Our Rich History: Centennial period athletes/teams from VMC/TMC/TMU who made a difference
By Raymond G. Hebert, PhD
Special to NKyTribune
For several years, beginning on June 14, 2021 and ending on February 6, 2023, the “Our Rich History” focus was the Centennial History Series for Villa Madonna College/Thomas More College/Thomas More University. I had the pleasure and honor of writing many of the 90+ articles produced during those weeks and months.
The result, in March 2023, was a...
Our Rich History: The new 2nd edition of Don Tolzmann’s The Roebling Suspension Bridge
By Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD
Special to NKyTribune
Residents of our region call one of our favorite icons by various names: The John A. Roebling Bridge; the Suspension Bridge; the Covington and Cincinnati Suspension Bridge; and the “Singing Bridge.”
Cover of the 2nd edition of Don Heinrich Tolzmann’s book, The Roebling SuspensionBridge: A Guide to Historic Sites, People, and Places (2 nd ed., Cincinnati,...
Our Rich History: Sarah Worthington King Peter — compassion and care for poor, sick, and prisoners
By Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD
Special to NKyTribune
Imagine what the Cincinnati city jail—or nearly any jail—in the 1800s would have looked like. Men, women, and children were piled together in one place, not even necessarily segregated by gender or age, or for that matter, by type or severity of crimes committed. Male jailers oversaw all those imprisoned, and sexual abuses against women sometimes resulted.
Sarah...
Our Rich History: Pleasant memories of the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill and appreciating its history
By Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD
Special to NKyTribune
Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County, Kentucky holds special memories for me. At least once a year, and sometimes several times yearly during my childhood, my father would drive our family from Northern Kentucky to Lexington via Interstate-75 South. Then he would exit on US Route 68 west to “Shakertown.” Passing bucolic horse farms with...
Our Rich History: Henrietta Cleveland made the world a better place, left legacy — St. Elizabeth Healthcare
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
She was the daughter of a wealthy Boone County farmer and the granddaughter of Jacob Fowler, one of the earliest pioneers of Northern Kentucky. In 1834, she married George P. Cleveland, a seventh-generation member of a well-known New England family. It seemed like a
storybook life. And then it all came crashing down for Henrietta Esther Scott Cleveland
(1817–1907).
In...
Our Rich History: The 1960s and 1970s — cars, buses, the Dixie Terminal and downtown Cincinnati
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
The 1960s were a turning point in history. US astronauts landed on the moon, Martin Luther King Jr. and others led the Civil Rights movement, and automobiles began to change the urban landscape of America. My mom learned to drive, as I recall, in the early 1960s, when we were still a one-car family. In 1968, my dad bought our family its nicest car ever, a brand...
Our Rich History: Brent Spence — the man, not the span; a congressman for 32 years
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
I have to admit it. I feel sorry for Brent Spence. This dedicated public servant, a U.S. Congressman for 32 years (1931–63), did more for the good of Northern Kentucky than any other politician on record. And the poor soul has a “functionally obsolete” bridge named for him, prompting who-knows-how-many people to inadvertently curse, using his name each...
Our Rich History: Expressly the facts — how I-71-75 evolved from a dream into a nightmare
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
You’re sitting in morning commuter traffic on I-71/75 North, crawling in from the Northern Kentucky suburbs. There’s an accident on the Brent Spence Bridge, and traffic is tied up to Florence. You have an important client meeting this morning, but past experience fortunately helped you plan for delays like this. Wisely, you set your alarm an hour early,...
Our Rich History: Gotta get goetta. What’s that? A mystery food few outside our region ever heard of
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
What do Spam®, Hamburger Helper®, Tuna Helper®, and goetta all have in common? They are “food stretchers.”
To those not native to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, goetta is somewhat of a mystery, and to those whose families have been here forever, you probably believe some myths about it.
So, let’s depart on a little journey of food debunking...
Our Rich History: The unknown muralist of St. Augustine’s emerges from the shadows
By Stephen Enzweiler
Special to the NKyTribune
(Part 5 of a five-part series on the history of St. Augustine Parish, Covington)
It is rare in the art world to have masterful murals and religious works decorating sacred spaces and not know who the artist was. But for nearly a century, such has been the case with the church murals of St. Augustine in the Peaselburg neighborhood of Covington. The St....
Our Rich History: Now, may we introduce you to the first patriots of Kenton and Campbell counties
By Rhonda Burgess Warren
Special to NKyTribune
The Rebecca Bryan Boone(RBB) Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) of Kenton County, Kentucky is preparing to celebrate the placing of a memorial at Highland Cemetery in July 2026. The memorial text will include the names of 38 Patriots who were veterans of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783. Soon after the war, some of...
Our Rich History: St. Augustine’s muralists may finally have names
By Stephen Enzweiler
Special to the NKyTribune
(This is the fourth part of a five-part series on the history of St. Augustine Parish, Covington.)
The construction trucks are gone. The piles of material no longer darken the parking lot. The sharp pounding and whirrs of hammers and drills that once echoed inside St. Augustine Church during its recent renovation are also silent. Inside, the scaffolding...
Our Rich History: A new era begins a St. Augustine builds new church, school for people of Peaselburg
By Stephen Enzweiler
Special to the Tribune
(This is the third part of a multi-part series on the history of St. Augustine Parish, Covington.)
It had only been a month since Father Paul Abeln’s death, and the parishioners of St. Augustine parish in Peaselburg couldn’t imagine anyone who could take his place. Fr. Abeln had been their shepherd, confidante, and friend for 28 remarkable years and he...
Our Rich History: Keeping our history interesting and meaningful, meet ORVILLE — and inviting you in
By Paul Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
Part 1 of a continuing series entitled ORVILLE (The Ohio River Valley Interface Linking Learners and Enthusiasts)
Since its inauguration on May 5, 2015, the weekly “Our Rich History” column of the non-profit Northern Kentucky Tribune has sought to present articles of historical significance about Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and the larger Ohio River Valley...
Our Rich History: Pioneer priests brought a strong Catholic tradition to Kentucky
By Stephen Enzweiler
Special to the Tribune
At the beginning of the 19th century, the turbulent and deadly effects of the French Revolution had finally begun to subside across most of Europe. The “Reign of Terror” and its associated policies nearly destroyed Catholicism in much of Europe.
The lives of frontier missionary priests were harsh. (Photo provided)
The first few decades of the 19th century...
