LATONIA RACECOURSE
Newport, and to Rosedale Manor in Covington. The LBC Television Ministry was launched in February 1984, when the Sunday morning worship ser vice began being taped for broadcasting on the public access channel. Two additional programs were offered as well. This ministry continues to thrive, having received a number of awards. The church serves as a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon for spouses, and AlA-Teen for children of alcoholics. Participants have become active members of the church. At least since 1934, the Boy Scouts of America have met in the church. The Cub Scouts and the Girl Scouts began meeting there in 1970 and 1997, respectively. In 1998 a minister of family life was appointed, to provide counseling to individuals or groups. In the first two years, about 250 persons, about half of them church members, participated. Women became eligible to serve as deacons when the church bylaws and constitution were revised in 1989. In 1994 the first woman was ordained, and several other women have since become deacons. In 1996 the church purchased the vacant Johnny’s Toy Shop property in Latonia in order to provide expanded parking space. In March 1998 a $2.2 million stewardship campaign was initiated with a major church renovation as its objective. On August 17, 2000, Latonia Baptist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary. Latonia Baptist Church’s mission efforts have led to the establishment of other churches locally, including the DeCoursey Baptist Church, the Rosedale Baptist Church, and the Ashland Baptist Church. In 1920, as a result of internal friction at Latonia Baptist Church, a member group established a separate fellowship that five years later was admitted by the North Bend Baptist Association as Calvary Baptist Church in Covington Throughout the Latonia Baptist Church’s history, it has provided activities such as festivals, picnics, music, parties, and sports for persons of all age groups. Gibson, Smith H., M. F. Stephens, Frank Hacker, Pauline Hacker, and Emma Batson. The Spirit of Antioch: A History of Latonia Baptist Church. Covington, Ky., Latonia Baptist Church, 1969. “Latonia Baptist Celebrates 75th,” KP, August 16, 1975, 12K.
Garry A. Casson
LATONIA CHRISTIAN CHURCH. This church owes its existence to a three-week revival series, held by Rev. George A. Miller, at the First Christian Church of Covington in early 1898. Miller and 25 charter members met on February 27, 1898, to form the Latonia Christian Church. Their early meetings were held in Bird’s Hall at Ritte’s Corner in Milldale, which was annexed to Latonia in 1906. Initially, Miller and Rev. P. H. Duncan, pastor of the Ludlow Christian Church, served as dual pastors, preaching on alternate Sundays. A church member, Elizabeth Whipps, donated a 50-by-50-foot lot in Latonia on Franklin St. (now 36th St.) for a future church building. A subscription drive was held in February 1900, during which sufficient funds were raised to erect a small building. Construction was begun in March 1900, and
the church was completed and dedicated on October 7, 1900. The congregation hired as its first fulltime pastor Rev. Harlan C. Runyan, who was a graduate of Transylvania College in Lexington. He often told of the first ser vice he held at the church in February 1902, when only 23 members attended and he was paid the entire offering collected, 30 cents. In those early years, the church received financial assistance from the Kentucky Christian Missionary Society. Under Runyan’s able leadership, membership doubled by 1907, and an addition was made to the church to accommodate the increased attendance. In January 1911 the church declared its financial independence from the Christian Missionary Society. Owing to the rapid growth of the congregation, a new lot was purchased in Latonia at the corner of 39th and Decoursey Ave. for $5,500 in June 1921, and Cincinnati architect David Davis was commissioned to draw plans for a new building. It was erected at a cost of $98,000 and was dedicated on April 8, 1923. At the dedication ser vice, 714 worshippers were in attendance. The church continued its phenomenal growth throughout the tenure of Runyan. Crowds in excess of 1,000 were common at ser vices during the latter years of his ministry. To show their appreciation, his friends and fellow church members sent him and his wife on a tour of the Holy Land in 1926. Church membership had reached about 1,600 by the time Runyan died unexpectedly of heart failure on December 13, 1935. The grieving congregation hired as their next pastor Rev. Charles D. Carter, who stayed for almost three years. At that time, a serious split occurred in the congregation, with Carter and about 250 members leaving to start a new church in Latonia, which they called the Latonia Church of Christ. The Latonia Christian Church attendance had dropped to about 350 by the time the congregation hired their next pastor, Rev. Thomas D. Alderson, who stayed for only about a year. On December 3, 1939, the church voted to call as their next pastor Rev. Joseph D. Hill, who served the congregation faithfully for the next 33 years. During his tenure a parsonage was purchased, a new educational wing was built, a church bus began operating, and all debt was retired. When Hill resigned in 1973, he was followed by Rev. Hondel Adams, who stayed for about three years. On April 19, 1977, Rev. Mike Sweeney was hired as pastor, and he has now served the congregation for more than 30 years. The Latonia Christian Church celebrated its 100th anniversary at special ser vices held in April 1998. Latonia Christian Church, 1898–1948. Anniversary booklet. Latonia, Ky.: Latonia Christian Church, 1948. “New Latonia Church Formed,” KP, June 6, 1938, 1. “New Latonia Church Voted by Dissenters,” KP, May 23, 1938, 1.
