The Cincinnati Commercial published a detailed article on the massive parade and celebration held in Lexington on July 4, 1867. Attended by an estimated 10,000 people, mostly African Americans, this landmark event was one of the largest civil rights gatherings held in Kentucky during the era of Reconstruction.

The event was covered by J.B. McCullough, Special Correspondant, whose two-page article, including the text of the speeches was published on July 8, 1867. This article was a vital resource in the development of the original artwork (right), “July 4, 1867, Lexington, Ky.”, created by artist Susan Walton for The Davis Bottom History Preservation Project.

The original newspaper (large-format, two-pages) was secured from the archives of The Cincinnati Historical Society. The newspaper was digitally scanned in sections, which were then combined into a large Tiff image file and converted into the PDF file below for research and educational use.