Founding Fathers at the Frazier, Louisville Roots of the “Happy Birthday” Song, Kentucky Wide Podcast on Court Cases, and More
It’s time to fire up the grills as we count down to the Fourth of July on Friday.
From barbecues, picnics, and parades—you have several celebrations to choose from in our area, including Waterfront Park Fourth of July, which kicks off Friday at 5 p.m. and ends with a fireworks finale at 10 p.m.
The annual Fourth of July festival is also back at the Peterson-Dumesnil House, and there’s a long list of others.
But here is another personal invitation: Come visit the Frazier over the long holiday weekend!
Daniel Boone’s portrait and family bible on display in the Frazier’s Commonwealth exhibition, May 2022. Credit: Mary Helen Nunn.
As we commemorate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America, explore our Commonwealth exhibition and learn what was happening in our neck of the woods at that time.
We were part of Virginia, which created Kentucky County that year. You’ll learn about the Native Americans who inhabited the land and settlers like James Harrod and Daniel Boone.
It’s a great history lesson for the entire family—and a wonderful way to beat the heat!
And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out our Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition. It is a visual feast of fashion, courtship, love, and marriage traditions over the last 150 years.
Plus, kids love our Lewis & Clark Experience, and there’s something for everyone in Cool Kentucky.
There’s no cooler place than the Frazier!
In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, curator Amanda Briede shows us the different Founding Fathers featured at the Frazier, Jessica Dawkins writes a special piece about two Louisville sisters tied to the “Happy Birthday” song, Jason plugs unique summer festivals in the Bluegrass, and Mick teases the latest episode of our Kentucky Wide podcast!
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Curator’s Corner: Founding Fathers at the Frazier Museum
Visitors look at rifles owned by Presidents George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt on display in the Frazier’s Founder’s Gallery, November 5, 2024. Credit: Clay Cook.
Detail of George Washington’s flintlock rifle, April 15, 2002. Part of the Frazier History Museum’s permanent collection.
George Washington’s flintlock hunting rifle and portrait on display in the Frazier’s Founder’s Gallery, June 25, 2025.
Happy Fourth of July week!
Every year growing up, my mom and I would celebrate the Fourth by watching the musical 1776 (and having a popsicle for breakfast after the neighborhood parade). These days, I still celebrate with a patriotic musical (and usually a popsicle for breakfast) but have switched to the more contemporary musical Hamilton. For a while, I was one of those people walking around constantly listening to the soundtrack and I always get a little bit of joy when I encounter something related to one of the founding fathers featured in the musical.
Representations of a few of those founding fathers are hidden here at the Frazier History Museum, including everyone’s favorite fighting Frenchman, Lafayette! His portrait is featured on a glass flask in the hallway on the second floor. In our Commonwealth: Divided we Fall exhibition, you can also learn more about Richard Clough Anderson, a Kentuckian who was Lafayette’s aide-de-camp for the Battle of Yorktown. You’ll have Washington on your side when you visit his rifle and portrait in our Founder’s Gallery, also on the second floor. This rifle is believed to have been presented to the president at Mount Vernon in 1791. The kick-ass ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson, is featured in the Lewis and Clark Experience on the third floor. It was Jefferson who commissioned the expedition to explore the new territory from the Louisiana Purchase and to find a route to the other side of the continent. Thomas Jefferson was also particularly interested in Big Bone Lick in Boone County, Kentucky, and you can see fossils similar to the ones in Jefferson’s personal collection in Cool Kentucky on the first floor.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any objects related to the ten-dollar founding father himself, Alexander Hamilton, or to Aaron Burr, Sir. But I hope that the next time you visit the Frazier you will remember: history has its eyes on you!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
How the City of Louisville Set the Stage for the “Happy Birthday” Song
The Pioneering Hill Sisters of Louisville: The Happy Birthday Song and So Much More graphic.
As we say happy birthday to America this week, do we have a program for you! On Sunday, July 6, we’re presenting the Pioneering Hill Sisters of Louisville: The Happy Birthday Song and So Much More! President and CEO of Historic Locust Grove Jessica Dawkins will lead our discussion on the sisters and their ties to the most famous song in the world. Jessica is also a board member for Happy Birthday Park. Click here to reserve your spot for the program and keep reading to learn more about these pioneers.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
Many people know the trivia tidbit that the world’s most famous song, “Happy Birthday to You,” was written in Louisville, Kentucky. Some folks know it was written by two sisters, and maybe a few more know the song was born out of a kindergarten classroom. But the true story of how “Happy Birthday” came to be is a relatively unknown tale, and it’s one every citizen of Louisville should know.
