Christmas Song’s Covington Roots, Magoffin County Wild Elk, Finding Common Ground on Guns, and More
Ready or not, here it comes. Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
This week, our schedules are cluttered with last-minute gift scrambling, after-hours holiday parties, and buttoning up before winding down. Our halls are decked with Lights on Main decorations, making the Frazier the perfect indoor wonderland for the most wonderful time of the year.
I invite you and your out-of-town guests to come explore. And if you have any last-minute shopping to squeeze in, our Museum Shop has over ninety Bourbon brands and over one hundred cool Kentucky gift ideas to choose from.
This Thursday, we’re open until 8 p.m. for a Classic Christmas celebration. Every day, we’ll screen the reimagined KentuckyShow! three times: at 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Frazier will lay out the welcome mat for the NCAA Volleyball Final Four. The semifinals are Thursday, and the National Championship is on Sunday, leaving Friday and Saturday as days for 21,000 visitors to enjoy downtown. We hope to see many of them here at the Frazier.
In today’s Frazier Weekly, Rachel Platt rolls out our latest Bridging the Divide program in search of solutions to gun violence. We look back at the incredible pioneering life of Ellie Brown, trace the Kenton County origin of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” and explore wild elk in Magoffin County.
Get in the spirit, folks—it’s happening!
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Join Us Thursday for Late Night Thursday: Classic Christmas
Late Night Thursday: Classic Christmas flyer.
Join us for our final Late Night Thursday as we pay tribute to classic Christmas!
The program includes: extended museum hours, 5–8 p.m.; $12 discounted admission, 5–8 p.m.; Bearno’s selling pizza; Traditions of Christmas Past led by the Frazier’s Stories in Mind team in the Brown-Forman Theatre; Angel’s Envy offering specialty cocktails and tastings; Angel’s Envy selling and engraving bottles in the Museum Shop; a Male High School Choir performance; and a Panpipe Flute Choir performance. Museum members get access to a Dish with Tish session on Christmas ornaments.
Plus, guests can tour our newest exhibition, Lights on Main, which features nearly 100 Christmas trees decorated by local businesses, organizations, and families.
The holiday exhibition Lights on Main is a partnership offered between the Frazier and I Would Rather Be Reading.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Inn at Woodhaven Tree Voted Most Festive at Lights on Main
Inn at Woodhaven tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition, December 4, 2024.
Classy and elegant are words that describe the Lights on Main tree that won Most Festive. Those same words may describe the sponsor of the tree, the Inn at Woodhaven.
I hopped on their website to learn more about the historic bed and breakfast in Louisville that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
To learn more about the Main House and Carriage House built in 1853 on South Hubbards Lane, click here.
What a beauty, the tree and the Inn.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Countdown to Christmas: Kristin’s Staff Pick in the Museum Shop
A jar of Pop’s Pepper Patch Blackberry Bourbon Chutney sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, December 11, 2024.
One of my favorite items sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop is this Blackberry Bourbon Chutney. The sweet and savory chutney combines blackberries and onions with a nice hint of Bourbon flavor. I had a notion to style and photograph a beautiful and yummy-looking appetizer platter to accompany this writeup, but you’ll just have to take my word for it: pairing this Louisville-crafted Pop’s Pepper Patch chutney with cream cheese is a simple way to create an amazing nibble for guests during the holidays or anytime! Shape the cream cheese with a mold (if you’re feeling fancy), arrange a couple of tablespoons of chutney on top, and surround with toasted baguette slices and crackers. This chutney also adds a wonderful flavor to a humble grilled cheese sandwich; or mix with a bit of mayonnaise for a superb spread for your leftover turkey sandwiches. Delectable!
Kristin Grief
Guest Services
Do you ever wonder about the inspiration for certain songs? A Christmas classic has a Kentucky connection that I didn’t know about. And the inspiration for the song had ties to grief and growing up in Covington, Kentucky. Get ready to meet Haven Gillespie. You’ll think about him the next time you sing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
Detail of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” sheet music published in 1934. Credit: Leo Feist, Inc.
