtown native Georgia Davis Powers, born in 1923. Ms. Powers served 21 years as a state senator in the Kentucky Senate. In 1967, she became the 1st person of color and the 1st woman elected to the Senate. During her term, she advocated for blacks, women, children, low-income, and disabled people.
October 19, 1951, Air Force SSGT N. Brandon from Princeton in Caldwell County, Army CPL Denver King from Letcher County and Army PFC Franklin H. Watts from Mercer County, all died fighting in the Korean War.
October 19, 1952, Army PVT Ronald D. Jacobs from Bracken County died fighting in the Korean War.
On October 19, 1973, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney testified before the Watergate Grand Jury, investigating contributions to President Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign. The day’s testimony focused on wealthy Kentucky GOP donors.
October 19, 1974, Kentucky defeated LSU 20-13 in Lexington. Curci’s team went 6-5 and did not go bowling.
October 19, 1980, Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan arrived at Standiford Field and later rode the Belle of Louisville with campaign workers and school children. Today, the airport is named the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
October 19, 1990, Governor W. Wilkerson barred new landfills in Kentucky temporarily. He also capped the amount of waste so the state wouldn’t be a “dumping ground” for out-of-state trash. He did this to ensure that legislators would pass new landfills laws.
October 19, 1997, in a move described as unprecedented, the state pushed ahead with plans for a new Bullitt County Courthouse, even though county officials, while not opposed to the idea, never formally voted for the $6.4 million project.
October 19, 2000, the Kentucky State Data Center announced that Lexington would pass Louisville as the state’s largest city if Louisville did not approve the Louisville-Jefferson County measure. From 1990 to 2000, Louisville’s population declined to 253,128, losing 16,710 while Lexington-Fayette Urban County grew by 18,149, to 243,785. Based on the trend, Lexington would become the largest city by 2001.
On October 19, 2019, Warren Rosenthal died. He built the iconic restaurants Jerry’s and Long John Silver’s. The CEO of Jerrico enjoyed a family of white thoroughbreds that lived on his Patchen Wilkes Farm, across the street from Hamburg Farm in Lexington.
On October 19, 2020, the governor alarmed the public when he claimed the cold weather would make the virus spread more as people gathered inside. He also reported that hospitalization for the virus was at an all-time high. Thirty-five percent of Kentucky hospital beds and 29% of ICU beds were available on this date.
On October 19, 2022, in celebration of all the recreational opportunities the Bluegrass State, Kentucky tourism designated a new Kentucky Trail Town – Burkesville. Located in southern Cumberland County, north of the state line with Tennessee, Burkesville is the state’s 26th trail town.
On October 19, 2023, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced plans to petition the state legislature for $250 million to improve public safety, develop affordable housing, and launch his universal preschool plan. Greenberg targeted $22.5 million for his pet project, the Community Care Campus, to provide medical services and temporary housing for the Louisville homeless.
Kentucky Sunrise