Christmas in July, Civil War Gen. Bull Nelson Podcast, Three Dresses that Defined Wedding Fashion, and More
Good morning! And before we start the new work week, we have to reflect on this past Saturday. The Frazier held its fifth annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest—and it was the most successful to date. It was a hot ticket in more ways than one! Frazier Summer Beer Fest is the museum’s most well-attended annual fundraiser. We thank all attendees, volunteers, and staff members, as well as our tremendous corporate sponsors.
Festivalgoers attend this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 26, 2025.
Festivalgoers attend this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 26, 2025.
Festivalgoers attend this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 26, 2025.
This event would not have grown to become a downtown summer tradition without your help. We thank each and every one of our corporate sponsors: Louisville Downtown Partnership, Derby City Gaming, McCoy & Hiestand, Cornbread Hemp, Summit Media, Republic Bank, Puttshack Louisville, Meritrust Wealth Management, Louisville Tourism, Watson’s Furniture, Louisville Slugger (Barrels & Billets), Kentucky Peerless Distilling, Fourth Street Live!, Ale-8-One, Bearno’s Pizza, Louisville Water, and Danny Wimmer Presents (Bourbon & Beyond).
As you know, the Frazier History Museum is a nonprofit that encompasses everything Kentucky. We are the state’s largest history museum! Proceeds from Frazier Summer Beer Fest ticket sales support lifelong learning through the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, which allow us to fulfill our mission of igniting the human spirit. The Frazier shares the unique and diverse people, geography, and stories that make us Kentucky.
Lights on Main graphic.
Trees on display during last year’s Lights on Main exhibition, December 5, 2024.
And with July winding down, I have to hurry and get in my Christmas in July reminder! It’s part of our Lights on Main exhibition held during the holiday season, but now is the time to reserve your spot and purchase your Christmas tree to decorate. Reserve your space now by contacting me at syates@fraziermuseum.org or (502) 753-5666.
So, thanks for helping make the Frazier Summer Beer Fest a resounding success and considering becoming a part of Lights on Main! A little summer cheer and holiday cheer to start your week.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
New Kentucky Wide Podcast Episode Explores Civil War’s Gen. Bull Nelson and Camp Nelson
The penultimate episode of the first season of our Kentucky Wide podcast is available now. Covering people and places from Mason County, Boyle County, Jefferson County, Jessamine County, and beyond, it dives into two stories from the Civil War in the Commonwealth.
It starts with General William “Bull” Nelson, who secretly fought to keep Kentucky in the Union and was then famously murdered in the Galt House by Jefferson Davis (not the Jefferson Davis you’re thinking of).
Then we turn to Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, Kentucky, which was named in his honor. The incredible site is now remembered as pivotal in the enlistment of many US Colored Troops. Poet Frank X Walker has written a collection of poems touching on these people and moments called Load in Nine Times—several of which are included in this episode covering both the history and his modern relationship with the site. Camp Nelson is a great visit for anyone from Kentucky, or beyond.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Curator’s Corner: Frank X Walker Poems in The Commonwealth
A child reads Frank X Walker’s poems on display in the Frazier’s permanent exhibition The Commonwealth: Divided we Fall, June 19, 2023.
As a person with a background in fine art, one of my favorite parts about our permanent exhibition The Commonwealth: Divided we Fall is how we have incorporated art and poetry into the exhibition. I believe that incorporating the arts into our exhibitions can help us and our visitors connect with history on a deeper, more emotional level. The Commonwealth includes a glass art installation by University of Louisville professor Ché Rhodes and poems by Affrilachian poet Frank X Walker. This week’s episode of our podcast Kentucky Wide focuses on Frank X Walker’s connections to Camp Nelson. It utilizes poems that are featured in the exhibition to help tell the story of Kentucky’s largest center for the recruitment of African American soldiers during the Civil War. These poems were inspired by historic documents from before, during, and after the Civil War. In the episode, Walker’s powerful poems are read by one of my summer interns, Kendall Stidham.