Songwriter Haven Gillespie, a native of Covington, works at his piano one of his new lyrics, 1949. Credit: Bob Heise, Cincinnati Enquirer.
“If you don’t wash behind your ears, Haven, Santa Claus will know. You better be good.”
This childhood memory of his mother’s warning is what floated to the surface of Haven Gillespie’s memories as he rode the New York subway in the fall of 1934 looking for inspiration for a children’s Christmas song.
Haven had left for New York following the funeral of his beloved brother, Irwin, to take a new batch of songs to his publisher. Upon Haven’s arrival, Edgar Bittner, manager at music publisher Leo Feist, Inc., in New York’s famous Tin Pan Alley, had asked Haven to write a children’s song for Christmas. Still in the midst of grief, Haven reluctantly agreed and left with his friend and collaborator, J. Fred Coots.
Haven and Coots boarded a subway train on Eighth Avenue and went to opposite ends of the car to wait for inspiration to strike. As the subway traveled through the city, Haven let his grief take him on a journey through memories of his childhood in Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky.
Born February 6, 1888, Haven was one of nine children born to William and Anna Gillespie. The family was hit hard by poverty and lived in the basement of a house on Third Street between Washington and Madison Avenue. When he was fourteen years old, Haven made his way to America’s printing hub, Chicago, to work as a “printer’s devil,” cleaning the printing presses and running errands for $1.50 per day. Over the next five years, Haven worked his way up the ladder—and along the way, he was exposed to new words and the complexities of the English language.
Although he had no formal musical training, Haven discovered he had a talent for writing lyrics. While Haven never completely gave up his work as a printer because he “had ink in his blood,” his songwriting picked up steam. Throughout the 1910s, ’20s, and ’30s, Haven produced a number of hits—including “Drifting and Dreaming,” “Breezin’ Along with the Breeze,” and “You’re in Kentucky Sure as You’re Born.” Haven often found himself writing lyrics while taking a ride on public transportation.
Grief can be a funny thing. It’s often in moments of quiet solitude that memories can surface, bringing inspiration from unexpected places.
Haven’s memory of his mother’s Christmas warning was just the inspiration he needed.
By the time the train had reached Forty-Ninth Street, Haven had written the lyrics to “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” on the back of an envelope he had pulled from his pocket. Despite Bittner’s excitement over the song, reception to it was mostly lukewarm when Leo Feist, Inc., tried to find someone to play it. J. Fred Coots called in a favor to his friend, comedian and radio host Eddie Cantor.
After making its debut on Eddie Cantor’s 1934 Thanksgiving show, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” became an overnight success. Throughout his career, Haven Gillespie wrote more than 1,000 songs, but none came close to the success of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” the song he didn’t want to write. The song has been covered by Frank Sinatra, the Jackson Five, Mariah Carey, Pentatonix, Bruce Springsteen, and countless others.
As we navigate the holiday season, remember to take joy in the little moments.
And be good, because Santa Claus is comin’ to town!
Amanda Dunn
Stories in Mind Facilitator
Curator’s Corner: V. Joseph Shipman Exhibit now Open
The Frazier’s V. Joseph Shipman: Investing in Community exhibit, December 12, 2024.
Our new exhibit V. Joseph Shipman: Investing in Community is now open on the second floor, right off of the elevator. This exhibit highlights the life and legacy of V. Joseph Shipman, CEO and President of Continental National Bank, one of Louisville’s first minority-owned banks. It showcases Shipman’s pivotal role in creating financial opportunities for the African American community during a time of profound social and economic challenges. The exhibit includes photographs and archival materials that demonstrate how his leadership in banking and community-building laid the groundwork for greater equity and progress. This exhibit was curated by U of L intern Chenoa Buster and features objects recently donated to the Frazier by the Shipman family.
