As we get ready to ring in the new year, it’s always a good time to reevaluate and make sure we’re living our best lives, and becoming a better version of ourselves.

I think in light of the pandemic, and of course the recent terrible tornado outbreak, nothing in life can be taken for granted.

That much we do know.

As we start the new year, I hope we all take a moment to hit the pause button, reflect, and move forward with new resolve in 2022 to do and be better.

At the Frazier, we are ready for another robust year of programs featuring “Let’s Talk: Bridging the Divide,” “Cool Kentucky,” and of course “Bourbon” programs.

For us, it’s a good mix of community service, community pride, and Kentucky’s signature industry.

Our first program will be January 25 at 6:30 p.m.: “JCPS and Diversity,” a discussion about what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next.

JCPS superintendent Marty Pollio will be among our guests as he looks at potential changes to the student assignment plan that would allow students in Louisville’s West End to choose between a school close to home and one elsewhere in the county.

Former school board member Debbie Wesslund will join us, along with Raoul Cunningham, the president of the NAACP Louisville Chapter, to look back and forward at decisions that have been celebrated and criticized, with real concern over an achievement gap that continues to widen.

Is 2022 the year to do better, to be better?

We need and want your voice on the way forward with diversity, choice, and access to ensure success for all students.

You can learn more and register for the free program here.

I look forward to seeing you!

Also in this week’s Virtual Frazier, our Brian West takes us back to 1975, when busing began for JCPS; Mick Sullivan shares the story of Garrett Morgan and why you stop for one of his inventions each day, and Heather Gotlib shares five things you didn’t know about Kaden Tower. Finally, if you love baseball, do you know the name John Dodge?

Keep reading.

This Week in the Museum

Video: Three-position Traffic Signal Inventor Garrett Morgan

When I think of Cool Kentucky, Garrett Morgan is at the top of my list. Anyone who has ever joined me for a tour at the Frazier should be familiar with the Paris, Kentucky native. So when WHAS11 reached out to us about doing a feature on Kentucky inventors, I jumped at the chance to shine a light on this Kentuckian who not only gave us the first functional gas mask, but patented the three-position traffic signal.

Corn Island Archaeology’s Beecher Terrace, Maple Street, and Hancock County Projects

When you visit our West of Ninth exhibition, you’ll see artifacts on display from Beecher Terrace. That dig began by Corn Island Archaeology in January 2017, and focused on what was left behind by people who inhabited the Russell neighborhood. So how far back do the uncovered artifacts date, and what do they tell us? Learn more about the dig from Sammie Holmes, who works as a laboratory manager for Corn Island Archaeology, but also works at the Frazier as the digitization and archives assistant for the Brown-Forman Archives Collection. — Rachel Platt, Director of Community Engagement

Archaeology encompasses human cultural history not only from the beginnings of biological anthropology, but also up to the late twentieth century. One might expect to find the archaeological offices of Corn Island Archaeology bustling like a beehive as projects get done, but much of the work is done out in the field or through library research. Once artifacts are excavated and brought back to the laboratory, they go through an extensive cleansing and cataloging process before becoming available to clientele and museum exhibits.

Artifacts discovered at Beecher Terrace freshly screened from a feature, 2018. Credit: Corn Island Archaeology.

One such project was the Beecher Terrace Housing Complex, a twelve-block facility that lies on thirty-nine acres between Ninth and Thirteenth Streets (east to west) and West Jefferson Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard (north to south) in Downtown Louisville — an area that became a small part of the West of Ninth exhibition here at the Frazier History Museum.

The team that worked on the excavations and continues to work through cataloging and analyzing the artifacts found in the area are part of the historic archaeology division of Corn Island Archaeology. Quite a few interesting artifacts have been found in relation to the site dating back to the mid- to late-nineteenth century. What archaeologists call features, discoloration in the soil, that have been excavated from the site so far include four privies, two cisterns, a brick cellar, and a builder’s trench.

There were even indications of grave shafts in the Baxter Square Park/cemetery area of Beecher Terrace. This area is believed to be the first public burial ground for the city of Louisville, beginning in 1782 and closing in 1832. It is often referred to as the Pioneer Cemetery, or Old City Cemetery, within historic documents.

