Louisville to Liberty Exhibition Opens Saturday, Blackburn Artifacts from Canada, 4-for-$250 Gala Tickets, and More
Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey graphic.
From left, Greg McKinnon, Hannah Drake, Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost, Lamont Collins, Rachel Platt, and Josh Miller pose with boxes of Blackburn Site artifacts in Toronto, Canada, October 2023.
What an incredible journey it has been to bring you our newest temporary exhibition, Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey, which opens this Saturday, April 25.
We’ve been telling the story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn at the Frazier for many years, but not like this—with artifacts, excavated in Toronto, that once belonged to the freedom seekers.
The enslaved couple made a daring escape from Louisville on July 3, 1831. After a harrowing three-year journey, they eventually found freedom and a home in Canada.
Their story was nearly forgotten until an archaeologist named Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost uncovered their home in 1985, traced their story to Louisville, and wrote a book about it.
In 2023, I visited Toronto with a group of partners and met with Dr. Smardz Frost. We saw where Thornton and Lucie once lived, where they started a business, and where they helped others find freedom. We also held some of those artifacts that once belonged to them. And we visited the cemetery where they were buried.
We knew then we wanted to bring some of those artifacts to Louisville for the very first time and tell their story in a bigger way. Thornton and Lucie deserved that.
So here we are, ready to share those artifacts, as well as Thornton and Lucie’s story of courage and resilience. We invite you to come and experience Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey.
We also have a free audio walking tour titled The Journey where you can learn more about the couple and their lives in Louisville before they fled to Canada. We will have tours of the exhibition. And please keep September 15 open for a very special program during Underground Railroad Month with Dr. Smardz Frost and all of our partners who traveled to Canada to learn more.
Speaking of travel, there was a trip involved to retrieve those artifacts that our Curator Amanda Briede will tell you about.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier Kentucky History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Curator’s Corner: Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey Opens Saturday
Marbles excavated from the Blackburn Site. All objects on loan from Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Canada.
Nails excavated from the Blackburn Site. All objects on loan from Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Canada.
Bottle neck excavated from the Blackburn Site. All objects on loan from Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Canada.
It is hard to believe that our new exhibition Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey opens this Saturday. The Blackburns’ story is one we have discussed at the Frazier for a long time. I first read a book about the Blackburns—I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land by Karolyn Smardz Frost—around 2018, when I was still a Collections Technician. At that time, I never really thought that it would be me who would bring the Blackburns’ story to life through an exhibition, or corresponding with Karolyn nearly every day to make sure all the details were correct. But the exhibition has been a long time coming, brought to reality through the passion and hard work of several Frazier colleagues over the years.
For my part, I had the opportunity to curate and write the exhibition along with contributions from Karolyn, Rachel, and other partners. (It has been a great task to keep everyone on schedule!) I also had help from my incredible intern Mallory Schnecker, who took on the arduous task of reading Karolyn’s book and distilling the Blackburns’ complicated story into an easy-to-understand timeline of events. But perhaps the most impactful part of this process for me was the trip that Tish (Registrar and Manager of Collections Engagements) and I took to Niagara Falls to pick up the pieces that will be on display in the exhibition. It was early December and one of the snowiest days of the winter when we drove a rental car nine hours north to the Canadian border, taking a route similar to the one Thornton and Lucie took on their journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad. It was a long process to get approval for a loan of items owned by the Canadian government, at a time when our national relationship with Canada was beginning to sour. We weren’t sure how we were going to get the pieces across the border, or who would be the best person to transport them. In the end it felt sort of like a back-alley deal, with Greg McKinnon of the Toronto School Board bringing the pieces across the border and handing them over to us in an empty parking lot near Niagara Falls State Park.