LATONIA LAKES. The small community of Latonia Lakes, incorporated in 1953, was originally developed as a summer resort and weekend getaway destination. It was located on the east side of Taylor Mill Rd., about five miles south of I-275.
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The cities of Covington, Independence, and Ryland Heights, as well as small pockets of unincorporated Kenton Co., surrounded the tiny community. When the development opened in 1931, more than 900 cottage sites were quickly sold at $77 each. Within a few months, 40 cottages were completed and dozens more were under construction. Many of the homes were built overlooking the four lakes on the property. Residents suddenly enjoyed such attractions as fishing, boating, and swimming. The original clubhouse was renovated in 2004, and several tennis courts were added the following year. At the colony’s peak, nearly 300 cottages were situated across the well-maintained property. The construction of new homes diminished during World War II as the entire development began a slow, steady decline. Many people who had purchased lots left them vacant. The property that was to become a later phase in the development has remained vacant as well. Today, only 124 homes remain. The tennis courts are gone, and there is no boating or swimming in the one remaining lake. Several attempts to annex this former resort, by both Covington and Independence, had been rejected. However, suffering from too few tax dollars to cover necessary repairs to the roads and infrastructure, residents of the city voted 32-29 in November 2006 to dissolve the city. It came to an official end in December of the same year and is now part of unincorporated Kenton Co. Hassert, Dan. “Last Rites for Latonia Lakes Near,” KP, January 10, 2007, 1A. Latonia Lakes advertisement. KP, May 27, 1932, 4. “Latonia Lakes Clubhouse,” KP, May 29, 1932, 2. “900 Cottage Sites Established at Latonia Lakes,” KP, June 14, 1931, 9.
Robert D. Webster
LATONIA RACECOURSE. The original Latonia Racecourse (1883–1939), located adjacent to 38th St. and Winston Ave. in what was once Latonia (now Covington), was for several decades one of the leading thoroughbred horse racing facilities in North America. Founded in 1882 by the Latonia Agricultural and Stock Association, Latonia Racecourse’s first day of competition, June 9, 1883, drew an estimated 10,000 patrons and featured the Hindoo Stakes, a race that by 1888 was renamed the Latonia Derby. The Latonia racetrack immediately became part of Kentucky’s famed “3-L” (Latonia, Lexington, and Louisville) race circuit, and racing there was equal in quality to that at the older facilities, the Association Track in Lexington (1828) and Churchill Downs in Louisville (1875). Black jockeys were prevalent at southern and midwestern racecourses in the post–Civil War era, and the Latonia track was no exception. Isaac Murphy (1861–1896), acclaimed as the greatest black jockey, and several of his peers dominated Latonia’s race stakes, winning with such regularity that they were preferred as riders over their white contemporaries. From the outset, the list of owners, trainers, and horses appearing at Latonia’s racing facility was impressive. Top national racing stables were represented, such as the Chicago Stable of