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You are here: Home / Archives for Famous Kentuckians

The Blue People of Kentucky Nearly Created Their Own Big Blue Nation

November 1, 2012 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

The Blue People of Kentucky

We have a lot of things to be proud of here in Kentucky. Our horses, basketball, hospitality, and food just to name a few. I think we can also be kind of proud of the outrageous things associated with our state.  I don’t know how many times I’ve read about something kind of “out there” or unusual, only to discover that the story was connected somehow to Kentucky.

I guess all you can say is we know how to keep things interesting.

Our great state is associated with the word and/or color blue a great deal:

  • Kentucky is nicknamed the Blue Grass State
  • One of the most popular songs of all time is titled “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
  • Those of us who are huge UK fans proudly refer to ourselves as “Big Blue Nation”
  • Then of course, there’s the Battle of Blue Licks

Of course you’ve heard of these.  But have you read about the Blue People of Kentucky?

In a clear case of Kentuckians keeping things interesting again, it seems there was a woman in Kentucky, Luna Fugate who was “blue all over.”  One of her relatives described Luna as, “the bluest woman I ever saw.”  In 1975, Luna Fugate’s grandson (Benjamin “Benjy” Stacy)  was born.  Like his great-grandmother, the baby was born with a blue tinge. Methemoglobinemia is the name of the condition which causes the skin to take on a lovely shade of blue.

As talk of a blood transfusion took place, Benjy’s grandmother told doctors not to panic, that he simply looked like the “blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek.”

The Blue People of Kentucky aren’t limited to Benjy and Luna.  In fact an entire family from isolated Appalachia were blue.  Apparently, their ancestral line began six generations earlier with a French orphan, Martin Fugate.

Martin Fugate came to Troublesome Creek (near Hazard) from France in 1820 and… well… he happened to be blue. He married a Kentuckian named Elizabeth Smith, who also carried the blue gene, so to speak.  Four of their seven children were blue.

Like many small communities of that time, a lack of railroads and limited travel into or out of the community caused it to remain very small and very isolated. Cousins married cousins and, like spilled paint from a can, the blue gene spread.

Luna, of course, came from the Fugate line.  One of Martin and Elizabeth Fugate’s blue boys, Zachariah, married his aunt. One of their sons, Levy, married a Ritchie girl and had eight children, one of these children was Luna.

Luna married John E. Stacy and they had 13 children. Luna lived a long life, dying at the age of 84.

Apparently the arrival of coal mining in Kentucky in 1912 led to the Fugates moving away from Troublesome Creek.  Thereby causing the blue people begin to disappearing.

Read more about the Blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek (It’s a must read!).

The Blue People of Kentucky

Photo Credit for the picture at the top of the page.

Filed Under: Blog, Famous Kentuckians, Kentucky History Tagged With: Blue People of Kentucky, Famous Kentuckians, Kentucky History

Fast Facts About the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site

August 26, 2010 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Jefferson Davis State Historic Site marks the birthplace of the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis.  Davis was born on this site on June 3, 1808.

Kentucky has always taken pride in the fact that the President of the Union (Abraham Lincoln) as well as the President of the Confederacy (Jefferson Davis) were BOTH born in Kentucky. In fact, President Lincoln was born just over eight months later and less than 100 miles to the northeast.

More Facts About Jefferson Davis and Jefferson Davis State Historic Site

  • This Historic State Park features a 351-foot monument (obelisk) that was completed in 1924, 35 years after Davis’ death. It even includes an elevator.
  • There is a large Amish community in the surrounding area, so it isn’t uncommon at all to frequently see horses and buggies.
  • Jefferson Davis State Historic Site also has a museum, gift shop, playground, and picnic area.
  • Jefferson Davis was a graduate of West Point.
  • Davis served as both a U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator (from Mississippi). He also served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce.
  • Jefferson Davis married Knox Taylor – daughter of President Zachary Taylor. She died from Malaria only three months after their wedding.
  • The gift shop features Kentucky handcrafts, souvenirs, books and Civil War memorabilia. The site is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through October.
  • There is a fee for the museum and monument.
  • The monument is the world’s tallest concrete obelisk and the United State’s fifth-tallest monument.

The site is 9 miles east of Hopkinsville on U.S. 68.