The pieces that we picked up include twenty-seven fragments of everyday life, pieces of garbage really, that add up to the story of a life well-lived in freedom. There are nails used to construct the house they lived in together for forty-four years. The broken neck of an old pharmaceutical bottle that contained medicine to help cure some ailment. Marbles lost by children taking refuge in the Blackburns’ home on their own journey to freedom. Pieces of China decorated with a fancy pattern in a blue glaze, pieces representing luxury and not simply utility. I keep catching myself saying that we are bringing pieces of the Blackburns back to Kentucky, which is true philosophically but not literally. The truth is that Thornton and Lucie never would have owned items like these in Kentucky. As enslaved people, they never would have really owned anything at all and instead were owned themselves.
In the exhibition, you will learn about the Blackburns’ journey to freedom and see how their story was uncovered through the archaeological excavation of a Toronto schoolyard in 1985. You will see the incredible impact that these two Kentuckians had on a local, national, and international scale, and the impact they still have on us today. I feel incredibly privileged to be able to share the Blackburns’ story with all our visitors, and to host their belongings from Canada, on view for the first time in the United States. I hope that you will make time to come see this exhibition and learn their story of bravery, resilience, and philanthropy. And I hope that you will find as much inspiration in their story as all of us at the Frazier have.
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Cool Kentucky Shop: Derby Time Kitchen Towel
“Derby Time” kitchen towel sold in the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky Shop.
This charming flour sack–style towel is decorated with iconic scenes of Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, from Thoroughbreds to blooming roses, all in a lively watercolor style. Finished with “Derby Time” in playful script, it’s a perfect hostess gift. Shop online or visit the Museum and learn about our great state!
Frazier’s Spring Break Camp Featured Pups, Amusement Parks, and More
Campers learn about EthanAlmighty’s story and how it got a Kentucky State Law passed, April 8, 2026.
Campers watch as Frazier employee Simon Meiners tries his hand at the ball toss theme park game they created, April 9, 2026.
We had an absolute blast during this year’s Spring Break Camp at Camp Frazier! During this week, our campers got to engage in a variety of fun activities such as going on a field trip to Waterfront Park’s PlayPort, meeting the four-legged hometown hero EthanAlmighty, and learning all things weather from WHAS meteorologist Mallory Schnell! Even the rest of our Frazier family got to join in on the fun during this camp, as our campers built their own theme park and invited staff to come and test out their attractions on the park’s opening (and only) day. Thank you so much to everyone who registered their campers, and if you feel like you missed out on the fun, we would love to have your camper for our upcoming summer camps!
Gear up for some fun in the sun in this year’s Camp Frazier Summer Camp! Featuring eight weeks full of fun and exciting themes from June to July, your camper is sure to have a blast and make memories they will cherish for years to come.
Our Camp Frazier 2026 Summer Camps are geared towards rising grades first through sixth. Don’t wait—learn more about these terrific themes and explore what others we have to offer by registering your camper today!
Tori Kennedy
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Snag a 4-for-$250 Gala Tickets Party Pack!
4-for-$250 gala tickets flyer.
Alert the group chat: we’ve got a 4-for-$250 deal on gala tickets!
Our Night at the Frazier: Red, White & Bluegrass gala returns May 15—an all-inclusive party with drinks, appetizers, entertainment, live music, karaoke, and more.
Guests can enjoy: museum gallery access; Bourbon tastings from distillers such as Dark Arts, Horse Soldier, and Larrikin; cocktails, and open bar; grazing style small plates; music and dancing with a live performance by V-Groove; a silent auction and Bourbon pull; Kentucky karaoke, themed activations, and more!
Wrangle your friends and snag your tickets before this special deal ends next Monday.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Frazier Boardroom Among Spaces Available for Daytime Rentals!
The Frazier’s fourth-floor boardroom overlooks the Ohio River.
Did you know the Frazier offers daytime facility rentals? We have a versatile selection of spaces available as early as 8 a.m.! Whether you are looking to host an intimate luncheon or a large all-day meeting, we have you covered. All eight of our venue spaces (many of which include in-house AV) are available for booking at any time of the day. As an added benefit, museum admission is included! You can explore the museum before, during, or after your event at no extra charge. Today, we shine a light on one those event spaces: the Boardroom!
