Event Spaces Open House Saturday, Sippin’ No Spectators with 21c & Proof, Black-Owned Bank on Walnut Street, and More
The Frazier History Museum is a special place. Our Events Team is a special group—and we’re ready to help you with the special moments in your life.
So join us Saturday for the Frazier’s Event Spaces Open House!
From left, Frazier events team members Hannah Rapp, Katie Lowe, Erine Sato, and Adam Thomas, February 7, 2025.
The Frazier’s Events Team will post up at the admissions desk Saturday, February 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to lead guided tours of our event spaces and answer your questions.
As the Frazier prepares to open the year-long Love & Marriage exhibition this spring, we invite you to host your wedding here, Where the World Meets Kentucky—where history and heritage come together in a timeless celebration of your love. Picture a fun and interactive museum with eight event spaces that showcase the proud legacy of Kentucky’s storied past, offering you the chance to tie the knot surrounded by fascinating artifacts, remarkable exhibitions, and a beautiful view of the Ohio River!
The Frazier’s First Floor Great Hall.
The Frazier’s Order of the Writ.
A Historic Venue: Imagine walking down an aisle flanked by the state’s iconic historical and current displays, blending the elegance of a museum with the warmth and charm of Kentucky’s past. The Frazier allows you to host your ceremony and reception amid exhibitions that tell the story of the Bluegrass State—from its early settlers to the rich cultural and agricultural heritage. If you envision an elegant outdoor setting, our Rooftop Garden overlooks the Ohio River and our Gateway Garden is perfect for those intimate weddings and receptions.
Bourbon Barrels and Tasting Experiences: Of course, no Kentucky wedding is complete without the state’s most famous export: Bourbon. Enjoy signature Bourbon tastings, cocktail hours in our Order of the Writ and Speakeasy spaces, or a curated Bourbon tasting with our Bourbon expert for your guests to indulge in Kentucky’s finest whiskey. This could be a fun and interactive experience for your guests, bringing the history of Kentucky Bourbon to life!
Stunning Photo Opportunities: Your wedding photos will be one-of-a-kind, set against the backdrop of the museum’s exquisite architecture and historical exhibitions. Take shots by period furniture and artifacts that tell the story of Kentucky’s heritage, or step outside into the lush Kentucky landscape for those stunning outdoor moments.
In order to avoid waiting, we encourage you to make an appointment on our website or email events@fraziermuseum.org. But of course walk-ins are welcome, too!
In today’s Frazier Weekly issue, Stephen sips cocktails at Proof on Main, Amanda celebrates Louisville banker V. Joseph Shipman, and Kent announces our next Free Family Day. Plus, Simon pays tribute to the Louisville runner who last week held a world record for five days.
We hope to see you here Saturday!
Erine Sato
Sr. Director of Events
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Sippin’ with Stephen: No Spectators with 21c and Proof on Main
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.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
This month’s Sippin’ with Stephen goes on the road to 21c Museum Hotel Louisvillle, the home of Proof on Main Restaurant & Bar. My guests are Katie Blevins, Marketing Manager at 21c, and Greg Galganski, Lead Bartender at Proof on Main Bar. Katie informs viewers about the unique offers 21c has for guests—including a lifestyle hotel, a museum, and a restaurant. Greg showcases the extensive Bourbon offerings Proof on Main has for Bourbon enthusiasts who are visiting our distillery partners on Main Street. We conclude with Greg crafting a 21c specialty cocktail, the No Spectators. For more information, go to 21cmuseumhotels.com or proofonmain.com.
Recipe for No Spectators Cocktail
Ingredients:
¾ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. grapefruit cordial
½ oz. Sfumato Amaro
1 ½ oz. Bourbon
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice, shake, and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist. Cheers!
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Curator’s Corner: V. Joseph Shipman Exhibit Spotlights Black-Owned Bank on Louisville’s Walnut Street
V. Joseph Shipman: Investing in Community graphic.
February is Black History Month. But Black history, Black excellence, and Black joy are things that we feature at the Frazier all year long. For example, the small exhibit on the second floor about V. Joseph Shipman is an incredible story about Black excellence.
V. Joseph Shipman was the CEO and President of Continental National Bank, one of Louisville’s first minority-owned banks. Continental National Bank opened in 1976 in the Mammoth Life Insurance Building on Walnut Street, now Muhammad Ali Boulevard. Walnut Street boasts a proud history of being the site of many incredible Black-owned businesses, especially from the 1930s to the 1950s. During this time, Walnut Street was a bustling street full of restaurants, theatres, and bars that hosted many of the greatest jazz musicians. Nearly all of these businesses fell victim to urban renewal policies in the 1960s. The opening of Continental National Bank continued this legacy of Black business on Walnut Street until it closed in 1986.