It’s an incredible story of fighting for freedom and of finding yourself through finding your ancestors. I hope that you will have a listen. Then, be sure to visit The Commonwealth to see more of Walker’s poems and the historic documents that inspired them.
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Dr. Eileen Yanoviak on Nurse Lucy Nichols: Unsung Civil War Hero
Nurse Lucy Nichols: Unsung Civil War Hero flyer.
It’s a name you may not know but certainly should from our history. And lucky us, we have Dr. Eileen Yanoviak to introduce us to Lucy Higgs Nichols, a freedom seeker who made her mark as a nurse during the Civil War and later settled in New Albany, Indiana. Dr. Yanoviak has written a book about her and will read excerpts from it during a program here on Sunday, August 10. Dr. Yanoviak holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Louisville and has authored numerous scholarly essays. She is also a Program Officer for the James Graham Brown Foundation. Click here for tickets to our program and keep reading about why Dr. Yanoviak is dedicated to telling the story of Nurse Nichols.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
At center, nurse Lucy Nichols poses with Union Army veterans at a Twenty-Third Indiana Infantry Regiment reunion, 1898.
A story nearly lost to time, an oral history interview in the 1990s launched a thirty-year quest to document the life of Lucy Higgs Nichols, a freedom seeker, Civil War nurse, and national celebrity. During this talk, we’ll follow Lucy’s harrowing and inspirational journey—from her tumultuous plantation childhood to the battlefields of the Civil War and finally to New Albany, Indiana, where she achieved notoriety, nobility, and self-sufficiency after the war.
Lucy was born into bondage in South Carolina in 1838 and escaped her enslavers in 1862 as a young mother in Tennessee. She joined the Union ranks of the Indiana Twenty-Third Volunteer Regiment as a cook and laundress. Quickly recognized for her exceptional skills and beloved by the soldiers, she was promoted to surgeon’s nurse with the promise of payment. Despite harrowing obstacles and intense sacrifices, Lucy valiantly served as nurse for the remainder of the war.
Encouraged by the veterans with whom she served, she followed them to New Albany after they mustered out, and she was widely recognized as the only Black woman who was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. When it came time to apply for the Army Nurses Pension, Lucy’s six-year battle to be compensated for her service was bolstered by her fellow veterans and eventually reached Congress.
In a post–Civil War era that often denied justice and opportunity to women and Black Americans, Lucy forged her own version of the American dream. I am dedicated to sharing Lucy’s story not only because she was exceptional and inspiring, but also to honor the many unacknowledged Black cooks, laundresses, and nurses who courageously served alongside the Union soldiers in the Civil War. Theirs are stories of tenacious survival, valiant resistance, and, finally, freedom.
Dr. Eileen Yanoviak
Author, The Tenacious Nurse Nichols: An Unsung African American Civil War Hero
Guest Contributor
Three Dresses that Defined a Century of Wedding Fashion
Did you know Princess Diana’s wedding dress was once at the Frazier Museum? It was on display in Diana: A Celebration, a traveling exhibition that came through the Frazier September 15, 2012, to January 13, 2013. Many of our visitors have fond memories of that exhibition, especially seeing the historic wedding dress. Since our newest exhibition is Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage—a celebration of courtship, love, and marriage in Kentucky—we’ve asked our resident fashion historian Leslie Anderson to weigh in on three wedding dresses that defined a century of wedding fashion. Of course, Di’s dress made the list!—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
July 29, 1981, marks the date of the most famous wedding of the Twenty-first century: the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Crown Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Weddings may be personal milestones, but wedding dresses often become cultural touchstones. Few garments so vividly reflect both the moment in which they were worn and the persona of the woman who wore them. From 1950s fairytale to 1980s excess, my three favorite celebrity wedding dresses of all time—the dresses of Grace Kelly, Lady Diana Spencer, and Audrey Hepburn—continue to shape bridal fashion and fascinate fashion historians. Here’s why.
