The next episode of Kentucky Life spotlights the tragedy of the ill-fated SS Sultana, which exploded and burned on April 27, 1865, en route to return more than 2,000 Union prisoners of war following the conclusion of the Civil War. The episode also honors the legacy of Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman via a Paducah historical marker, explores Louisville Mega Cavern’s many entertainment offerings, and showcases the unique art of Rick Griebenow of McKee, who uses reclaimed Kentucky hardwood to create furniture pieces with rich character and history.

The program airs Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8/7 pm.

First, the show documents the nearly forgotten history of the SS Sultana – whose explosion and sinking on April 27, 1865, took the lives of some 1,800 of its 2,427 passengers. Despite being the worst-ever maritime disaster in American history, news of the sinking of the side-wheel Mississippi River steamboat was barely reported at the time, overshadowed by other happenings in the immediate aftermath of the war, including the assassination of John Wilkes Booth the day before. Host Dave Shuffett travels to Memphis, where the Sultana sank, to find out more about the tragedy, which took the lives of 194 men from Kentucky.

Then, Kentucky Life examines the legacy of Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman of McCracken County, whose leadership during the Civil War and subsequent career as an engineer are honored in a historical marker in Paducah.

Next, the show visits the expansive, 100-acre Louisville Mega Cavern. Ranked Louisville’s top tourist attraction on TripAdvisor, Louisville Mega Cavern extends below 70 percent of the Louisville Zoo and all 10 lanes of the Waterson Expressway. Originally the site of a limestone quarry, today Louisville Mega Cavern is an entertainment attraction, home to a tram tour, holiday light show, ropes challenge course, dirt bike course and the world’s only fully underground zipline course.

In the show’s final segment, Kentucky Life spotlights the unique wood furniture created by a company called Kentucky Ingrained, based in McKee, Ky. Run by Rick Griebenow, Kentucky Ingrained produces handcrafted furniture and wood pieces from reclaimed Kentucky hardwoods. By incorporating the repurposed wood’s natural knots and nail holes into its designs, the company fashions one-of-a-kind pieces with rich history.

Kentucky Life is a KET production, produced by Brandon Wickey. Segment producers for this episode are Paul Smith, Jim Piston, Frank Simkonis and Valerie Trimble.

KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, serving more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization on Twitter @KET and facebook.com/KET and at KET.org.

Contact:

Todd Piccirilli
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
859-258-7242
tpiccirilli@ket.org