Make time to visit this exhibit and learn a little bit more about V. Joseph Shipman the next time you visit!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Highlights of 120: Magoffin County: Wild Elk Reintroduced
120: Cool KY Counties graphic.
Welcome back! I’m talking about elk in Kentucky. We have a second chance to enjoy these magnificent creatures that roam our hills, mostly in Eastern Kentucky. Thousands of them are thriving thanks to at least one effort dating back to December 1997. It’s a story we tell in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit. A success story now, but with roots in extinction. Lucky us, there are even elk tours to enjoy these magnificent creatures.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, second from left, watches as five elk are released at a reclaimed strip mine near Hazard, December 18, 1997. Credit: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Elk were naturally native to Kentucky. According to John James Audubon, the last elk disappeared between 1810 and 1847. The eastern subspecies of elk went extinct due to over hunting and destruction of habitats by early colonists. Programs to reintroduce elk to Kentucky began in the mid-1990s when Rocky Mountain elk were transported to Kentucky.
Elk were first brought to a fenced area at Land Between the Lakes. This effort was led by former Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Head Tom Baker. After this success, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Doug Hensley proposed reintroducing free-roaming elk to Eastern Kentucky. It was decided that the plan could work, and Baker’s organization funded the restoration project.
In 1997, the first elk were released in a ceremony led by Governor Paul Patton. Despite transportation debacles, over 1,000 elk were released in Kentucky by 2002. Salyersville, in Magoffin County, was a release point. Kentucky now has the largest herd east of the Rocky Mountains.
Bridging the Divide
Finding Common Ground on Guns January 30 at the Frazier
Personal Impact: Finding Common Ground on Guns flyer.
The Frazier’s recent exhibition Flashback: Louisville Media Through the Years is coming down in January. Part of that exhibition focuses on the media’s coverage of certain events that transformed our community.
Some of them were natural disasters, like the devastating super tornado outbreak of 1974.
Others, though, were man-made disasters, like the Standard Gravure shooting in 1989. It was among the first modern mass shootings in the country, and one I covered as a new reporter in Louisville.
What strikes me about the video of that tragedy, looking back, is there was really no shared protocol to deal with such things by police or anyone else. Now of course there is, but what still remains a constant and consistent cry after all these years? The refrain of what we are doing to stop this gun violence.
How do we find common ground to address an epidemic in our country, and what steps can each of us take to be part of the solution?
We are going to look for common ground on January 30 here at the Frazier History Museum in our latest Bridging the Divide program.
I have invited four people to discuss the personal impact gun violence has taken on their lives.
Mike Campbell was shot six times at Standard Gravure. Rose Smith’s son was murdered in 2014. Whitney Austin was shot twelve times in a Cincinnati bank lobby in 2018. Maryanne Elliot lost her husband in the Old National Bank shooting in 2023.
They will share their deeply personal stories and talk about their own efforts to find common ground. We will have Kentucky lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in the audience and other special guests.
If you’ve been part of the refrain asking “what can I do?,” I hope you’ll join us.
Admission is free to the program, but please click here to sign up in advance.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
History All Around Us
Ellie Brown-Moore speaks at the unveiling of the Browns’ Hometown Heroes banner at Fifth and Market Streets, May 22, 2024. Credit: Matt Stone, Courier Journal.
Ellie Brown-Moore poses with two Kentucky Colonels players, c. 1970s.
Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore, and Louis Dampier are just some of the names in our exhibition at the Frazier that features the Kentucky Colonels. The team was part of the American Basketball Association, won the most games, and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league’s history. Let me mention another name: Ellie Brown. She was the first woman to own a majority stake in a major professional basketball franchise, the Kentucky Colonels. She was the first wife of Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, and she was named chair of the Colonels’ ownership board in 1973. She assembled an all-female board of directors. Ellie Brown-Moore passed away last week at eighty-four years old. A family friend wrote a beautiful tribute to her on Facebook and gave me permission to share it. She was really something.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
Kentucky has lost another legend.
