Get Ready for a Spectacular Night at the Frazier – This Saturday!

As we step into April, we are thrilled to celebrate our second annual Night at the Frazier on Saturday, April 5—the museum’s biggest fundraiser of the year! This special evening supports our mission to preserve and share Kentucky’s rich history and culture, ensuring that lifelong learning remains accessible to people of all backgrounds, from school groups to senior care facilities. Throughout the night, guests will have the opportunity to support the museum by bidding on auction items, purchasing raffle tickets for the Davis Jewelers’ Winner’s Choice Raffle, or making a one-time donation.

This year’s event will not only showcase the museum’s impact but will also mark the grand opening of our newest exhibit, Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage. This captivating exhibit explores 150 years of Kentucky’s courtship, love, and wedding traditions, featuring stunning fashion, jewelry, décor, and gifting customs. Guests will be the first to experience this remarkable collection—including a wedding dress belonging to Kentucky's first and only Miss America, Heather French Henry, who will be in attendance with her husband, Steve Henry, to engage with guests.

Guests can look forward to an evening filled with delicious food, handcrafted cocktails, and fun on every floor, along with full access to our exhibit galleries. Here’s a preview of what’s in store:

Food: Michaelis Events, Bristol Catering, Mayan Café, Wiltshire Pantry, Bearno’s Pizza

Drinks: Horse Soldier Bourbon, Heaven Hill, Kentucky Peerless, Dark Arts Whiskey House, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Barrel House Distilling Co., Brown-Forman, TEN20 Craft Brewery

Music: The Esteemed Colleagues (5:30-6:30pm & 7:30-8:30pm), DéQuan Tunstull (Seated Dinner Piano 6:30-8:30pm), and Tony & The Tan Lines (9pm – Midnight)

Exciting Activities Include:

Grassland Opera Sampling – Experience this unique fragrance from Future Society, recreating the scent of the extinct Kentucky scurfpea
Frazier Summer Beer Fest Ticket Giveaway – Test your aim with beer pong for a chance to win!
What the What? – A fun history guessing game
Kentucky-oke with Elvis – Sing your heart out!
Curator Tours of Love & Marriage
NCAA Final Four Viewing in the Guys and Dolls Lounge
Open Exhibit Galleries for self-guided tours

Event Timeline:

Dinner Tickets – Arrive at 5:30 PM for an exclusive cocktail hour and private viewing of Love & Marriage, followed by a seated dinner and the Owsley Brown Frazier Impact Award presentation.
Late Night Tickets – Arrive at 7:30 PM for gallery access and party fun!
Everyone joins the party at 9:00 PM as Tony & The Tan Lines take the stage!
Winner’s Choice Raffle Draw at 9:30 PM – Who will take home a diamond necklace or Seiko watch? It could be you!

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our Sponsors & Host Committee, without whom this incredible night wouldn’t be possible!

Sponsors: Mariner, Brown-Forman, Stewart Home & School, Fifth Third, Doe Anderson, Republic Bank, Churchill Downs, Jack Harlow Foundation, The Voice, Signature Health, Horse Soldier Bourbon, Heaven Hill, Michter’s, Michaelis Events, Bristol Catering, Bardstown Bourbon Co., Barrel House Distilling Co., Dark Arts Whiskey House, Kentucky Peerless, and Matt McCall, Realtor, KY Select Properties.

Host Committee: Mac & Eileen Brown, Charles W. Stewart, Walter T. Crutcher, Bruce Farrer, Jim & Cat Joy, Joe Magliocco, Amelia Frazier Theobald, Cory Skolnick, John & Sara McCall, Larry & Tracey Lowe, Matt & Elizabeth McCall, John & Lee Receveur, Mark Dorsey, Scott Neil, Todd Spencer, Kerry Stemler, Jim Ramsey, and Lindy B. Street.

Love & Marriage Exhibit Sponsors: Davis Jewelers, Jewelers Mutual, Jenkins & Wheatley Family Law, Mariner, and Rebecca's Bridal Boutique.

