Images of America: Garrard County in World War II depicts the citizens of a small, rural central Kentucky county who served their nation in war-torn areas worldwide and on the home front. Images courtesy of veterans and their families show the sacrifices made and honor those who served. With photographs of all branches of the armed services, the county's war story is told in representative vignettes at numerous fronts. Through interviews, news accounts, and letters, many veterans' stories of courage, humor, and despair come to life. Here at home, patriotic efforts began in 1940 when school children made "bundles for Britain" and continued throughout the war years with residents sacrificing at home to spend every available dime on war bonds. In fact, in 1943, Garrard Countians bought more bonds per capita than citizens in any other Kentucky county. To reward their patriotism and sacrifice, in March 1945, the government commissioned the USS Garrard, an attack transport ship. A member of the crew donated to the county's historical society photos of the ship and his diary. Survivors of the USS Garrard held a reunion here in 2002.

Nestled in the bluegrass region of central Kentucky, Garrard County traces its pioneer beginnings to the mid-1770s. Officially founded in 1797, the county remains predominantly rural to this day; its citizens are patriotic, service-oriented, and proud of their communities and ancestors. In this volume, county resident Rita Mackin Fox has gathered more than 200 photographs, focusing primarily on everyday people going about their lives--on the farm, in towns, and at school, work, worship, and play. Each image will bring back memories or provide a glimpse of what life was like for earlier residents. Fox also pays tribute to some notable people and events, including Kentucky Mountain Boy Bradley Kincaid, Carrie A. Nation, possible Uncle Tom's Cabin connections, and a visit by a former king of England. This volume also contains images that show the formation of Herrington Lake, now a major recreation and tourism area.

During World War II, Kentuckians rushed from farms to factories and battlefields, leaving agriculture throughout the state--particularly the lucrative tobacco industry--without sufficient labor. An influx of Axis prisoners of war made up the shortfall. Nearly 10,000 German and Italian POWs were housed in camps at Campbell, Breckinridge, Knox and other locations across the state. Under the Geneva Convention, they worked for their captors and helped save Kentucky's crops, while enjoying relative comfort as prisoners--playing sports, performing musicals and taking college classes. Yet, friction between Nazi and anti-Nazi inmates threatened the success of the program. This book chronicles the POW program in Kentucky and the vital contributions the Bluegrass State made to Allied victory.

Many of the vets I interviewed asked me why I was interested in World War II. I never forgot when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I was five years old and standing at the end of the kitchen counter next to the black art deco style radio. The announcer was very loud and excited but I didn’t know what he was talking about. My mother was at the other end of the counter standing in front of the kitchen sink washing a dish. All of a sudden she turned off the water and came over to stand in front of the radio. I had never seen a look on her face like that before. She called my dad to come here. Both of them stood in front of the radio with these shocked and unbelieving faces! I never forgot that experience. We next went to Sunday school and church and I remember all of the adults were talking to each other in low tones with stunned looks on their faces.

The Kentucky Encyclopedia's 2,000-plus entries are the work of more than five hundred writers. Their subjects reflect all areas of the commonwealth and span the time from prehistoric settlement to today's headlines, recording Kentuckians' achievements in art, architecture, business, education, politics, religion, science, and sports. Biographical sketches portray all of Kentucky's governors and U.S. senators, as well as note congressmen and state and local politicians. Kentucky's impact on the national scene is registered in the lives of such figures as Carry Nation, Henry Clay, Louis Brandeis, and Alben Barkley. The commonwealth's high range from writers Harriette Arnow and Jesse Stuart, reformers Laura Clay and Mary Breckinridge, and civil rights leaders Whitney Young, Jr., and Georgia Powers, to sports figures Muhammad Ali and Adolph Rupp and entertainers Loretta Lynn, Merle Travis, and the Everly Brothers. Entries describe each county and county seat and each community with a population above 2,500. Broad overview articles examine such topics as agriculture, segregation, transportation, literature, and folklife. Frequently misunderstood aspects of Kentucky's history and culture are clarified and popular misconceptions corrected. The facts on such subjects as mint juleps, Fort Knox, Boone's coonskin cap, the Kentucky hot brown, and Morgan's Raiders will settle many an argument. For both the researcher and the more casual reader, this collection of facts and fancies about Kentucky and Kentuckians will be an invaluable resource.