In 1798, Kentucky established the Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP) in Frankfort. Although prisoners were expected to remain silent, the state soon put them to work. Over time, those housed in the Penitentiary made shoes, plow irons, and an assortment of other items. Join us today for a discussion with a KHS research fellow, who will explain how the practice of inmate labor evolved over time and how it continued to shape Frankfort—and the rest of the state—long after the Civil War.

Dr. Charlene J. Fletcher is an assistant professor of history at Butler University. She is the author of ‘Home Ain’t Always Where the Heart Is: The Home as a Site of Confinement,” which was published in “Re-Visiting My Old Kentucky Home: Slavery and Freedom in the Bluegrass State.” For the Autumn 2023 special joint issue of the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Journal of Arizona History she wrote: “Borderland Business: Slavery and Convict Leasing in Antebellum Kentucky.” Dr. Fletcher was awarded a Spring 2016 research fellowship at KHS.

Kentucky Chronicles is inspired by the work of researchers from across the world who have contributed to the scholarly journal, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, in publication since 1903.
https://history.ky.gov/explore/catalog-research-tools/register-of-the-kentucky-historical-society

Hosted by Dr. Daniel J. Burge, associate editor of The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and coordinator of our Research Fellows program, which brings in researchers from across the world to conduct research in the rich archival holdings of the Kentucky Historical Society.
https://history.ky.gov/khs-for-me/for-researchers/research-fellowships

Kentucky Chronicles is presented by the Kentucky Historical Society, with support from the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation.
https://history.ky.gov/about/khs-foundation

Our show is recorded and produced by Gregory Hardison, and edited by Gregory P. Meyer, with original underscoring by Gregory Hardison. Thanks to Dr. Stephanie Lang for her support and guidance. Our theme music, “Modern Documentary” was created by Mood Mode and is used courtesy of Pixabay.

To learn more about our publication of The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, or to learn more about our Research Fellows program, please visit our website:
https://history.ky.gov/

https://history.ky.gov/khs-podcasts