Frankfort Heritage Lecture Series Pop-Up: Russ Hatter's Franklin County Reference

Join Russ Hatter as he introduces his new Franklin County Reference. As requested by Franklin County Fiscal Court, the original report was written to denote what the Capital City Museum contained in their collection concerning the county outside city limits. Each chapter highlights research material from files recognizing people, places, and historical events. By nature of the report, there is deliberate repetition and overlap. A helpful index provides access to content. A book signing will follow the lecture, with copies available for purchase.

Russ Hatter is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Kentucky Christian College and Kentucky State College. He began his 40-year career in broadcasting in 1961 at WGOH in Grayson, Kentucky. He moved to Frankfort in 1965, where he was morning announcer for WFKY. In 2001, he left radio to pursue a new career as Assistant Curator of Historic Sites for the City of Frankfort’s Department of Parks and Recreation, where he participated, along with Nicky Hughes, in the establishment of the Capital City Museum. After retiring in 2013, Hatter returned shortly afterward as the newly-created City Historian at the Capital City Museum, where he again retired in 2021 after twenty years of service.

Throughout his time in Frankfort, Hatter has appeared in or directed numerous theatrical productions, acted in three local movies, and can still be seen occasionally on Frankfort Plant Board’s Cable 10 with his popular walking tours. He has written and researched numerous books related to the incredible history of Frankfort and Franklin County through Frankfort Heritage Press. In 2024, Hatter was awarded the Dr. James C. Klotter Lifetime Dedication to Kentucky History Award by the Kentucky Historical Society. He resides with his wife Karen and their little dog MacKaye in South Frankfort.