You can learn more about V. Joseph Shipman and Continental National Bank by visiting the Frazier’s exhibition V. Joseph Shipman: Investing in Community. You can also learn more about Black history and Black Kentuckians in our permanent exhibitions Cool Kentucky, 120: Cool KY Counties, the Commonwealth: Divided we Fall, and the Lewis and Clark Experience, and in the upcoming temporary exhibition Love & Marriage.
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Frank X Walker Among Those Inducted into 2025 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame
Cover of February 2025 issue of Kentucky Monthly.
Frank X Walker views one of his poems on display in the Frazier’s Commonwealth exhibition, June 19, 2023.
If you subscribe to Kentucky Monthly, Frank X Walker is gracing the cover. He is part of the 2025 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame inductees, along with Naomi Wallace, Crystal Wilkinson, Ron Eller, and the late David Dick.
The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will take place March 10 at the historic Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington.
Congrats to all as we extend an invitation to the Frazier to experience the powerful work of Frank X Walker in our Commonwealth exhibition.
Eighteen of his poems are in our exhibition and bring to life the voices of the United States Colored Troops. His poems are coupled with photos and archival documents that helped inspire them—a project that began with Reckoning, Inc.
As we commemorate Black History Month, take a tour of his work by clicking here. If you’d like to hear Frank X Walker perform one of his poems from our Commonwealth exhibition, click here.
We hope to see you at the Frazier to experience it in person.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier to Host Free Family Day Presented by Kosair for Kids!
Families visit the craft table during a recent Free Family Day at the Frazier, March 9, 2024.
Back in January, I had the chance to celebrate my favorite holiday a full three months early! As we were launching the registration page for the Frazier’s Spring Break Camp—Dreaming of Spring, offered March 31 to April 4—I had a last-minute opportunity to go on the morning news and announce it to the whole town. I only had a few hours to plan for the show and I wanted to bring some kind of activity to do with the host that would be family-friendly, educational, and showcase the kind of high-quality, professional, dignified lessons we present at the Frazier every day. Naturally, I chose Whoopee Cushions.
You see, the Tuesday of our Spring Break Camp happens to be April Fool’s Day—and that’s just one of the springtime celebrations we’re planning at the museum. We are eagerly awaiting the sun’s shining return following what has been a difficult winter for many of us. If you’re looking forward to spring as much as I am, and you want to be fully prepared when it arrives, I invite you and your family to join me at the Frazier on Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., for our Spring Free Family Day presented by Kosair for Kids. We’ll have guests from Waterfront Park previewing next month’s opening of PlayPort, Louisville Grows with a seed table displaying our local natural wonders, and plenty more. We will even have a hands-on workshop to get you ready to pull off the best April Fool’s Day prank of your life!
And don’t forget: registration for Spring Camp is open on our website now. Spring Free Family Day is a ticketless event, no registration required. When you come to the Frazier for either event, I’ll tell you the rest of my early April Fool’s story and how I got Mick Sullivan to smile ear to ear while crunching through a raw brussels sprout.
Kent Klarer
Sr. Manager of Youth Programs & Education Advancement
Museum Shop: Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop.
Last week in Frazier Weekly, we shared the surprising origin story of Lincoln Logs! Did you know they were invented by John Lloyd Wright, son of the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright? These beloved building sets became even more popular thanks to their connection to Abraham Lincoln—specifically, a replica of his boyhood cabin near Hodgenville, LaRue County, Kentucky. Feeling nostalgic? Build your own little piece of history with a mini cabin set! Pick one up from the Frazier’s Museum Shop or online.
Showing Love for John Prine and Celebrating his Western Kentucky Ties
A sold-out crowd attends the Frazier’s For the Love of John Prine program, February 13, 2025.
Sign at the John Prine Memorial Park at Rochester Dam in Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
Freddie Mayes gifts a John Prine statue to the Frazier, February 13, 2025. Credit: Greg Lamb.
Tell folks you want to celebrate John Prine, and they will pack the house and tell you why they love him.
My takeaway from hearing the feedback from our sold-out audience last week: Prine was able to get to the heart of things in the simplest, yet deepest of ways in his songs.
He got us.
And we got him.
Music journalist Erin Osmon talked about her father’s love of Prine, passed onto her like a family heirloom. She has written a book about Prine’s debut album exploring his deep ties to Western Kentucky and Muhlenberg County where his parents were born.
