Kentucky is known as the “Bluegrass State,” a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures due to the fertile soil. Kentucky is also known for horse racing, bourbon distilleries, the historic site of My Old Kentucky Home, automobile manufacturing, bluegrass music, college basketball, Kentucky fried chicken, and much more.
John Schickel
On June 1, 1792, the county of Kentucky, which was part of Virginia, officially became the 15th state in the Union, and will celebrate its 225th birthday on June 1, 2017. I have been appointed by the President of the Senate to serve on the Kentucky 225th Anniversary Commission to help plan the celebration. I am very honored and excited about this appointment because I am not a native Kentuckian. But over the years I have come to love the state I call home and also love its interesting history.
It seems like only yesterday, but actually it was 25 years ago, when I attended the 200th birthday celebration at the Capitol — and what a celebration it was. Crystal Gayle and other famous Kentuckians performed live music on the steps of the Capitol. Capitol Avenue was packed with people for as far as the eye could see.
The Kentucky 225th Anniversary Commission is hoping to make the 225th birthday a great celebration. Kentucky’s history has produced national figures in our history, such as Daniel Boone, General George Rogers Clark, Henry Clay, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Alben Barkley, Mohammad Ali, and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, among others.
On January 30th 1900, a Northern Kentuckian, Governor William Goebel, flanked by two body guards, was mortally wounded by an assassin while walking to the State Capitol in downtown Frankfort. Goebel was contesting the Kentucky Gubernatorial Election of 1899 which William S. Taylor was initially believed to have won. For several months, J.C.W. Beckham, Goebel’s running mate, and Taylor fought over who was the legal governor until the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Beckham. After fleeing to Indiana, Taylor was indicted as a co-conspirator in Goebel’s assassination. To this day, Goebel is the only governor of a U.S. state to have been assassinated while in office. This Northern Kentucky story is just one of many which makes Kentucky’s history so interesting.
Today as a state, we have much to be thankful for and our 225th birthday calls for a great celebration.
As always, if you have any questions or comments about this issue or any other public policy issue, please call me at 502-564-8100, Ext. 617, or visit my LRC webpage to submit a message. You can also follow me on Twitter at @SenatorSchickel. You can review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.
Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, represents Boone County. He welcomes your concerns or comments toll free at 800-372-7181 or online here .
