It’s easy to track history from the window of my office at the Frazier History Museum these days. I have a full view of the mighty Ohio River as it swallows up parts of downtown Louisville, as well as homes and businesses all along its banks. This flood is now considered among the top ten worst flood events in Louisville’s history. It’s not as high as the 1997 flood, but it’s still considered a significant event.

Water and debris from the flooded Ohio River rise higher on the Great Lawn at Waterfront Park in Louisville following days of rain in Kentucky, April 6, 2025. Credit: Jeff Faughender, *Courier Journal*.

That extreme rain event from April 2 to April 6 left Louisville soaked with about seven inches of rain, but other neighbors in Kentucky saw upwards of fifteen inches—mostly to our southwest, near Mayfield. And let’s not forget about tornadoes that touched it all off with an EF3 tornado hitting Jeffersontown.

I’ve watched the coverage, as I’m sure you have, of our fellow Kentuckians throughout the Commonwealth dealing with this unprecedented rainfall, and now the aftermath of overflowing rivers and waterways.

It has also come with a human toll: at least seven people have died due to the flooding, one victim a nine-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters on his way to his school bus stop. It’s heartbreaking.

But one thing I know to be true in hard times is that Kentuckians pull together and are there for each other and will be as the water recedes.

As Kentucky author Jesse Stuart wrote: “If these United States can be called a body, then Kentucky can be called its heart.”

Kentucky always has “heart.” If you’d like to offer support, here is one way through the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund.

Be safe as we clean up the aftermath of this historic event.

Also coming up in today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, an award for a Frazier champion, U of L doctoral students invite you to a story-mapping program here this week, and will burying Bourbon decrease the odds of rain on your wedding day?

This Week in the Museum

Walter Crutcher Wins 2025 Owsley Brown Frazier Impact Award

During our second annual Night at the Frazier gala on April 5, we proudly presented the second Owsley Brown Frazier Impact Award to founding board member Walter T. Crutcher. The award was presented by fellow board member Penny Peavler and honors individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to the museum. It recognizes exemplary support of the Frazier, dedicated service to the community and the Commonwealth, and a career marked by visionary leadership.

Walter Crutcher is not only a steadfast supporter of the Frazier History Museum but also a generous and influential—if often anonymous—philanthropic figure in our community. He is deeply committed to history, the arts, culture, and education, with a spirit of generosity that continually responds to the needs of others.

For more than two decades, Walter has been a remarkable friend to both our founder and the museum. He played an instrumental role in its founding, strategic direction, and ongoing leadership as a board member. We are immensely grateful to know Walter and deeply appreciative of his devoted friendship and unwavering support of the museum.

Curator’s Corner: Burying the Bourbon for Good Wedding-Day Weather

I hope that some of you have had the opportunity to see our newest exhibition Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage that opened at our Night at the Frazier gala on April 5. The last room of the exhibition is called “Something Bluegrass” and is dedicated to Kentucky stories, traditions, and dressmakers. Though every dress in the exhibition is worn by a Kentuckian, and Kentucky designers and stories appear throughout the exhibition, this gallery really focuses in on those ideas. You can learn about weddings in Mammoth Cave and Appalachian traditions such as lovespoons, the Appalachian Stack Cake, and double wedding ring quilts.

One of the most Kentucky-centric traditions that is discussed in the exhibition is burying a bottle of Bourbon. It is said that if a couple buries a bottle of Bourbon on the property of their venue or reception grounds exactly one month before their wedding, it will guarantee good weather. The bottle must be Bourbon; no other whiskey or spirit will do. On their wedding day, the bride and groom dig up the bottle of Bourbon and have some to celebrate.

The bottle of Woodford Reserve that is featured in the exhibition is on loan from some friends of mine, Alex and Tyler Hoehn, who were married last year. (Alex also loaned us her beautiful wedding dress, which is the final dress in our timeline of dresses!) They buried the bottle at the site of their wedding ceremony, Snooper’s Rock in Prentice Cooper State Forest, just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It seems that the tradition worked for them, as they had perfect weather on their wedding day!

Yesterday was Alex and Tyler’s one-year anniversary, so we opened the case that is displaying their Bourbon so that they could have a special celebratory drink of the Bourbon that brought them such good luck on their wedding day.

Congratulations to the Hoehns!

Frazier Wedding Couple to Ward off Rain with Kentucky Tradition

Kathryn Hopkins and Nathaniel Propst bury a bottle of Bourbon on the roof of the Frazier.