Join the party today and be part of the magic at Night at the Frazier. We can't wait to celebrate with you! Also coming up in this edition of Frazier Weekly, Shakertown Spirits, a program celebrating the history of the Pack Horse Librarians, and a walk in the park for your furry friend.

This Week in the Museum

Curator’s Corner: Countdown to Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage

The pink wedding dress featured in the exhibit's rainbow of wedding dresses was worn by Mollie Hobbs when she married Theodore Irwin Jr. in Anchorage, KY on January 4, 1883.

I am so excited to say that our Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition opens this Saturday at the Night at the Frazier Gala! This exhibition is something that has been dreamed about for nearly the entire 8 years that I been at the Frazier, and the generous gift of clothing and other artifacts from the Kentucky Science Center finally made it possible. Thanks to that acquisition, we added numerous wedding dresses to our collection, almost all of which are on display. Combined with dresses already in our collection as well as those on loan from other organizations and community members, we will have a total of 51 dresses and 10 suits on display in the exhibition. This is the largest amount of clothing that we have ever had on display at one time!

But, as I have been saying for so long, this exhibition is about so much more than the pretty dresses. It is a celebration of love in all forms, from traditional courtship and dating to more contemporary topics like online dating and how the AIDS epidemic transformed modern relationships. You will learn about LGBTQ+ issues, including about the Kentucky couple that was part of the landmark Obergefell Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Today, Kentucky is a tapestry of people from many different cultures. In one section of the exhibition, we focus on marriage traditions from all over the world that have been brought to Kentucky from different immigrant communities.

While it may seem like magic when you see our temporary exhibition space transformed, this has truly been a labor of love for the Collections and Exhibitions team. We have all been working long days and weekends to make the installation run smoothly and on time. Our literal blood, sweat, and even a few tears ended in the creation of a beautiful exhibition. For Love & Marriage, our Preparator Lucas Keown built 22 platforms of various sizes and shapes. Exhibition and Design Manager Nick Cook created dozens of graphic elements. Registrar and Manager of Collections Engagement Tish Boyer dressed 64 mannequins. I wrote more than 50 text panels. Along the way we had the help of so many incredible interns: Belle, Alexandria, Railey, Molly, and Thomas. And the help of our colleagues from different departments: Zac, Dave, Mick, and Sarah. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the unwavering leadership (and shopping skills) of our Senior Director of Engagement, Casey Harden.

Love & Marriage is a truly beautiful and show-stopping exhibition. Of course, I hope that you will want to see it as soon as possible and will join us for our Night at the Frazier Gala, our biggest fundraiser of the year. But if you can’t make it on Saturday, don’t worry. The exhibition will be on display in our temporary exhibition space on the second floor for a full year.

Join us May 18 to Honor the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky

Honoring the Pack Horse Librarians event graphic.

There’s something about the history of the Pack Horse Librarians that captivates and moves me.

Part of it is because I’ve been talking about this history with celebrated author Kim Michele Richardson who has written four historical works on the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky.

In a rare appearance, she will be joining me at the Frazier for a special program honoring their history on May 18th from 2:30-4 p.m.

Richardson is currently working with state government to honor these pioneer-leading librarians with a designated state historical marker. The program was one of the initiatives under President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration to put the poverty-stricken Kentucky women to work in 1935.

Pack Horse Librarians were paid $28.00 a month to deliver books by mule or horseback to some of the most remote and poorest areas of Kentucky and in the process boost education and literacy rates.

At the same time, those deliveries brought hope and connection.

Books change lives.

They still do.

Maybe it’s that connection to the past, and to books that has me captivated.

Maybe it’s their grit and Kim’s -- to make sure their story is told that moves me.

Lucky me I get to help tell their story with some very special guests.

You can purchase tickets to the program here, Frazier members are free. Carmichael’s will be selling books on-site, and Kim will be signing them.

Museum Shop: Spring is in the Air!

