Bus Tour and Public Dedication

The Louisville Free Public Library, Lean Into Louisville, and the Frazier History Museum have partnered for a day of celebration, honoring the vision and legacy of Reverend Thomas Fountain Blue. He was a minister, educator, and civic leader who would become the nation’s first African American to head a public library. In 1905, Blue was chosen to head the Louisville Western Branch Library, the first public library to serve African American patrons with an exclusively African American staff.

He is currently buried in an unmarked grave at Eastern Cemetery with his beloved wife Cornelia.

Our partnering organizations, along with Friends of Eastern Cemetery, will dedicate a headstone, paid for by the Library Foundation on July 16 at 1:30 p.m. at Eastern Cemetery, where the public is invited to attend. Mayor Greg Fischer will be in attendance, along with members of the Blue family, for the short ceremony.

In addition to the public ceremony at Eastern, there will also be a free bus tour for 26 guests that begins at 10 a.m. at the Frazier History Museum for a guided tour of the exhibition West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation.

At 11 a.m., the bus will depart to the Louisville Western Branch Library for a tour and a film, before boarding the bus to Eastern Cemetery.

Guests who would like to sign up for the 26 spots on the bus tour can get tickets below.

After the ceremony, the bus will return guests to the Frazier History Museum for their vehicles.