1920 Nativity Set, 97-Year-Old Yodeler Billie Willow, Exploring Kentucky: Trigg–Woodford, and More
So, this is Christmas!
On behalf of our Frazier team and our outstanding board of directors, I hope you and your family find a place for peace, love, and happiness amidst the hustle and bustle of the week.
If you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just the culmination of an eventful 2024, let us carry the principles of loving, giving, reflecting, inspiring, and unifying guide us in the new year. If you want to squeeze out every last minute of the holiday, remember, our Lights on Main exhibition is open until January 5. It’s spectacular!
If you’re looking for inspiration in this Frazier Weekly, look no further than our latest 120: Cool KY Counties video below, featuring a singing interview with ninety-seven-year-old Billie Willow. Born in 1927, Billie was introduced to us at one of the senior campuses served weekly by our Stories in Mind mission work. She’s also a legit superstar, having toured with Elvis, Patsy Cline, and the Everly Brothers. If the video doesn’t make you smile, I’m calling humbug.
Also this week, Tish Boyer has a 1920 nativity set from our Charles W. Stewart Historic Miniatures Collection, Shelby Vandgrift has last-minute stocking stuffers from the Museum Shop, and Rachel Platt is building beds.
Merry Christmas, y’all!
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
From the Collections: Nativity Set by Heyde, 1920
Nativity set made by German toy miniatures maker Heyde c. 1920. Part of the Stewart Historic Miniatures Collection at the Frazier History Museum.
Hello, Frazier friends! For those of you who don’t know me well, I love Christmas. I love the tree, the lights, the cold air (yes, the cold), and wrapping paper! I love gifts because they are surprises, and I love the colored paper they come in. So with Christmas in mind, I thought it would be fun to look at what might have been a birthday or Christmas gift to a child many years ago.
While we have a large collection of some very rare historic miniatures, I think it’s important that these were once toys. They were expertly made by some of the best toy makers in the world and most likely given to little girls and boys alike. The set pictured is made by German toy maker Heyde. Originally made in Dresden Germany, Heyde miniatures are beautifully crafted and among some of the most sought-after among collectors. Heyde was primarily active in the late nineteenth century, although the company did continue into the twentieth century before the factory was bombed during World War II, making pre-war sets very rare.
Part of the Charles W. Stewart Historic Miniatures Collection at the Frazier, the set pictured is a nativity set complete with the holy family, shepherds with their sheep, the wisemen (of course more than the standard three), and their gifts and servants. It also features other decorated pieces such as palm trees and a beautiful, stripped tent. Really the only thing missing from the scene is a host of angels, though I do not know if it originally came with angels or not. Either way, it’s a fun set to see and to celebrate Christmas.
So, from our family to yours, happy holidays!
Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement
Voice-Tribune, Reczek Chase Law Trees Voted Most Lou Spirit & Judges’ Favorite at Lights on Main
As we close in on Christmas and enjoy the beautifully decorated trees in our homes, we want to celebrate two more of the tree winners in our Lights on Main contest at the Frazier.
Voice-Tribune tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition, December 20, 2024.
Reczek Chase Law tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition, December 20, 2024.
The Voice-Tribune won for Most Lou Spirit, and we can see why!
Stories celebrating our city and its people are part of the motif for the tree. Come take a closer look to see how creative they got in their ornaments, even down to business cards!
And a shoutout to Reczek Chase Law for being voted Judges’ Favorite.
Their rainbow tree is a standout, with books underneath that help tell the story of the LGBTQ community.
Lights on Main is open through the first of the year. We hope you’ll come check out all of the nearly 100 trees during the holidays.
We promise it will help your days be merry and bright.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Sippin’ with Stephen: Bourbon Experiences at the Frazier
As the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the Frazier History Museum shares stories of the people, places, and producers of the Kentucky Bourbon industry. To learn more, visit our Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center or tour our Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition.
As the calendar prepares to turn to 2025, two of my favorite Frazier colleagues and I are going to remind patrons and prospective patrons what the Frazier has to offer Bourbon enthusiasts. This holiday episode features Senior Manager of Operations Heidi Janes and Stories in Mind Administrator Kevin Bradley. Heidi coordinates the daily Bourbon tastings at the Frazier, and Kevin manages the Stories in Mind program, which takes the Frazier to folks who reside in retirement communities and nursing home facilities. (Kevin also has the dubious distinction of being my regular camera man on Sippin’ with Stephen!) Heidi, Kevin, and I lay out for viewers the various Bourbon experience options you have here at the Frazier.
On behalf of Heidi, Kevin, myself, and the entire Frazier staff, we wish you and your family a joyous holiday season. We look forward to hosting you and your friends for a fun and educational Bourbon experience in 2025!