The extraordinary life of Ellie Brown—a trailblazer, a visionary, and an inspiration to all who knew her. Ellie’s life was a testament to resilience, ingenuity, and the power of community, and her impact on Louisville and beyond will never be forgotten.
Ellie Brown played an instrumental role in bringing the Kentucky Colonels into the hearts of the Louisville community. She wasn’t content to be a passive supporter; Ellie took action. She went to banks and industrial firms to sell season tickets. She set up booths in shopping centers, handed out “I Love the Colonels” decals to schoolchildren, and even stepped outside her comfort zone to deliver public speeches—something she had never done before.
Ellie’s efforts were driven by a heartfelt belief that the Colonels could be a unifying force for Louisville. As she once said, “The Colonels are our only big professional sports team. The state is renowned for its basketball. We must have a successful team.” And under her leadership, they did.
Ellie’s groundbreaking role as part of an all-female ownership board wasn’t without challenges. The media, as was common at the time, often responded with outdated stereotypes. Yet Ellie, with her characteristic wit and grace, met those challenges head-on.
When asked if the team was just a plaything gifted to her by her husband, Ellie famously quipped, “You’re absolutely right in saying that I know nothing about basketball, but my husband knows nothing about making chicken, and he’s done all right.” Ellie’s determination proved that women could not only participate in sports management but excel at it.
Under her guidance, the Colonels sold record numbers of tickets in their first season, increased average gate receipts by seventy-five percent, and made basketball more accessible to the community. Her efforts culminated in the Colonels winning the ABA championship in 1975—a historic achievement for the team and a crowning moment for Ellie’s leadership. In true sports tradition, Ellie was thrown into the shower after the final game—a gesture of joy and camaraderie that perfectly captured her deep connection with the team.
Ellie’s journey was about more than sports; it was about challenging norms, uplifting her community, and showing the world what women could accomplish. Her contributions extended beyond basketball, as she used her platform to emphasize the untapped power of women in all walks of life. She and her husband, John Y. Brown II, were inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, a well-deserved recognition of their indelible legacy.
Though the Colonels ultimately dissolved, Ellie’s influence remains. She showed us what it means to lead with passion, integrity, and an unyielding belief in the potential of people. Her life reminds us that success isn’t just about the wins and losses—it’s about building something that inspires and unites.
Ellie Brown will forever be remembered not only as a pioneer in sports but as a beacon of strength and hope. She leaves behind a legacy of love, courage, and determination—a legacy that will continue to inspire us for generations to come. She also leaves behind some really cool kids that have ALSO gone on to make the world a better place. Rest in peace, Ellie, and thank you for showing us how to dream big and lead boldly.
Lee Murphy
Friend of the Brown Family
Guest Contributor
NCAA Volleyball Tournament Draws Thousands to Downtown Louisville
University of Louisville women’s volleyball outside hitter Anna DeBeer returns the ball against Purdue at Freedom Hall, December 12, 2024. Credit: Scott Utterback, Courier Journal.
On Sunday, December 22, thousands of fans will gather in the KFC Yum! Center to see who will claim the title of NCAA Volleyball Champion. I will be one of those thousands—hopefully cheering on the Cardinals as they take home their first national championship (although my experience will be a bit different from the average fan, as I’ll be there as a volunteer escorting the teams from the locker rooms to the court). As a lifelong volleyball fan, I’m so excited for this opportunity—especially as I will be volunteering with my mom, who passed down her love of volleyball to me. Hopefully, this year the Cardinals will take home the title, because if they do, they’ll have made their title run entirely at home. On Saturday night the Cardinals secured their ticket to the National Semi-finals within a 3-1 win over Stanford. On Thursday night the Cards will face off against top rival Pitt Panthers. Here’s to hoping the Cards win their first National Championship at home.
Nicole Clay
Education & Engagement Specialist
