Treetop Tavern on Shippingport Island, Suffrage Exhibition Closing August 1, Olympians of the Bluegrass, and More
What an outstanding evening!
Panelists at the Masters Series: Wilderness Trail program, July 22, 2021
Last Thursday, the Frazier hosted its first in-person Masters Series event in more than 18 months and we had a blast. It was so special seeing all our members, partners, and supporters in one place enjoying a sold out event. At the conclusion, we announced our next Masters event, which will be a celebration of the new exhibition West of Ninth, opening in September.
Our Curator Amanda Briede is talking Kentucky rivalries in this week’s Virtual Frazier Magazine in anticipation of an exhibition opening next year. Brian West is honoring Kentucky Olympians, Mick Sullivan’s Megaphone Monday returns, and Shelby Durbin sends out a last call for our What is a Vote Worth? Suffrage Then and Now exhibition.
This week also marks the last week we will be discounting tickets for Summer Beer Fest at Frazier. Before July 31, guests can still get two general admission tickets for $99. We now have over 220 different beers confirmed for tasting, 20 of which will be available to VIP guests only.
Through the festival, we are learning so many cool stories about the delicious history of breweries in Kentucky. Did you know one of the first beer gardens in Louisville was located in a treetop on an island? Our Mick Sullivan will fill in the fascinating details. But first, Rachel Platt kicks off this week’s VFM with three women hops heroes who are brewing up much more than just incredible beer.
I hope you enjoy,
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
Bridging the Divide
Leah Dienes, Amelia Pillow, and Kate Russell on Women Brewers
As we count down to Summer Beer Fest at Frazier, I decided to reach out to some of the women in the business: women brewers who are also owners and founders of breweries in Louisville and Kentucky.
The exact amount of women in the business in Kentucky is hard to come by — but the number is certainly growing.
Leah Dienes
Leah Dienes, co-founder of Apocalypse Brew Works in Louisville, says a woman who owns a brewery shouldn’t be a “thing.”
She homebrewed beer for around 17 years before taking it to the next level, and she eventually made it a career.
Leah tells me she had two women mentors: Eileen Martin, probably the first woman professional brewer in Kentucky, and Sandy Cockerham, the highest ranking Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge in Indiana.
Dienes guesses she may be the first woman owner and brewer in Kentucky.
Amelia Pillow
Kate Russell
I also talked with two other women by Zoom: Amelia Pillow, who just opened Shippingport Brewing Company in her beloved neighborhood Portland, and Kate Russell, the founder and brewer at Hopkinsville Brewing Company.
We talked about the unique paths they took to the business, their thoughts on the Pink Boots Society, which was established as a way to educate and elevate women in the industry, and the advice they would give to someone entering the field.
Suffice it to say, these women rock!
Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement
This Week in the Museum
Elm Tree Garden on Shippingport Island, 1829 – 73
Detail of The City of Louisville, Kentucky. The City of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1857.
Did you know one of the first beer gardens in Louisville was located in a treetop on an island?
Back in the 1820s to ‘50s, when Louisville was a major destination for German immigrants resettling in the United States, beer gardens started popping up around the city. For local residents, these beer gardens served a variety of purposes, providing a place where they could conduct business meetings, give or attend political speeches, or relax and socialize with friends. Although the proprietors of many of these establishments had come from Germany, it was a Frenchman who in 1829 founded one of the first in the area — a treetop beer garden located on Shippingport Island.
Originally, Shippingport was a settlement on the south bank of the Ohio River opposite the Falls of the Ohio. It occupied a peninsula that connected to what is now the Portland neighborhood of Louisville. However, the construction of the Louisville and Portland Canal in the mid-1820s flooded the southern perimeter of Shippingport, creating an island.
