7 landmark events that help define Lexington KY’s 250-year journey
Lexington, Kentucky’s 250-year journey bursts with moments of grit, triumph, and transformation. This list of stories outlines a city shaped by defections from the Senate chamber, hidden speakeasies during Prohibition, and thunderous cheers from Keeneland’s first race day. It celebrates groundbreaking figures like Henry Clay and John C. Breckinridge, who helped steer the nation through tremors of conflict and compromise.
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
NO. 1: WHY IS LEXINGTON’S KENTUCKY HORSE PARK CONSIDERED THE BEST OF ITS KIND IN AMERICA?
For more than 45 years, the Kentucky Horse Park has captured the beauty, history and stories of Kentucky’s finest thoroughbreds. Its exhibits and respect for the horse has garnered international attention. | Published January 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
NO. 2: MAKE A TOAST TO PROHIBITION: WHEN BOOZE STOPPED FLOWING, EXCEPT IN PARTS OF LEXINGTON
The movement to MADA (Make America Dry Again) was led by Carrie Nation, who was born in 1846 in Garrard County, Kentucky. The cause was sweeping the country, but it earned thumbs-down in Lexington. | Published January 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
NO. 3: MEET HENRY CLAY: ONE OF KENTUCKY’S MOST PROMINENT POLITICAL LEADERS
“The Greater Compromiser,” Henry Clay was born in Virginia but built a large political legacy in Kentucky. The Herald-Leader’s yearlong series of Lexington’s 250th anniversary spotlights his life. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
NO. 4: HE WAS A LOCAL POLITICIAN, US SENATOR AND YOUNGEST VP IN US HISTORY. NOPE, NOT JD VANCE
As Lexington celebrates its 250th birthday, the Herald-Leader examines prominent people, notable dates and key moments in the city’s rich history as KY’s second-largest city. | Published January 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
NO. 5: A REPORTER, AUTHOR, SCREENWRITER & ENVIRONMENTALIST: CELEBRATING A.B. ‘BUD’ GUTHRIE
The Herald-Leader’s yearlong effort to spotlight notable Lexington residents and memorable moments in the city’s 250-year history remembers A.B. “Bud” Guthrie, an Indiana native who worked in Lexington. | Published January 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
NO. 6: CROW OF EIGHT TO TEN THOUSAND EXPECTED TO SEE FIRST RACING AT NEW COURSE NEAR LEXINGTON
Keeneland, a race track constructed along lines and organized along principles drafted by men and women who look upon the racing of thoroughbred horses as the king of all sports, will throw open its gates today for its inaugural meeting of nine days. | Published March 31, 2025 | Read Full Story by Andrew Henderson
NO. 7: SEX, POLITICS AND BROKEN PROMISES GRABBED HEADLINES IN LEXINGTON IN 1893
A controversial chapter of Lexington, Kentucky’s 250-year history included a sex scandal involving a prominent local politician. | Published April 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Liz Carey
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.