New Exhibit on Newburg, Gay and Oksana Masters, 20 Past Objects at the Frazier, and More
Good Monday morning!
I hope all of your post-Derby hangovers are fading!
As you may remember, in December we opened a small exhibit titled She Did What She Could: Eliza Tevis and the Origins of Newburg. The exhibit sheds light on an important figure in Kentucky history, Eliza Tevis, a freed woman who owned land before the Civil War in what is now the Newburg neighborhood of Louisville. It was an exhibit created in collaboration with Dr. Glenn Crothers’s Introduction to Public History class at the University of Louisville. Truly the exhibit was curated by the students, with some guidance from the collections and exhibitions department here at the Frazier.
This semester we worked with another class at U of L, Dr. Felicia Jamison’s African American History as Public History class, to expand on this exhibit and Eliza Tevis’s legacy. The students created an exhibit titled The Voices of Newburg: Past and Present that focuses on the Newburg neighborhood and some of its great institutions such as Forrest Baptist Church and the Newburg Library. The students even decided they wanted to include an art piece that involved participation from patrons at the Newburg library.
Another exciting addition to the exhibits is the opportunity to watch a video performance by a member of the Eliza Tevis Society, Janis Carter Miller. In this video, Janis performs a historical interpretation as Eliza herself. The video will be included as a QR code in the exhibit, or you can watch it here.
I’d like to extend a huge congratulations to the students from both classes for their incredible work on the exhibits. I hope they have the same sense of satisfaction seeing their exhibits become reality as we always do! The students who worked on The Voices of Newburg would also like to thank the following people and institutions that helped with their research: the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections, especially Thomas Owen and Delinda Buie; Renesha Chandler and the Newburg Branch Public Library; Pastor Nathaniel Bishop Jr. and Forrest Baptist Church; and the Eliza Tevis Society.
I hope the next time you are at the Frazier you take the opportunity to stop and appreciate all the hard work the students put in over the past two semesters. They did an incredible job!
Up next in today’s Frazier Weekly, Dr. Jamison shares more information about creating the exhibit with her students, Tish shares some fun info about Mother’s Day pins, and Mick shares a video about one of my favorite Kentuckians, Oksana Masters.
Let’s make it a great week!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Recounting Newburg’s Past and Present with U of L History Students
Detail of the Voices of Newburg: Past and Present at the Frazier, May 2, 2024. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
This spring, my African American Public History course worked on an exhibit about Newburg, one of Louisville’s oldest Black neighborhoods. The project builds on the work of my colleague Dr. Glenn Crothers and his fall 2023 class’s exhibit on Eliza Tevis. Though Tevis played a large part in founding the community in the nineteenth century, my class decided to focus on the importance of people and local institutions in the neighborhood’s long history.
For this project, we worked with several organizations. In addition to the Frazier History Museum, students collaborated with U of L Archives and Special Collections archivists Thomas Owen and Delinda Buie. The Eliza Tevis Society members met with our class several times and answered all our questions. Sharelle Lyons Goodwin provided documents and photos that are now a part of the exhibit. Janis Carter Miller, portraying Eliza Tevis, wrote and performed a narrative highlighting the historical and current importance of Newburg.
During the semester, the class had several discussions on how best to tell this long history in a small exhibit. Eventually, we decided to focus on three local institutions that remain central to Newburg’s existence: Forrest Baptist Church (founded in 1868), the Newburg branch library, and local schools.
The class made a concerted effort to work directly with community members to bring this exhibit to life. We did this by creating an art project. Renesha Chandler, the branch manager of Newburg Library, conceptualized a tree on which patrons could write about Newburg on each leaf. The tree trunk would include names of influential community members. We received contributions from Pastor Nathaniel Bishop Jr. and Forrest Baptist Church members, children from the Newburg Community Center, and library patrons.
I want to end by personally thanking the student researchers who diligently worked on the exhibit. As I failed to take a photo during class, I am including their names as co-authors of this piece: Michael Ayala, Ken Garatt, Annalise Hale, Laila Hill-Broadus, Elizabeth Hinsdale, Jay Miranda, Makayla Paul, Olivia Roth, Savannah Sherard, Lloyd Soards, Michael Soto, and Collin White.
