King Solomon was a gravedigger who,
many say, saved the town of Lexington during the Cholera epidemic of 1833. Supposedly protected by his love of spirits and justified aversion to water, his immunity to the disease made him the ideal worker for the cemetery.

In the spring of 1833, as punishment for his vagrancy, local officials put Solomon up for sale as a slave for one year; at the end of that year he was to return to court. Aunt charlotte purchased Solomon for $13; she outbid two medical students who were investing in a future cadaver. Aunt Charlotte set Solomon free and he promptly went about acquiring liquor. After making his way back to Aunt Charlotte's home, where he passed out on a Thursday, he woke on a Saturday to find that many had died or were dying of cholera while others were evacuating the city.

People were dying quicker than they were being buried--the gravediggers had deserted the city. Solomon took up his shovel and began burying the dead.

Both Solomon and Aunt Charlotte survived the epidemic. When Solomon returned to court, the judge shook his hand and others thanked him for his heroic deeds.

It has been said that King Solomon's dedication to digging graves prevented further spread of the disease.