Hello Frazier fans!

I am happy to be the newest Frazier employee, serving as the museum’s Director of Exhibit Ideation. What does that title mean, you ask? I work with the amazing Collections and Exhibitions teams to bring our Kentucky history to the public through thought-provoking exhibitions and explorative collection programs. I can honestly say I have the ultimate dream job!

I started working at the Frazier while the Collections and Exhibitions teams were in the ending stages of installing the museum’s next exhibition, West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation. This exhibition explores the historic roots of Louisville’s Ninth Street Divide, delving into the issues of race, segregation, and redlining in our city. This exhibition wouldn’t have materialized without the wonderful partnership of the West of Ninth bloggers, Walt and Shae Smith. They host a photography and narrative blog that focuses on the nine neighborhoods that make up the west end of Louisville. Their work started before the exhibition was conceived and will continue after the exhibition closes. We are so fortunate to have partnerships like this to tell a true story of the city of Louisville.

Because the exhibition’s focus is on our community, we’re encouraging the members of the community to attend the public exhibition opening. On September 18, please join us for some family-friendly events and free admission starting at 10 a.m. and continuing until 2 p.m. Check out our website for more details on what activities and events will be featured that day.

I can’t say enough how excited I am to be part of the Frazier family — and part of the place Where the World Meets Kentucky! Stay tuned for more exciting exhibition- and collection-related programs and developments from our team!

Your new history nerd,

Bridging the Divide

Walt and Shae Smith on West of Ninth

We have more in common than we think: that, in essence, is what Walt and Shae Smith have shown us with West of Ninth, the blog on which they’ve published photographs of and interviews with more than 500 residents of the nine Louisville neighborhoods west of Ninth Street.

Detail of design on front of West of Ninth t-shirt

Walt and Shae have also created their own t-shirt highlighting those neighborhoods, and they wear it with pride. They created their blog and t-shirt when they realized names like Russell and Shawnee weren’t being represented on other t-shirts, or mentioned much at all. So in 2017, they began to make an effort to change that — to give their neighbors a voice. As they say, it’s all about the people, giving them a voice and a chance to be heard.

In posts on the blog, residents have shared their hopes, dreams, setbacks, tragedies, and triumphs. The project has proved to be deeply personal and life-changing for Walt and Shae, and we can’t wait to share some of the stories with you in our new West of Ninth exhibition.

Until then, learn more about Walt and Shae and how it all started, as we all try to be good neighbors and bridge divides where we see them.

This Week in the Museum

Curator’s Corner: Selections From the Geneva Bell Textile Collection

Geneva Bell 1 - Friends.jpg — Geneva Bell (far right) and friends at a dinner party at the Bells’ home

In today’s “Curator’s Corner,” I am excited to share with you more incredible items that will be featured in our upcoming exhibition West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation. I just could not wait any longer to show off some of the items from the Geneva Bell Textile Collection, on loan from the Filson Historical Society. Geneva Bell was married to a prominent local doctor, Jesse Bell, whose office was located at 2801 West Kentucky Street in the Parkland neighborhood. Dr. Bell devoted his career to public health, specializing in chest diseases, and began the first program in Kentucky for screening disadvantaged persons for high blood pressure. For his accomplishments, he was named to the American Lung Association Hall of Fame in 1980 and received the Louis B. Russell, Jr. Award from the American Heart Association for outstanding service for Minority Programs in Kentucky in 1983.

A pink dress and matching suede coat. Part of the Geneva Bell Textile Collection, on loan from the Filson Historical Society.

A polka-dot mod shift dress. Part of the Geneva Bell Textile Collection, on loan from the Filson Historical Society.

Detail of a tag on a tailor-made garment. Part of the Geneva Bell Textile Collection, on loan from the Filson Historical Society.

As for Geneva Bell, not only was she an active member of Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church and a teacher in the Louisville Public School System — she was incredibly fashionable, too.

Because department stores in Louisville were segregated until the passage of the open accommodations ordinance in 1963, Geneva refused to patronize them and would special order her clothes from a tailor in Utah called Utah Tailoring Mills. Pictured above are a few examples of the pieces that she ordered: a beautiful and sparkly champagne pink dress and matching suede coat and an adorable polka-dot mod shift dress. Also pictured is a photograph of Geneva (far right) and friends at a dinner party at her home.

