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![Local History Index logo](/sites/default/files/database/images/Local_History_Index_logo_400_0.png)
Discover unique resources in our Digital Archives that tell the story of Fayette County. Visit cemeteries throughout Central Kentucky using our cemetery maps. Contact our resident experts in the Central Library's Kentucky Room with questions.
Lexington, Kentucky (February 1, 2024) – This February, Lexington Public Library is proud to join the nation in celebrating Black History Month, a time dedicated to honoring the achievements, contributions, and rich cultural heritage of African Americans.
The Undesign the Redline project unearths the deep and systemic history of structural racism and inequality in the United States. This interactive exhibit explores policies like Redlining, their implications for today, and what we can do to undesign them.
The exhibit was created by social impact design studio designing the WE and has been invited to dozens of cities across the country. A local advisory group has helped to produce local history and stories about Redlining in Lexington.
This program is part of Kentucky Legends, a series exploring our states culture, history, and lore.
From burgoo to barbecue mutton Kentucky has a rich and varied culinary and agricultural history. Join us for a presentation from the County Extension office on connecting to these traditions by buying, eating and preserving local Kentucky ingredients.
The Lexington Public Library’s Digital Archives provide open access to researchers and students to learn more about the rich history of Lexington and Fayette County. It contains a fraction of the Library’s physical holdings, which are housed and available for reference in the Kentucky Room at the Central Library. New material is being digitized and added constantly, so there's always something new to find.
The archives have a simple keyword search, and it is possible to browse the collections by subject, area, or decade. The Lexington Public Library actively reviews and labels materials in our archives with statements that indicate how you may reuse the images, and what sort of permission, if any, you need to do so. Please check the information for each image to determine its legal status.
This is your gateway to our most popular resources. Search for books and eBooks, access tools for research and learning, and discover our unique collection of genealogy and local history materials.
![Our Fair City Exhibit Introduction](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/ourfaircity_exhibit.jpg?h=14e9f54b&itok=_cgYm-o_)
Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s historic LGBTQ+ places. The full tour is available as a single MP3, or you can download individual tracks. For the single MP3, music will play between the stops. You can pause the track while you walk between stops.
This tour covers a walking distance of 1.6 miles.
![J. B. Cooper was the Lexington Library librarian from 1867-1882.](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/lplcooper.jpg?h=d1a08458&itok=YUPgNzSw)
![Lexington History Museum Suffrage Display, 2017](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/suffrage_image.jpg?h=15a198ac&itok=hYFc1YY7)
The Lexington History Museum began in 1999, and opened its doors in the Old Courthouse in 2003. Its purpose is to educate Fayette County about its rich history, and preserve pieces of that history for future generations.
![historic frankfort kentucky](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/group-collections/kentucky%20history%20group%202.png?h=40ea3682&itok=7wP1JO8e)
The Kentucky History collection contains Kentucky-related documents not specifically related to Fayette County.
![Fayette County History](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/group-collections/car.jpg?h=1e47220f&itok=4v4lAphp)
Fayette County, Kentucky, has changed enormously since it was created in 1792. This collection contains government documents for the city of Lexington, for Fayette County, and for the merged Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, as well as funeral notices, club directories, scrapbooks, image collections and a history of Lexington Public Library.
These tours are guided audio walking tours with a variety of topics focused on Downtown Lexington, KY. Music will play in between each stop, and the listener can pause the track while walking between stops.
Want to learn about new tours as they become available? Subscribe to our Genealogy & Local History newsletter.
Description coming soon.
![group of children in Grade 5B at Constitution School](/sites/default/files/styles/d02/public/KRDA/group-collections/community%20collection.png?h=8b99adb6&itok=E01Z-kyH)
![Kentucky History Awards Icon noting this collection received the award in 2019.](/sites/default/files/KRDA/KHS%20Award%20Badge.png)