During the summer of 2020, Kentucky joined many other states in officially proclaiming September as International Underground Railroad Month. The document highlights the resistance and determination of known freedom seekers and conductors, including Henry Bibb, Elijah P. Marrs, and Washington Spradling—as well as those whose stories have been lost to history.

The Frazier Museum education team is honored to help share the story of self-emancipators Thornton and Lucie Blackburn through a project titled The Journey: Unsung Stories of the Underground Railroad. The Blackburns escaped their enslavers in Louisville on Fourth of July weekend 1831 and went on to have international impact.

As previewed in this video, The Journey is a free experience that takes participants on a walkable, drivable audio tour to significant locations and landmarks along both sides of the Ohio River that reveal local connections to slavery and the Underground Railroad. Along the way, the story of the Blackburns also unfolds.

During phase two of the project, the education team added visuals, creating a virtual edition of the tour that is accessible in the home or classroom. Segments of the virtual edition were also utilized to create an eighth-grade inquiry focused on the question: How should we remember the Underground Railroad? The inquiry is free and available to educators.

Read on to learn about the book that was central to our research for this project, I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land by Karolyn Smardz Frost, as well as tours and a new live performance connected to the Underground Railroad, an upcoming program highlighting Byron Crawford, the Odd Fellows parade in Henry County, and more.

And don’t forget, we’re open for the Labor Day holiday! Learn about one of our labor history artifacts from Tish Boyer, our registrar and manager of collections engagement, in her article below—then come check it out in person! The museum is open today, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

This Week in the Museum

Staff Picks Tours in September Tailored to Underground Railroad Month

September was designated Underground Railroad Month because it was the month that both Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass made their escapes from enslavement in Maryland. Kentucky has many examples of people fighting for freedom, as well. This month, every weekday at 1 p.m., our Staff Picks Tours will highlight stories and people from the area who played a role in the Underground Railroad.

Visitors look at the Town Clock Church clock face on display in *The Commonwealth*, May 2022. Credit: Mary Helen Nunn, Frazier History Museum.

Alongside other incredible stories from our collection, we’ll be highlighting Mary Meachum, the Town Clock Church in New Albany, and Thornton and Lucie Blackburn. Next week, you’ll hear from Brian West, who will be debuting an interpretive historical performance about Thornton Blackburn this month. We hope to see you soon!

Museum Shop: I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land

Author Karolyn Smardz Frost’s 2007 book I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad recounts the story of fugitive slaves Lucie and Thornton Blackburn on their daring escape from Louisville, Kentucky, their journey north, and the life they built in Canada. Evading slave catchers and fighting extradition, the Blackburns founded Toronto’s first taxi business and became prominent abolitionists. The book is available in the Museum Shop and online.

From the Collections: Coal Miner’s Helmet, c. 1920

Happy Labor Day, Frazier friends! Have you ever wondered why we get this day off and how this came to be a national holiday? I have, so this year I decided to do a little digging. According to the US Department of Labor, Labor Day is a celebration of economic and social accomplishments for American workers. Though movement on a holiday celebrating labor was in motion in 1885, it wasn’t until 1894 that Congress passed an act officially making the first Monday in September the national holiday we enjoy today.

Coal miner’s helmet made c. 1920. Credit: Frazier History Museum.

So today, as we celebrate the hard work of Kentuckians, we wanted to share a piece from the collection that looks at the kind of work that has been a part of Kentucky’s history since the early days of its statehood. That would be coal and coal mining. The first commercial coal mine dates all the way back to 1820 and it has been a long tradition since.

Currently on view in our Commonwealth: Divided We Fall exhibition, we have this mining helmet circa 1920. Before 1920, miners wore soft caps made only of cloth or canvas with a leather piece to hold their lamps. But helmets made of boiled leather, plastic, and even fashioned out of old “doughboy” military helmets quickly proved to be safer and of better use.

Our helmet is made of plastic with a leather piece bolted in to hold the attached carbine lamp.

Come on down to the museum to see it in person and enjoy a day off in our exciting exhibits.

Join Us October 19 for an Evening with Columnist Byron Crawford

Get ready to learn and to feel a gamut of emotions at an upcoming program at the Frazier on October 19.

That’s what happens when a great storyteller works their magic, and Byron Crawford has been dazzling us for decades in Kentucky telling stories on WHAS radio and television, the Courier Journal, KET, and most recently Kentucky Living magazine.

Crawford has been writing the back page essays for Kentucky Living since 2010. Those essays have now been compiled in his latest book, titled The Back Page.

The Frazier History Museum is partnering with Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and Kentucky Living for an evening with Byron Crawford to talk about his book, his beloved Kentucky, and the people and places that make it so special.

It’s estimated Crawford has traveled a million miles in Kentucky, telling about 5,000 stories mostly in rural Kentucky, mostly about everyday folks.

Crawford grew up on a farm in Lincoln County, and he says he had a front row seat to great storytelling with friends of his father. Crawford listened.

