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Cool and/or weird facts about Kentucky

American & Canuck English are closer to Shakespeare English than today's Brit English because we pronounce our R's.
This is true and it’s fascinating. Apparently one reason Brits talk that way is because of students from Oxford picking up that dialect in 18th century (I believe). Could argue it’s intended to sound pretentious. You can go down some crazy YouTube rabbit holes with this
 
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This is true and it’s fascinating. Apparently one reason Brits talk that way is because of students from Oxford picking up that dialect in 18th century (I believe). Could argue it’s intended to sound pretentious. You can go down some crazy YouTube rabbit holes with this
I've read the London upper classes around 1700-1725 decided they didn't want to sound like the peons & made up the received/ no R's pronunciation style. Sorta like Valley Girls in CA in 50's & 60's & their language. Others wanted to be like them & imitated them. It gradually spread around England, but by Rev War it had only reached Boston & NY in US & it stopped spreading here after that. Since their Oz colony wasn't established till 1780's, Aussies have the no R variety.

I had a gr-gr aunt born in England in 1790's and arrived here 1818. She was involved in an incident that was reported in newspapers and they described her as having a "broad English accent", so clearly the difference existed then already.
 
Driving to Ontario, Canada from Ashland is 50 miles less than driving Ashland to Paducah
Not a Kentucky fact but interesting in the same vein. The northern panhandle border of Texas is closer to Canada than to the Southernmost point in Texas.
 
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I believe North Carolina had the most there.
I had to look it up because I had never that. There are disputes on the exact number of defenders but on the official Texas list, Tennessee had 29 natives there and Kentucky was next with 19. North Carolina had eight. Virginia also had eight, South Carolina ten. Ohio and Pennsylvania had some around those numbers too.
 
- Home to Mammoth Cave, longest known cave system on Earth.

- 95% of all bourbon on the planet is produced in Kentucky.

- Post-It notes were invented by a 3M scientist in Cynthiana, KY, where the product is still produced today.

- Somerset Kentucky has been called the "Houseboat Capital of the World". James "Jim" Sharpe is credited with founding 'Sumerset Houseboats' after a stint in the military following WW2. Somerset is essentially the birthplace of houseboats. Kentucky offers more navigable waters than any other state in the nation except Alaska.

- JIF plant in Lexington is the largest peanut butter production facility in the world.

- All aluminum Reynolds Wrap products have been produced at the same Louisville plant for over 70 years.
Actually Monticello was known as the Houseboat Capital of the World before that market crashed a few years ago. At one time there were 5 Houseboat factories in Monticello and I think 2 or 3 in Somerset.
 
I had to look it up because I had never that. There are disputes on the exact number of defenders but on the official Texas list, Tennessee had 29 natives there and Kentucky was next with 19. North Carolina had eight. Virginia also had eight, South Carolina ten. Ohio and Pennsylvania had some around those numbers too.
I had always heard it as you've said. It's possible I'm conflating the Alamo and the Mexican-American War?
 
Kentucky had more people fight for the union in the civil war than all states in New England minus Massachusetts combined
 
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I believe North Carolina had the most there.
Not. TN.

When we visited there in '18 as part of our A&M football trip, they listed the numbers from each state & MX & KY was second.

BTW, we had a huge following at A&M. Sat next to a guy who goes to multiple away games a year & he said it was easily the largest UK away crowd he had seen TN & V excepted. Filled up 3-4 sections.
 
Despite what you might think given our infatuation with Jefferson Davis and Confederate memorials, most (maybe 2/3 to 3/4) soldiers from Kentucky fought for the Union, not the Confederacy.
TRUTH, though don't know why that conflicts with Confed infatuation. Yes, they were dead wrong, but people identify with underdogs, white Confed & black slaves. Also, DW's ancestor was in 6th KY Cavalry, aka Morgan's Raiders.
 
Despite what you might think given our infatuation with Jefferson Davis and Confederate memorials, most (maybe 2/3 to 3/4) soldiers from Kentucky fought for the Union, not the Confederacy.
More fought for the union because they were drafted.
 
