Portal:Kentucky

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The Kentucky Portal

Kentucky (US: /kənˈtʌki/ ^ⓘ, UK: /kɛn-/), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, and Missouri to the west. Its northern border is defined by the Ohio River. Its capital is Frankfort and its most populous city is Louisville. As of 2024, the state's population was approximately 4.6 million.

Previously a part of Virginia, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792. It is known as the "Bluegrass State" in reference to Kentucky bluegrass, a species of grass introduced by European settlers, which has long supported the state's thoroughbred horse industry.

The fertile soil in the central and western parts of the state led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and North Carolina, which utilized slave labor prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eighth in beef cattle production, and fourteenth in corn production. While Kentucky has been a long-standing center for the tobacco industry, its economy has diversified into non-agricultural sectors including auto manufacturing, energy production, and medicine. Kentucky ranks fourth among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. It is one of several states considered part of the Upland South. (Full article...)

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Flemon Davis "Flem" Sampson (January 23, 1875 – May 25, 1967) was the 42nd governor of Kentucky, serving from 1927 to 1931. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1894 and opened a law practice in Barbourville, Kentucky. He formed a political alliance with future Representatives Caleb Powers and John Robsion, both prominent Republicans in the eastern part of the state. By 1916, he was serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals (the state's highest court at the time) and had previously served as a county judge and circuit court judge. In 1923, he was elevated to chief justice of the Court of Appeals. He served until 1927, when he became the Republican gubernatorial nominee.

The Democrats nominated former governor and senator J. C. W. Beckham to challenge Sampson. The primary issue in the campaign was whether to outlaw parimutuel betting at the state's racetracks. Beckham favored the ban, and Sampson opposed it. A political machine, known as the Jockey Club, backed Sampson, and several key Democrats bolted the party after Beckham's nomination. Sampson won the governorship by over 32,000 votes, but every other Republican on the ticket lost by small majorities. The results suggested that some careful vote fraud had been coordinated to ensure Beckham's defeat, but none was ever proved. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Kentucky-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1High Bridge over the Kentucky River was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877. (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 2Mississippian culture pottery from the Wickliffe Mounds site in western Kentucky, including a human effigy pot. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 3Map of the polity centered at the Angel Mounds site. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 4Biggs Site, also known as the Portsmouth Earthworks Group D, an Adena culture archaeological site located Greenup County (from History of Kentucky)
Image 5Buell's Army arrives in Louisville September 25, 1862; a week later Buell led 60,000 troops to fight at the Battle of Perryville. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 6The Hatfield clan in 1897 (from History of Kentucky)
Image 7Mount Horeb Site 1, an Adena culture causewayed ring ditch and timber circle located in Fayette County (from History of Kentucky)
Image 8Students at a high school in Wheelwright, Kentucky, September 1946. In the center is George Fain, a World War II veteran completing his final year. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 9The Native American Crab Orchard culture existed in western Kentucky and southern Indiana from c. 200 BCE to 500 CE. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 10Map of Kentucky published in 1784 with John Filson's The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (from History of Kentucky)
Image 11A column of M3 half-tracks and infantry awaiting orders during exercises at Fort Knox, June 1942 (from History of Kentucky)
Image 12Battle of Point Pleasant (from History of Kentucky)
Image 13Strike supporters and militia soldiers outside the Newport steel mills, December 1921 (from History of Kentucky)
Image 14Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap by George Caleb Bingham (from History of Kentucky)
Image 15An 1800 Low's Encyclopaedia map of Kentucky and surrounding region did not include southwestern Kentucky and West Tennessee, which were held by the Chickasaw until 1818. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 16Map of the Iroquois expansion during the Beaver Wars, 1638–1711 (from History of Kentucky)
Image 17A barge hauling coal in the Louisville and Portland Canal, the only manmade section of the Ohio River (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 18James Pierce Barton's Kentucky Landscape (1832) (from History of Kentucky)
Image 19At 464 miles (747 km) long, Kentucky Route 80 is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of Somerset. (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 20Artist's conception of Annis Mound and Village, a Mississippian site in Butler County, c. 1250–1300 CE (from History of Kentucky)
Image 21Old Louisville is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States. (from Culture of Kentucky)

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... that in the wake of a hazing scandal, Western Kentucky University placed their swimming and diving programs on a five-year suspension?
... that after becoming "convinced of the evils of slavery", James Townsend left Kentucky for Indiana?
... that John White shot himself after it was discovered that he had plagiarized a speech by Aaron Burr?
... that a Kentucky TV station gained industry attention after it criticized the overuse of the term "breaking news"?
... that the 1935 Kentucky State Thorobreds won a black college football national championship with "Tarzan" playing quarterback?
... that Spencer Cobb was a Kentucky senator for three and a half hours?

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Kentucky by county

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See List of cities in Kentucky for a full list.

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