Jonas Yates and Dave Schatz clear soil from bricks along Maple Street in Louisville, 2012. Credit: Corn Island Archaeology.

Another historic site that Corn Island Archaeology worked on is the Maple Street project area, which was part of the urban periphery of Louisville until the 1890s when intensive development began. The site appears to have developed in stages, with the oldest sections located northwest of the site near the intersection of Twenty-sixth Street and Broadway and southeast along Howard Street. Intensive development was also present north and east of the Maple Street site. As a result of the excavations, eight specific site locations, which consisted of over twenty features and 20,000 artifacts, were recognized. The nineteen lots were chosen to gain a better understanding of the area’s development, demographics, and lifeways, among other areas of interest that might bring insight to the transition of a Louisville working class neighborhood from the Victorian Era into the twentieth century. Significant amounts of artifacts were recovered from nearly every lot and pieces picked for study contributed to a clearer picture of changes to Louisville’s urban mosaic.

William Hill and Timothy Sullivan screen artifacts along the banks of the Ohio River in Hancock County, Kentucky, 2014. Credit: Corn Island Archaeology.

Corn Island Archaeology has also worked on many other historic archaeological sites, as well as prehistoric sites in the Ohio River Valley. One such site was in Hancock County, where a Late Archaic midden, or ancient trash heap, was confirmed across the site and observed to extend outside the site’s area. A Middle Archaic cultural layer was found to vary with depth in relation to the Late Archaic layering seen within the soil. Various diagnostic artifacts were identified in both cultural layers supporting the Late and Middle Archaic temporal divisions of the two layers.

Through this type of work, Corn Island Archaeology has contributed to a better understanding of the peoples who have lived here in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley area, thereby helping archaeologists, historians, and the public better understand the workings of the past. That is what makes us proud to contribute to the Frazier’s West of Ninth exhibition.

Curator’s Corner: Goals for Exploring Kentucky in 2022

In my very first “Curator’s Corner” article at the beginning of this year, I took some time to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and realized how it encouraged me to explore more of Kentucky’s natural wonders than I may otherwise have. I also set a few goals for myself to continue this outdoor exploration.

Somewhere I want to revisit: Mammoth Cave
Somewhere I have never been: Cumberland Falls
Somewhere new to explore close to home: Jefferson Memorial Forest

While I did make it back to Mammoth Cave this year (for a friend’s bachelorette party!), and several of my favorite Kentucky places that I visited in 2020, most of my exploring this year was out of state. I did not meet my goals of visiting Cumberland Falls and Jefferson Memorial Forest. I’m hoping that 2022 may finally be the year that I get to see the Moon Bow at Cumberland Falls!

As I prepare for our upcoming exhibition The Commonwealth: Divided We Fall, a new permanent exhibition that will tell a diverse history of the state, I want to set some more goals for exploring Kentucky in 2022. This time, I will focus on visiting other museums in the state to see how they represent our state’s history.

Somewhere I want to revisit: Behringer-Crawford Museum
Somewhere I have never been: the Kentucky Museum at Western Kentucky University
Somewhere new to explore close to home: Women’s Civil War Museum

Hopefully, I will do a little better at meeting my goals this year. So keep an eye on future “Curator’s Corner” articles for updates on my visits and The Commonwealth: Divided We Fall!

Teacher Series: Exploring Mammoth Cave Through Literacy and Inquiry

In celebration of our latest permanent exhibition Cool Kentucky, we are excited to offer a teacher series highlighting three of the many themes represented in the exhibit: Kentucky music, Kentucky’s natural wonder, and trailblazing Kentucky women. Each session explores artifacts and stories from the exhibition, and connects teachers with a local expert sharing their knowledge and educational resources. This teacher series will take place Saturday, January 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and admission is free of charge.

Engraving showing Stephen Bishop, noted explorer of Mammoth Cave. Illustration from *Guide Book to Mammoth Cave of Kentucky: Historical, Scientific, and Descriptive* by Horace Carter Hovey, 1882. Credit: Library of Congress.

With one successful session focusing on music under our belt, we are now turning our attention to the history of the world’s longest known cave system, Mammoth Cave.

