Aflora Artist Talk, Country Store Honors Birthplace of Dollar General, Louisville’s America250 Celebration Begins, and More
Winter greetings, everyone!
We hope you’re staying safe and warm during this cold spell with all this snow!
With that in mind, the Frazier Kentucky History Museum is pleased to announce a program guaranteed to brighten days and warm hearts.
Aflora: The Artist Talk flyer.
On Sunday, March 1, my colleague Rachel Platt and I will help host Aflora: The Artist Talk in partnership with La Casita Center. That partnership created the Aflora exhibition on our second floor showcasing the work of Latinx artists.
Our program will feature over ten artists from the Aflora exhibition, sharing insight into their work, inspiration, and process. It’s a celebration of Latinx art and its vibrancy, as well as its ability to inspire resilience in the face of adversity. As Aflora’s Guest Curator Ada Asenjo exclaims, “we are thriving despite the odds.”
The artist panel will take place in our newly renovated Brown-Forman Theatre before moving to the Aflora exhibition, where guests will have the opportunity to engage one-on-one with Aflora artists next to their artwork.
What a special way for us to close out the exhibition with this very personal meet and greet to celebrate community.
Aflora: The Artist Talk is free with the price of admission to the museum, but RSVP’s are required so click here to reserve your space. Tickets are limited so act quickly.
But that’s not all! In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, Louisville prepares for America’s 250th anniversary, Camp Frazier launches a Presidential Pop-Up Camp, and Abby Flanders traces her personal connection to the Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition.
Freezing temps aside, the Frazier Museum is still the hottest ticket in town!
Jason Berkowitz
Engagement Specialist
Frazier Kentucky History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Curator’s Corner: Country Store Honors Birthplace of Dollar General
An updated sign and text panel on the country store in The Commonwealth, January 20, 2026.
Thanks to support from the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation, we were able to make some updates to the interactive country store in our exhibition The Commonwealth: Divided we Fall. The Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation was established in 1989 by Cal Turner Sr., founder of Dollar General, in loving memory of his wife, Laura Katherine Goad Turner. These updates pay tribute to the Turners and provide more information about J.L. Turner and Son wholesale store, the precursor to Dollar General that was established in Scottsville, Allen County. The type of country stores depicted in the exhibition existed in the late 1800s and early 1900s and served as important locations for rural Kentuckians, operating as a store, a community hub, a post office, a polling place, and more. J.L. Turner and Son opened in 1939 and served as a supplier to these types of stores that had survived the Great Depression.
I hope you will take a moment to check out the new updates to the country store the next time you visit. In the meantime, you can learn more about J.L. Turner and Son and Dollar General by watching this video. You can also view it in the Allen County entry on our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Join Us for a Presidential Pop-Up Camp February 16!
Presidents’ Day pop-up camp flyer.
Camp Frazier has launched its first pop-up camp of 2026!
In theme with 2026 marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence, bring your kiddo to this Presidential Pop-Up for some supplemental learning while school is closed for the holiday!
In this Presidents’ Day Pop-Up Camp, we are going to dive into the stories of some of America’s first presidents. Learn about the boyhood origins of America’s first President, George Washington, make local connections to Kentucky-born President Abraham Lincoln, and more! The Frazier’s Presidents’ Day Pop-Up Camp will take place February 16. Registration will be pay-by-the-day, and camp will be geared towards kids in grades 1–5. We would love to see you there, so don’t wait and register your camper here today!
Tori Kennedy
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Louisville’s America250 Celebration has Officially Begun!
We have been telling you about how the Frazier Kentucky History Museum will celebrate America250 with special exhibitions, programs, family and community days, and so much more. Our family-friendly exhibition Pursuit of Happiness is already getting rave reviews.
We are part of the bigger picture with what the city, state, and country are all doing to recognize this year-long celebration commemorating 250 years since the founding of our nation.
And this past week, city leaders, including Mayor Craig Greenberg, officially launched Louisville’s celebration at the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) at 809 West Main Street.
City leaders unveil the copy of the Declaration of Independence at SAR, January 21, 2026.
City leaders unveil the copy of the Declaration of Independence at SAR, January 21, 2026.
It included a countdown with the unveiling of one of the few surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence. The 203-year-old document, engraved by William Stone in 1823 and owned by the city of Louisville, is the only copy in Kentucky. It will be on display at SAR now through Labor Day, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Andy Treinen, our President and CEO, is part of the America250KY Committee established by the Mayor and the Metro Council as the local affiliate of this initiative. The committee has engaged with countless partners to celebrate our nation’s founding, but also to share Louisville’s unique story.
So many events will be happening locally throughout the year. An America250 website has been created so you don’t miss out on anything, so click here to learn more. And keep July 4 open for obvious reasons.