U.S. Highway 68 East
Fairview, KY 42221-0157
(270) 889-6100

Official Website: Jefferson Davis State Historic Site

Filed Under: Facts About Kentucky, Famous Kentuckians, Jefferson Davis State Historic Site, Random Facts About Kentucky State Parks Tagged With: Famous Kentuckians, Jefferson Davis, Jefferson Davis State Historic Site, Kentucky State Parks

Patty Loveless and Her Drive Against COPD

July 11, 2010 by Joi Sigers 5 Comments

One of Kentucky’s favorite daughters, Country superstar Patty Loveless, is publicly declaring war on a disease that has claimed two of her family members: COPD. Other celebrities declaring war on COPD are Bruce Jenner, Danica Patrick, Jim Belushi and Michael Strahan.

Patty Loveless decided to be a spokesperson for the organization, mainly due to the fact that she tragically lost her sister to the disease in 1996.

The Nashville legend and Grand Ole Opry star’s raising awareness for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  Over 12 million people in the Untied States, alone, have this disease.  Experts believe that the number is actually about twice that – but many don’t recognize the symptoms.

Which is, of course, where people like Patty Loveless come in – to educate us all.

For more information on COPD, go to drive4copd.com and download the campaign song, ‘Drive,’ sung by Patty, herself, for free. She co-wrote the tune with her husband, Emory. You can also take the five-question screener and be automatically entered to win either a trip to this year’s CMA Awards or a NASCAR experience in February.

Now how cool is that?

Finally, you can read more about Patty’s efforts in an interview she gave to Lifescript:  Country Star Patty Loveless Sings Out Against COPD

About Patty Loveless:

Patty Loveless was born Patty Lee Ramey on January 4, 1957 in Pikeville, Kentucky.  Patty was the 6th of 7 children. Although she was born in Pikeville, Patty’s  family lived in a small town nearby named Butcher Holler where her father was a coal miner.

In 1969, the family moved to the Louisville area, seeking treatment for Patty’s dad’s lung disease.

Beautiful Patty Loveless first came onto country music’s radar in 1986 with her first (self-titled) album. Patty has recorded too many country and bluegrass songs to list, but suffice to say she remains one of the best loved artists of all time.

This fact was apparent to us (us being my husband and myself) when we recently attended a Patty Loveless concert at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.  The sold out Opry was filled with a special kind of love that flowed from the artist to each audience member and right back to the artist.  It was a special evening and you could feel it in the air.

Did You Know?

Loveless is a distant cousin of Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle. She is married to Emory Gordy, Jr. (1989 – present), who is also her producer.

On October 21st, 1992 Patty Loveless had  throat surgery. For the next nine weeks, she could not speak or talk! On her 36th birthday, January 4th, 1993, Loveless re-entered her professional life by performing at the Grand Ole Opry.

One of Patty’s crowning achievements was her popular album When Fallen Angels Fly.  It won the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year award and gave her four Top 10 singles.

Patty Loveless made an abrupt and bold move away from commercial, country/pop in 2001 with a heart-felt, true to form bluegrass album.  Mountain Soul was released to numerous critical accolades but, unfortunately, didn’t get the radio support necessary to make albums fly off the shelves.

Patty loved bluegrass as much as bluegrass loved Patty, so she stuck with the genre for a memorable Christmas album, Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas, in 2002.

On Your Way Home, marked a return to more “radio friendly” country, was released in 2003 to critical acclaim.

As of today, Patty has charted more than forty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five Number Ones.  She has recorded fourteen studio albums (this isn’t counting compilations)  in the United States, four of which have been certified platinum, while two have been certified gold.

Patty Loveless was inducted into the The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame on April 7, 2011. Talk about a VERY deserving honor!

Filed Under: Bluegrass Music, Famous Kentuckians Tagged With: Country Music, Famous Kentuckians, Patty Loveless

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Genuine Kentucky is a Kentucky Blog and online magazine celebrating the beautiful Bluegrass State. We shine the spotlight on Kentucky with pictures, restaurant reviews, news, tourism, Things to Do in Kentucky, and more.

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We have a special passion for Kentucky State Parks, so you'll find many articles and reviews centered around the beautiful state parks in Kentucky.

A personal goal is to visit, photograph, and enjoy each and every one of our state parks and eat at each of the state resort parks. Make no mistake about it, we're well on our way!

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One of our greatest passions is birds and bird watching is an absolute favorite pastime. If you love our feathered friends and want to learn more about bird watching and attracting birds to your own backyard, be sure to check out our section dedicated entirely to Kentucky birds.

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Kentucky Restaurant Reviews

Where are the best Kentucky restaurants?! Find out in our Kentucky Restaurant Reviews.

Also See: Best Fried Catfish in Kentucky
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The pandemic has crushed many activities, events, and normalcy – not just in Kentucky, but all around the world. As we creep back toward normal, I want desperately to highlight any and all events going on around Kentucky. Please E-mail me any information you’d like shared about your Kentucky event! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

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