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Meeting Dwier Brown: A Field of Dreams Come True
“His easygoing nature and personable demeanor made the experience even more memorable” Some encounters leave a lasting impression, and meeting Dwier Brown was one of those moments. Best known for his role as John Kinsella, the father of Kevin Costner’s character in the iconic 1989 film Field of Dreams, Dwier has made a lasting impact…
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The Haunting of Free Union Separate Baptist Cemetery
“He was standing near the flag, holding that little pink bundle.“ In 1972, grave diggers making routine repairs at Free Union Separate Baptist Church Cemetery stumbled upon a shocking discovery: the unmarked grave of a 54 year old man and a small child wrapped in a pink blanket. Local records indicate the man, whose name…
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The Great Raid: Morgan’s Naked Charge into Columbia
” I could see there were indications of quite an army over the hill. Balls whizzed in both directions.“ On July 2, 1863, Confederate cavalryman John Hunt Morgan led roughly 2,500 men into Kentucky during what would become known as the, The Door Was Left Open! Great Raid. Facing a swollen Cumberland River, many of…
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Jane Lampton Clemens of Adair County: The Kentucky Roots of Mark Twain
“She is generally considered the principal model for Aunt Polly in the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Jane Lampton Clemens was born June 18, 1803 in Adair County, Kentucky, the daughter of Benjamin Lampton (1770–1837) and Margaret Casey Lampton (1783–1818). She grew up in the Columbia area during the early years of settlement in…
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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…
