Frankfort Heritage Lecture Series

Frankfort occupies a unique place in the annals of the Civil War. In 1862, it became the only loyal state capital to be occupied by Confederate forces during the war. In 1864 the capital was attacked by elements of Morgan's raiders in a sharp action in which Governor Thomas E. Bramlette and other state officials took an active part. This talk will cover the major events and colorful episodes that occurred in Frankfort during the great conflict.

James M. Prichard is a historian and public speaker who resides in Louisville. He received his B.A. and M.A. in History at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Following his tenure as Research Room Supervisor at the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives (1985-2008), he worked in the Special Collections Department at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville from 2013 to 2022. In addition to writing the Frankfort Heritage Press book Embattled Capital: Frankfort During the Civil War (2014), he has contributed essays to the following scholarly works: Virginia at War: 1863, Confederate Generals in the Western Theater volumes 2 and 4, Kentuckians in Gray, Kentucky Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Louisville, Biographical Dictionary of the Union, Heidler’s Encyclopedia of the American Civil War, The World Encyclopedia of Slavery, and Confederate Generals in the Western Theater, as well as Civil War Times, North and South, and True West magazines.

One of the most dramatic but little-known episodes in our state history – a seventy-year battle fought nationwide and in every state, finally won with nary a shot fired. Come and enjoy learning about the strong, determined Kentucky women who did their part to attain the vote for one-half the population.

Sylvia Coffey is the co-founder of the Kentucky Women’s History Alliance – the nation’s first state chapter affiliate of the National Women’s History Alliance, the founder of the Woman Suffrage Centennial Celebration and co-founder of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Chorus with Nancy Atcher. A folk/dance teacher originally, Sylvia also worked for Kentucky State Government for nearly twenty years, played stand-up bass with a band that played Celtic and Anglo-American tunes regionally, and has participated in the development of two week-long dance schools, the Capital City Historical Dancers and Musicians, The Pridefull Ball (Without Prejudice), and the local dance troupe – The Glitterbugs.

Registration begins October 1.

The rivers and streams around Frankfort have not always flowed in their present courses. This presentation will use new digital resources to examine the landscape evidence for the ancient shifts and changes in the local stream valleys that have sculpted the Frankfort landscape.

Dr. William "Drew" Andrews is the Section Head of the Geologic Mapping Section for the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), where he has worked since 1996. Most recently, he was the Acting Director and State Geologist of KGS. With expertise in geographic information systems (GIS), geomorphology, and geologic mapping, William is also an adjunct assistant professor of geology at the University of Kentucky's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

A life-long Kentuckian born in Frankfort, William received his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Kentucky, is a member of the Geological Society of America, serves on the US National Committee for the International Union of Geological Sciences, and is licensed as a professional geologist in Kentucky.

Registration begins November 1.