A monument erected in 1914 in Fairview Cemetery honors Lester Bryant.

On Aug. 15, 1914, a monument was erected at Fairview Cemetery in Bowling Green in honor of Lester Bryant.

Lester became the state champion corn grower at age 15 in 1912. In January 1913, the Courier-Journal newspaper paid for Lester to go to Washington, D.C., to claim his prize.

While staying in a boarding room in Washington, Lester blew out the gas lamp instead of turning it off, causing his room to fill with gas, which ultimately killed him. The money for the monument came from the sale of Lester’s corn.

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.