Upcoming Events

Add Our Events to Your Calendar

Please see below for details and descriptions of upcoming events at the Filson. All event times are in EST or EDT depending on the season. Click here to register and pay for programs, tickets are required. Filson members will need to log in to access the member pricing for events. Many of our past events can be viewed on the Filson YouTube Channel. If you have any issues with registering via our ticketing solution please call (502) 635-5083.

Recent Filson events have regularly been reaching our capacity limits. If members or non-members wish to attend an event please register beforehand. We cannot guarantee a space for walk ups on the day of the lecture.

Twenty-Five Years of Ohio Valley History: Filson Institute Roundtable

Date: June 27, 2025

Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Location: The Filson Historical Society (In Person Only)

Free (Registration Required)

The Filson has offered research fellowships for decades; these fellowships provide the opportunity for scholars to do history by exploring the historical narratives available in the archives at the Filson and presenting their findings. This year we have recrafted the program to a create a more supportive environment for the fellows through a one-week cohort program, the Filson Institute. The week will culminate in a public round table, ensuring that the Filson’s community benefits directly from the work of these scholars in the Filson’s rich holdings. This year’s Institute topic recognizes that in 2025 the Filson commemorates a quarter century of institutional commitment to studying Kentucky in relationship to its neighboring states in the Ohio Valley, as marked by the publication of Ohio Valley History, the Filson’s peer-reviewed academic journal co-published with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the University of Cincinnati. Join us on Friday, June 27 at noon for a public roundtable which will pose questions about new discoveries in the Filson records, the broader context of the fellows’ larger research projects, and—most importantly—the contemporary community relevance of the research.

The Filson Institute 2025 cohort includes: Dr. Patrick Doyle, Anna Henderson, Dr. Joe Lockard, and Sammy Roth. For more information on the cohort, please visit the registration page.

The Unbroken Union: Louisville’s Black Baseball Legacy

Date: July 8, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Theater, 800 West Main St., Louisville (In Person Only)

This program is presented in partnership with the Louisville Slugger Museum and is generously sponsored by Dinsmore.

The Filson Historical Society is partnering with Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory for an exclusive presentation of The Unbroken Union: Louisville’s Black Baseball Legacy. This dynamic discussion will explore pre-Negro League Black baseball, the recently unearthed legacy of the 1908 Louisville Unions, and the role Louisville Slugger played. Presented by the museum’s curator, Bailey Mazik, and education manager, PJ Shelley.

This event is open to Filson Historical Society members only. The event is free but does require advance tickets. Tickets are limited to the first 80 registrants.

Parking is available in the PARC garage with entrance and exit on S. 8^th St.

Printing Indigenous Community – Summer Bookbinding Workshop

Date: July 19, 2025

Time: 10:30 am - 3:00 pm

Location: The Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd St. (In Person Only)

Reserve your spot today for the first in a series of events that explore the roles of printing and bookmaking in Native American communities. The Filson will host a hands-on bookbinding workshop featuring the work of Myaamia artist Megan Sekulich (Myaamia Center – Miami University). Participants will have the opportunity to craft hand-sewn pamphlets with letterpress printed covers, enclosing an original piece by Sekulich that draws inspiration from the Myaamia Kiilhswaakani – the Miami Lunar Calendar. Sekulich’s depiction of the lunar cycle emphasizes Indigenous ecological knowledge, interweaving Myaamia aesthetics and Myaamiaataweenki text. The workshop will be co-guided by local printer and bookbinder, Mark Alan Mattes of Hot Brown Press.

Separate workshops will be conducted in the morning (10:30 a.m.-noon) and afternoon (1:30-3:00 p.m.). Each workshop has a limited capacity of 12 participants. A material fee is included in the admission price. Reservations are required.

Megan Sekulich is a Myaamia artist. Her body of work incorporates woodcut relief, intaglio, collage, textile, mixed media, and traditional crafts.

Dr. Mark Alan Mattes is the founder of Hot Brown Press, a letterpress print shop and bindery in Louisville.

