Presidential Artifacts Displayed, Iroquois Class Adapts the Journey, Dr. J. Blaine Hudson Honored, and More
Good morning and happy Presidents’ Day!
Did you know that Presidents’ Day was officially established in 1968 to give federal employees a three-day weekend? Originally designated in 1879 to celebrate George Washington’s February 22 birthday, Presidents’ Day now occurs every third Monday in February to honor all who have served in our nation’s highest office. In our 246-year history, we’ve seen forty-six presidents and numerous other hopefuls campaign for the title. So, to mark this important day, the collections team has installed a special display of artifacts related to past United States presidents as well as presidential candidates.
Detail of Presidential artifacts display case. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Installation of presidential artifacts in progress. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
The case contains objects related to historic presidential campaigns that show support for various candidates. Many faces you might recognize instantly, such as Teddy Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln, but candidates like Eugene V. Debs or George Wallace could be less familiar. How does that saying go: history is written by the victors? In the case of Henry Clay, we Kentuckians certainly remember his not one, not two, but three near-victories. Forever the “Great Compromiser,” Clay is arguably one of the most skilled politicians never to grace the White House.
Below are examples of artifacts you’ll see in this display.
War of 1812 strawberry lustre pitcher, c. 1815, that depicts General George Washington with a memorial inscription. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
During your next visit, come see this temporary display on our second floor: it’s located next to the entrance to The Commonwealth, right where you exit the elevator!
In today’s Frazier Weekly, Megan Schanie recounts Iroquois High School students’ visit to see The Commonwealth and experience The Journey, Stephen Yates sips two forthcoming RD1 Bourbon expressions neat, and Rachel Platt announces that due to high demand (get your tickets now!) we’re moving our March 21 Tom Owen program to the loft. You’ll also find barrel stave trays from our museum store, Ethan Hawke filming in Louisville, spring break camps, and a celebration of museums as curators of shared heritage written by our newest staff member, Jason Berkowitz.
On behalf of your friends at the Frazier, have a great week!
Hayley Rankin
Manager of Collection Impact
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Iroquois History Class Incorporates Frazier’s The Journey in Lesson Plan
A slow and steady shift is happening within social studies education—a shift away from memorization of facts and dates and toward learning through inquiry. In a manner much different from the way history was shared with me in school, Kentucky students today are required by the KY Academic Standards to learn how to ask good questions, examine sources, draw conclusions based on evidence, and take action in their community.
Curator of guest experience Mick Sullivan addresses a group of Iroquois High School students touring The Commonwealth at the Frazier, January 25, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
The Frazier Museum education team is excited to take part in this transition by creating inquiry materials for educators to utilize with students regarding Kentucky stories that we love to share. One of those stories is that of Lucie and Thornton Blackburn. The young couple fled their enslavers in Louisville on Fourth of July weekend 1831 and went on to have international impact over the course of their lives. You can learn more about their incredible story through The Journey, which is available as a walkable/drivable audio tour or as virtual video tour with added sources and imagery.
Collaborating with a local educator trained in the inquiry design process, we are happy to share that The Journey is now embedded into a free inquiry lesson designed around the question, “How should we remember the Underground Railroad?” Although created for eighth-grade students, the inquiry may be adapted as needed for other grade levels.
One of the first teachers to begin incorporating The Journey into her work with students is Erin Biery with Iroquois High School. In addition to covering the Blackburns’ story as an element of nineteenth-century US history, Biery has also brought a group of her students to the Frazier to tour The Commonwealth: Divided We Fall, which has many connections to support the students’ learning.
Here’s how Biery described her students’ experience at the Frazier:
“My sixteen- to eighteen-year-old students LOVED the interactive exhibits . . . They appreciated the connections in the collection to the class lessons on freedom seekers. They loved seeing the indigenous artifacts like spear points and tattoo needles and are still talking about the beautiful interactive artistry in the opening of The Commonwealth exhibit . . . This was the first trip for nearly all of them to the Frazier [and] the first trip to any museum for nearly all. I was worried that a few might complain it was boring, but all of them said it was the most fun school day of the year. We had a wonderful trip and wish we could have stayed longer!”
We were very impressed with the class—their interest in the topic, the good questions they asked, and even the student who turned around on their way out to drop in a donation to the Frazier to support our work. What an amazing compliment from a teenager! We were all truly touched by the generosity and the gesture.
Our hope is that more and more educators will find ways to utilize The Journey with their classes and find the inquiry materials beneficial to their teaching. We are always here to support educators in any way we can, and any questions may be directed to education@fraziermuseum.org.
Megan Schanie
Manager of School & Teacher Programs
Sippin’ with Stephen: Brazilian Amburana Wood Finish Bourbon with RD1
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
My guest on this episode of Sippin’ with Stephen is Chris Tetterton, VP of marketing at RD One Distillery out of Lexington.