More fought for the union because they were drafted.
That is untrue.
A draft in Kentucky was called but once it was realized the Commonwealth had already provided its quota of troops it was called off. Kentucky was the only state/commonwealth to provide more troops than was asked for without a draft.
-Kentucky Union Troops In The Civil War, A.C. Quisenberry
 
TRUTH, though don't know why that conflicts with Confed infatuation. Yes, they were dead wrong, but people identify with underdogs, white Confed & black slaves. Also, DW's ancestor was in 6th KY Cavalry, aka Morgan's Raiders.
I don't know stats but I believe reading that there are way more Confederate memorials in Kentucky than Union memorials which is the exact opposite of the number of troops who actually fought in the Civil War
 
Kentucky was more pro union due to strengthening industry ties with the north due to Ohio River. Due to that, many people’s livelihoods were more connected to northern industry than southern slaves.
 
Frankfort was chosen as the location of the State Capitol because both Louisville and Lexington wanted to be the capital. The compromise was to put it between Louisville and Lexington.
 
I don't know stats but I believe reading that there are way more Confederate memorials in Kentucky than Union memorials which is the exact opposite of the number of troops who actually fought in the Civil War
Now that you say that, I wonder how the Capt. Logan Confed Monument survives in that hotbed of liberalism, Danville, with leftist Centre College?

As I said, DW's ancestor rode with Morgan & Logan & gave his son the middle name of Logan.
 
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Kentucky was more pro union due to strengthening industry ties with the north due to Ohio River. Due to that, many people’s livelihoods were more connected to northern industry than southern slaves.
All the towns & places with "Fort" names in NKy are derived from defense "forts" built to protect Cincy from Confed invasion. Most were manned by Cincy recruits/militia. Some Confed scouting groups got as far north as Florence and Independence, but saw the outer defenses & turned back.
 
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Frankfort was chosen as the location of the State Capitol because both Louisville and Lexington wanted to be the capital. The compromise was to put it between Louisville and Lexington.
Frankfort was the only union capital to be taken by the confederacy. They installed sympathisers as officials and were run out after a month. Union soldiers occupied Frankfort for the remainder of the war to protect the elected state government.
 
Frankfort was the only union capital to be taken by the confederacy. They installed sympathisers as officials and were run out after a month. Union soldiers occupied Frankfort for the remainder of the war to protect the elected state government.
I don’t think that’s accurate but would be open to evidence to contrary.

From what I understand, a pro south governor, Beriah Magoffin, was in office at beginning of civil war. It was his goal to make Kentucky join the confederacy. Over two thirds of the house and senate elected were pro union, however. This is what led to Kentucky being neutral and led Magoffin to be a supporter of neutrality.

Eventually, it was apparent Magoffin could not govern due to pro southern sympathies. So, he stepped down and appointed his successor.

As I recall, a confederate invasion in southern Kentucky (I believe BG area), led the Kentucky legislature to petition the union for military support. It was really from that time where Kentucky’s neutrality was just a formality.
 
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All the towns & places with "Fort" names in NKy are derived from defense "forts" built to protect Cincy from Confed invasion. Most were manned by Cincy recruits/militia. Some Confed scouting groups got as far north as Florence and Independence, but saw the outer defenses & turned back.
I could see that. There’s a pretty interesting book called Louisville in the Civil War. Louisville at one point was trading upstream with Cincinnati and downstream with slave states. Eventually union was like, “you can’t do that, guys.”

But Louisville was an interesting case. Most people didn’t own slaves obviously and started pro union, but city was occupied by union soldiers who declared martial law. So, you had largely innocent people living in a police state. Union soldiers came here ready for war, except there was no war in Louisville. So, the soldiers would get hammered and gamble. After awhile of that, a lot of them just deserted when they had to fight.
 
Now that you say that, I wonder how the Capt. Logan Confed Monument survives in that hotbed of liberalism, Danville, with leftist Centre College?

As I said, DW's ancestor rode with Morgan & Logan & gave his son the middle name of Logan.
False, although I thought it was because it was to see which city could get the lumber first. Apparently, it was because Frankfort promised the most manpower to build the capitol.

Manpower
 
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