In 2013, I was approached by my friend Maggie Harlow about joining the board of an organization called Happy Birthday Park. They were in talks to build a local playground to honor the women responsible for the song, so they set out to find a female historian who could uncover the story behind the women and their work. This is how I learned about Patty and Mildred Hill. Early on, I found an interview with Patty Hill in which she stated, “If I talk to you about my work . . . then I must talk about my mother and father and the wonderful home in which I grew up.” I thought, if Patty believed her success was due to her upbringing, then I needed to understand the time and place from whence she came. So, my research began with us.
While they’re known mostly for the song, the Hill sisters and their remarkable accomplishments serve as a testament to the city of Louisville and the culture we created in the years just after the Civil War. Before the sisters were even born, there were changes within our city that set the stage for the future of the Hill family. So this is a story about Louisville and a perfect storm of dynamic cultural shifts that manifested in a pair of sisters who were destined to change the world.
To learn more, join me at the Frazier’s Pioneering Hill Sisters of Louisville program on July 6.
Jessica Dawkins
President & CEO, Historic Locust Grove
Guest Contributor
Latest Kentucky Wide Podcast Spotlights Kentucky Women in Court
It’s been so exciting to work on this first season of our new podcast Kentucky Wide. The newest episode, “Their Day in Court,” is available now. Written by our own Megan Schanie, the episode features the stories of two Kentucky women who took Kentucky men to court at times when that was nearly unheard of.
You’ll meet Henrietta Wood and Madeline Pollard, each of whom has a fascinating story. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts—and stay tuned for more!
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Museum Shop: Orange Louisville Tee
Shelby and Charlie model the orange Louisville tees in the Frazier’s Model T, June 24, 2025.
Orange you glad you found this Louisville tee? It’s the ultimate summer companion when you hit the road: it’s fun, its bright, and it’s just $20. Grab one from the Frazier’s Museum Shop (or online) before they drive off!
Win Bourbon & Beyond Tickets at Frazier Summer Beer Fest Dunking Booth
A festivalgoer competes for Bourbon & Beyond tickets at the Dunking Booth at 2023 Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 29, 2023.
Bourbon & Beyond is back at the Frazier Summer Beer Fest in ’25!
It is exciting news as tickets to the Frazier Summer Beer Fest continue to fly off the shelf. Dozens of brewers are committed, sponsors are lining up, and partners are bringing some fun activations to our July 26 festival on Main Street.
First up, and proving that we are better together, Bourbon and Beyond is back and giving away tickets to this year’s music festival, scheduled for September 11–14 at the Highland Festival Grounds. Every half hour someone wins two tickets to the show by being the best performer at our dunking booth.
Next, Derby City Gaming has signed up to host the afterparty at its incredible downtown location on Market Street. In the name of responsibility, DCG also offers shuttle rides from Beer Fest on Main to the afterparty.
Guests can also look forward to some new games in the Cornbread Hemp Fun Zone. That’s right, a creative new sponsor in a Fun Zone. Forgive the teen slang, but it is going to be lit!
Last week’s weather is an uncomfortable reminder that mother nature doesn’t play. For many, the VIP ticket—with air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and full museum access—is the way to go. Either way, we’d love to see you out supporting the Frazier History Museum!
Proceeds support lifelong learning through the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs.
Thanks to our sponsors Louisville Downtown Partnership, McCoy & Hiestand, Summit Media, Puttshack, Meritrust Wealth Management, Watson’s, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Kentucky Peerless, Mary Dowling, Barrels & Billets at Slugger Museum, and Louisville Tourism.
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
Often hot, sometimes sticky, and always fun, summer is finally here! This, of course, means we are smack dab in the middle of festival season—with counties and communities across Kentucky celebrating their incredible heritage. Here are a few of my favorite festivals from the good ol’ month of July!
(And don’t forget: you can learn more about Kentucky’s local traditions in the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.)