Be sure to come see these pieces and more of Geneva’s incredible wardrobe featured in West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation, opening with a community celebration on September 18.

Courier Journal’s Contribution to West of Ninth

The Courier Journal is honored to be part of the Frazier History Museum’s West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation exhibition.

The newspaper’s involvement in this exhibition makes perfect sense when you consider our role in magnifying injustices in our communities and our mission to give voice to all residents.

The Courier Journal has for decades chronicled the struggle for civil rights and equality in Louisville, including:

In the 1950s and 1960s, we covered the intense battle for open housing — and the sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations against segregation in public places.
In 1975, we documented the court-ordered busing of more than 20,000 students to achieve racial balance in Jefferson County Public Schools.
In 1987, we reported as hundreds of people — Black and white — marched to the county courthouse to protest racism and the Ku Klux Klan.
In 2020, after Louisville police shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black ER tech, our staff produced investigations and in-depth coverage of the more than 180 days of consecutive racial justice protests.

Our contribution to this exhibition includes powerful images shot by our photographers during last summer’s racial justice protests as well as a special, repackaged copy of “Beyond Breonna,” an eight-part series that delves deeper into systemic racism and its impact on the Black communities of Louisville.

There is still much work to be done in facilitating discussions and giving residents a voice as the Courier Journal strives to continue shining a light on the disparities in our underserved communities.

We hope our participation in this exhibition sparks a dialogue. We are ready to listen.

Thank you,

Racial Reckoning Conversation Series, September 30 – December 2

Graphic promoting the “Racial Reckoning” program series

As part of our West of Ninth exhibition at the Frazier, we have partnered with the Courier Journal and the Muhammad Ali Center for a four-part conversation series on racial justice that will look at housing, education, policing, and health.

Each program will include community members with their own stories to tell, expert moderators who will guide us through history, policy, and the present day, and panelists who will help give context to each topic, providing calls to action and simple steps we can take to help shape a better future for everyone.

These programs tie in directly with our individual and collective missions, and as partners we can reach more people and tackle the transformative work that needs to be done.

The Courier Journal has addressed these issues in depth in its “Beyond Breonna” series and continues to in ongoing stories. The Frazier will open its West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation exhibition to the public September 18, and the Muhammad Ali Center has a currently running exhibition, Truth Be Told: The Policies That Impacted Black Lives, that will remain on display through February 2022.

Our first program, “Racial Reckoning: Housing,” will take place Thursday, September 30 at the Frazier History Museum from 7 to 8 p.m. Click here to sign up for that program and the others in the series.

We hope to see you soon.

Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement

Archaeology Day and West of Ninth Community Opening, September 18

Still image taken from a drone shot featured in The Beecher Terrace Story, 2020. Credit: Blue Boi Entertainment. — Still image taken from a drone shot featured in *The Beecher Terrace Story*, 2020. Credit: Blue Boi Entertainment.

The Education team here at the Frazier is very excited about the upcoming Archaeology Day, offered in conjunction with our community opening of the West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation exhibition! We are a group that loves to learn, and the planning for this exhibition and related programming has created so many opportunities to do just that.

We’ve been so intrigued by the work being completed by Anne Bader and her terrific staff at Corn Island Archaeology, especially the stories and artifacts brought to light through the archaeological investigations at the Beecher Terrace Housing Complex in downtown Louisville. When you visit the Frazier, be sure to check out the case of artifacts from this dig located in the West of Ninth exhibition. Viewing the documentary The Beecher Terrace Story, created by local filmmaker Lavel D. White, helped us better understand the history of the housing complex and the stories of the many people who have called Beecher Terrace home. Join us for a screening of his remarkable work and a chance to meet and hear from the filmmaker in person. Lastly, we have been blown away by the work of Walt and Shae Smith, whose blog, also titled West of Ninth, serves as the inspiration for the exhibition itself. Hear from Walt and Shae, who guest curated the exhibition, all while working and raising their young family, during a seated program at this event.

Archaeology Day & West of Ninth Exhibition Community Opening

Saturday, September 18

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The day will include a series of engaging presentations, hands-on stations, refreshments, music, and art — as well as access to all museum exhibitions, including the opening day of West of Ninth. Masks are required and spaces are limited at all seated presentations, and masks are highly recommended for all museum guests.

