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Why I picked Canute…
“Or should Denmark, Norway, or England need a new Queen…” My 5th great-grandfather William Cornett and the Cornett family came to America in the 1700s. William was born before the United States even existed and later served during the American Revolutionary War, though like many soldiers he was eventually sent home because of the starving…
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Adair County’s Headless Ghost
“For over a century, locals in Adair County, Kentucky, have reported a small, headless figure wandering the hills, searching for something lost long ago.“ In August of 1971 the local publication Green River Sprite printed an article by writer James Hudson describing a ghost story long associated with Campbell Ridge in Adair County, Kentucky. Hudson…
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From Proposal to Legacy: Exploring Johnny and June Cash’s World
“Each stop along the way revealed pieces of a love story that is as human as it is legendary.” I took a journey through the places in Kentucky and Tennessee that shaped the incredible love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. After years of friendship, musical collaborations, and undeniable chemistry, Johnny proposed to…
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The Kelly–Hopkinsville Encounter: The Night the Goblins Came to Kentucky
“It reminded her of, “a five-gallon gasoline can with a head on top and small legs,” its body shining like the metal surface of a refrigerator.” On the night of August 21, 1955, an extended farm family arrived breathlessly at the police station in Hopkinsville, terrified and desperate for help. Their story would soon become…
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Alan Messer: A Rare Look into Johnny Cash’s Final Years
“Messer shared never-before-seen footage of Johnny and June Carter Cash” Alan Messer, the renowned photographer behind some of the most intimate images of Johnny Cash’s later years, recently shared his stories and photographs during a special presentation at the Simpson County Historical Society, in 2023. With a career spanning decades, Messer has photographed some of…
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Johnny and June’s Wedding: A Simple Beginning to a Legendary Love
“On March 1, 1968, Johnny Cash and June Carter made their own history within its walls.” The First United Methodist Church of Franklin has long been a cornerstone of its community. Established around 1845, the congregation initially shared a space on North Main Street with the local Presbyterians before acquiring the building for themselves. In…
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Johnny Cash & June Carter: A Proposal and A Courthouse
“After returning to the U.S., Johnny and June wasted no time in making things official.” After years of friendship, musical collaborations, and undeniable chemistry, Johnny proposed to June onstage in London, Ontario, Canada, on February 22, 1968. Less than two weeks later, they were married. but not in a grand ceremony. Instead, their wedding was…
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From Falling Meat to Flying Feasts: Bath County’s Meaty Legacy
“Some of the locals tasted it.” On the late morning of March 3, 1876, something utterly bizarre happened in Bath County, Kentucky. Rebecca Crouch, a farmer’s wife, was making soap on her porch near Olympia Springs when chunks of red meat began raining down from a clear sky. The pieces, roughly two inches square, littered…
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One of My Favorite Haunts: The Spurlington Tunnel and the Legend of Jesse James’ Lost Treasure
“When the gang realized Nancy had seen too much, they allegedly hanged her from the smoke hole in the center of the tunnel.” Back in 2000, I made the trek with a few friends into Campbellsville, Kentucky—an underrated little town with a surprisingly massive history. Just outside the town limits is one of my favorite…
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The Ghost in the Window: Russellville’s Eerie Sexton House
“After the storm, something strange was discovered: a silhouette of the girl’s face appeared, etched into the glass of the window near where she died” Beside Maple Grove Cemetery stands a white house built in 1870, known locally as the Sexton House. Originally home to the cemetery’s caretaker, the house has earned a reputation far…
