The book weighs five pounds, six ounces, is comprised of more than 460 color gloss pages and has been a three year labor of love for local historians in Kim Fortner and Paul Fourshee.
But their long-awaited Trigg County Bicentennial binding, titled “On This Date,” has finally arrived.
For months, the duo compiled their own research and took a handful of local submissions to generate 408 stories that — in total — cover every single day on the calendar.
Some of the stories took place well before Trigg County’s 1820 birth, while others are modern memories. Either way, everything is now all under one cover.
Fortner said it took nearly three years from idea to the books arriving on the doorstep for things to come together.
While some of these stories are brand new and unearthed for the public eye, most of these were originally distributed on social media and radio during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fourshee noted it was one of the few things that went on “as planned” for Trigg County’s 2020 Bicentennial.
While Fourshee was one of many to help bring this project to life, he gives all the credit to Fortner and her push for a permanent product.
Fortner and Fourshee both agreed it was an “interesting” 2020, in which last-minute stories were coming to light.
Among the 400-plus stories, there are certainly some favorites.
Fortner can fondly reflect about a unique tie between Trigg County and founding father Thomas Jefferson, as well as a 1904 visit of a large circus to Cadiz.
Fourshee said that same circus visit was well documented, with a parade in the downtown, and a stop on the Cumberland River.
Fourshee noted another interesting local story in the book comes from former U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala John Gordon Mein.
Copies of the book are $34 or $42.50 if shipped, and can be procured from Fortner or Fourshee in person, online at trigg2020.org, or through mail requests.
From 9 AM until noon this Saturday, the two will be at the John L. Street Library for a book signing, and the edition will be available there, too.
Another book signing, at the Janice Mason Art Museum, is being planned for a later date in the fall.
