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Walking Tour
Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s African American Heritage Sites. 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 1.7 miles.
The music clips used in this tour are from “Walking Barefoot on Grass” by Kai Engel, and are used with a CCBY license. It is available here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/
Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Lexington’s African American Heritage Sites. 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.
The Luna Library, a program of Believing in Forever, collects and distributes children's books with an African American history or Black character focus. It is an alternative for African American parents looking for books that provide context and knowledge to understand the stories of the African American experience in this country for their children. Believing in Forever is a champion of diversity and inclusion, and the positive impact books have on children of all races.
Mariam interviews Ruth Gaylord about her life and work as Lexington Public Library’s first African American librarian.
Mariam interviews Reinette Jones, founder of the Notable Kentucky African Americans database. They discuss Kentucky’s Centenarian Librarians, the boxer David Moore, and the prison shoe-making industry. Visit the NKAA at http://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/
The True American was an anti-slavery newspaper started by Cassius Marcellus Clay in June 1845. He ran the paper in Lexington until August of 1845, when he published an article deemed so incendiary that a court injunction was issued against his printing, and his press shipped to Cincinnati. An advocate of the right to a free press, and his right of free speech, Clay continued printing the paper through 1847 in Cincinnati. The paper was distributed in Lexington. While focused on advancing the cause of emancipation, Clay also published poetry, agriculture, labor, and commercial news. There are also marriage and death notices from the surrounding area, some national.
Cassius Marcellus Clay was a fiery figure in Kentucky history. He often fought in duels and in street fights, generally in response to arguments against his emancipationist views. Later in life, he often had shootouts with the Madison County Sheriff at his home, Whitehall.
After the publication of his incendiary editorial (August 12, 1845, page 3 columns 1-4), he is said to have armed his printing shop with two brass cannons and myriad other weapons to fend off any attacks. The committee charged with removing his press did so while Clay was incapacitated with a fever, avoiding what surely would have been a deadly counterattack from Clay. In the March 18, 1846 paper, Clay addresses the attack, and continues his fiery rhetoric, finally offering a discount to non-slaveholders in slave states.
Clay is featured in an episode of the Library’s podcast "Tales from the Kentucky Room", which is linked below.
The Library only has a short run of The True American. It has been digitized from the microfilm, which can be accessed in the Kentucky Room. Several issues have significant mildew damage, so in some cases the OCR quality may be poor, though the print itself is still legible.
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Download eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more – free with your library card.
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Wonderful podcasts and walking tours have been created by our staff. Please enjoy!
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.
St. Paul Catholic Church is one of the oldest existing churches in Lexington. The records for the parish go back to 1854. The ledgers are part of the church's historical archive, and contain unique records for Lexington's history. Bishop Stowe, the bishop of the Lexington diocese, has given permission for ledger records 100+ years old to be made public.
Mariam and David discuss Charles Dickens’ visit to Kentucky in 1842, with readings by Bill Widener from Dickens’ work “American Notes.”
Are you just starting your family tree, or have you run into a brick wall tracing a distant ancestor? Join us to share tips and learn new research strategies. All levels of experience are welcome!
The Publications Collection contains runs of historical Kentucky newspapers, almanacs, and magazines.
The Materials Selection Policy was initially adopted February 25, 1987 by the Lexington Public Library Board of Trustees and was revised March 24, 1993. The Materials Selection Policy was updated and renamed the Collection Development Policy which was approved by the Board on January 14, 2009. The Board of Trustees assumes full responsibility for all legal actions which may result from the implementation of any policies stated herein.
Mariam interviews David Bryant about the life and work of Lexington-born African American composer Julia Perry (1924-1979).
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Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
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Discuss Cathy Park Hong's National Bestseller, Minor Feelings, An Asian American Reckoning, part memoir, part cultural criticism, which exposes fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America.
Join us for a discussion of Cathy Park Hong's National Bestseller, Minor Feelings, An Asian American Reckoning, part memoir, part cultural criticism, which exposes fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Please pick up a copy at any branch location to join in the discussion!
