Commonwealth Exhibition Reopens, Yellowstone the Enduring Phenomenon, Wickliffe Mounds and Moonlite Bar-B-Q, and More
Good morning!
First, thank you to everyone who joined us Saturday at Summer Beer Fest at Frazier. My colleague Tish and our intern Dakota had such an incredible time meeting everyone in the VIP section and talking beer history! It was so great to see such a huge turnout for our biggest fundraiser of the year. The money raised helps fund many things—but, most importantly for me, it helps fund exhibitions. I am grateful for everyone who joined us to drink some beer: your support will help us keep finding new and exciting ways to exhibit Kentucky’s diverse history.
Speaking of Kentucky’s diverse history, I’m excited to tell you that the updates to our exhibition The Commonwealth are complete—and the exhibition has reopened! It was a lot of hard work over just two weeks to complete this update, but the exhibition is looking better than ever. You can expect to see the addition of permanent walls to improve the look and flow of the exhibition and to allow for more content to be on display.
New objects on display in the Colonial Kentucky case in The Commonwealth: Divided we Fall, July 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Mining helmet made c. 1920 on display in the Frazier’s Commonwealth exhibition, July 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
We added several new objects, all from our own collection. Many of them are part of the generous gift of hundreds of objects from the Kentucky Science Center. The biggest change is to the case of objects from colonial Kentucky. We have added a hornbook that schoolchildren used to learn their letters, a ball bat from 1766, a little girl’s dress from c. 1810, a men’s waistcoat from the late 1700s, a beautiful pumpkin gourd used to hold salt, and a portrait of Richard Clough Anderson (one of Mick’s favorites!). In the rest of the exhibition, you will see a new Civil War-era doll and a mining helmet from the early 1900s.
As you may remember, we also recently added eighteen new poems by Kentuckian Frank X Walker to the exhibition. These poems are all from a new collection, LOAD IN NINE TIMES: United States Colored Troops. With help from Reckoning, Inc., a Louisville-based nonprofit whose mission is to examine the legacy of slavery in America, Walker found inspiration in photographs and historic documents. The poems, along with the historic documents that inspired them, are on display in three of the rooms of The Commonwealth. I am so proud to be able to display these powerful poems, which bring emotion and humanity to what can sometimes appear to be static historic documents. The poems, along with the glass installation by artist Ché Rhodes, allow us to connect with history in a different, more personal way. Check out this video available on Frazier+ to hear from Frank X Walker about being inspired by historic documents and bringing the voices of the people in them to life.
I hope you will be able to make some time in the rest of your summer to come see the many updates to The Commonwealth. Our team has been working incredibly hard to keep the exhibition fresh and to keep finding interesting objects to tell Kentucky’s story.
In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, Haley announces our Yellowstone program, Mick teases the hands-on-history engagement he’s offering today at 1 p.m., Andy highlights artifacts from PGA champion golfer Justin Thomas, and Hayley previews a tour of objects loaned by her famous cousin.
Best wishes for a great week!
Amanda Briede
Senior Curator of Exhibitions
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Join Us August 30 for Yellowstone: The Enduring Phenomenon
Embark on an exhilarating journey at the Frazier History Museum as we present Yellowstone: The Enduring Phenomenon—an unmissable program on August 30 for all enthusiasts of history, Bourbon, and the iconic Yellowstone series!
Haley Hicky holds a bottle of the Yellowstone Single Barrel expression selected by the Frazier, July 27, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Join us for insightful discussions with esteemed guest Stephen Fante, representing Limestone Branch Distillery—the makers of Yellowstone Bourbon and significant contributors to Yellowstone National Park. Get an exclusive peek into their exceptional craft and dedication to preserving the beauty of this natural wonder.
Meet J. Todd Scott, the award-winning author and visionary writer behind the captivating Yellowstone TV series. Delve into the inspirations and secrets that shaped this riveting narrative, transporting you to the heart of Yellowstone’s untamed wilderness.
And that’s not all: engage with Roger Huff, brewer and co-founder of Gallant Fox Brewing, as he shares his expertise on crafting exceptional aged beers, including one aged in the very single barrel we meticulously selected for this program.
Secure your tickets now for just $39 ($34 for members) on our website, and experience the thrill of three Bourbon tastings from Limestone Branch Distillery, featuring the highly sought-after single barrel selection, along with beer tastings from Gallant Fox Brewing.
This program promises to be an extraordinary convergence of history, artistry, and exquisite flavors that no true adventurer would want to miss.
Get ready to be enchanted by the magic of Yellowstone!
Haley Hicky
Senior Manager of Sponsorships & Programs
2023 Summer Beer Fest at Frazier a Huge Success
Festivalgoers attend this year’s Summer Beer Fest at Frazier, July 29, 2023. Credit: Isaac Barnett, Frazier History Museum.