Louisville boasts 17 beautiful Olmsted Parks, all connected by six scenic, tree-lined parkways that stretch across the city. Celebrate your love for these historic green spaces with this map cloth bandana. Fold it to highlight your favorite park, dress up your pet, and then decide who wore it best. Available now in the Museum Store!

The Clock is Ticking for Early Bird Beer Fest Tickets!

Prices are as low as we’ll go on individual ticket prices for the 2025 Summer Beer Fest at the Frazier. Our big day is July 26th when we shut down Main Street in front of the Frazier History Museum. You've got one more week to get in on the deal!

Attendees can sample their picks among the 200+ specialty beers while supporting the mission of the Frazier History Museum. Early Bird prices are: $80.00 (VIP) and $40.00 (GA). Click here to purchase because these prices end on April 7th.

Come join the party!

Highlights of 120: Warren County: Kentucky's First Female State Bacteriologist

In 1911, Kentucky named their first female State Bacteriologist. Learn more in the story below, one of hundreds of stories featured in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

Dr. Lillian South, State Bacteriologist, 1950. Image credit: WomenWork.Library.Louisville.edu.

Dr. Lillian H. South was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1879. She served as the first female State Bacteriologist from 1911-1951. South graduated from Potter College at the age of 18 and went to medical school in Philadelphia. After completing an internship in bacteriology, she returned to Bowling Green to practice medicine with her father. She established St. Joseph’s Hospital in the South family home and expanded it to hold 42 beds. During her tenure as State Bacteriologist, instances of hookworm infection declined significantly in Kentucky. She achieved this through public health campaigns to avoid house flies, which carry hookworms. Dr. South also conducted important research on leprosy and rabies. She travelled widely throughout her career. She served as a delegate to the International Hygiene Congress in Germany and to the Public Health Division of the League of Nations in Switzerland.

Spring Break Camp Starts This Week!

Campers enjoy river views from the Frazier's roof, July 2024. Credit: Frazier History Museum.

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day. Are you prepared to prank your pals? Fool your family? Kid your kids? More importantly, will you be ready for the ruse to arrive on Tuesday when it’s aimed at you? This holiday isn’t just about setting up the tricks yourself, it also carries an important lesson about being a good sport and participating in the fun even at your own expense. That is part of the theme for this week’s Spring Break Camps for kids in grades 1-6. They’ll learn some classic pranks, have the chance to fool the museum staff, and also have their turn on the receiving end of some harmless japes. After all, a practical joke isn’t very practical unless everyone enjoys it - including the target.

There are only a few spots still open for camp and it’s not too late to get in on the fun. Register your young jokesters here, but get ready for them to come home Tuesday afternoon with some tricks up their sleeves!

South Union Shaker Village Unveils its Bourbon Label

Hey y'all. Kentucky makes 95% of the world’s supply of bourbon and draws over two-million bourbon tourists to the state each year. But bourbon was not always a commercial industry. Spirits in the 18th and 19th centuries, mostly brandy and hard ciders, were made for currency, personal consumption, and community events. One such distilling group of this time were the Shakers. Late last year, South Union Shaker Village announced a bourbon product that honors the community that once distilled on the property. My friend Tommy Hines has written a great article about this history of distilling at South Union Shaker Village. Cheers!—Kevin Bradley, Stories in Mind Administrator

The Shaker village of South Union, Kentucky experienced its formative years during a time in American history when alcohol was extraordinarily prevalent. The Shakers had already established rules for communal living by the time the community was settled in 1807, but alcohol was not necessarily prohibited. So common was its usage that Shaker leadership saw no need to forbid its use in moderation. Drunkenness or “being disguised” by ardent spirits, however, was seriously frowned upon.

Hard cider was a mainstay in early America and the Shakers often partook during special gatherings such as corn huskings. Cider was also taken on occasion by both men and women to their daily places of work. As the years progressed, the Shakers began to make wine and brandy as well.

