On the surface, Gratz Park looks like a quiet refuge just north of downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Investigate the park more carefully and you will discover stories of slavery, sex, murder, greed, and ghosts. The finest early Kentucky architecture surrounds an open space where once “Dogs and Negroes” were not allowed and the city library had a separate Colored Reading Room. Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis both walked there and at different times, both Civil War armies built camps in it.
Explore, learn, and enjoy the history of Gratz Park with Bob Willcutt’s photographs and Jeremy Popkin’s narrative.