Hot Sauce Brass Band performs in the middle of Main Street, July 29, 2023. Credit: Isaac Barnett, Frazier History Museum.
Shippingport brewmaster Amelia Pillow pours a sample for a festivalgoer, July 29, 2023. Credit: Isaac Barnett, Frazier History Museum.
Thank you to everyone who came out to 2023 Summer Beer Fest at Frazier on Saturday!
Proceeds from ticket sales support the museum, including its exhibitions and educational programs, guest engagements, camps, Frazier Weekly, Frazier+, and Stories in Mind. So we thank you for helping us continue to share stories of Kentucky and its history.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Curator’s Corner: Road Tripping to Wickliffe Mounds and Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
I love to go exploring. You can often find me outside hiking, biking, rock climbing, kayaking, or other such activities. So far, I have visited twenty-two national parks. On my most recent national park road trip, I, my boyfriend, some friends, and our dogs visited Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. On the way home, we decided to do a little exploring in our home state, as well. I have only visited six of Kentucky’s forty-four state parks, so I have been trying to add more to my list this summer.
Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site, June 24, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
From left, Bentley and Hazel pose at the Wickliffe Mounds welcome center after being designated “Bark Rangers,” June 24, 2023. Credit: Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro, June 24, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
We stopped at Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site in Ballard County in southwestern Kentucky, right near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. This historic site has been high on my list to visit since studying Kentucky’s Native Peoples while working on the Frazier’s exhibition The Commonwealth. The park features a museum, a welcome center, a gift shop, trails, and picnic areas; but the main attraction are several mounds that were once the site of a Native village from the Mississippian Culture from around the years 1100–1350. It was incredible to be able to walk in the footsteps of early Kentuckians, and to see how their towns were laid out in person. We also loved visiting the museum to see original and reproduction artifacts from these Native Peoples.
Before visiting Wickliffe Mounds, I knew that dogs are allowed on the grounds and nature trails; but I was surprised to find out that dogs can also become Bark Rangers! I stopped in the welcome center where my dogs Bentley and Hazel were given a scavenger hunt to complete. They were given official Bark Ranger certificates and a photo of them was added to the Wickliffe Mounds Facebook page. Humans and dogs alike enjoyed climbing the different mounds, finding the answers to the scavenger hunt, and exploring the short nature trail.
On our way back to Louisville, we stopped at the famous Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro. We just had to stop and try Kentucky’s best barbecue, so we took a detour through Daviess County. Dogs aren’t allowed in the restaurant, of course, but we were able to order takeout and eat it at the table out front. The barbecue was delicious, but I wasn’t a very big fan of the traditional mutton!
With the rest of my summer, I hope to be able to explore a few more of Kentucky’s incredible state parks. I hope that you, too, will be able to find time to explore our Commonwealth.
Amanda Briede
Senior Curator of Exhibitions
Museum Shop: Stay Cool in Kentucky Waterfall T-shirt
Sam Newton poses wearing a Kentucky Waterfall t-shirt sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Here’s your chance to get in a Kentucky Waterfall this summer . . . well, a Kentucky Waterfall t-shirt. Looking cool is the best kind of cool! Grab your shirt online or in the Museum Shop.
Hands-on-History Engagement Offered to be Today at 1 p.m.
Mick Sullivan leads a Hand-on-History engagement outside the Frazier’s Commonwealth exhibition, July 10, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
We’ve had a lot of fun this summer with Cultural Pass families, and we’re not done yet! Each Monday at 1 p.m., during this summer’s run of Cultural Pass (which ends Sunday, August 6), we’ve offered our Hands-on-History touch cart. Kids (and visitors of all ages!) are invited to get acquainted with some unfamiliar objects to see if they can figure out what these things might have been used for in the past. It’s been a lot of fun to watch kids make predictions, get creative, and even figure things out on their own. We’d love to see you here this afternoon for our final engagement!
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Object in Focus: Golfer Justin Thomas’s PGA Championship Flags
If you had to name Kentucky’s most famous athlete right now, who would you go with?
Dozens of former Wildcats are burning up the NBA, including Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, and Julius Randle. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe was the national player of the year in 2022 in men’s college basketball. Lamar Jackson, Donovan Mitchell, and Angel McCoughtry first became famous playing for the University of Louisville and are all among the very best in their respective sports.
Kentucky’s Abby Steiner was the National Women’s track athlete of the year both indoors and outdoors in 2022 and duPont Manual’s Yared Nuguse has run the fastest North American time ever, both indoors and outdoors, over 1,500 meters. He is also the outdoor record holder in the one mile and 3,000 meters.
Not to be outdone, Oksana Masters has won five Paralympic medals across four different sports in both summer and winter games.