According to The Encyclopedia of Louisville (2001), this island became the site of an elevated, treetop-themed beer garden:
“The Elm Tree Garden was located on the eastern end of Shippingport Island, founded in 1829 by Frenchman Joseph L. Detiste as Elm Tree Pavilion. Centered around a giant elm tree, the outdoor tavern was actually suspended aboveground on a platform built in the branches. By the early 1830s, Detiste had added an amusement park ride, a China Pavilion, a pagoda, a tree arbor, and a dance pavilion. It was renamed the Louisville Garden in 1868 but was selling only about ten kegs of beer a week. It was closed by 1873.” (80)
Built into and around 24 upward branches of the tree, the large wooden platform on which the tavern was situated measured 300 feet in circumference. Residents of mainland Louisville would cross the bridge at 18th Street over the canal, climb a few stairs, then forget about terra firma for a while.
Drawing captioned “The Old Elm Tree” in an article titled “Old Time Picnics” published in the Courier-Journal, June 23, 1895
Activities on the platform and the surrounding grounds included footraces, horseraces, wrestling matches, gander pulling, mark shooting, marbles games, maze walks, locomotive rides, and more. However, a quick search for references to the garden in the Courier-Journal reveals the frequency with which guests engaged in unsanctioned activities, including fistfights, robberies, stabbings, and gunplay.
Unfortunately, the establishment ceased operating by 1873.
However, on Saturday, August 7, the Frazier is throwing a beer festival in a pop-up beer garden behind the museum — just a few nautical blocks southwest of where Elm Tree Garden once was. While there won’t be any treetops, there will be plenty of history, live music, and local beer! Learn more at fraziermuseum.org/beerfest.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Museum Store: IPA Lot When I Drink
"IPA Lot When I Drink" hat sold in the Frazier's museum store
We hope to see you at the first annual Summer Beer Fest at Frazier on August 7. Keep in mind, that is where you'll be able to purchase a hat like this — which proclaims what we all know to be true. If you can't wait until next week, we have them in the museum shop, too.
Walking Through Women’s Suffrage
Silver suit belonging to Senator Georgia Davis Powers. On loan from the Montgomery family of Georgia Davis Powers.
Open since the summer of 2020, the Frazier’s exhibition “What is a Vote Worth? Suffrage Then and Now” closes Sunday, August 1. Be sure to come see the exhibition in person while you still can!
In between the hustle and bustle of Frazier summer camps and busy Cool Kentucky tours, I decided to take a leisurely stroll through one of our current exhibitions, What is a Vote Worth? Suffrage Then and Now. This exhibition is particularly fascinating to me because I minored in Women and Gender Studies in college and have a particular interest in women’s history. Although I had been in this exhibit several times, I wanted to pay special attention to the overarching storyline the artifacts and infographics conveyed. In other words, I wanted to zoom out and look at the larger story that was being told.
Women’s garments, 1850s – 1880s. On loan from the Filson Historical Society.
As I was walking through our suffrage exhibit, two words came to mind: parallel and intersectional.
One of the things that impressed me the most about our suffrage display was the special attention to Kentucky’s local suffrage movement as it related to the larger suffrage movement taking place across the nation. Parallel was the first word that came to mind because Kentucky’s suffrage timeline was displayed alongside the nationwide suffrage timeline on a large wall to the right, as soon as you enter the exhibit. I had never noticed it until then! Despite having studied suffrage in school, I had (and have) little knowledge of how suffrage evolved throughout Kentucky versus the rest of the United States. This wall was an excellent place to start. I had no idea that Kentucky’s first suffrage society was formed all the way back in 1867!
Photos, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and speeches in the “African American Women and the Suffrage Movement” section
The other word that came to mind during my walk through women’s suffrage was intersectional. There is a common misconception that all women were guaranteed the right to vote in August 1920, but that isn’t the case. Despite the 19th Amendment being ratified, there were still significant barriers that prevented many Black Americans from casting their ballot. Some of these barriers included literacy tests and poll taxes, in addition to the intimidation tactics used by white supremacists at the polls. Although voting conditions have improved to a degree, our suffrage display highlighted the historical contexts that created the voting disparities that we still see today.
In addition, the suffrage movement itself was rife with racism and a lack of diverse leadership. Therefore, Black women often created their own groups to tackle the important intersection of being Black and being a woman.