I will reunite with my former colleague at WHAS-TV, Joe Arnold, to moderate the program. Joe is now the vice president of strategic communications for Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. We have some other surprise guests up our sleeve who will be witness to the storytelling power of Byron Crawford.

Join us for a night of good old-fashioned storytelling to learn and to feel a gamut of emotions.

Introducing Grants Manager Kent Klarer and Controller Judy Heare

We’ve got two new staff members working here at the Frazier Museum: one’s got a knack with words; the other’s a seasoned number cruncher. Meet Kent Klarer and Judy Heare! We asked them to shared a bit about themselves for our Frazier Weekly readers.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

My name is Kent Klarer. I’m a musician, an educator, a boating enthusiast, and a father to a spirited two-year-old—and I’m very excited to join the Frazier History Museum as grants manager! The Frazier’s development team is an intelligent and hardworking group with a rich knowledge of the Frazier’s history, a thorough understanding of its programs, and an enthusiastic approach ensuring a successful future. I’m glad to be part of a great crew at a wonderful place and I look forward to working with the entire staff here.

Kent Klarer
Grants Manager

I recently joined Frazier History Museum after spending over twenty years directing the financial operations of various private schools in Metro Louisville. Several years ago, I transitioned from education into the arts world. My most recent time was spent with Louisville Ballet. I chose to join our family because of the museum’s mission and I hope my experiences will help us continue to fulfill that mission. I live in Southern Indiana with my husband Mike and I have two grown children. During my free time, I enjoy working in my flower beds and refinishing antique furniture.

Judy Heare
Controller

Call for Volunteers for Frazier Classic on September 29!

Does spending a day in the beautiful outdoors sound appealing to you? Then you might want to volunteer for our eighth annual Frazier Classic!

Frazier Classic banner. Credit: Frazier History Museum.

The Classic is one of our annual fundraising events that honors our founder, Owsley Brown Frazier, by hosting a sporting clay shoot. The event will take place at the Sporting Club at the Farm, a wonderful retreat into nature just across the river in New Albany.

Here’s what we need help with:

Thursday, September 28: Day before set-up at Frazier Museum (10 a.m.–12 p.m.), day before set-up at Sporting Club (12–4 p.m.)
Friday, September 29: Team check-in (8–10 a.m.), loading golf carts (9 a.m.–1 p.m.), table set-up (9 a.m.–1 p.m.), tear-down (3–5 p.m.)
MAJOR NEED: Station Volunteers! We need folks at each shooting station to help facilitate the flow of teams through the course and serve as trappers if needed. What is a trapper? A trapper is someone who manages the machine that launches a clay target, either by pressing a button or placing the target into a manual thrower. Experienced shooters and Sporting Club staff will be present to guide volunteers.

If any of the above sounds like something you can do, we would love to have you! Volunteers will work designated shifts depending on the task.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please contact me at hrankin@fraziermuseum.org.

Bridging the Divide

Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Holds Annual Parade in New Castle

This summer, select Frazier staff members have been traveling Kentucky—visiting sites, building relationships, and gathering stories from different communities, with the goal of eventually reaching all 120 counties. One of these staff members is Jason Berkowitz, who recently trekked to Henry County for a parade of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, an African American organization that predates the Civil War. In the coming months, keep reading Frazier Weekly to learn more about these stories and how we plan to incorporate them in our exhibitions and programs at the museum.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

Established in 1843 by the formerly enslaved, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows has provided invaluable support to disenfranchised members of the African American community for nearly two centuries. These efforts have focused as much on promoting a sense of belonging as they have charity—and it’s certainly no different with the GUOOF’s Washington Lodge #1513 in New Castle, Kentucky. Founded in 1872, the Lodge is also significant for being the only active Odd Fellows Lodge in the state—and possibly the oldest African American fraternal organization in all of Kentucky.

The organization’s wealth of history, heritage, and tradition is on full display every third Saturday in August, when the members of Washington Lodge #1513 don full regalia to march in the annual Odd Fellows Parade through downtown New Castle. Traditionally, members of the Lodge have been joined by the Henry County High School Band, local war veterans, Homecoming Queens past and present, and the Lodge’s female organizational counterpart, the Household of Ruth. Several of this year’s featured participants included Eminence’s Jim Green (three time-time NCAA track champion and the first African American student-athlete to graduate from the University of Kentucky), Julius Mason (a ninety-three-year-old World War II veteran), and this year’s Grand Marshal, Dwayne Roberts (a retired principal of Zachary Taylor Elementary).

The tradition is as old as the Lodge itself and, unsurprisingly, a homecoming opportunity for those no longer living in Henry County—some even traveling from as far away as Germany. Once the parade ends, the community gathers for a picnic at the Henry County Fairgrounds where family, friends, and neighbors share memories, while creating new ones. A formal dance—Lodge members dressed strikingly in white coats, black pants, black shirts, and black bow ties—brings the long-standing annual tradition to a lavish conclusion.

