African-American cemetery in Lexington houses author of Isaac Murphy’s new book

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On July 7, author Dr. Katherine Mooney will be visiting African Cemetery No. 2 in Fasig-Tipton. Her new book, “Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey,” is a focus of her interest in horses and 19th century American history.

“The more I learned about these stories, especially the story of Isaac Murphy, the more I realized that the incredible changes that had taken place in 19th-century America could be seen in the life of a single person,” Mooney says.

Yvonne Giles is the cemetery’s education coordinator. Murphy was originally buried in African Cemetery No. 2. She tells me that people know Murphy’s legacy, but perhaps don’t know as much about his early life and the influence of his family.

Giles says, “People talk about him all the time, but that’s pretty superficial information. Dr. Mooney has done a lot of research. She started researching this book during COVID.”

Mooney adds: “The things that I think are not discussed as much concern his early life and in particular the story of his mother, who for me is a major character in a significant part of the first part of the book.”

Mooney explains that Murphy’s mother was a young woman at a turning point in American history – she lived through slavery and Reconstruction. She says his mother made sure her family’s history was documented. Giles says there is a lot to learn about many of the black men of Lexington.

Giles says: “The men we talk about in our cemetery, all 186 of them, including Isaac Murphy, were at the crucial turning point when the industry was just blossoming.”

Giles and Mooney want to educate people on the important role Lexington played in post-Civil War history and the important role Lexington’s black community played in the creation of the horse racing industry.

Giles says: “It is the 140th anniversary of Isaac’s numerous victories, a record that no one else has broken.”

“When we honor Murphy, we always want to honor the people who have remained loyal to the sport and shaped it over several generations,” says Mooney.