Welcome

Thanks for joining our mailing list! Here’s what is happening at the Filson:

Current Exhibits

Kentucky Unsettled: The Erasure of Native Homeland explores how competing Native, colonial, and American interests shaped property ownership in the Commonwealth. (Carriage House exhibit)

People Passage Place Graphic

People Passage Place: Stories of the Ohio Valley (Nash Gallery) Semi-permanent exhibit. You are invited to engage with the Filson’s collections and to think critically about how history shapes your lives and communities.

Image: Untitled (moored shantyboat), Harlan Hubbard, 1930s, watercolor and pencil on paper, original 8” x 5.5”, courtesy of the Caddell Collection.

Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard (Bingham Gallery) Writer, artist, and sustainability pioneer Harlan Hubbard (1900-1988) lived an unassuming life, only to find himself embedded in the historical memory of Kentucky. Based on the upcoming, comprehensive biography, Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard, this exhibition brings to life the story of a man who, though beloved by his fellow Kentuckians, deserves broad recognition in the disciplines of American landscape painting, writing, and environmental advocacy.

Upcoming Events

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 […]

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 […]

Interested in helping the Filson’s mission to collect, preserve, and share

the history and culture of the Ohio Valley Region?

Background is image of museum storage at the Filson Historical Society. Text reads "Become a Member"

Background image of child sitting on small carriage with a goat pull them. Words read "Become a Volunteer"

Visit the Filson

The Filson will be closed on Friday, July 4th for Independence Day.

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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