Dr. Felicia Jamison
Assistant Professor, History Dept. and Dept. of Comparative Humanities, University of Louisville
Guest Contributor
From the Collections: Mother’s Day Pin, 1920s
It’s Mother’s Day once again and it seemed an appropriate time to look at the history of the holiday and share a piece from the collection. While a modern twentieth century holiday, Mother’s Day can find it roots much farther back in Medieval Europe with Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday was a tradition that took place on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It gave people the opportunity to visit their home parishes and mothers for a special service. The practice did become more secular over time and children would often give their mothers flowers and other tokens as appreciation. Mothering Sunday faded in the twentieth century and eventually merged with Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day pin, c. 1920s. Part of the Frazier History Museum collection. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Our modern iteration of Mother’s Day begin in 1907 in Philadelphia. Anna Jarvis, who never had children of her own, conceived the day to honor her mother and others for the sacrifices they made for their children. In 1908, Jarvis looked to the Philadelphia department store Wanamaker to help kick off an official Mother’s Day celebration. Anna Jarvis soon grew determined to see the day added to the national calendar, feeling that American holidays were biased toward men’s achievements. She started a large letter-writing campaign to newspapers and congressmen urging the holiday be a part of the national holidays calendar. Jarvis saw her goal realized in 1914 when President Wilson officially designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, a holiday we still celebrate today.
Unfortunately, Anna Jarvis went on to decry the holiday as it quickly became over-commercialized in American society. It didn’t sit well with Jarvis that florists, card companies, and other merchants capitalized on the popularity of the day. In her mind, it was a day to spend with your mother and honor her for all her work.
We hope you all find joy this Mother’s Day as you spend time with your mothers.
Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement
Museum Shop: Mom Life Tote Bag
Mom Life tote bag sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Every Mom knows a good bag to help carry all the necessities is a must-have for any outing! This bag is the perfect fit for anyone on Mother’s Day.
Frazier+ Video of the Week: A Mother’s Love
Now the Frazier fits in your pocket! Curated by the museum’s education team, the mobile app Frazier+ provides engaging and educational Kentucky history content—free of charge. Users can explore the museum’s collection of videos, photos, and texts to either heighten their in-person experience or learn from the comfort of their couch or classroom. The free app is available for download for Android and iOS devices through the App Store and Google Play.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
One of our favorite stories to tell in the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky exhibition is about athlete Oksana Masters. Adopted from Ukraine by former U of L professor Gay Masters, Oksana has made her mark by becoming the most decorated American Winter Paralympian of all time. Her story is one that definitely begins with a mother’s love.
Amanda Briede, our senior curator of exhibitions—and one of Oksana’s biggest fans—shares more in Frazier+.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Silas House in the “House” May 30 at the Frazier
An Evening with Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House flyer. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
It is always fascinating to watch the evolution of a person. I have been paying a lot of attention since I started hounding Kentucky Poet Laureate and author Silas House to do a program with the Frazier. I am thrilled to say he said yes, and the program will be May 30. That program will focus on his personal evolution as a Kentuckian, a writer, a son, a gay man, a man of faith, a husband, a father, a dog lover, a Grammy finalist, a TV show host, and certainly a prominent voice in the Bluegrass State.
Silas House fishing as a young child. Credit: Silas House.
Silas House school photo as a child. Credit: Silas House.
Silas House poses beside a U2 poster as a teenager. Credit: Silas House.
I asked him to share some pictures of his upbringing in Eastern Kentucky, and in those you start to see his evolution into a writer as he gleefully pounds on the typewriter. But how and when did that happen in Appalachia? Who helped him believe he was writer? What were the lessons from his working-class upbringing? When did he realize he was gay? How did he balance that with a deeply religious upbringing and remain faithful at the same time? Why is he in such demand right now with his voice? Where does he find the inspiration for his writing?
The answers to those questions will help explain his evolution, and perhaps give us the inspiration to explore our own.
I was lucky enough to hear him speak recently, and his words had me looking inward at my own family, my own upbringing, and those signature moments in life that change one’s own trajectory.
It’s what we do with the good, the bad, and the challenging that really defines our evolution.
I hope you’ll be fascinated hearing about the evolution of Silas House. You’ll certainly learn something about him, but I hope you’ll also learn about yourself in the process.