Grace Kelly on her wedding day at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco, April 19, 1956.
Princess Diana’s wedding dress on display in the Diana: A Celebration exhibition at the Frazier Museum, September 14, 2012.
Grace Kelly’s Regal Refinement (1956)
When American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, she not only become royalty, but she also redefined bridal elegance for generations. Designed by Helen Rose, a costume designer for MGM Studios, Kelly’s gown was a cinematic masterpiece. Crafted from peau de soie and re-embroidered lace, the dress featured a high neckline, fitted bodice, and voluminous skirt supported by multiple petticoats. It was modest yet majestic, traditional but exquisitely modern in its execution.
The gown, a gift from MGM, balanced Old-World formality with mid-century Hollywood glamour. It also underscored a key post-war aesthetic: wedding dresses were no longer simply personal attire—they were emblematic of idealized femininity. Grace’s dress continues to influence designers today, including Sarah Burton’s 2011 design for Catherine Middleton.
Audrey Hepburn’s Mod Minimalism (1969)
Fast forward a decade, and Audrey Hepburn turned bridal tradition on its head. When she married Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti in 1969, the style icon wore a pale pink, funnel-necked, long-sleeved mini dress by her longtime friend and collaborator Hubert de Givenchy paired with a matching headscarf, white tights, and her signature ballet flats.
Far from the voluminous skirts of the ’50s or the maximalism that was to come in the ’80s, Hepburn’s ensemble embodied late ’60s ease and experimentation. The look was less about ceremony and more about personal expression. Her choice reflected a fashion world (and a society) in flux—youth-driven, color-forward, and increasingly unbound by convention. Yet, in true Hepburn form, the dress remained effortlessly chic and deceptively simple; a reminder that bridalwear can be as individual as the bride herself.
Princess Diana’s Fairytale Excess (1981)
If Kelly’s dress was about grace and Hepburn’s about individuality, Lady Diana Spencer’s gown was about grandeur. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Diana’s ivory silk taffeta dress stunned with its twenty-five-foot train, 153 yards of tulle veil, and embellishment of 10,000 pearls that literally took teams of specialists and artisans to execute. It was dramatic, romantic, and unmistakably of its time.
Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles was watched by over 750 million people, and her dress became one of the most recognizable in history. With its oversized silhouette and theatrical details, the gown captured the spirit of early-1980s opulence. Yet beneath the spectacle lay deeply personal touches: antique Carrickmacross lace from Queen Mary, a stitched horseshoe for luck, and a discreet blue bow sewn into the waistband.
As a fashion historian, I see these dresses not just as beautiful garments but as cultural artifacts that each reveal something about the era in which it was created and the woman who wore it. Whether pared-back or overflowing, pink or pearl-encrusted, these iconic gowns continue to influence the way we envision what a bride should look like—and remind us that bridal fashion is as much about personal identity as it is about public image.
Leslie Anderson
Sr. Manager of Grants & Community Development & Fashion Historian
Exit Through the Gift Shop—For Love & Merch!
The Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage section of the Frazier’s Museum Shop, July 25, 2025.
Before you leave the museum, swing by the Museum Shop for a curated collection inspired by our Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition.
From books on romance and bridal fashion to earrings, socks, sweets, and more—here’s a glimpse at what’s in store. Because love may be timeless, but good merch waits for no one.
The display is topped with a vintage 1990s knockoff of Princess Diana’s wedding dress—purchased in England just days after the royal “I do” and smuggled home in a backpack over forty years ago. Also included is a wide-ranging collection of wedding phots from notable Kentuckians and our Frazier family.
Kentucky’s Corn and Buttermilk Days Festivals Returning in August
120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
School may be right around the corner, but festival season is still in full swing. Here are a few festivals guaranteed to entertain young and old alike as we head into the dog days of August. Be sure to bring your cameras and coolers—you do NOT want to miss these!
