19th-Century Letters of Black Kentuckians Available Online

Use a few minutes of your lunch hour today to peruse these online.

More than two dozen 19th century letters have been acquired by the Kentucky Historical Society, which says the handwritten documents offer a look at African-American communities in Lexington and Hopkinsville.

The letters depict the lives of both free and enslaved Kentucky families.

SNIP

The society purchased the collection, which has been catalogued and digitized. It's available online at http://www.history.ky.gov. At that site, click on "Search our Collections," choose the KHS collections catalog and search for "Watson and Robinson."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/07/31/2277998/19th-century-letters-depict-african.html#storylink=cpy

Free Museum Day - Take Advantage

Is there a museum nearby that you've always wanted to visit, but couldn't afford the admission fee?

Now you can treat yourself and a friend to your favorite local museum:

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) history campus in downtown Frankfort will be open to the public free-of-charge on Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day, Saturday, Sept. 25.

Visitors will enjoy free admission to the KHS history campus, which includes the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol and the Kentucky Military History Museum.

Museum Day is a one-day nationwide event where participating museums and cultural institutions across the country offer free admission. Those interested should visit the Smithsonian Magazine’s website, www.smithsonian.com/museumday, to download a Museum Day admission card. Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to participating museums and cultural venues. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. Simply bring this pass to the Center for Kentucky History and enjoy free admission on Sept. 25.

“Museum Day is a great way to invite Kentuckians to experience the Kentucky Historical Society,” said Kent Whitworth, executive director of KHS.

Visitors can journey through time in “A Kentucky Journey,” the Society’s signature exhibition, learn about Kentuckians’ military service in the exhibition, “Kentucky Military Treasures” and view the “Great Revivals” decorative arts exhibition at the Old State Capitol. They can also see renovation work in progress at the Kentucky Military History Museum. Tours of the Old State Capitol, a national historic landmark, and the Kentucky Military History Museum must be scheduled at the Center for Kentucky History.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information about KHS, visit www.history.ky.gov or call 502-564-1792.

Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln

Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States three weeks before the 200th anniversary of the birth of the 16th president: Abraham Lincoln.

Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln.

The Kentucky Historical Society has been all over this anniversary for years, not wanting to miss this one-in-a-bicentennial opportunity to remind the nation and the world that throughout his life, Lincoln remained and considered himself a Kentuckian.

KHS has developed several superb exhibits and programs, the latest being the live performance Lincoln's Life Through Kentucky Eyes.

Many people know that Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky and spent the first seven years of his life in the commonwealth. Few, however, realize how connected Lincoln remained to Kentucky throughout his life. Now, during the bicentennial commemoration of Lincoln’s birth, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) Museum Theatre program explores the complex relationship between Lincoln and his native state in the play Lincoln’s Life Through Kentucky Eyes.

On Monday, October 20, the Museum Theatre program debuted its newest piece, Lincoln’s Life, at the Abraham Lincoln Society gala. The twenty-minute performance was met with great acclaim by audience members.

“Presenting history in a play is a tricky business, but this short play examines the truth—both good and bad—of Abraham Lincoln’s Kentucky connections,” said Greg Hardison, Museum Theatre coordinator. “Our goal is for the audience to experience a flood of emotions and hear direct quotes from Kentuckians who both loved and loathed Abraham Lincoln. The research, writing, direction, projected backdrops, and ensemble cast all work in unison to create a unique and truthful look at Lincoln’s life through Kentucky eyes.”

Actors Laura Blake, Robert O’Bryan Greene, Patti Heying, and Adam Luckey portray the many faces of Lincoln and twelve diverse characters with distinctly different views of the sixteenth president. Together, they narrate the story of Abraham Lincoln, the boy, the man, and the president who led the United States through its most divisive years.

Written by actress and writer Donna E. Ison, of Lexington, Ky., Lincoln’s Life serves as the perfect complement to Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln, a new exhibition at KHS, in telling the story of Lincoln and his native state.

The play will be presented every Saturday in November at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., and then again on Saturdays in February. Make sure to schedule a time to visit the KHS and view this moving performance.

This Saturday, Nov. 15, will be the perfect day to do so, when the Center will also present "A Day with Lincoln."

This event is held in conjunction with the 27th annual Kentucky Book Fair and will feature presentations by authors as well as a noon luncheon with guest James L. Swanson, author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.

All presentations are free and open to the public. The luncheon cost is $32.00, which includes a copy of James L. Swanson’s book Manhunt. Reservations are required and must be purchased in advance by calling Julia Curry at 502-564-1792.

See the schedule of events for Saturday here.

Also this Saturday, the HistoryMobile with its exhibit-on-wheels "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" will be located outside the history center Friday and Saturday.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.