In 1865, the Ashland Distillery was established, the first to obtain a federally registered distillery license: it was assigned RD #1. Located on Manchester Street at the city limits of Lexington, the remains of the original distillery can be found today at what is now the entrance to Lexington’s Distillery District. In 2021, the RD1 brand was reborn with the mission to bring a portfolio that embodies the spirit worthy of Lexington’s legendary whiskey heritage and what we now call Bluegrass Glory.
RD1 Spirits invites you to their tasting room for a multitude of activities. Visitors can book an in-depth tasting experience of two multi-award-winning whiskeys and their newest Kentucky Straight Bourbons with an option to upgrade to their ultra-rare 12-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The tasting room also features unique finds and limited releases in the gift shop plus an event space available to rent, which can include catering. Hours of operation include Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 12–5 p.m.
We sipped two new expressions that will be available in March 2023:
First, RD One Bourbon finished in Brazilian Amburana Wood. (Mash bill: 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley. 122.3 proof.) From the roots and ashes of their past comes the rebirth of Lexington’s first federally registered distillery, established in 1865. It is a distinction they honor and will protect while ushering in a new era of soulful revival, dynamic curiosity, and alluring adventure. In this Kentucky Straight Bourbon, the South American Amburana Wood finishing is the first step in their search for more.
Second, RD One Bourbon Double Finish of Oak & Maple. (Mash bill: 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley. 99.9 proof.) This is the best stack of pancakes you’ve ever had. Big burst of maple syrup on the nose. The early and mid-palate have roasted peanuts, paprika, butterscotch, and pecan. This expression has a delicate balance of sweet and spicy (baking spices). A wonderful and easy finish. This expression is an after-dinner delight. Amazing as an Old Fashion without simple syrup, just add more of this Bourbon. This product is finished by taking staves from used Bourbon barrels, steeping them in maple syrup, and letting them dry. There is no defined timeline for finishing. It is all done to taste.
Both of these products are set to ship in early March, so keep an eye out. Cheers!
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Museum Store: Upcycled Bourbon Barrel Stave Trays
Stave trays sold in the Frazier’s Museum Store and online. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Bourbon barrels serve an important purpose aging America’s native spirit. But the job for this spirited wood doesn’t stop there: they go on to be upcycled into cool home accessories or become works of art themselves. We have you covered on both! You can find this stave-made tray in the Frazier’s Museum Store. While you’re here, visit the Barrels of Heart exhibition featuring twenty custom Bourbon barrels designed by selected artists.
March 21 Tom Owen Program Moved to Loft Due to High Demand
Celebrating Tom Owen flyer. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
It is a great problem to have: moving to a larger space in the Frazier History Museum to accommodate the number of folks who want to celebrate famed historian Tom Owen! We will start by gathering for food and drinks on the first floor in the Great Hall, then move to the fourth-floor Loft for the official program. Don’t let the word “official” throw you: it’s going to be fun and heartfelt, with some history thrown in—everything that will reflect the essence of Tom Owen. Even though it’s a bigger space, don’t wait too long to purchase your tickets! We hope to see you on March 21.
Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement
As an aspiring explorer, my first visit to a museum as a child living in Atlanta was, indeed, an adventure, as I took the first available opportunity to slip away unnoticed in search of fame and fortune. Much to the dismay of my wife, Sarah, I continue to fall victim to these impulses well into my forties and, as such, find it necessary to issue a formal apology to the Frazier’s exceptional education department for this shameful (yet ongoing) behavior. Nonetheless, it was at this history museum that I found myself surrounded by a wondrous collection of objects on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing, China—each of them telling a fascinating story that fed my young (and highly active) imagination. And that, as they say, was that. The seed had been planted. The wheel turned. The die cast. The path illuminated. The fairy tales and legends that I devoured by flashlight underneath my bed’s covers were now in competition with the very real and just-as-astonishing stories being told by museum collections the world over. I was unabashedly smitten.
This memory is but one of many that stems from a lifetime of museum visits—others being exceedingly formative in their own right. My first viewing of the claustrophobic proportions of the Apollo 11 Command Module at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., which forever ensured my love for all things related to space, was, arguably, an even greater source of inspiration. Thus, I find it disheartening that museums have faced substantial scrutiny of late. Accusations of cultural hoarding, community indifference, and organizational siloing are increasing in both frequency and fervor. Truth be told, I have lent my very own voice to this chorus on several occasions, believing these criticisms to be not just valid, but long overdue.
Imagine, then, my anxiety as I took my first steps towards becoming a part of this industry, having held it in such high regard ever since my first fateful visit to the aforementioned history museum. Were museums facing irrelevancy? Were communities rejecting these institutions? And as the cabinets of curiosities from yesteryear eventually transformed into the institutions with which we are familiar today, would museums soon experience a similarly drastic metamorphosis?
After several months of working at the Frazier, I have been delighted to discover that our museum is open to none of these criticisms. Institutions across the United States are currently struggling to incorporate an operational ethos that, quite frankly, seems to come effortlessly at the Frazier. The previously mentioned tendency toward “organizational siloing” is non-existent—departments work hand-in-hand to achieve common goals. Accusations of hoarding treasures that go unseen for generations will not find purchase at the Frazier. To the contrary, I have witnessed every possible effort to make our collections accessible to the communities we so passionately serve.