The Frazier’s display would not have been complete without highlighting how the 19th Amendment largely failed Black Americans, so I’m pleased to see that our exhibit created the space for various perspectives to be heard. It is essential to recognize that women’s equity and racial equity are not irrespective of each other, but go hand in hand.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time walking through women’s suffrage, and I think you would too! What is a Vote Worth? Suffrage Then and Now is only up for another six days! You do not want to miss this remarkable experience.
If you would like to see how some of our guests have been enjoying our suffrage exhibit, click here to watch Abby Cox’s vlog of her time at the Frazier. It already has nearly 45,000 views!
Shelby Durbin
Education and Engagement Specialist
Curator’s Corner: What’s Your Favorite Rivalry?
University of Kentucky and University of Louisville basketball banners on display in Cool Kentucky
If you live in Kentucky, you’ve probably picked a side: red or blue? U of L or UK? (Go Cards!) And if you’re from Louisville, you probably have a favorite between St. X and Trinity, too. Us Kentuckians are known for being opinionated, and possibly a little bit stubborn, which is perhaps one reason why we are also know for our intense rivalries.
In the fall of 2022, we will be opening a new exhibition that explores Kentucky’s famous rivalries, whether it’s in sports, politics, or history. And this is where we need your help. What is your favorite Kentucky rivalry? Did your high school have a rival team? What teams do you love to hate? Know about a great rivalry from Kentucky’s past? Send us an email!
We are also looking for interesting objects to feature in the exhibition, and we want to hear about those, too! Do you have something cool from your old school’s rival game? Do you know who we need to talk to so we can borrow that important trophy? Let us know by emailing info@fraziermuseum.org.
Amanda Briede
Curator and Cards Fan
Megaphone Monday: Stephen Yates, Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Want to know more about the folks who make the Frazier tick? Tune in to Megaphone Monday! In each episode, Curator of Guest Experience Mick Sullivan interviews one of the Frazier’s staff members — across the room, through megaphones. It’s a fun and silly way to learn about the good folks who work here at the museum.
The face of Sippin’ With Stephen, this week’s guest is a heck of a tour guide, and he leads some of the best tastings in the city. In our interview, he speculates about FDR’s shopping preferences, confidently asserts how to eat a good french fry, recounts a childhood haircut inspired by one of the Three Stooges, and more!
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
2021 Frazier Classic, the Golf Alternative
One of the teams that competed in the 2020 Frazier Classic, September 25, 2020
Tired of the same old golf scramble? Join us on Friday, September 24 at the sixth annual Frazier Classic. Keep your clubs at home, but bring a shotgun and three of your friends, colleagues, or clients for a day of gourmet food, Bourbon, clay pigeons, and music, as well as a chance to bid on unique auction items and win Kentucky Bourbon by scoring big on the course!
Named for our founder Owsley Brown Frazier, the Classic celebrates the art of the gun, bringing sportsmen and -women together for a day competing on the 25-station, 72-target sporting clays course before a delicious lunch featuring live music, Bourbon cocktails, craft beer, a raffle, and a silent auction of premium Kentucky Bourbons and exclusive Kentucky experiences. The tournament uses Lewis Class scoring, which allows all skill levels the opportunity to win awards.
All proceeds from the event support the Frazier’s educational outreach, exhibitions, and programs.
Join us in busting birdies all day, and you’ll never be par for the course!
For more information or to register, click here.
Kentucky to the World: Resilience in the Face of Economic Change
Sam Ford. Credit: Kentucky to the World.
As the Frazier’s community partner, Kentucky to the World has a presence in the museum’s permanent exhibition “Cool Kentucky.” Museum visitors can stop by this section to learn more about NASA Flight Systems Engineer Tracy Drain, Draper James Brand Editor Elizabeth Mayhew, and other figures who represent Kentucky on the world stage.
Hailing from Ohio County, Kentucky, MIT Comparative Media Researcher Sam Ford has spent his entire career creating innovation in the media industry by using storytelling to create change.
Sam has joined forces with Kentucky to the World to create an ambitious year-long multimedia storytelling project titled “Kentucky: Resilience in the Face of Economic Change.”