During this interactive, three-hour session, Dr. Caroline Sheffield, an associate professor of social studies education at the University of Louisville, will present a literacy-based inquiry lesson focusing on the enslaved guides of Mammoth Cave. The professional development will explore an inquiry learning experience that answers the question, “How can you have authority, but not power?” Educators will also enjoy a guided tour of the Frazier History Museum related to the theme and view a live performance of Free Frank McWorter.

We are so grateful to an anonymous donor for supporting the Cool Kentucky Teacher Series and providing the opportunity at no cost to local educators.

To make reservations, click here. To read more about the full series, click here.

Reminder for Year-end Giving

History All Around Us

On This Date: Louisville Ordered to Desegregate Public Schools, 1973

Tomorrow will mark forty-eight years since a federal appellate court ordered Metro Louisville to desegregate its public school system. On December 28, 1973, a three-judge panel of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the lower District Court in Louisville to begin hearings with the three major school districts at the time — Louisville City School System, Jefferson County School System, and the Anchorage School board — in order to draft a desegregation plan for the area by the 1974 – 75 school year.

In 1956, the New York Times had lauded the city of Louisville as a model of desegregation, claiming, “even in the South, it was shown here, integration can be made to work without violence.” By the early 1970s, the Sixth Circuit deemed the city desegregation plan — comprised entirely of voluntary student transfers — had “not been effective.” As a result, the City School System — where most of the area’s black students went to school — would have to find a way to integrate with the other two school systems, which were overwhelmingly white.

It took until the fall of 1975, and a merger of the two major school districts into one, for the desegregation plan to be created and to take effect. Black students would be bused to formerly white schools in the county, while whites would be required to be bused to formerly black schools downtown and in the West End. But none of this happened without complications or violence.

Anti-busing groups like Support Our Community Schools, or S.O.C.S., formed almost overnight. Protests were a common occurrence in the city and in the south end during the summer months of 1975. And when busing did begin, school buses had to be escorted by the National Guard. Despite these struggles, in the fullness of time students, teachers, and administrators began to get used to one another.

Yet, the effects of the 1975 school year still permeate today. JCPS is still grappling with the ramifications of busing, as neighborhoods are still required to bus, while others are given leeway to have children attend community schools. Also, with the emergence of the magnet program, some neighborhood schools have experienced a drain of their best and brightest for the potential opportunities the magnet schools can afford.

As a result, equality and diversity remain issues within Jefferson County Public Schools.

On January 25, 2022, the Frazier Museum will host a talk with JCPS superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio as he expresses his views on the future of education in the Metro, which may include his thoughts on a potential student assignment plan for the school system. For more information or to RSVP, click here.

Five Little-known Facts About Kaden Tower

“Prestigious and Distinctive.” “Entirely inappropriate.” “A jewel.” “[A] conversation piece.” “The giant white doily.” However you see it, if you ever spend time along the I-264 corridor in southeast Jefferson County, you know the Kaden Tower.

I first became interested in the tower’s history when my almost-four-year-old daughter and her friends began to speculate about what was in the imposing, filigreed, salmon-pink building not far from their school. Ultimately, they decided something that spectacular was most likely full of toys. Although that’s not the case, sadly, the sixteen-story building does have an interesting and significant architectural history.

Here are my top five facts about Kaden Tower. The next time you find yourself at the intersection of 64 and 264, you can be sure to take in the wonder of one of Louisville’s most unusual buildings.

1. Contrary to popular belief, the tower was not designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; however, it does have a Frank Lloyd Wright connection. Sometimes this building is misattributed to Wright, the founder of the Prairie School of architecture — and it is true that his firm, Taliesin Associated Architects, designed the building. But the person most directly responsible for the building was Wright’s son-in-law, William Wesley Peters, known for both his devotion to Wright’s legacy and his second marriage to Svetlana Alliluyeva, who defected to the United States after renouncing her father Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical rule.

2. The building’s unique latticework pattern is based off a design Frank Lloyd Wright imagined but never built, the Sarabhai Calico Mills Store in Ahmedabad, India. The design is based off of jali ornamental stone. This pattern is common in Mughal architectural design — the most famous example of Mughal architecture being the Taj Mahal. The latticework, as well as the pond at the lower level of the Kaden Tower, both play a role in keeping the building cool.