Built in 1886 and located at 32 South Main Street in New Castle, the Historic Odd Fellows Building has served as a nexus for members to plan these events and to engage in fellowship. It is also a space where ideas to strengthen and assist the surrounding community are given life—one of which has been the provision of scholarships to low-income families in rural areas through the Merriweather & King Street School Fund. The building’s importance to both the Lodge and the city of New Castle cannot be overstated. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Lodge was one of the few public places in Henry County African Americans were able to attend during segregation. Similarly, the New Castle Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery has been maintained and operated by the organization since 1901 and serves as the final resting place for numerous Lodge members, war veterans, and community leaders.

Unfortunately, both the building and the cemetery are in dire need of renovations and general maintenance. In March of 2015, a snowstorm caused the roof of the Historic Odd Fellows Building to collapse. Though construction of a new roof was completed in 2017, there are numerous repairs still needed throughout the interior. In addition, the building faces a litany of plumbing and electrical issues beyond the technical expertise of the Lodge, as well as limited resources with which to address them. The members of Washington Lodge #1513 have also long envisioned the building as the site of a GUOOF library, an Odd Fellows museum, and a community space, but a lack of funds and resources in concert with increasing disinterest from younger generations towards preserving the Lodge’s heritage has greatly hindered progress, while also casting substantial doubt on the Lodge’s future. As such, monetary contributions and discounted labor are both welcome and graciously accepted by the Lodge.

If interested, donations and/or offers of service may be sent to: PO Box 757, New Castle, KY, 40050 (attn: Richard Smith).

The Big Table Returns to Iroquois Park Sunday

Wonderful things can happen around the dinner table, especially when it’s the Big Table in Louisville. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the diversity of our community and connect with your neighbors. I have been lucky enough to host a table at the event, and we are so pleased that our grants manager Kent Klarer and his wife Dr. Sara Choate from the University of Louisville will host a table on September 10. Keep reading to learn more about this amazing event that bridges so many divides.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission

Enough good food and enough good people can change the world.

Magical things happen when we share a meal. We talk. We connect. We heal. We build community. Join us for the world’s largest community potluck on Sunday, September 10, 5–7 p.m., at Iroquois Park, 2120 Rundill Road. On the surface, it’s a simple potluck. The intention, however, is much deeper: we hope to create a space for people of all beliefs and backgrounds to come together for meaningful connection, especially in a time when our society holds so many opposing points of view.

Guests gather for last year’s Big Table in Iroquois Park, September 11, 2022. Credit: The Big Table.

The Big Table is free and open to all! There are two ways to join.

First, you can participate! Bring a dish to share and experience the magic that happens when we connect with our neighbors. You’ll sit with participants you don’t know (yet) and use our Conversation Cards to listen to each other’s stories. If you play an instrument, bring it! After dinner, we’ll have a soccer pickup game and Global Music Jam!

Second, you can host a table! As a Table Host, you will welcome participants to your table and guide the conversation that occurs with easy prompts provided by the Big Table Team. Don’t be intimidated! We have designed fun and simple processes for helping strangers connect and tell stories.

First Tee to Host Tournament at Seneca Golf Course September 21

Near and dear to my heart is an organization that deserves recognition for the tremendous amount of good they do in the Louisville community: First Tee - Louisville. Join us in a few weeks at their Annual Golf Tournament as they, like the Frazier, work to make our community better each day.—Greg Schoenbaechler, Sr. Marketing Manager

In a few short weeks, we at First Tee - Louisville will host one of our biggest events of the year: the Annual Golf Tournament at Seneca Golf Course. This year, the event will take place on Thursday, September 21, with a morning and afternoon wave of players teeing it up. Teams of four will compete against other teams in a scramble format. Registration is available at firstteelouisville.org. The funds raised for the Annual Golf Tournament remain local, going to kids and teens in the Louisville area who participate in First Tee - Louisville programming.

First Tee - Louisville is a youth development organization that uses golf as a driving tool to teach kids and teens life skills that empower them with confidence and strength of character through a lifetime of new challenges. As an organization, we offer financial aid to underserved youth and provide golf equipment, such as clubs, bags, balls, and tees, to anyone who does not already have their own. We do not turn anyone away due to inability to pay for classes or equipment. Our mission is to grow the game of golf, but most importantly, build game changers for life.

History All Around Us

In Memoriam: Smoketown-Native TV Journalist Steve Crump

A personal note to say goodbye to fellow journalist Steve Crump, a Smoketown native who spent decades at WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina. Steve never forgot his beloved Kentucky, and he was here each year reporting on the Kentucky Derby. He was also an award-winning documentary film producer, focusing on stories of diversity, fairness, and civil rights. We were inducted together into the 2020 Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, and we talked about how much it meant to both of us. Steve was an inspiration as a journalist and a human being. He recently lost his five-year battle with cancer, but how he lived with it was a lesson to us all about never giving up and living our best lives each day.

Rachel Platt
VP of Mission

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