Economic development and workforce development require innovation. Nothing shapes the possibilities we dream and the solutions we discover quite like stories. And, who better to help us tell the story of the future of Kentucky than individuals who are striving to make this happen in our Commonwealth and around the world?
The upcoming series will focus on the realities of our Commonwealth’s changing economy and what the future holds. Featuring live events, TV specials, digital stories, educational programming, and much more, it will showcase the future of Kentucky through the lens of its history of resilience. The first piece, written by Sam to tee up the stories to come, is now live at kentuckytotheworld.org.
The kickoff event is on Wednesday, August 11 at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens. The program features the creativity, intellect, passion, and stories of three extraordinary Kentuckians whose careers and work have defined this spirit of resilience: Venkata “Vijay” Kamineni, Charles “Rusty” Justice, and Dr. Alison Davis. These individuals will share lessons learned from the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP) as well as their experience with innovation engaging with teams from other regions around the world. A curated conversation at each table will follow the program.
Focusing on the realities of our Commonwealth’s changing economy and showcasing what the future can hold, these stories will be shared for inspiration as we all work to create new possibilities and solutions for Kentucky and beyond.
To learn more about the August 11 kickoff event and how you can participate, contact Lisa Swikert at lisa@kentuckytotheworld.org.
Melissa Zoeller
Public Relations and Marketing Consultant, Kentucky to the World
Guest Contributor
History All Around Us
Olympians of the Bluegrass
After a year-long postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the XXXII Summer Olympiad is finally underway in Tokyo, Japan. The tradition of Kentucky’s finest participating in the Olympic Games goes all the way back to 1920, when Natlee, Kentucky native Willis A. Lee won seven medals in team events with the USA rifle team, the most medals ever won by an individual to that point — a record that stood for nearly 60 years.
A few years after World War II, Kentuckians would again strike Olympic gold. After a nearly 12-year hiatus due to the war, the Olympics resumed in 1948. With games held in London, basketball made its second appearance as an official Olympic event, and the United States had the starters from the 1948 National Champion Kentucky Wildcats as members of its Olympics squad. Kentucky alumni on the roster included Louisville native Ralph Beard and Harlan’s own Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones. The USA won the gold, besting France’s national team, 65 – 21 in the Gold Medal game. And, of course, there was The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, who shot to stardom when he won the Gold in Boxing during the 1960 Games in Rome.
Team photo of the 1947 – 48 University of Kentucky national champions from the 1948 Kentuckian Yearbook. Head Coach Adolph Rupp is seated first from the left. Starters Ralph Beard (12) and Wallace Wah Wah Jones (27) joined Coach Rupp in London (the other one, across the pond there) that same year to compete in the XIV Olympiad. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Now, Kentucky’s finest hope to carry on that winning tradition in this year’s Summer Games. With over 40 athletes that have ties to the Commonwealth competing, the Bluegrass State is well represented in this year’s games. Sacred Heart alum and National Champion swimmer Brooke Forde will represent the USA in the 200-meter freestyle in Tokyo. DuPont Manual High School graduate and NCAA Champion runner Yared Nugese will compete in the 1500-meter race.
Kendra Harrison at USTAF Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2018. The UK grad will represent the USA this year in the 100 meter hurdles (the event in which she holds the world record) in this year’s Olympic Games. Credit: Flickr.
UK grad and World Record holder Keni Harrison will finally represent her country in the 100 meter hurdles after failing to qualify for the event for the 2016 Games. And, there is Atherton High School graduate, eight-time Paralympian medalist, and Cool Kentucky exhibition subject Oksana Masters, who, after mastering the winter events of para cross country skiing and the para biathlon in Olympics past, will now be plying her skills in hand cycling at this summer’s games.
After patiently forbearing a year to compete, these Olympians of the Bluegrass will finally have their time in the spotlight. And, despite the clear and present danger COVID-19 still poses, despite the precautions the government of Japan and the Olympic organizers have undertaken to safeguard both participants and attendees, it is still this author’s hope that each one of these Kentucky-born and -bred Olympic athletes will be able to take advantage of that spotlight. Maybe, just maybe, they will even bring home a medal or two along the way.
Brian West
Teaching Artist
