" From the wealth of place names in Kentucky, Rennick has selected those of some 2,000 communities and post offices. These places are usually the largest, the best known, or the most important as well as those with unusual or inherently interesting names. Including perhaps one-fourth of all such places known in the state, the names were chosen as a representative sample among Kentucky's counties and sections. Kentucky Place Names offers a fascinating mosaic of information on families, events, politics, and local lore in the state. It will interest all Kentuckians as well as the growing number of scholars of American place names.

" Of course you'll find Paradise in Kentucky, but it's only one of the many unusual place names in the Commonwealth. Meeting these names for the first time, visitors and residents alike assume that some clever or funny stories lie behind them. So they ask, how did Elkhorn Creek get its name? Were the roads to Red River really Hell each way? Did bugs really tussle in Monroe County? Why was everyone whooping for Larry? To be hospitable and helpful, Kentuckians have come up with convincing—if not always truthful—answers to these and other questions about how places got their names. Some of these stories were clearly not intended to be believed, though a few of them have been anyway. From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow presents some of the classic accounts of Kentucky's oddest place names. Complete with map, index, and humorous drawings by Linda Boileau, this handy guide is a delight.

A guide to the historical coal towns of the Big Sandy River Valley that provides brief histories of each town, descriptions of the buildings and structures that remain, and insight into the town's residents.

Originally published in 1992 in conjunction with Kentucky's bicentennial observations and designed for use in the high school classroom, Our Kentucky remains one of the most concise, well-written introductions to the Bluegrass State. While the focus is on history, specialists in other fields contribute chapters that provide a comprehensive description of Kentucky's people and their past, present, and future. This expanded edition brings the scholarship up to date, ensuring the book's continued availability for students and general readers. State historian James C. Klotter, together with a teachers' advisory group, has gathered nineteen authorities on the Commonwealth, each of whom has written a section in his or her area of expertise. The topics range widely, from architecture to women's rights, from Native Americans to Kentucky's future—and much in between. Well-respected authors from various disciplines—including geography, history, literature, religion, journalism, education, and political science—have crafted concise and stimulating chapters that help explain the state's past, present, and future. Designed for use in the Kentucky Studies high school elective course, the book has been praised for covering so many aspects of Kentucky life and for bringing together such a wide array of writers. A special feature is the inclusion of seventeen award-winning essays written by high school students. These brief "sidebars" demonstrate the level of work that can be done by today's young Kentuckians. The combination of essays by students, chapters by experts, and a generous selection of photographs and original documents results in a book that will inform and delight all Kentucky readers.

Tracing Kentucky's unusual history through its early days as the rough-and-tumble frontier and its settling down and growing up in dozens of directions, "Only in Old Kentucky" offers a series of novel and fascinating stories of bygone days from Cadiz to Versailles. Kentucky's saltpeter reserves take a backseat to coal mining today but played a critical role in the military engagements of yesteryear. Devil John Wright morphed from a Civil War soldier to a circus performer to a legend. Dueling so shaped the early commonwealth that to this day, officials must take an oath promising to refrain from doing so. Join historian and professor Marshall Myers as he tracks down Kentucky's hidden oddities and curiosities, reviving and celebrating the most bizarre and captivating stories Kentucky history has to offer.