Rebel on Main

David Swartz
  • 5.0 (30)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Rebel on Main

A podcast investigation about a rebel statue in Kentucky’s Bluegrass. His belt buckle is Confederate, but he wears a Union hat. Is he a monument to heroism? Or a symbol of treason and racism? Rebel on Main chronicles this statue’s bizarre biography—and the haunting story of the community that now decides its fate.

Episodes

  1. EPISODE 1

    Hidden Secrets

    A Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 sparks a campaign to destroy Jessamine County’s Confederate statue. David tells the story of a profoundly disturbing secret hidden in the county’s past.

    58 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Defending History

    A local citizen defends the statue with a gun on his hip. David investigates the bizarre origins of the statue’s rebel identity.

    57 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Ghosts of Jessamine

    A woman makes a horrifying discovery buried in her backyard. A Black preacher reckons with his grandfather’s story of a lynching.

    1h 9m

  4. EPISODE 4

    Jenna's Petition

    A sixteen-year-old homeschooler teams up with an interracial coalition of pastors. Local authorities feel the pressure.

    52 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    A Rival Monument

    With the clock ticking, a local archaeologist unearths a long-buried narrative that threatens to destabilize the statue’s foundations.

    1h 2m

  6. EPISODE 6

    A Confederate from Canada

    I learn that my neighbor, a transplant from Canada, is leveraging the statue in an effort to sweep local Republican candidates to victory.

    49 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Change Is Gonna Come

    Jenna’s petition stalls. Blue Lives Matter outpaces Black Lives Matter. But in 2023 a new surge of activism reignites the controversy. What will happen to Jessamine County’s Confederate statue? And what does the statue’s fate reveal about the soul of my divided southern community?

    54 min

  8. 12/17/2024

    Trailer

    It’s a Civil War statue unlike any other—one with a rebel belt and a Union hat. Join historian David Swartz on a podcast investigation of his hometown Confederate statue that stands on Main Street in Jessamine County, Kentucky.

    5 min

Trailer

5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

A podcast investigation about a rebel statue in Kentucky’s Bluegrass. His belt buckle is Confederate, but he wears a Union hat. Is he a monument to heroism? Or a symbol of treason and racism? Rebel on Main chronicles this statue’s bizarre biography—and the haunting story of the community that now decides its fate.

Information

  • Creator
    David Swartz
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Rebel on Main

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