Please click here to book your Bourbon experience at the Frazier Museum.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Countdown to Christmas: Shelby’s Staff Pick in the Museum Shop
Shelby Vandgrift models a selection of items sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, December 19, 2024.
The Museum Shop is the perfect place to stop for last-minute stocking stuffers! We have a variety of unique Kentucky items for all ages and your pets that can upgrade any stocking. Some of my favorites include our mini spice variety set, the disco ball ornament, the Ale-8 bottle dog toy, Modjeska candy, and our mini Bourbon bottles. Plus, if you spend $50 or more, you get a free Kentucky Bourbon Trail® glass that goes great with the minis! Stop by to add some Kentucky holiday spirit to your stockings!
Shelby Vandgrift
Guest Services
Frazier Interviews 97-Year-Old Winchester-Born Yodeler Billie Willow
From left, musician Billie Willow poses with the Frazier’s Jennifer Jones at a long-term health campus in Louisville, November 21, 2024.
One of the best things about being a part of the Frazier’s Stories in Mind program is getting to meet new people from all walks of life and hearing their stories. The program allows me to go out into the community and tell stories about Kentucky history. However, the greater treasure is hearing the memories those stories evoke for the residents at the long-term health campuses I visit.
Back in October, I visited one such campus and learned there was a new resident. A woman named Billie Willow had recently been admitted and had already made an impression on some of the other residents. One such resident, Betty, an attendee of the program, couldn’t wait to tell me about her new friend. “She’s famous,” Betty told me as she introduced me to Billie.
After hearing her incredible story, I saw that Billie held her own piece of Kentucky history that deserved to be shared with a wider audience.—Jennifer Jones, Stories in Mind Facilitator
Learning about Bessie Mae Willoughby, a.k.a. Billie Willow, from Jennifer was really exciting. Today, it’s hard to imagine someone’s music career directly intersecting the careers of Patsy Cline, Elvis, and the Everly Brothers, but Billie is proof that there are tremendous people living among us. It was immediately clear that Billie’s story, which began on a farm near Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, was perfect for our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
When we met—just a few days after her ninety-seventy birthday, which was November 15, 2024—Billie Willow had a lot to say about a life in music, and she still had a lot to sing. I’m sure you’ll marvel at the names of people she crossed paths with and smile at the songs she was eager to share.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience (and Impromptu Guitar Player for Billie Willow)
Exploring Kentucky graphic.
As part of our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit, we’re curating a list of 120 unique sites to visit: one site in each county! In 2024, once a month, we’ll share sites in ten counties, completing the list in December. For December, we’re sharing sites in these counties: Trigg, Trimble, Union, Warren Washington, Wayne, Webster, Whitley, Wolfe, and Woodford. I extend a special thank you to Kentucky Historical Society, whose Historical Marker Program has been a brilliant resource for this list!
Exterior of Trimble County Jail in Bedford. Credit: Team Kentucky.
Exterior of the Lane Theater in Williamsburg, Whitley County, November 2, 2012. Credit: Brent Moore, Flickr.
Swango Springs springhouse in Hazel Green, Wolfe County, October 21, 2019. Credit: J. J. Prats, HMDB.org.
Drummer Boy at Seven. (36°44’16.1”N, 88°00’12.3”W) In 1820, Nathan Futrell (1773–1829)—a North Carolina native said to have been, at seven, the youngest drummer boy in the American Revolution—settled on Ford’s Creek near present-day Golden Pond, Trigg County, Kentucky. He farmed, set out an apple orchard, and built a grist mill. He is buried here in Futrell Cemetery.
Trimble County Jail. (38°35’36.6”N, 85°19’03.8”W) Around 1850, an old stone jail was built on Main Street here in Bedford, Trimble County. It was comprised of a series of cells and a central office. During 1854, abolitionist Delia Webster was briefly incarcerated in the jail. The second story was added in 1899. On May 6, 1983, the jail was closed due to fire and safety violations.
Lincoln Speech. (37°41’01.2”N, 87°55’01.6”W) In September 1840, Congressman Abraham Lincoln, then age thirty-one, gave a campaign speech for Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison here in Morganfield, Union County. It was Lincoln’s only political speech in Kentucky. He led a parade from Shawneetown, Illinois, with young ladies riding horse-drawn floats.
Bowling Green. (36°59’31.1”N, 86°26’21.6”W) In 1796, Robert Moore built a cabin at the Big Spring here. Since then, the town of Bowling Green, Warren County, has grown around the spring. In 1797, Moore, his brother George, and James Stewart posts a bond of 1,000 English pounds to establish the town—originally called “Bolin Green,” because of bowling grounds on the site.
