Lexington's Own Monuments Men

In the middle of the Great Depression, a group of business owners and local historians came together to form Kentucky’s first association dedicated to identifying historically significant sites in Lexington and Fayette County, Kentucky. Their ranks included successful businessmen such as Earl Wallace, an “oilman”, who would later lead preservation efforts at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Historian members of the “The Book Thieves” club including prolific authors such as “Squire” J. Winston Coleman, Charles R. Staples, and Judge Samuel Wilson whose personal historical library collection now forms the basis for the Special Collections Department at the University of Kentucky. Their goal was to “Market the Bluegrass,” but their legacy would become the foundation of historic preservation throughout the state. Without these “Monuments Men” from Lexington, the Commonwealth, and its rich history would not be as thoroughly documented as it is today. Until recently, knowledge of the Society and its work was lost to time. Its rediscovery entailed a years-long investigation into newly discovered Society documents, contemporary news accounts, historical site identification, and marker evaluation. This is their story.