With gorgeous views overlooking the Ohio River, our twenty-two-person boardroom has everything you need for a corporate meeting. AV capabilities are incorporated in any booking of this space—including the built-in television, conference call, and video call capabilities. Easels, transportable white board with dry-erase markers, and a rolling TV are available if requested ahead of time. While hosting a meeting in the boardroom, feel free to choose one of our seven preferred caterers to host meals for your guests. If you want to simplify the coordination of your event, we have partnered up with Michaelis Events to create an all-inclusive daytime package for you. These packages give two menu options consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, and nonalcoholic drink options with all signage and labor included.
Want to see the space for yourself? Click here to schedule a site visit, ask questions, or make a booking.
Samantha Wilcox
Facility Rental Sales Manager
History All Around Us
Pike County Musician Cait Justice to Play Zanzabar Friday
Cait Justice performs at the Monarch in Louisville, April 2026. Credit: Kay Milam.
We have all been there: You hear the first notes of a song and you are instantly transported to a place—maybe a school dance, a wedding, or another memory. Those first notes bring us back to ourselves and where we are from. The best songwriters are storytellers.
This is true with the songwriting and singing of Cait Justice. To listen to Cait’s music is to hear Kentucky.
As Justice calls Pike County home, her songs tell the stories of Appalachia. Her voice is shaped not only by her melodies, but by place: by the winding roads, the mountains, and the resilience of Appalachian life, as well as the deep-rooted sense of home that defines Eastern Kentucky. For Justice, songwriting and performing is a return home.
Her music conjures front porch conversations, coal-dusted histories, and the steady rhythm of the landscape. There is an intimacy and honesty in her lyrics that reflect the culture of Kentucky. Listening to Justice’s music feels like small slices of life, intimate and precious. Justice cites Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson as influences, but her connections with Loretta Lynn and Patty Loveless are obvious.
Justice was playing last week at the Monarch Music and Arts Community. Known for its intimate listening room and art-centered mission, the Monarch is a Louisville treasure. During her concert, Justice acknowledged how the Monarch allowed her to test new material, deepen her craft, and grow as an artist. The Monarch has served as a bridge for Justice, linking her Appalachian roots to a wider musical landscape.
In 2025, Justice released her first album, Angel Teeth, produced by Louisville’s Gill Holland. The songs range from heartbreak to traditional murder ballads but are always Kentucky in feel.
You can hear what all the buzz is about on April 24, as Cait sings and plays at Zanzabar in Louisville. For those who gather that night, they won’t just hear songs, they will hear Kentucky itself.
Listen to her music on Spotify.
Susan Reed
Engagement Specialist
In Memoriam: Walter T. Crutcher
Walter T. Crutcher.
The Frazier has lost a beloved member of its family, Walter Crutcher. He was a founding member of our Board, a friend of our founder, and a staunch supporter of our work. His generosity extended to our entire community, along with his wisdom and vision. We will forever remember your spirit and smile at the Frazier.
Walter T. Crutcher, born in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 3, 1942, died peacefully on April 1, 2026, surrounded by family. He was the son of Thomas Baber Crutcher Jr. and Frances Barrett Crutcher.
Walter graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1967. After graduation Walter worked in sales with the Standard Oil Company and with his family in the real estate business. He was with the Walter Wagner Company for twenty-one years and spent the rest of his business career with Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate.
Walter loved his farm in Shelby County and was an avid antique gun collector. He was a member of Second Presbyterian Church, Louisville Boat Club, Filson Historical Society, American Society of Arms Collectors, founding member of Frazier Kentucky History Museum, and an ongoing contributor to Farmington Historic Home.
Walter was predeceased by his parents, Libby Crutcher, Kay Crutcher and stepdaughter Courtney Cooper. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Cooper, son Thomas “Tab” Crutcher, daughter Tess Crutcher, sister Christie Crutcher, stepdaughters Darby Starnes (Kyle), Carrie Cooper and special friends, John Buckner, Davis Harcourt, Todd Edwards, Dave Davis, Brian Chase.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to Farmington Historic Home or Frazier Kentucky History Museum.