The Shakers at South Union, Kentucky took it a step farther in the early 1820s by erecting a still house. The whiskey produced there was enjoyed by the members of the community and added to the list of products that the Shakers marketed to outsiders. Because of the rise of the early temperance movement on a national level and growing skepticism by Shaker leadership in New York, the still house was eventually closed in 1828. In a letter from the leadership in Mt. Lebanon, New York, an edict was made that the Shakers could nevermore “make use of Ardent Spirits . . . except as demanded and ordered by the Physician for purely medical purposes.”

Whiskey was no longer made, but there is much evidence that other forms of alcohol were still being used throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A second and more effective temperance movement that began in the mid-1870s brought national awareness that alcohol was becoming a problem in many American homes. Usage in Shaker villages decreased as time went on.

In December of 2024, South Union Shaker Village unveiled its bourbon label, a product appropriate to its history as the only Shaker village in America that produced whiskey. “Shakertown Spirits” is a four-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey that boasts a traditional, regional recipe with a dried fruit aroma and a milder caramel and oak flavor. Produced by General George Stillhouse in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, “Shakertown Spirits” was developed to raise funds for South Union Shaker Village to eventually construct a non-profit distillery. All proceeds will be used to develop the country's second non-profit distillery and first in Kentucky.

For more information or to place an order visit: https://generalgeorge.store/

Bridging the Divide

Ada the Female Edison: Celebrating Women's History Month

Here at the museum, we tell the story of how a teenaged Thomas Edison briefly lived and worked in Louisville before making his name as a world-famous inventor, but few people have heard the history of Kentucky’s very own “Woman Edison.”

Ada Henry Van Pelt was born in Princeton, Kentucky, in 1838. After working as a writer and editor as a young woman, Ada was inspired to invent late in life.

Often, Ada’s inventions were solutions to problems she encountered in her daily life - after moving to California and having to rely on ferry travel across San Francisco Bay, she proposed a mechanism to make ferry engines more efficient. Ada faced pushback from her male peers, who argued that if her ideas were possible, then they would have already been invented by men working in the field. Undiscouraged, Ada built an engine in her sewing room and experimented in secret for 10 years before perfecting and patenting her design. She came to be known as “The Woman Edison” for the practicality and efficiency of her inventions.

Among her other inventions was an electric water purifier. Ada’s designs improved upon earlier purifiers by including filtration as well as electrolysis – the use of electricity to break water molecules down into hydrogen and oxygen to help with disinfection. She aimed for her purifiers to be small, portable, and cost-efficient so that they could be used in homes and for practical use in rural areas without access to clean water. Her water purifier patents, filed in 1911 and 1913, were still being cited as late as the 1990s!

Ada’s work broke gender barriers in science and engineering, and her activism enabled and encouraged women’s participation in fields that were dominated by men. Though not as well known as some of her male contemporaries, her story continues to inspire those that hear it and her legacy lives on in her inventions.

Women’s History Month might be ending, but you can join us at the Frazier to learn about the contributions of trailblazing women from Kentucky year-round.

History All Around Us

On this Date: First Case of COVID-19 in Kentucky, 2020

I hadn’t visited the memorial that pays tribute to those lost to COVID-19 in Kentucky, so on a recent visit to Frankfort, I made sure to stop by.

It has been five years since the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in the Commonwealth. According to state officials, since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has contributed to the deaths of more than 20-thousand Kentuckians.

I wanted to personally pay tribute, and the dozens of white roses laying at the statue told me others have as well.

What a scary time.

I remember being so worried about my elderly mother who lived in her own home, and the nervousness I felt each time I entered, fearing I could put her at risk.

Here at the Frazier, we closed our doors, but thanks to a creative and hardworking staff we were able to open “virtually” with content in a matter of days.

We asked the public and local students to capture those difficult times through pictures, artwork and videos.

The one picture I’m sharing here was sent in by a student in April of 2020 – capturing the angst of that time.

As I was going through the pictures of young people at that time, and looking at their artwork, I couldn’t help but think about of all they endured and missed.

I think the impact of that pandemic is still playing out five years later.

Rachel Platt
VP of Mission

It’s Gala Time, Love is in the Air, “The Woman Edison” of KY, honoring Pack Horse Librarians, and More...

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