Greenup County, located in northeast Kentucky, lies approximately halfway between Ashland, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio. It is a land of wooded hills and clear, fast-moving streams that empty into the Ohio River, which forms the county’s northern border. The land surface ranges from rich [...]
In “The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, And The Kidnap That Shaped America,” Matthew Pearl explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of the daughter of the legendary pioneer Daniel Boone and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation. On [...]
The wisest man I ever knew—we called him Zayde, born 1903, Minsk, Belarus—once told me a story of a man on a train going from coast to coast. The train had no dining car. One stop was planned at a half-way point. There at [...]
Fewer words in the English language are more glibly uttered and more misunderstood than the word “history.” American history rests squarely upon a local base. Thomas Jefferson theorized that what happens at the local level of society is more important to the individual than [...]
In some parts of America, the “intellectual leaders” fancy themselves much too deep to be understood by everyday folks like you and me. Not so in Appalachia! Our intellectual leaders have been kind, loving, accessible men and women who represent, with their own lives, [...]
The Appalachian Trail is America’s most beloved trek, with millions of hikers setting foot on it every year. Yet few are aware of the fascinating backstory of the dreamers and builders who explored it, defined it, and captured national attention by hiking it. This [...]
Before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a network of hundreds of safe houses, churches, and farms throughout the North and South that served as way stations on the road to freedom for tens of thousands of runaway slaves. Fugitive slaves risked their [...]
Lots of folks have been sick this winter. If you have a friend or loved one recovering from illness or surgery, Jesse Stuart’s “The Year of My Rebirth” would be a helpful gift. Stuart’s message in this well-known book is that no person can [...]
Jesse Stuart’s Bluetick Pig is now available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle. The JSF first released Bluetick Pig, the ninth book in Jesse Stuart’s junior book series, in 2019. The book is edited by JSF Board member Cathy Roberts and features delightful illustrations [...]
Loretta Lynn’s death on October 4, 2022, was a painful loss for eastern Kentuckians and country music fans nationwide. Known as “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she was born April 14, 1935, at Butcher Holler, Johnson County, Kentucky, to Melvin and Clara Butcher Webb. Named [...]