Those ties of course led to Prine’s song “Paradise” and the devastating impact of surface mining for coal on that tiny town. In the final verse, Prine says: “When I die, let my ashes float down the Green River; Let my soul roll up to the Rochester Dam.”
The audience collectively sang along with musicians Brigid Kaelin and Steve Cooley, who performed “Paradise” and several other songs. And yes, some of Prine’s ashes were spread in the Green River. And yes, a park by the Rochester Dam is now dedicated in Prine’s name and his fans find solace in visiting. Josh Givens, who is connected to the park, invites us all to visit.
Thanks to Tom and Kim Bard who own the Bard Distillery and came to toast their friend John Prine with their Muhlenberg Bourbon.
And Freddie Mayes, the Executive Director of Central City Tourism Commission, gifted the Frazier small statues of John Prine and of the Everly Brothers. The full-size statues are on display for you to see at Festival Square in Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
The entire night was a vibe, a Prine vibe. What a gift he was and continues to be. If you need connection, cue up one of his songs and take a stroll.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Bridging the Divide
Town Clock Church Raising Funds to Match $200,000 Grant
Town Clock Church clock face on display in the Frazier’s Commonwealth exhibition, May 2022.
Historic image of Town Clock Church in New Albany, Indiana, 1893. Credit: Town Clock Church.
If you don’t know about the Town Clock Church in New Albany, here’s your chance not only to learn about the historic landmark but help preserve it. It’s celebrated for its involvement in the Underground Railroad before, during, and after the Civil War. It is represented in our Commonwealth exhibition at the Frazier, and we have partnered with the Friends of the Town Clock Church for programming. Jerry Finn, a board member with that group, explains how you can help preserve this crucial part of our history.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
The Town Clock Church is the most significant historical building in Floyd County, Indiana. A matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation of Black Churches for $200,000 was awarded to the Friends of the Town Clock Church. To receive the funds, we must raise $200,000 to match the grant. These funds will be invested to forever cover the cost of maintenance and programming for this historic church. We have raised nearly $125,000 to date.
Much has happened since restoration of the church began in 2013. A generous community and Irv Stumler’s diligence has made possible over $2 million worth of exterior and interior restorations of the church, including the steeple, repairing the clock, the bell, and so much more. Tours are given regularly to third-grade students as well as the public. Programs are offered to tell the story of this incredible Southern Indiana history. A beautiful and reflective Underground Railroad Gardens has been created on the church grounds, providing a space to reflect on and appreciate this congregation’s focus on justice and the history of this church. Regular maintenance on the building which was dedicated in 1852 happens to ensure this significant historical structure never gets in the condition it was in before we started the project.
Last fall, all the wood on the building was repainted, costing $60,000. More than ever is the need apparent to ensure this iconic historical structure will not fall back into disrepair. These funds will guarantee we never have to ask the community again to maintain this landmark.
That is why this matching grant opportunity is so important. We have until the end of 2025 to reach our goal. Click here to donate or send a check to Town Clock Church, PO Box 574, New Albany, Indiana, 47151.
Jerry Finn
Treasurer, Friends of the Town Clock Church, Inc.
Guest Contributor
Kentucky Center to Stage (Un)Known Project’s Broken Wings Still Fly
Broken Wings Still Fly graphic.
The Frazier History Museum has many community partners, and we always like to lift and share the work they are doing. The (Un)Known Project debuted its theatrical experience Broken Wings Still Fly in the summer of 2023. This powerful series of monologues based on the narratives of enslaved women in Kentucky has two upcoming dates at the Kentucky Center. Hope to see you there.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
History All Around Us
Louisville Runner Yared Nuguse Holds Indoor Mile World Record—for Five Days
Yared Nuguse crosses the finish line to break the then–world record of the indoor mile, February 8, 2025. Credit: @yaredthegoose, Instagram.
Instagram Story, February 13, 2025. Credit: @yaredthegoose, Instagram.)
On February 8, Louisville’s Yared Nuguse broke the indoor mile world record—and held it for five days.
Nuguse, a 25-year-old Louisville native and duPont Manual High School alum, finished with a time of 3:46.63 at the Millrose Games in New York.
“It’s absolutely insane,” Nuguse told Lewis Johnson on NBC Sports. “I haven’t had a world record yet in my career, and I’ve always really wanted one just because I felt like, especially in the mile, I was good enough for it.”
Unfortunately for Nuguse, his world record did not last long: on February 13, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen clocked 3:45.14 at a meet in Lievin, France—lowering the world record Nuguse had set just five days prior.
“You win some you lose some, was a lit 5 days” Nuguse captioned an Instagram Story on Thursday afternoon. “Congrats [Jakob Ingebrigtsen].”
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