Counterclockwise from top, the flags from the eighteenth green at the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships and a clock counting down to the 2024 PGA Championship on display in the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky exhibition, July 24, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
All are incredibly impressive, and worthy of admiration. But in my estimation, on the global stage, Justin Thomas is Kentucky’s most famous athlete right now. The St. Xavier graduate was the world’s number one player in 2018 and won PGA Championships in both 2017 and 2022.
The two flags above were witness to those historic wins on the eighteenth hole greens for each of those historic championships. They are now a part of the Frazier’s permanent collection. Those flags from Southern Hills and Quail Hollow golf courses are two of my favorite artifacts displayed in the sports section of our Cool Kentucky exhibition. There are an awful lot of things that make Kentucky cool and the Frazier loves bragging about all of them to our visitors from all around the world. Justin Thomas is certainly among the coolest!
Also on view in Cool Kentucky is this sign counting down the days and hours until the next PGA Championship, which happens to be coming to Kentucky’s Valhalla golf club next May. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Thomas pulled off a PGA Championship hat-trick in his hometown?
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Shared Sundays: Hayley Harlow Rankin to Lead Tour of Cousin Jack’s Case August 6
The Frazier has got a very deep bench of knowledgeable staff members! So we’re trying something called Shared Sundays. Each Sunday, a different staff member will lead special tours tailored to their interests. In each Monday’s issue of Frazier Weekly, look for a quick preview of the coming Sunday’s tours.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
Hayley Harlow Rankin poses by the case featuring objects from her cousin Jack Harlow in the Frazier’s Entertaining Kentucky gallery, June 1, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
This weekend is our first Shared Sunday of the month, and yours truly is taking the reins!
On August 6, you can experience two very different exhibit tours with me, starting at 12 p.m. with a little bit of pop culture in Cool Kentucky. Our new Entertaining Kentucky gallery features Jack Harlow, who made his mainstream debut with “Whats Poppin” in 2020 but started rapping and creating here in Louisville long before. Now, Jack has three studio albums and acting creds under his belt, an impressive journey reflected in his display case. Want to know how he personally selected each artifact? As his cousin, I can give you a little inside scoop.
Then, at 2 p.m., we’ll take a much different journey through Kentucky’s past in The Commonwealth, from its land and native people to the turn of the century. I’ll tell you about some of our state’s history I find most interesting—it’s hard to choose! We’ll talk about pumpkin gourds and sugar casters from the frontier era, a Civil War-era surgical kit, a coal miner’s canary cage, and more! As a native Kentuckian, I love sharing what makes our state a diverse, complex, and wonderful place.
Join me on Sunday where we’ll hopefully learn a little, but at the very least have a lot of fun!
Hayley Harlow Rankin
Senior Manager of Fundraising
Frazier Summer Book Club and Stories in Mind to Team Up August 27
Frazier Summer Book Club graphic. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
If you haven’t been able to come to one of our Frazier Summer Book Club discussions, you will have one more chance, so mark your calendars now and bring a friend! A perk of book club is that all members are allowed to bring a non-member guest to each discussion.
Our final summer discussion will take place on Sunday, August 27, at 1 p.m. We will discuss Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Take a peek at the New York Times review here. Make sure to stop by the Museum Shop to get your copy because there is a long waitlist at the library!
Members are welcome regardless of whether or not you finish the book—or even if you don’t get a chance to pick it up. (Just keep in mind that there will be spoilers!)
From left, Stories in Mind administrator Kevin Bradley and membership manager Amanda Egan show off their bolo ties, July 27, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Our discussions always have a complementing experience, as well. After this next discussion, we will be treated to a Stories in Mind experience! Kevin Bradley, the Frazier’s Stories in Mind administrator, will join us to talk about the program and guide members through a short engagement that would be similar to one used by our facilitators.
Stories in Mind is an outreach program that uses stories and objects from Kentucky history and the Frazier’s collection as the starting point for creative exploration. Each session is led by a Stories in Mind facilitator from the Frazier with a focus on encouraging imaginative responses and socialization through an art, music, theater, or storytelling activity. This program is designed for residents in certified nursing and long-term care facilities.
See the Stories in Mind program featured by WDRB and the Courier Journal.
Find more information about our Frazier Summer Book Club here. Send your RSVP for our Summer Book Club to aegan@fraziermuseum.org no later than Tuesday, August 22.
Want to join our book club but not a member? Become a member today! As little as $20 will allow you access to our Summer Book Club and other member exclusive events throughout the year!* Did I mention that for the $20 Individual membership you would also get year round access to the museum, a 10% discount in the museum shop**, and discounted parking!?
*Not all member exclusive invitations apply to the Individual and Family membership levels.
**Exclusions apply.
Come experience more!
Amanda Egan
Membership Manager
