Kentucky Historical Society

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The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) was originally established in 1836 as a private organization. The KHS is an agency of the Kentucky state government that "collects, preserves, conserves, interprets and shares information, memories and materials from Kentucky's past to assist those interested in exploring and preserving that heritage".[1] The KHS history campus, located in downtown Frankfort, Kentucky, includes the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol, and the Kentucky Military History Museum at the State Arsenal. KHS is a part of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet; is fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums; is a Smithsonian affiliate, and endorses the History Relevance statement.[2] The mission of KHS is to educate and engage the public through Kentucky’s history in order to confront the challenges of the future.

Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History[]

The facade of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
Lobby of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
The Kentucky Hall of Governors in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History is the headquarters for the KHS. A multimillion-dollar museum and research facility, the center features both permanent and temporary exhibitions, a research library, and a gift shop.

The center contains an exhibition called "A Kentucky Journey" that covers the period from prehistoric times to the present. At the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library, a genealogical and historical research library, researchers can access books, manuscripts, graphic collections, and oral histories documenting the people and places of Kentucky's rich past. Families and historians can trace back genealogies and consult with professional staff. The center also contains the Keeneland Changing Exhibits Gallery for various temporary exhibitions – some examples of which include "Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" and "Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers." The gift shop is called the Stewart Home & School 1792 Museum Store.

Old State Capitol[]

The Old State Capitol & Public Grounds, a National Historic Landmark, served as Kentucky's capital from 1830 to 1910 and was the setting for lively political debates as lawmakers grappled with such issues of the day as slavery and war. Today it is restored to the way it looked in the early 1850s and contains pieces original to that time. A young Gideon Shryock, the state’s first native-born professionally trained architect, designed this Greek Revival building. It is the third one to have served as Kentucky’s seat of government.

Kentucky Military History Museum[]

Built in 1850, the State Arsenal contains the Kentucky Military History Museum, which illustrates military history using personal stories and artifacts. A fortress-like building that overlooks downtown Frankfort, the State Arsenal was recently renovated. The museum is a member of the Army Museum System.[3]

Martin F. Schmidt Research Library[]

Located on the second floor of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library holds the largest genealogical collection in the state. This research facility features more than 16,000 rolls of microfilm, 90,000 books and periodicals, and 30,000 vertical files focused primarily on Kentucky history and genealogy. The Society's Archival Collections of 1,900 cubic feet of manuscripts, 2,000 maps, 8,000 oral histories, 200,000 historic photographs, and 9,100 rare books provide resources to researchers of the Commonwealth.[4]

Other activities[]

Members of the public can purchase memberships to the KHS; these memberships support the efforts of the KHS and give members the benefit of free admission to the KHS history campus and reduced admission prices to KHS events and programs. KHS is administered by an executive committee and supported by the KHS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.[5]

The KHS produces the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society which has been published continuously since 1903 and continues to provide fresh perspectives on the history and people of Kentucky. The Register includes the work of leading scholars on the commonwealth while being widely accessible to general readers.

The KHS is home to the major digital humanities project, the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition (CWGK).[6] Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the CWGK is a "freely-accessible online collection of historical documents associated with the chief executives of the state, 1860–1865" that seeks to reconstruct "the lost lives and voices of tens of thousands of Kentuckians who interacted with the office of the governor during the war years" through some 40,000 related documents.[6] After an early access version was published, the work of the CWGK was celebrated in a June 2017 symposium that featured a keynote by renowned historian and digital humanist Edward L. Ayers.[7] Later that same year, in August 2017, the CWGK's annotation tech was featured at the international Digital Humanities 2017 conference in Montreal, Canada.[8]

The KHS has a variety of facilities available for rent, including the Commonwealth Hall, some conference rooms and the Cralle-Day Garden.

References[]

  1. ^ About Us Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, Kentucky Historical Society official web site.
  2. ^ [1] Google Arts & Culture
  3. ^ Directory of Active Army and National Guard Museums, U.S. Army Center of Military History
  4. ^ [2] Family Search
  5. ^ [3] The History List
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Civil War Governors of Kentucky
  7. ^ 2017 Civil War Governors of Kentucky symposium, Civil War Governors of Kentucky
  8. ^ Editor's Choice: Network Visualization in the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, Digital Humanities Now.

External links[]

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