Horsing Around in the Bluegrass

By Michael Dwyer and Sonya Julie Lexington was Kentucky’s first city and residents were so sure of their role in the new nation that they embraced decadent banquets, dancing, horseracing, and torchlight parades. Bankers, lawyers, and merchants brought an extension of the elite to the city and mingled with the emerging professional class. Exotic travel books were written and visitors were greeted by a new gentry with Old World ways when visiting the “Athens of the West.” The Running of … [Read more...]