Both the Charles Young Park and its community center were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 1930 the city of Lexington purchased the lot that would become the second public park to honor African Americans. The park was…

Winkfield raced in the United States from 1899 to 1904. He won 161 races in 1901 alone. When Jim Crow injustice finally reached the racetracks, like many other African American jockeys, it eventually forced him off the tracks. Winkfield was the last…

In the early twentieth century, brick houses associated with two prominent East End residents - John Caulder and William Perkins - stood on this site. Caulder, who lived at 505 East Third Street, was the principal of Constitution Elementary…

The African-American population in Lexington more than doubled between 1860 and 1870. This was due largely to recently freed people migrating from rural areas to more urban areas. In response to this influx, landowners and developers created urban…

For much of the nineteenth century, the well-camouflaged plaque property at 327 Wilgus Avenue (then 285 East Third) was the sole dwelling in its neck of the woods. The deed records do not confirm its build date, but according to its National…

This brick cottage with an unusual rounded bay was built around 1880 by Annie Welsh, who had acquired the bulk of the lots on the west side of Chestnut Street from G. D. Wilgus in 1876. When the house was put up for sale as the result of a lawsuit…

The Blue Grass Trust plaque property at 234 Eastern Ave (formerly 140 Vertner Ave) has a rich history associated with the horse-racing industry.This parcel once formed the eastern boundary of Gunntown, a settlement composed largely of formerly…

The parcel on N. Upper St. where the Dunbar Community Center is presently situated has contained several notable buildings over the past century. In 1901, it was the location of the Blue Grass Commission Co. Feed and Meal Mill; by 1907, the Society…

In the late nineteenth century, Isaac Murphy was the highest-paid jockey in the United States and had the best win percentage in Thoroughbred-racing history. He was a frequent rider of magnate James Ben Ali Haggin’s horses, including the famed…

As you begin your tour, please enjoy the Blue Grass Trust's recording of Frank X Walker reading his poem, "Ode to the East End." The poem is displayed as a mural on the side of the MET at 576 E. Third Street and functions as the beginning of this…