Two children ride the carousel at the Blackberry Festival in Carlisle, Nicholas County, Kentucky. Credit: Annual Blackberry Festival Carlise Ky, Facebook.
Catfish wrasslin’ at the Green River Catfish Festival in Morgantown, Butler County, Kentucky. Credit: Rebekah Hankins, Morgantown-Butler County Chamber of Commerce.
Minnie Adkins shows artworks at a past Minnie Adkins Day in Sandy Hook, Elliott County, Kentucky. Credit: Minnie Adkins Day, Facebook.
Nicholas County’s Annual Blackberry Festival (July 1–5, 2025)
Let us first start with the humble blackberry. Neglected in candy shops and ice cream parlors, fruit cups and soda, it truly is a mystery how something so delicious keeps such a low profile. Well, you can now rejoice, you aficionados of “brambleberries” and “brumblekites” (yes, real names). Since 1946, Nicholas County has been placing the blackberry front and center as part of their annual Blackberry Festival. Originally conceived as a homecoming event, the festival has since expanded in scope—honoring those who served in war and the passing of local traditions.
But you say you dislike blackberries? I suppose it takes all kinds. There are plenty of activities for those poor souls yet to discover the fruit’s splendor—the Blackberry Pageant, a baking competition, a fireworks show, live music, and a parade with tractors, horses, and floats, oh my! You can also expect a smorgasbord of over one hundred food, craft, and clothing vendors, both local and regional. You will also be able to sample local signature dishes and, of course, enough blackberries to make a blueberry blush. And I almost forgot . . . do yourself a favor and hunt down a blackberry shake—it is the stuff of legend!
Butler County’s Green River Catfish Festival (July 3–5, 2025)
Have you ever seen catfish wrestling? I suspect, for most of you (myself included), the answer is “no.” Well, the fine people of Butler County aim to change that! What started as a barbeque chicken fundraiser for the Butler County High School band over forty-five years ago has since become an annual celebration of the Green River and its many, many catfish. The festival has largely remained the same over the years, boasting beauty pageants, dog and livestock shows, softball and basketball tournaments, fireworks, terrapin races, live music, free rides, and, you best believe, catfish plates galore.
And with all this to do, there is always something new! Constantly looking to improve the already-amazing festival, organizers have added the previously mentioned “catfish wrasslin’,” along with live human wrasslin’ and a motocross race to boot. For the less adventurous, there will be live praise music from Scotty Inman, as well as performances from the Rose Family Band, Kyle Whitaker, Bourbon Revival, and Uncle Brian and his Nephews (quite possibly the best band name EVER). For the little ones, the festival welcomes back last year’s extremely popular Kid Zone—featuring a petting zoo, pony rides, inflatables, face painting, a princess, and so much more! Did I mention the catfish wrasslin’? Kinda sells itself. Go ahead and mark your calendars.
Elliott County’s Minnie Adkins Day (July 19, 2025)
Minnie Adkins’s wood carvings of animals such as tigers, possums, red foxes, and blue roosters are internationally famous, having been displayed in places such as the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art. Inspired by the Appalachian countryside she calls home, her art perfectly captures the spirit of the region, making her one of Kentucky’s greatest folk artists. With assistance from son Mike Adkins and grandson Greg Adkins, she continues to create her distinctive folk art—inspiring the next generation of carvers and whittlers.
Of course, her biggest fans and supporters can be found in her home county of Elliott. Every third Saturday in July, the residents of Sandy Hook celebrate Minnie Adkins Day, bringing in people from as far away as North Carolina and Kansas. This year continues the tradition with some of the area’s best folk artists in attendance. Expect a dazzling array of folk art on display at the local arts and crafts market. And at Minnie’s personal request, vendor set up is always just $10—a gift to the art community she and her work have inspired. Make no mistake: This one-day folk art festival is widely considered to be one of the best in the country. Do not miss out!
Jason Berkowitz
Stories in Mind Facilitator
Give with Purpose: Planned Giving and Everyday Ways to Support the Frazier
Visitors tour the Founder’s Gallery at the Frazier History Museum, November 5, 2024. Credit: Clay Cook.
Your support helps the Frazier History Museum bring Kentucky’s stories to life—and there are more ways than ever to make an impact now and into the future.
