“A ‘furlong’ is a corruption of ‘furrow,’ as in what happens when you plow,” said Foster Ockerman Jr., then-president of the Lexington History Museum. “A ‘furrow-long’ was a discrete distance in England, but became a ‘furlong.’”

Ockerman had taken the KY Place team on an impromptu tour of Lexington, Kentucky, when we began filming for “Taking Cheapside” back in 2017. What started as a simple request for an interview about the history of Henry Tandy Park (formerly Cheapside) turned into a full excursion across the city. 

Ockerman wasted no time in showing us each unique detail the city had to offer, including the 440-yard race course that had been marked in downtown Lexington and was intended to demonstrate the length of a full thoroughbred-sized track for visiting tourists.

“It was never used,” Ockerman said with a wry smile.

Ockerman sadly passed away on Sunday, December 4th 2022, more than two years ago. He was a brilliant person with an encyclopedic knowledge that will never be replaced.

Rest easy, friend.