Exterior of Lincoln Life Insurance Company building, now called Kaden Tower, October 24, 1965. Credit: Royal Photo Company Collection, University of Louisville Photographic Archives.

3. The building was originally known as the Lincoln Tower, and housed the Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company. The company grew exponentially after World War II, and commissioned the $2.5 million (at the time) building to house its offices once it outgrew its original building at 931 South Third Street, which is close to Spalding University’s campus today. It was one of the most expensive architectural projects in Kentucky when the building opened in 1966. The area was not as heavily populated then (the Courier-Journal’s urban affairs reporter, Grady Clay, noted its location as across from a “white-fenced horse farm”), but this corner of Louisville saw some of the most growth in the middle of the twentieth century. The building changed hands in 1986, which is when it changed its name.

4. A local paint company, Dages Hikes Point Paint and Wallpaper, is the company most recently responsible for mixing up that unmistakable rosy hue. When the building was purchased in 1987, William Wesley Peters tried to change the color to a shade he named “Taliesin Tan”; however, protests from locals, especially residents of the nearby Shalom Tower, convinced everyone involved to keep it as close as possible to the color Louisville knew and loved. Today, the iconic color, which Clay referred to as an audacious “shocking pink” and the architects knew as “dusty copper,” is just one of the many signatures of the Kaden Tower.

5. For the first decade or so of its history, the Kaden Tower would decorate for the holidays, using an elaborate system to coordinate the companies located on various floors. The occupants would arrange colorful plastic so that larger-than-life Christmas trees, ornaments, and well wishes could be seen through the windows and lattices at night. Assigned employees would spring into action between 2 and 5 p.m. on a designated day in December to adhere the plastic to the inside of the building windows. This was a difficult achievement, and the results could never be fully known until they could be observed at a distance at night. However, it was a beloved tradition for many years, marking the start of the holiday season for all who sighted its cheerful glow.

Cave Hill and SABR Collaborate to Mark Johnny Dodge’s Gravesite

At long last, early twentieth century baseball player Johnny Dodge received a fitting tribute on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon at historic Cave Hill Cemetery. During the December 2 ceremony, a new headstone was dedicated to Dodge’s memory at his previously unmarked resting place. Dodge, who played major league ball in 1912 and 1913, died in 1916 at age 25 after being struck in the head by a pitched ball in a minor league game. He had lain without a marker beside his parents, who predeceased him, for over a century. Funds to pay for the monument were raised through the Pee Wee Reese Chapter of the Society of American Baseball Research and supplemented by a generous donation from the Cave Hill Heritage Foundation. SABR member Chris Betsch did the honors by placing a baseball at the foot of the stone. Betsch set the effort in motion while researching Dodge for a SABR bio. “Dodge may not have been one of the greatest baseball players, but I think it’s important to honor our Louisville native ballplayers,” Betsch said at the ceremony. Michael Higgs of the Heritage Foundation was exceptionally helpful in bringing the effort to fruition.

Johnny Dodge playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1931

This marks the beginning of a larger initiative by the Pee Wee Reese Chapter, working with many others, to help in the effort of preserving and promoting Louisville’s wonderful baseball heritage. Funds have already been raised for a monument for noted Negro Leagues ballplayer and manager Felton Snow, who rests in Eastern Cemetery. Plans are in the works for a guided baseball tour of Cave Hill and neighboring Eastern Cemetery, with hopes of developing a larger Louisville baseball trolley tour that will start in the morning at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Bat Factory and end in the evening with a Bats game at Slugger Field. Stops in between would include Elliot Park, which was host of the city’s first major league team, the site where the first Louisville Slugger bat was used in major league competition, and the place where Fleet Walker first broke the baseball color line on May 1, 1884.

The Chapter, which serves Kentucky but has members in other states, welcomes volunteers in this effort, including those with memories and memorabilia; you don’t have to be a SABR member to participate. It is also at work on a book covering Paducah’s baseball heritage. For more information, contact me at tmyre@wyattfirm.com.

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