Buried in the Bluegrass – The Rowan County War

When most people think of Kentucky feuds, they think of the Hatfields and McCoys.

But decades before modern law enforcement, another conflict turned a Kentucky county into a war zone.

In the 1880s, Rowan County became the center of a deadly struggle between the Martin and Tolliver factions. What began as political tension erupted into assassinations, ambushes, arson, and open gun battles in the streets of Morehead.

By the time the violence ended in 1887, at least twenty men were dead and Rowan County had earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous places in Kentucky.

In this episode of Buried in the Bluegrass, Greg Sexton explores the events that became known as the Rowan County War, examining the political divisions, personal rivalries, and failures of justice that fueled one of the Commonwealth's most violent conflicts.

Was it a family feud?

Or was it a county government collapsing under the weight of corruption, revenge, and competing power structures?

Join us as we uncover the story of Kentucky's forgotten war.

Sources

• Kentucky Historical Society

• Kentucky Encyclopedia

• Rowan County Historical Society

• Contemporary newspaper accounts from the 1880s

• Historical records relating to the Martin-Tolliver Feud

• Morehead State University historical archives

• National Park Service historical references

• Encyclopedia of Appalachia

Buried in the Bluegrass

Buried in the Bluegrass is a Kentucky true crime and history podcast from Ole Gerg Media, examining crimes, mysteries, conspiracies, cold cases, and forgotten stories from across the Commonwealth.

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In February 1914, Taylor County Coroner Lyle George Mathews joined a deputy coroner and the county jailer to carry out an eviction on a farm that had been sold to satisfy a debt. The occupants warned the officers that anyone who entered the property would be shot.

The warning was ignored.

Moments later, gunfire erupted, leaving Coroner Matthews dead and another officer wounded. More than a century later, Matthews remains the only peace officer killed in the line of duty in Taylor County and is believed to be the only Kentucky coroner ever killed in the line of duty.

In this episode of Buried in the Bluegrass, we explore the life of Lyle Matthews, the unusual role coroners once played in Kentucky law enforcement, and the deadly confrontation that became one of Taylor County's most forgotten tragedies.

Buried in Taylor County: The Death of Coroner Matthews. A story of duty, debt, and a warning that proved deadly.

On December 30, 1990, 22-year-old Valeri Camille Brooks was working the overnight shift at a convenience store in Versailles, Kentucky. Just after 2 a.m., an alarm was triggered. When police arrived, the store was empty and Valeri was gone.

Hours later, her body was discovered in rural Woodford County. Investigators determined she had been abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered.

More than three decades later, the case remains unsolved.

In Episode 10 of Buried in the Bluegrass, Greg examines the timeline, the evidence, the unanswered questions, and the five missing hours that may hold the key to identifying Valeri's killer.

Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, abduction, and homicide.