You’ll Never Believe What They Found Under the Jefferson Davis Statue in the Kentucky Capitol

The statue of the Confederate States President Jefferson Davis was removed from the Capitol rotunda in Frankfort Kentucky Saturday. Workers were surprised to find something extra hiding under the base of the memorial.

There were actually two items obviously put there when the marble monument went up on October 20, 1936. The first was not really unexpected as it is common to place a current newspaper in a time capsule or other historic item as a way to mark the date of it's dedication. A yellowed copy of the Kentucky State Journal dated Oct 20, 1936 was located under the Davis base when it was dismantled. The second item however took everyone by surprise and it had a true Kentucky flavor (and we mean flavor!)

Inside the pedestal of the statue was an empty  bottle of Glenmore Straight Kentucky bourbon. Well--it was actually empty of the famous product of the bluegrass state but there was mysterious item tucked inside the bottle. A folded up note.

Workers did not open the bottle to retrieve the message but passed it on to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. It will be removed safely and hopefully the contents will be made public.

Have any idea why workers would have left an empty bottle of booze in the base of the statue Jeff Davis was standing on? Any idea what's on that note?

In 1936 the country was still in the grips of the great depression. President Franklin Roosevelt had made strides in putting people back to work but the effects of the stock market crash of 1929 were still being felt.

One historic fact that we can put a definite date on was the repeal of prohibition. On December 5, 1933 it was once again legal to buy good ole Kentucky Bourbon legally.

Maybe the men who originally erected the Jefferson Davis statue needed a drink when they saw what was in the newspaper or possibly they were celebrating the end of the nation's long dry spell. Maybe when Governor Beshear tells us what's in that note we'll solve the mystery.