Silas is a hot ticket. Purchase yours now because the program will likely sell out. Click here to learn more about the program, An Evening with Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House. Carmichael’s will join us to sell his books, and Silas has agreed to sign copies that night after the program.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier Education Teams Up with Louisville Water for Summer Teacher PD Session
Relief map titled Plan for Utilizing the Water Power of the Ohio River at Louisville, KY, 1875. Credit: William C. Coghlan, Wikimedia Commons.
The Frazier education team is always on the lookout for terrific community partners to collaborate with for teacher professional development. For our upcoming summer session, we didn’t have to look far. Louisville Water Company has been a longstanding and reliable partner to the Frazier for many years, and we are excited to work with them to offer a free training for teachers this summer.
Interested educators can learn more in the description and link below!
Teacher Professional Development: How Does Water Define a City?
Friday, June 7, 2024
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
The history of Louisville is fully intertwined with its water story. Join us as we collaborate with Louisville Water Company to explore how water helps define our city. Why do cities often develop near water sources? How does the Ohio River serve as both a divider and a connector? How is water both nurturing and destructive? How does our water make us unique? Using an inquiry lens, we will consider these questions and more during an interactive four-hour session. Educators will have the opportunity to workshop ideas with colleagues and leave the session with classroom resources.
Please note: The session will begin at the Frazier History Museum, moving to the Louisville Water Company midway through. Teachers must provide their own transportation from the Frazier to the WaterWorks Museum. A pizza lunch will be provided.
The cost is free, but reservations are required. To learn more or sign up, click here.
Any questions may be directed to education@fraziermuseum.org.
Megan Schanie
Sr. Manager of Educational Programs
20th Anniversary Photo: Medieval Mom, 2004
A mother helps her son try on a medieval helmet at the Frazier, October 2, 2004. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Since it opened in 2004, the Frazier has been an asset for so many community members—especially moms. Mothers have brought their children to the museum to learn, play, and explore history for two decades and counting. Happy Mother’s Day!
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Frazier 20th anniversary graphic. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
To mark our 20th anniversary, every other month in 2024, we’re publishing a new 20-item listicle in Frazier Weekly. Today, we’re spotlighting 20 unique objects the Frazier has displayed in the past!
Battle of Hastings Apparel, 2004–15. Among the 350 objects the Royal Armouries in Leeds loaned the Frazier were stirrups and chain mail from the Battle of Hastings, fought in 1066.
Fontaine Ferry Memorabilia, 2009. Fontaine Ferry featured more than 100 artifacts from the Louisville amusement park, c. 1905–69, including wooden horses, penny arcade machines, and fun mirrors.
My Little Pony Toys, 2010–11. The Good, the Bad, the Cuddly featured vintage toys, art, and movie memorabilia, including eleven original My Little Pony figurines made 1982–87.
Da Vinci’s Notebooks, 2011. Da Vinci: The Genius featured codices, or notebooks, in which Italian Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci jotted down his observations, drawings, and ideas.
Bicentennial Photos, 2011. Rough Road: Kentucky Documentary Photographic Project, 1975–77 featured photos three Kentucky photographers captured in all 120 counties during America’s bicentennial.
Samurai Armor, 2012. Samurai featured arms, armor, artworks, religious icons, textiles, and cultural artifacts of the military nobility of medieval and early modern Japan.
Princess Diana’s Wedding Gown, 2012–13. Diana: A Celebration featured the gown Diana wore at her 1981 royal wedding to King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Napoleon’s Hat, 2013–14. The Eye of Napoleon featured more than 200 artifacts and artworks that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, including one of the emperor’s iconic bicorne hats.
Shakespeare’s First Folio, 2016. As part of Will in the Ville, a citywide celebration of William Shakespeare, the Frazier displayed the First Folio, a 1623 edition of the playwright’s works.
Katniss’s Bow, 2017. The Hunger Games: The Exhibition featured maps, props, and costumes from Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss in the film franchise, including a bow and the Girl on Fire dress.
Schiaparelli Jacket, 2018. Magnificent Mona Bismarck featured midcentury garments made by Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Pucci, plus a shocking pink dinner jacket Elsa Schiaparelli designed.
Leona Waddell’s Baskets, 2018–19. Kentucky Craft Luminaries featured several baskets made by Cub Run, Hart County, native Leona Waddell of the Mammoth Cave Basket Makers Guild.