This community event is FREE and open to the public. Reservations are not required. To learn more about the seated program schedule and other details, click here.

Special thanks to West of Ninth Community Opening sponsor UPS, grant funder Louisville Metro Housing Authority, and West of Ninth presenting sponsor Fifth Third Bank.

This program was brought to you in part by the Vision Russell Choice Neighborhood Initiative. To learn more, click here.

We hope to see you there!

Fall Break Camp: You Wouldn’t Want to Live In…

It’s hard to believe fall break is right around the corner, but it’s true! Here in the Education Department, we’re thrilled — it’s been really quiet around here since summer camps wrapped up.

On September 29, September 30, and October 1, we are hosting à la carte day camps for students in grades first through sixth. That means you can come for one day, two days, or all three! Whether you’d just like a day of structured fun over the break or need childcare from Wednesday through Friday, we are here to help.

Fall Break Camp - Belle of Louisville.jpg — Steamer *Belle of Louisville* at George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, August 1987. Credit: William Alden.

We’re also excited to bring back our all-time favorite theme: You Wouldn’t Want to Live In, a look at the good, the bad, and the funny through particular decades in history. This fall break, we’re partnering with our friends at the Belle of Louisville to talk about the fascinating life and mechanics of the vessel formerly known as the Idlewild. Will there be relay races? Maybe! Does a day based on the 1910s just mean we have a good excuse to talk about the Titanic? Yes, it’s true! Will we go an entire day based on the 1960s without mentioning the Beatles? Never! Do you now have “Can’t Buy Me Love” stuck in your head? Um…

Find out more and sign up on our camps page. We hope to see you there!

Object in Focus: Snead Iron Works Bookshelves

Shelby Durbin - Off the Snead Shelves.jpg — Education and Engagement Specialist Shelby Durbin shows some of the books kept on the Snead Iron Works bookshelves installed in the “Literary Kentucky” section of *Cool Kentucky*, August 26, 2021

If you’ve visited the Frazier lately, you may have noticed a case full of books underneath the staircase on the first floor. Made by Snead Iron Works, this bookcase is a permanent installation in the book nook, part of the “Literary Kentucky” section of our new permanent exhibition Cool Kentucky.

From afar, it may look like an ordinary bookcase. However, if you look closely, you will find there is some pretty “cool Kentucky” history attached to it. (See what I did there?!)

In 1848, Snead and Company Iron Works opened at 9th and Market, which is only one block away from us at the Frazier! The company grew its business by making everything from kitchenware to gates, spittoons, and, of course, bookshelves. Eventually, it relocated to Jersey City, New Jersey; but Louisville will always be the place the successful bookshelf-making firm got its start.

Today, you can find Snead iron bookshelves all over the world, in places such as the Vatican, the Harvard Library, the New York Public Library, the Main Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library — and now, the Frazier Museum!

The Frazier’s Snead bookcase is filled with dozens of books by authors from all around the state of Kentucky. Its shelves hold books from a range of genres, including children’s books, young adult fiction, mystery, poetry, history, and other nonfiction.

To celebrate Kentucky’s wide variety of literary contributions, I’ve decided to launch a “Staff Pick” column titled “Off the Snead Shelves.” The last week of every month, I will be reviewing a book from the Snead bookshelves in our Virtual Frazier Magazine. Tune in next month to hear my thoughts on my first pick! And remember to stop by the Frazier to see the historic Snead shelves in person.

Shelby Durbin
Education and Engagement Specialist

Museum Store: Weekend Tote Bags

One of the tote bag designs sold in the Frazier’s Museum Store

Who does not love the weekend? Everyone needs a nice trip now and then, and weekends are the time to do it! These tote bags are the best to hold all your essentials to make your trip as pleasant as possible. With the durable canvas lining and the sturdy leather handles, this bag was made for all those weekend activities we love.

West of Ninth’s Walt and Shae Smith, Geneva Bell’s Champagne Pink Dress, Archaeology Day Screening of “The Beecher Terrace Story,” and More

I. Willis Cole and the Louisville Leader, SCOTUS Ruling in NCAA v. Alston, Rebekka Seigel’s Quilt “Mothers of Exiles,” and More

Paralympic Medalist Oksana Masters, Houdini’s Brother’s 1907 Jump Off 18th Street Bridge, Apple Bread Pudding, and More