“Hidden History of LaGrange” Book Release
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Hidden History of LaGrange New book by Dr. Nancy Stearns Theiss LaGrange is known for its trains. It became an important junction for the railroad, with lines going to Frankfort
Hidden History of LaGrange
New book by Dr. Nancy Stearns Theiss
LaGrange is known for its trains. It became an important junction for the railroad, with lines going to Frankfort and Cincinnati and this made the town an important stop for travelers and businesses. The interurban electric rail car made round trips from LaGrange to Louisville daily until automobiles surpassed the interurban in popularity. The first courthouse in LaGrange was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. These topics and much more is in Hidden History of LaGrange, a new book by Dr. Nancy Stearns Theiss, Executive Director of the Oldham County History Center now available! The book, according to Theiss, is one of her favorites that she has written, “I used interviews from the oral histories of the Oldham County History Center’s Living Treasure Oral History Program to describe life in a small town before Interstate 71 was constructed! The Living Treasure’s Program began in 2007 and since that time I have conducted 176 oral histories of some of Oldham County’s finest folks!”
“I tried to include mostly the humorous stories from these interviews, that evolved around small town life, the small grocery and drug stores, local doctors, small neighborhoods, our LaGrange Training School and LaGrange Elementary School, the small cafes and pool halls that served greasy grill burgers and town favorites like chop suey made from hamburger! I wanted to give background history to our courthouse square as well as our train history and the original settlement of LaGrange. Who would have thought in years past, a train running down Main Street, would become a novel tourist attraction!”
“Growing up in LaGrange was very special to me and when I began listening to the experiences of other people that lived here, it gave me a profound sense of place and community. It took me back to my own memories of the people and places that influenced my life. And there is something very special about local town humor, that just cannot be duplicated!”
This is the third book Theiss has authored for The History Press. The other two are “A Tour of the Underground Railroad Along the Ohio River” (2022) and “Oldham County: Life at the River’s Edge” (2010).
“I love writing for The History Press because they focus on local history. Preserving our local history nurtures our personal identity and validates the importance of human memory in making places special” states Theiss.
In addition Theiss wrote “A Place in the Lodge: Rob Morris, Freemasonry and The Order of the Eastern Star” Westphalia Press (2018).
“I was very fortunate to transcribe letters from the Rob Morris family provided by the Ky. Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, located in LaGrange. Dr. Rob Morris was quite a 19th Century ‘mover and shaker’ in the United States and lived here in LaGrange for the last 28 years of his life.”
She also self-published a children’s book with her daughter-in-law, Lauren Theiss as illustrator titled “Chickens Lay Eggs, Not Rabbits!”
The books can be purchased at the Oldham County History Center as well as Mercantile on Main. Some of the proceeds from Theiss’s book help support the Oldham County History Center through program development and maintenance of the four 19th century structures on the History Center campus in downtown LaGrange.
More information: The Oldham County History Center, 106 N. Second Ave., LaGrange, KY 40031. 502.222.0826, info@oldhamkyhistory.com, www. Oldhamkyhistory.com, Facebook: Oldham County History Center, Instagram: oldhamkyhistory