And don’t forget: you can learn more about Kentucky’s local traditions in the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
A boy eats corn on the cob at the Powell County Corn Festival in Stanton, Kentucky.
A festivalgoer dances during the Nelson County Buttermilk Days Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Powell County’s Corn Festival (August 1–3, 2025)
Cornbread, corn on the cob, corn fritters, corn chowder, creamed corn, etc.—there are a million and one ways to enjoy this delicious food. Nowhere is this better known than in Powell County, where residents will hold their thirty-fifth annual Corn Festival on August 1, 2, and 3. Located next to the foothills of the eastern Appalachian Mountains, the small town of Stanton has long claimed the humble plant as one of its most important crops, making it the ideal place to celebrate all things corn-related.
This year’s festival will be no different, with a wonderful selection of things to do, see, and, of course, eat. Over 8,000 attendees are expected, many coming to enjoy not just the festival, but the beautiful scenery as well. Powell County is, after all, home to Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Park. This year’s schedule includes: Stanton’s Got Talent, a Movie in the Park, beauty pageants, over 100 vendors, and a corn eating contest for those who want to impress others with their cob-cleaning skills. There will also be performances by rock groups PTY and Decades and gospel acts Greg Bates and the Meadowgreen Trio. And for runners, like myself? You can lace up for the Corn Festival Run for Freedom 5K—all proceeds of which go to Freedom Firm, an organization dedicated to ending sex-trafficking in India. This is truly a good cause. If all of this sounds like a fine way to spend a weekend, make your way towards Stanton the first weekend in August and “just follow the corn off Mountain Parkway Exit 22.” See ya there!
Nelson County’s Buttermilk Days Festival (August 21–23, 2025)
The Buttermilk Days Festival began simply enough, when in 1994, several friends from the old “Buttermilk” neighborhood in Nelson County came together for a backyard cookout. The reunion was such a success that it was decided to continue the tradition. Now referred to as the “Buttermilk Gang,” the original attendees were soon sending out invitations to former residents and those with a personal connection to the neighborhood.
The gathering, and soon-to-be festival, was an immediate success. Over 400 people attended its fourth year, many bringing side dishes to go with the Buttermilk Gang’s grilled meats. The following year, a local hog farmer named Chris Hurst generously donated six of his hogs. This meant there was so much food that EVERYONE was now invited! A huge breakfast preceded an even larger afternoon cookout. Sausage, bacon, ham, pork chops, ribs, neck bones, pigs feet—all free to those traveling to Bardstown.
Before long, individuals were coming from far and wide to reunite with friends and family during the fourth weekend in August. This tradition continues to the present, making the Buttermilk Days Festival one, big glorious reunion at its heart. Long lost family members have even been reunited at the festival, which speaks to the power of the Buttermilk Gang’s original vision. According to festival organizers, the “true meaning of the Buttermilk Weekend is the coming together of friends and family, old and young, male and female, black and white.” Indeed, a former mayor of Bardstown and original member of the Buttermilk Gang, Bill Sheckle, credits the festival’s popularity to the diversity of its participants.
Thirty-one years later, the Buttermilk Days Festival is more popular than ever. Thousands now attend the weekend event, many scheduling their family reunions to coincide with the festival. This year will be loaded with activities—with visitors able to enjoy a homemade wine-tasting event, Miss Buttermilk Pageant, street concerts, and live performances by musical acts such as Natural Progression (groove), Bella Rae (hip hop), Honeychild (soul and dance), and many others. And please make sure you come with an empty stomach because Saturday is the Famous Buttermilk Breakfast, providing enough food to make a hog blush. All this (and more) can be experienced August 21–23 on the 400 block of South Third Street in Bardstown. Oink, oink!
Jason Berkowitz
Engagement Specialist
On the Trail with Abby: RD1 Distillery in Lexington
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®.