Planned giving is a powerful way to ensure your legacy lives on through history, education, and connecting through our cultural heritage. By working with a financial advisor or estate planner, you can incorporate charitable gifts into your long-term plans—such as through a bequest in your will, a charitable gift annuity, or a trust. These thoughtful contributions often provide financial benefits to you or your loved ones while securing the museum’s future. Please visit our website to learn more about how planned gifts can benefit both you and the Frazier Museum.
But giving back doesn’t have to wait. There are everyday ways to support the Frazier, no matter your giving level:
· Designate the Frazier History Museum as a beneficiary of your Donor Advised Fund or IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).
· Double your impact through your employer’s workplace match program. Many companies will match donations or volunteer hours!
· Shop with purpose by selecting the Frazier as your charity through AmazonSmile or Kroger Community Rewards.
· Make a direct donation or renew your membership to ensure the museum continues to thrive.
Every gift—big or small—helps ensure there is a place where Kentucky’s history and culture is preserved, and where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn, connect, and be inspired.
To learn more about planned giving and ways to give, visit our website or contact me at (502) 753-1693 or hharlow@fraziermuseum.org.
Thank you for making history with us—every day.
Hayley Harlow
Sr. Manager of Fundraising
A Message of Thanks to our Corporate Partners and Sponsors
As we approach the fifth annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest on July 26, one cold hard truth has become blatantly obvious: We could not put on these high-quality events without our dedicated corporate sponsors. These companies, through their generosity, donate not only their money but also their time and energy to help the Frazier History Museum host the type of events that have our patrons coming back time and time again. These additional funds help us to continue the mission of the Frazier History Museum, which is partly to help children who otherwise couldn’t afford to come to the museum and be able to do so. There are too many companies to list, but suffice it to say they come from all types of industries from all over the greater Louisville area. Few things at the Frazier Museum give me a bigger sense of pride than developing partnerships with local companies that develop and grow over time. With that being said, thank you to each and every company who has donated funds, products, or volunteer hours. We could not do what we do without each and every one of you!
If you read this and would like to get your company involved in the happenings at the Frazier History Museum, just reach out to me at syates@fraziermuseum.org or (502) 753-5666. I would love to chat with you and see how your company can become a corporate partner.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
On the Trail with Abby: Bluegrass Distillers in Woodford County
On the Trail with Abby graphic.
Bourbon tourism is booming—and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® is growing faster than ever! Each week, the Frazier’s Abby Flanders takes readers on a digital stop-by-stop tour of this expanding adventure, spotlighting the distilleries, stories, and expressions behind America’s native spirit. Ready to hit the trail in real life? Start your journey at the Frazier History Museum, the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.
Exterior of Bluegrass Distillers in Midway, Woodford County, Kentucky.
Nestled among the rolling hills of Midway, Woodford County, Kentucky, Bluegrass Distillers has recently found its forever home at Elkwood Farm—a sixty-two-acre property steeped in history and charm that officially opened earlier this month. What began as a smaller craft operation in Lexington has matured into a full-fledged destination where Bourbon, agriculture, and preservation come together on one property.
The centerpiece of Elkwood Farm is the historic 1835 Federal-style mansion likely designed by Kentucky’s first professional architect, Gideon Shryock. It now serves as the face of Bluegrass Distillers’s expanded operations. And yet, Bluegrass Distillers is anything but stuck in the past. With their modern ground-to-glass mission, they source local ingredients—including non-GMO, heirloom blue corn grown on site—to create Bourbon that reflects the heritage and flavor of the Bluegrass region.
Bluegrass’s offerings include limited releases such as Elkwood Reserve 15 Year, Small Batch, and French Oaked; distiller exclusives such as Blue Dog Whiskey; and their flagship products Mash Bill #1, Toasted Oak Bourbon, and Wheated Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond. In another nod to history, their Midway Distilling Series pays homage to Midway Distilling Co., which was destroyed by a fire in 1924.
Midway, Kentucky, is just that—midway between Lexington and Frankfort (and midway between Georgetown and Versailles!). It’s easy to add onto many different legs of your Bourbon adventure. Whether you’re sipping signature Bluegrass Blue Corn Bourbon or an experimental release, don’t miss this stop as you’re trailing along in the Lexington area.
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