Our first weddings of the season are underway at the Frazier History Museum, with rooftop weddings a perfect pick. But of course, with outdoor weddings comes nervousness about the weather—unless you believe in a Kentucky tradition that involves Bourbon. A beautiful couple about to be wed at the Frazier this weekend decided to “get digging” and give it a try. Keep on reading to see what we’re talking about. We’ll let you know if it worked. And if you’d like to see our wedding spaces at the Frazier, click here to learn more.—Beth Combs, Part-Time Event Coordinator

A charming Southern tradition, “burying the Bourbon,” is said to ward off rain on a wedding day. The custom involves burying a full bottle of Bourbon upside down at the wedding venue exactly one month before the big day. Legend has it that this act appeases the weather gods, ensuring clear skies for the ceremony. On the wedding day, the couple digs up the bottle and shares a celebratory sip, making for a fun and memorable pre-wedding ritual.

Spring rooftop weddings are nothing short of magical! The mild temperatures, blooming flowers, and golden-hour sunsets create the perfect romantic atmosphere. A rooftop setting offers stunning cityscape views, an open-air ambiance, and a unique experience that guests will never forget. Plus, natural light makes for breathtaking wedding photos, and the fresh air adds an element of freedom and joy to the celebration.

We couldn’t be more excited to get married at the Frazier History Museum! With its rich history, elegant architecture, and incredible rooftop space overlooking downtown Louisville, it’s the perfect backdrop for our special day. We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter of our lives with family and friends in such a meaningful and beautiful setting!

Museum Shop: Go Big for Race Day!

Kentucky Derby earrings sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop.

Big race, big style! Our collection of bold earrings is perfect for turning heads—whether you’re at the track or throwing a house party. Shop now in the Frazier’s Museum Shop or online.

U of L Urban and Public Affairs Students Present on Story-Mapping Project

Every now and again someone will reach out to the Frazier Museum education team with an offer to be a part of something unique and interesting. In this case, an associate professor of Urban and Public Affairs from the University of Louisville, Lisa Björkman, asked if we could meet several months ago to discuss a project she was getting started with her doctoral students.

As you’ll discover from her description below, it’s a remarkable undertaking and we are proud to have a small part in it, and to have been one of their first steps in the venture when the students came to enjoy our Step into History downtown walking tour.

Learn more in the overview below or, even better, join us to hear the students present at a program in the Frazier’s Brown-Forman Theatre on Friday. The details are below.—Megan Schanie, Sr. Manager of School & Teacher Programs

Louisville’s (Other) Heritages
April 18, 2025
3:30–5:00 p.m.
Brown-Forman Theatre, Frazier History Museum
Free with Museum Admission (Free for Members)

Please join University of Louisville’s Urban and Public Affairs doctoral students for a presentation and discussion of our participatory story-mapping project, “Louisville’s (Other) Heritages.” With support from the Engaged Scholarship Consortium (ESC), our project invited five Louisvillians with migration histories to take us on tours of their sites of urban heritage in Louisville, to introduce us to places and spaces that have been significant in making themselves at home in the city, and to share what they’d like others to understand about their histories and experiences as Louisvillians. The storymap is the result of this shared journey, amplifying voices and highlighting narratives, routes, and spaces that do not always figure in Louisville’s received heritage narratives.

Lisa Björkman
Associate Professor of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville
Guest Contributor

Bridging the Divide

Roots 101 African American Museum to Display “Sunshine” Joe Mallard Quilts

He is the beloved local quilter I can’t stop talking about. You have followed his story here in Frazier Weekly when his dream came true, and his Obama Tie Quilt was recently accepted into the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Click here to see that story represented in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.

We also have one of Joe’s quilts on display in our Great Hall. Let Freedom Ring will hang here until at least August.

But four other quilts by Joe Mallard will be on display, April 15–May 9, at Roots 101 African American Museum, located at 124 North First Street.

Two of those quilts are Spread Love/Defeat Hate and The Other Side of the American Dream.

Joe Mallard and Roots 101 founder Lamont Collins sent me this picture as they were setting up the quilts for display.

If you haven’t seen Joe’s quilts, treat yourself and learn more about him and his talent that will leave you jaw-dropped. I promise.

Rachel Platt
VP of Mission

Historic Flooding, Owsley Brown Frazier Impact Award, Bourbon-Burying Wedding Tradition, and More

Pack Horse Librarians Program, Churchill Downs’s Cool Kentucky Thurby, Frazier Gets Art O Mat Machine, and More

Thunder Over Louisville Cancelled, Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage Opens, Early Bird Beer Fest Prices End Tonight, and More