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Beaumont Branch
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Books, Writing & Authors
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Adults
Location Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9:30am-7:00pm
Friday: 9:30am-6:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am-5:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Location Mailing Address
1733 Russell Cave Road
Lexington, KY 40505
Mariam interviews Trevor Claiborn, co-founder of Black Soil: Our Better Nature, about the organization and the history of African American farmers in Kentucky. Trevor also performs as “Farmer Brown tha MC” to attract young people to farming.
Mariam shares the history of Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law, and Lexington’s second African American attorney, J. Alexander Chiles, who took the fight to the US Supreme court multiple times in the 1890s and early 1900s.
J.P. Johnson guest hosts to celebrate the life of Dolly Johnson Dandridge (1852-1918), a Kentucky native who was the White House Chef for President Benjamin Harrison, and later a much sought-after chef after her return to Lexington, Kentucky in 1894.
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.
Brenna Pye guest hosts to celebrate the life of Dr. Mary E. Britton (1855-1925), a passionate advocate for equality, her charitable works, and her professional accomplishments in teaching and medicine.
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Find out what's happening at our locations. Browse upcoming events and discover our dedicated learning spaces. Reserve a meeting room. Explore our galleries and special collections.
Mariam and David discuss Lafayette's 1825 visit to Lexington as we approach the 200th anniversary in 2024-2025.
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Drop in and assemble a paper Fortune Cat in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. All materials provided. While supplies last.
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Beaumont Branch
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Arts, Crafting & Hobbies
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Adults
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Drop in and assemble a paper Fortune Cat in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. All materials provided. While supplies last.
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Beaumont Branch
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Arts, Crafting & Hobbies
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Adults
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The title selected for May 7 is "Banyan Moon" by Thao Thai.
Follows three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch, revealing the family's inherited burdens, buried secrets and unlikely love stories.
The daytime book discussion group at Beaumont meets two Tuesday mornings a month, except around the holidays. Titles selected for reading include fiction as well as non-fiction, and are usually supplied by the library. The reading schedule is subject to change due to availability of titles. For more information please contact the library at (859) 231-5500 and press 3 to reach the Beaumont Branch.
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Beaumont Branch
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Books, Writing & Authors
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Adults
Lexington Public Library Donations Received January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
Jamie tells an abridged history of Russell’s Cave, Fayette County’s largest cave.
Mariam interviews Tom Eblen about the history and personalities surrounding Lexington’s Newspapers.
Mariam interviews Doug Tattershall, author of Belle Brezing: American Magdalene, about his book. They discuss Belle Brezing’s early life, her years as the nationally known brothel owner, and the generally unknown final years of her life in seclusion.
Advisory Board
Daryl R. Privott, Ph.D. is a Kentucky Colonel, a member of the American Library Association and has been a fan of libraries since his youth growing up in Washington, DC. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Adult & Higher Education Graduate Program at Morehead State University. Prior to his faculty appointment at Morehead in 2013, he has experience managing higher education campuses, university libraries, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Washington, DC. and working as a Sign Language interpreter. Daryl moved to Lexington from Las Vegas, NV in 2009 with his wife and two children. Daryl enjoys learning, movement and music.
Advisory Board
DeLaine Bender, CAE, is the Vice President of AMR Management Services, a Lexington-based association management company serving national and international associations and professional societies. Her responsibilities include marketing and business development, support for new clients, and management of association staff. A career nonprofit executive, she served as Executive Director of several associations before joining the AMR executive team in 2017.
DeLaine is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives and earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional credential in the association industry, in 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. She lives in Lexington with her husband and together they have five adult children.
Board of Trustees
Treasurer
Stephanie has been in the financial industry since 1993 and has a bachelor’s degree in finance is from the University of Kentucky. She is passionate about community involvement and that includes current board positions on the Lexington Public Library and a member of the finance council of the Diocese of Lexington. She is a past board member of Surgery on Sunday, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, the Lexington Chapter of the American Red Cross and a past Trustee for Lexington Catholic High School, which she chaired for several years. She served on the Saint Paul Catholic Church finance council, which she also chaired for many years, and a past member of the formation committee. She has been involved with Rotary and the Lexington Forum. She has lived in Lexington since 1977 with her husband Joe. They have two sons, Joseph III (Danielle) and Miles, both of Lexington.