Elmwood Mansion. (37°40’33.4”N, 85°13’40.2”W) In 1851, William S. Davidson, son of the town’s first merchant, built this mansion in Springfield, Washington County. In 1862, as Union forces moved through Springfield ahead of the October 8 battle at Perryville, Gen. Don Carlos Buell made his headquarters here. He forced the owner’s son to map water sources in the area due to drought.
Doublehead’s Land. (36°55’37.3”N, 84°45’28.1”W) The last chieftain along the Cumberland River, Cherokee Chief Chuqualatague, a.k.a. “Doublehead,” was born in 1744 and died in 1807. This tract of land in present-day Touristville, Wayne County, became part of his home. In 1770, the land served as the camp site for Long Hunters, and in 1774, for Daniel Boone and Michael Stoner.
Rice Brothers Birthplace. (37°30’54.7”N, 87°41’33.3”W) Brothers and writers Laban Lacy Rice (1870–1973) and Cale Young Rice (1872–1943) were born here in Dixon, Webster County. After Cale’s death in 1943, Laban published a collection of his late brother’s best poems, including “The Mystic.” Laban wrote about relativity and became president of Cumberland University.
Lane Theater. (36°44’28.4”N, 84°09’43.0”W) In 1948, the Lane Theater opened here on Main Street in Williamsburg, Whitley County. In the 1950s, the Lane hosted live performances and music acts, including Patsy Cline. After the screen was moved to the front of the stage, area kids visited the 620-seat movie house on Saturdays. Owner Foster Lane closed the Lane on October 31, 1987.
Swango Springs Spa. (37°47’43.9”N, 83°24’10.5”W) In the 1800s, Nancy Swango gave her mangy dog a bath at a spring in present-day Hazel Green, Wolfe County. The bath healed the dog’s mange. Nancy’s husband had the water tested and found it rich in minerals. A spa and hotel soon opened, and water was bottled and sold or shipped. Owner Ellen Coldiron closed the spa in 1943.
Jack Jouett House. (37°58’59.3”N, 84°46’31.2”W) On the night of June 3–4, 1781, Capt. Jack Jouett (1754–1822) rode about forty miles to Charlottesville, Virginia, to warn Thomas Jefferson and other officials of the approaching British Army. In 1797, Jouett settled at this brick Federal style house in Versailles, Woodford County, where he and his wife Sallie Robards raised twelve children.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
20th Anniversary Photo: Julius Friedman Retrospective, 2016
Artist Julius Friedman and local children re-create his iconic 1983 artwork Ice Cream on French Horn outside the Frazier to kick off the Julius Friedman: Fifty Year Retrospective exhibition, June 24, 2016.
Louisville’s Julius Friedman (1943–2017) was a world-renowned artist, photographer, graphic designer, furniture designer, and videographer. From 1993 until 2001, his Images Friedman Gallery was located on the second floor of what is now the Frazier Museum. In 2016, the Frazier hosted Julius Friedman: Fifty Year Retrospective. The exhibition celebrated Friedman’s unique partnerships with area nonprofits such as the Louisville Ballet, the Louisville Orchestra, Frazier History Museum, Speed Art Museum, Kentucky Center for the Arts, and Bernheim Forest.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Bridging the Divide
Two Churches Come Together to Build Beds for Children
JCPS Specialist Community Support Services Ben Langley address Build-a-Bed volunteers, December 2024.
Two Build-a-Bed volunteers get to work, December 2024.
Oh, the things we take for granted. Like a bed.
How many times do you think about the gift of a bed when you hop into yours each night? I started paying more attention when I first did a story many years ago on the thousands of children in the JCPS school system who don’t have a bed.
I became connected with Ben Langley, Specialist Community Support Services at JCPS, who heads up the Build-a-Bed program.
Then my church, First Christian Church of Louisville, became connected.
And for years now, our congregation has come together each December to build twenty-five beds for local children, just in time for a Christmas surprise.
We now have a partner in that work, Ben’s church, Crescent Hill Presbyterian.
This year, for the first time, our churches worshipped together under the same roof, then built beds together: young and old.
Stuffed animals and blankets, December 2024.
Build-a-Bed volunteers write messages on bed slats, December 2024.
In addition to a bed, each child receives a pillow, a beautiful quilt from Project Linus, sheets, a stuffed animal, a book, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.
They also receive messages of support and love written on the slats that hold up their mattress.
It was a glorious day to do for others, and not take anything for granted. Not even a bed.
If you’d like to learn more about Build-a-Bed, please contact Ben Langley at JCPS. His email is ben.langley@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