As the Mayor said, it’s we the people who are the ultimate stewards of a free nation.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier’s Abby Flanders Works with Wedding Gowns—and Says “I Do”
When Tish Boyer, our Collections Manager, began dressing the fifty-plus mannequins that make up the Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition, she allowed me to shadow her. I got a sneak peek into the science of carefully measuring textiles, observing her as she padded and prodded mannequins in making sure that every garment fit just right. I admired the gowns, and Tish’s attention to detail—all without knowing that I’d soon be picking out a wedding dress of my own!
Though I can’t share a picture of the dress yet (hi, Harry!), I found myself reflecting on bridal trends throughout time, as well as the countless hours put in by seamstresses, DIY brides, and sewists of all types. Every wedding garment tells a unique story about the person, or persons, who wore it.
At left: a swatch of Abby’s wedding dress, to be worn on May 30, 2026. At right: a swatch of Kentucky bride Helen Mary Austin’s wedding dress from June 14, 1917, currently on view in the Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition. Helen’s groom was also named Harry!
Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage will always hold a special place in my heart, as well as the hearts of my coworkers! By the time the exhibition closes on March 29, we will have celebrated the marriages and engagements of three different staffers.
We’ve also been feeling the love through programming and events. In celebration, our events team has cooked up a unique and exclusive run of microweddings at the Frazier on Valentine’s Day called Vows with your Valentine. For $500, you get an ordained ceremony, a champagne toast, cake, floral décor, and more. As a 2026 bride, I can assure you it’s a steal. As a Frazier staffer, I can assure you there’s no better events team to work with in town!
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
Museum Shop: All Things Love & Marriage
Merchandise related to our Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, January 23, 2026.
Have you visited our popular Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition yet? Don’t miss your chance to see more than fifty stunning wedding dresses worn by Kentucky brides, and explore the stories, traditions, and customs that have shaped Kentucky weddings through the years. Be sure to exit through the Museum Shop, where you’ll find charming keepsakes—from a wedding march music box to books that explore the history of marriage.
Bourbon Limited Club Offers Rare and Barrel Strength Expressions
Like all things in the Bourbon world, the Frazier Kentucky History Museum’s Bourbon Limited Club has adapted to best meet the needs of our members and partner distillers. To do that, we have partnered with Bluegrass Bourbon Barrel to expand our membership well beyond Kentucky and to diversify our Bourbon to include products unavailable in any store. Live a little, come have a taste!—Andy Treinen, President & CEO
Each quarter, the Bourbon Limited Club presents a refined Bourbon experience crafted for Bourbon collectors and connoisseurs, in partnership with the Frazier Kentucky History Museum. Every release is intentionally limited and features two exceptional, limited expressions.
The first, Member’s Pick, is an exclusive, small-batch Bourbon, created exclusively for our members, to achieve depth, balance, and distinction. Our in-house Chief Barrel Officer visits leading Kentucky distillers and selects “unicorn” well-aged barrels. We then blend these unicorns to produce an exotic and scarce one-of-a-kind masterful expression. The second offering is a meticulously curated single distiller’s barrel strength selection, chosen for their remarkable character and exquisite flavor. Together, these curated and created expressions deliver a sophisticated exploration of Kentucky Bourbon at its highest level.
Discover the collection and secure your Bourbon Limited Club membership at BourbonBundle.com.
Bob Marino
Founder, Bluegrass Bourbon Barrel
Guest Contributor
Kentucky Wide Podcast Team Begins Work on Season Two
Frazier staff meet to begin planning season two of the Kentucky Wide podcast, January 21, 2026.
There’s always something going on at the Frazier. Our team is hard at work on the second season of our Kentucky Wide podcast. The upcoming season will dive into Kentucky stories tied to America’s 250th anniversary. If you haven’t listened to the first season yet, you can find it for free on all podcast platforms.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
History All Around Us
On this Date: Main Street Wholesale District Fire, 1916
Firefighters brave bitter cold to battle Main Street Wholesale District blaze, January 6, 1916. Detail of image published on page one of the January 7 Courier Journal. Credit: Caufield & Shook.
Beams in the Frazier’s Order of the Writ charred by the 1916 fire, January 21, 2026.
On January 6, 1916, at about 7 p.m., a night watchman sounded the alarm at the Ox Breeches Manufacturing Company. The garment factory was located on the 800 block of West Main Street in the Doerhoefer Building—what is now the Frazier Kentucky History Museum.
A fire had broken out on the floor of the clothing factory. It threatened to consume the entire building. When Louisville’s fire chief arrived, he summoned nearly all of the city’s firemen and every piece of firefighting equipment. Through whipping winds, bitter cold, and heavy snow, the firefighters battle Louisville’s first major fire of the twentieth century.
At the time, the Doerhoefer housed several businesses, including Ox Breeches Manufacturing Company—then the world’s largest manufacturer of pants—Altscheler & Co. Wholesale Groceries, and Taylor & Williams Liquor.
Due to the national prominence of the companies impacted by the blaze, news of the fire made it beyond the front page of the Courier Journal, being reported in newspapers from Connecticut to California.
In 2026, physical evidence of the fire remains. Just look up the next time you visit the Order of the Writ on the third floor of the museum: You’ll see charred beams overhead!
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
