FRANKFORT, Ky. — The longtime tour guide of one of Kentucky’s best-known bourbon distilleries is saving an historic cemetery that needed money.
Buffalo Trace in Frankfort decided to fund Freddie Johnson’s project by naming soft drinks after him—Freddie’s Root Beer and Ginger Ale. They turned over a check to him to plow into Green Hill Cemetery, Kentucky's only resting place honoring the state's Black troops.
"So right now, it's kind of like an eyesore,” Johnson said.
The famed Buffalo Trace Distillery, makers of legendary bourbons like Pappy Van Winkle and Blanton's, gave Johnson a check for more than $11,000.
"The objective is honor tradition, embrace change,” Johnson said.
The money raised by sales from their newly branded soda will be used to restore the cemetery.
"The tradition is, it's an old cemetery, but we think we can make a change in this cemetery also in helping people come back to visit,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, they discovered unidentified graves there.
"When we tried to create the pauper’s monument in recognizing these folks, the backhoe went into an area where we thought nothing was there, we tried using probes, but when that bucket went down a little bit deeper it hit something,” Johnson said. "We're trying not to disturb anything until the archeologist maps it. And then we're going to have to go through, line all the headstones up."
The cemetery is important to Johnson, not only because inside Green Hill rests a monument of Kentucky's African American soldiers, but generations of his family also rest there, including his father and great grandfather who worked at the same distillery.
"They're buried up here. And I'm hoping that they feel better knowing that we're doing something to restore it so even their gravesite is nice to look at," Johnson said.
He said the proceeds from Freddie’s' Old-Fashioned Soda will be seen throughout the cemetery.
"I would love to hear you say, 'Wow! Y'all really did make a difference,’” Johnson said.
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