Abby Flanders holds a bottle of RD1’s Frazier Barrel Selection Bourbon sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, July 24, 2025.
Tucked away at the Commons in Lexington, RD1 Spirits is a modern Bourbon brand with deeper historical roots. Their new flagship location, which just opened in May, features a distillery and wood finishing lab, Bourbon bar, speakeasy, and gift shop.
The moniker RD1 stands for “Registered Distillery One,” a nod to Lexington’s distinction as the home of Kentucky’s first federally registered distillery, given the designation of “RD#1” for tax district #7. The operation survived a fire and many transfers of ownership, but it didn’t survive Prohibition. RD1 Spirits is determined to pick up where it left off.
RD1’s expertise lies in finishing Bourbon with wood from across the world to create distinct tasting experiences. Their most recent limited-edition release, a Kentucky Straight Whiskey Finished with Japanese Mizunara and French Oak, invites whiskey fans into a global conversation. This 2025 “Sister Cities” expression is finished with Japanese Mizunara and French Oak, bringing together the spirit of Kentucky with the wood imparted from two different countries. Starting with Kentucky tradition and finishing with international flair, this new release speaks to Lexington’s “Sister City” relationships with Shinhidaka, Japan, and Deauville, France.
Inside the RD1 Tasting Room, guests can sample a flight, sip cocktails, and learn the story of RD1’s revival. Outside, the buzz of the Distillery District is steps away, loaded with restaurants, breweries, and live music to round out the experience.
Whether you’re a history buff, a Bourbon purist, or a curious newcomer, you’ll enjoy the various expressions of RD1’s Bourbon, each illustrating the delicate (and deliciously unique) flavors that wood finishes impart.
Staying in Louisville? The Frazier’s own RD1 private barrel selection—a warm and delicious Bourbon finished with French Oak—is available in our Museum Shop!
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
Bridging the Divide
Ohio River Way Earns National Water Trail Status, a Win for Kentucky River Towns
An aerial view of the Ohio River. Credit: Mark Alan Young.
You can’t fully share the story of Kentucky without including the Ohio River. It’s woven into the fabric of our Commonwealth’s history and is an integral and ongoing theme in our work here at the Frazier. So, naturally, we were very excited to learn that the Ohio River Way was recently designated a National Water Trail and wanted to help spread the news far and wide. Congratulations to everyone who worked on bringing this venture to fruition. And be sure to keep reading as Jessica Baltzersen, Communications Manager at Ohio River Way, shares the details below.—Megan Schanie, Sr. Manager of Educational Programs
The Ohio River has always been central to life in Kentucky—geographically, economically, and culturally. Now, it’s officially part of something even bigger. This summer, the Ohio River Way was designated a National Water Trail by the National Park Service, placing a portion of the state’s stretch of river in a select group of just thirty-five federally recognized water trails across the country.
Stretching 308 miles from Ashland, Kentucky, to West Point, Kentucky, the Ohio River Way links more than forty river towns throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, including Kentucky communities like Augusta, Maysville, Louisville, and more.
For Kentucky, the designation puts a national spotlight on something locals have always known: this river is more than a natural boundary; it’s a critical lifeline and a gateway to exploration and recreation.
The trail encourages paddling, biking, and hiking along the river, and opens doors for increased tourism, federal funding, and environmental stewardship. Towns along the way are working together to promote access points, offer river-friendly amenities, and tell the stories that have shaped Kentucky’s river culture.
Louisville, in particular, serves as a major hub on the trail, with access points like the Falls of the Ohio, Harrods Creek, and Waterfront Park, making it easy for locals and visitors to jump in and experience the river firsthand.
As Kentucky’s riverside communities celebrate this designation, the Ohio River Way invites everyone to get out and rediscover the river that has always run through the state’s history.
For ideas on how to explore, visit ohioriverway.org.
Jessica Baltzersen
Communications Manager, Ohio River Way
Guest Contributor