Reynolds Pamphlet, 2019. As part of its #Hamiltix502 initiative, the Frazier displayed a rare original copy of the pamphlet, penned by Hamilton, for which a song in the musical is named.
Hunter S. Thompson Kitchen, 2019. Freak Power: Hunter S. Thompson’s Campaign for Sheriff included a replica of the messy kitchen in the Gonzo journalist’s Colorado ranch home.
“Happy Birthday” Manuscript, 2019–20. Celebrating the Sounds of Kentucky featured the only known hand-written lyrics and melody of the original “Happy Birthday to You” song, c. 1895.
Stanton-Anthony Handshake, 2020–21. What is a Vote Worth? Suffrage Then and Now include a cast replica of a handshake between suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Boyd Bed, 2020–21. Cool Kentucky briefly featured a four-poster Boyd bedstead designed by Henry Boyd, a woodworker born into slavery on a Kentucky plantation who later bought his freedom.
Paul Hornung’s Heisman Trophy, 2020–21. Cool Kentucky briefly featured Louisville-native halfback Paul Hornung’s 1956 Heisman Trophy on loan from the Green Bay Packers.
World War I Veterans’ Uniforms, 2021–22. West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation featured several military uniforms worn by natives of West Louisville neighborhoods.
Mascot Costumes, 2022–23. Kentucky Rivalries featured vintage costumes from several high school and college mascots, including the St. X tiger, the Kentucky Wildcat, and WKU’s Big Red.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Frazier’s KDF Marathon Relay Teams Run for En-Lou-tenment
The Buddha famously stated that life is suffering. Based on this, one might assume that an early morning run preceded his time spent underneath the Bodhi Tree. Running is, indeed, suffering. It is also pain, frustration, boredom, and a unique brand of loneliness known only to long-distance runners. But it is also self-empowerment, elation, accomplishment, and triumph: the lowest of lows; the highest of highs; the runner’s paradox in all its hideous splendor. This, of course, begs the question: Who in their right mind would embrace such chaos? Well . . . yours truly, for one. To this end, I must remind myself that it is always darkest before dawn. Every rose has its thorn. No pain, no gain, as it were.
Runners from the Frazier’s two 2024 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon Relay teams pose after the race at Lynn Family Stadium, April 27, 2024. Credit: Zac Stout.
Nick Cook passes the Orange Team’s baton to Andy Treinen, April 27, 2024. Credit: Zac Stout.
Leslie Anderson passes the Yellow Team’s baton to Mick Sullivan, April 27, 2024. Credit: Zac Stout.
Nonetheless, an extraordinary opportunity arose when our grants manager and writer, Kent Klarer, suggested the Frazier participate in Louisville's most prestigious race: the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon. A fellow runner, Kent meticulously organized two Frazier relay teams, a flexible training schedule, and a gloriously scenic route along the Ohio and across the Big Four Bridge. From there, as they say, it was off to the races.
Frazier folk joining us on this journey were the undeniable talents of Leslie Anderson, Simon Meiners, Brooks Vessels, Nick Cook, Amanda Briede, Mick Sullivan, Brian West, and our very own president and CEO Andy Treinen. It was a truly motley assortment of dreamers, doers, and everything in between. I simply could not imagine running with a more remarkable group of individuals.
But there’s that word (individual), now wildly inappropriate given this experience. Fulfillment and elation, frustration and exhaustion—the wheel turned and was felt by all. Personal bests were celebrated as a group. Frustrations and setbacks were similarly shared. Quite miraculously, the loneliness of long-distance running gave way to something far more communal. Two feet were now twenty, not always in unison, but ALWAYS heading in the same direction.
I would like to tell you that our two teams finished first and second on race day. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Our times were certainly respectable. Several of my teammates even managed personal bests. The finish line, however, was never the goal—only the journey. And what an incredible journey it has been—one I look forward to continuing with my friends and colleagues for as long as our legs are willing. Perhaps someday, like Buddha, a few of us will even achieve Enlightenment during a group run.
As I said, running is, indeed, suffering. But it has become so much more to me over the last few months. Here is a heartfelt THANK YOU to every single pavement hitter, side splitter, and never quitter willing to lace ’em up for the simple joys of running and community.
Jason Berkowitz
Stories in Mind Facilitator
