If you were looking down at Marion County from a helicopter, the first thing you’d notice would probably be the rolling green hills of Kentucky bluegrass, with two-lane highways curving around the corners. You’d see the black roofs of distilleries, and the spires of Catholic churches. You’d see cows and horses and miles of soybean plants. It looks a lot like other rural parts of the country. Nothing out of the ordinary. But below the surface, there’s a history that makes this place unlike anywhere else in the country. It’s the story of why the Cornbread Mafia happened here, in the center of Kentucky.

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