Explore Payne Hollow, the Homestead of Anna and Harlan Hubbard

Date: July 25, 2025

Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location: Payne Hollow Base Camp, Milton, KY (In Person Only)

Registration Required

Nestled on the banks of the Ohio River, Payne Hollow offers a unique opportunity to reflect on themes of simplicity, creativity, and environmental stewardship. Together, we will walk the historic Payne Landing Road to the Hubbard home, then delve into the Hubbards’ writings and artwork while viewing the river.

Guests must provide their own transportation to Payne Hollow’s base camp near Milton, KY. Participants must be able to traverse difficult terrain, which includes a 500-ft elevation change during the 3/4-mile walk. Appropriate clothing and footwear for rough outdoor hiking is required. All participants must sign waivers affirming their physical capacity to undertake this strenuous outing.

Payne Hollow is largely in the state that Harlan and Anna Hubbard left it. While that is part of its appeal, participants should be aware that there are no modern amenities. Participants should bring—and be able to carry in and out—drinking water and appropriate food to maintain energy levels for the hike. Sun and insect protection are highly recommended.

Archeology/History Walking Tour at Oxmoor Farm

Date: August 18, 2025

Time: 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Location: Oxmoor Farm, 720 Oxmoor Ave., Louisville (In Person Only)

Registration required

This program is generously sponsored by Dinsmore.

Want to channel your inner historian and archeologist? Join us on a tour of the historic Oxmoor Farm estate and archeological dig site! Oxmoor’s curator, Shirley Harmon, will lead a historic tour of the Oxmoor house comprised of sections dating back to 1791, 1829 and 1928, and talk about the history of the people who lived and worked at Oxmoor Farm. Archeologist Lori Stahlgren will lead a tour of the excavation site, and participants will have the opportunity to participate in a special dig. The dig site is located inside the former enslaved dwellings and is part of an ongoing restoration project that will culminate with a future on-site exhibit about the life of the enslaved people that once lived at Oxmoor Farm.

Participants must be able to traverse uneven terrain, ascend/descend stairs, and are required to wear clothing and footwear suitable for outdoor walking. As a portion of this event is held outdoors, participants should expect to be exposed to high temperatures and humidity.

The James J. Holmberg Lecture Series – The Cherokees in War & Peace | A book discussion with David Narrett, Ph.D.

Date: August 19, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: The Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville (In Person and Zoom options available)

Registration required

Sponsored by the Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the General Society of Colonial Wars.

For more than 150 years between their first encounters with the English in the 1670s and forced removal along the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees negotiated mounting pressures. At the dawn of the eighteenth century, the idea of unity among the widely dispersed Cherokees would scarcely have occurred to their leaders. Rich in detail and insight, and told through captivating personal stories, The Cherokees offers a portrait of the perseverance that built a nation. Amid an onslaught of struggle and change, the Cherokees became a people who survived against all odds.

Dr. David Narrett will participate in a thoughtful discussion with Filson leadership around his latest work and take our audience on the detailed and impactful journey of the Cherokee.

American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews

Date: August 26, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: The Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville (In Person and Zoom options available)

Registration required

A scion of the Protestant elite, Theodore Roosevelt was an unlikely ally of the waves of impoverished Jewish newcomers who crowded the docks at Ellis Island. Yet from his earliest years he forged ties with Jews never before witnessed in a president. American Maccabee traces Roosevelt’s deep connection with the Jewish people at every step of his dazzling ascent. But it also reveals a man of contradictions whose checkered approach to Jewish issues was no less conflicted than the nation he led.

Drawing on new archival research to paint a richly nuanced portrait of an iconic figure, American Maccabee chronicles the complicated relationship between the leader of a youthful nation and the people of an ancient faith.

Andrew Porwancher is professor of history at Arizona State University. His books include The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton (Princeton) and The Devil Himself: A Tale of Honor, Insanity, and the Birth of Modern America.

Please note: In the July/August Calendar, this was mistakenly published with a Thursday date. It is on Tuesday, August 26. Please call the Filson with any questions.

Visit the Filson

Open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm

The Filson is closed to the public the 3rd Friday of every month.

1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 635-5083

Plan Your Visit to the Filson! To register or purchase tickets for our events, please visit our Events Page.

The Research Library is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30pm; we are closed on the third Friday of each month. Appointments are not required, but feel free to reserve a seat online – learn more here. We also provide remote research services; please complete our research request form online here.

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