And it is precisely this focus on community engagement that brings me to the position for which I was ultimately hired: facilitator for the Stories in Mind program. As part of this initiative, program administrator Kevin Bradley, fellow facilitators Susan Reed and Martin Rollins, and I are at the front line of what makes the Frazier Museum so undeniably special—the intersection of community and museum as a catalyst for empowering the marginalized, bridging social divides, and cultivating shared ownership of our state’s remarkable history and heritage by all Kentuckians. Better yet, the Stories in Mind program is committed to this vision in service to those living in our city’s countless (and often understaffed) senior-assisted living facilities. By knocking down our organizational walls to bring the Frazier and its collection to those unable to physically visit the museum, we are able to foster agency for seniors longing to assert their independence, while also providing opportunities to strengthen the museum’s collection through the sharing of personal memories and oral traditions in desperate need of safeguarding. It is, without a doubt, an incredibly rewarding program for everyone within its orbit, and I suspect that the twelve-year-old Jason who found himself exploring the Forbidden City at a history museum in Atlanta all those years ago would have been pleased as punch to see what his future had in store for him.
Jason Berkowitz
Stories in Mind Facilitator
Ethan Hawke Cordially Invited to Visit Frazier Museum
The state has been abuzz with the news that Ethan Hawke has been filming his new movie Wildcat here in Kentucky. Although, I hate to break it to you Kentucky fans: despite the name, Wildcat the film has nothing to do with UK. The film is a biopic on the life of Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor starring Hawke’s daughter Maya as the famed writer. While the Georgia native O’Connor never visited Kentucky during her time as a student at the famous Iowa Writer’s Workshop, she learned from Kentucky writer Robert Penn Warren.
Since he landed here in late January, Ethan Hawke has been hopscotching across the state from Old Louisville to Shelbyville to Frankfort. During his down time, it’s become quite obvious that Hawke has been taking in all that the state has to offer. From having breakfast at Highland Morning to stopping at a Kentucky farm, we’re glad to see that Hawke is experiencing the best of Kentucky hospitality. Although, here at the Frazier, we can’t help but feel a little left out after learning he visited the Speed and 21C hotel in Louisville. A trip to Kentucky isn’t complete without a visit to the Frazier to learn some of the history of this amazing state! Hopefully, with a little help from this fun video and the power of social media, we’ll convince Ethan Hawke to come in for a visit before he leaves.
Nicole Clay
Education & Engagement Specialist
Spend Your Spring Break at the Frazier!
The education team at the Frazier was thrilled to find out that multiple local school districts had Spring Break at the same time, so we were thrilled to “pop up” with a Spring Break camp the first week of April!
Spring Break Pop-up Camp: Favorite Things graphic. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Mary Shelley Electric Co. work with the Frazier’s summer campers, 2022. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
The theme for this spring is “Favorite Things.” We are bringing you our teacher favorites, and as history buffs and lovers of stories, we will be having tons of fun!
The camps run Monday through Wednesday, April 3–5. Camps start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. We design our camps for kindergarteners through sixth graders. Come join us for a day, two, or all three!
Sign up for Spring Break Pop-Up Camp here.
While you’re at it, don’t forget our whole array of summer camps! This week, we are highlighting our Greatest Hits week, which will feature a two-day mini workshop from our friends and recent Jim Henson Foundation Grant recipients, puppeteers the Mary Shelley Electric Company. Camps are filling up fast, so sign up today!
Heather Gotlib
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Bridging the Divide
JCPS Names Middle School after Venerated Historian Dr. J. Blaine Hudson
Just this month, the JCPS School Board voted unanimously to name a new middle school in the West End of Louisville after Dr. J. Blaine Hudson. Dr. Hudson was a professor at the University of Louisville, the dean of Arts and Sciences there, and chair of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission. He was a graduate of the University of Louisville, where as a student-activist he had called for the creation a Black Studies program.
University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences dean Dr. J. Blaine Hudson talks with friends during a holiday concert at the Yearlings Club in western Louisville, 2009. Published on page A9 of the January 6, 2013, issue of the Courier Journal. Credit: Jonathan Palmer, Courier Journal.
Dr. Hudson’s work was influential to the education department here at the Frazier. His groundbreaking book, Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad in the Kentucky Borderland, asserted important truths about the Underground Railroad: that it was a unique journey for everyone who sought freedom, that people of color were the main agents assisting freedom-seekers, and that Louisville as a place was integral to many people looking to self-liberate. As we were working on our project The Journey, we turned time and time again to Dr. Hudson’s research. I was thrilled to vote for Dr. J. Blaine Hudson as a school name when the district was sourcing them.
Dr. Hudson was a native of the West End, and his family is thrilled that this is where his legacy will live on. Although a location has not been decided for the school, his family hopes that it will be in the Russell neighborhood.
Other new school names approved during the vote were Dr. William H. Perry Elementary School and Echo Trail Elementary School.
Heather Gotlib
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
