Archive for category: Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Filson Historical Society will host the Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. at The Kentucky Center – Bomhard Theater. Featuring “New York Times” bestselling author Katherine Howe and the book she wrote with Anderson Cooper, “Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty,” this interview style lecture will be moderated by Richard Clay, President and CEO of the Filson.

When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.

Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper, joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other.

Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures.

Katherine Howe is a “New York Times” bestselling and award-winning writer of historical fiction. Her adult novels are “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane,” which debuted at #2 on the “New York Times” bestseller list in 2009 and was named one of “USA Today’s” top ten books of the year, and “The House of Velvet and Glass,” which was a “USA Today” bestseller in 2011. For young adults, Katherine has written “Conversion,” which received the 2015 Massachusetts Book Award in young adult literature, and a New York City-based literary ghost story called “The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen,” which was named a 2016 “Must Read” for young adults by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. In 2014, she edited “The Penguin Book of Witches” for Penguin Classics, a primary source reader on the history of witchcraft in England and North America which made a regional bestseller list and which has been translated into Spanish and Russian. “The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs,” her latest novel for adults, was published by Henry Holt and Co in summer 2019. She co-wrote “Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” with Anderson Cooper, out now from Harper. Her upcoming books include her next novel, “A True Account of Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself,” forthcoming 11/21/23 from Holt, along with a nonfiction reader called “The Penguin Book of Pirates”. She is currently at work on her next project with Cooper, also for next fall, called “Astor”.

The Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series will be held on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Kentucky Center – Bomhard Theater, 501 West Main St., Louisville. Tickets are free for Filson members and $26.33 for non-members (taxes and fees included).  Tickets for this event must be purchased from The Kentucky Center Ticket Service. Please call (502) 584-7777 or visit kentuckyperformingarts.org for tickets.

Initiated in 1993 as a memorial to the life of Gertrude Polk Brown and made possible by the generous support of her children, Dace Brown Stubbs and G. Garvin Brown III. The Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series has brought both nationally and internationally recognized historians and journalists to Louisville, many of them Pulitzer Prize winners. Speakers are selected based on their overall excellence in research, writing, and speaking and are not restricted to historians. The Filson hosts up to five lectures per year in this series.

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Filson Historical Society will host a public exhibit opening for “Olde England on the Ohio: Louisville’s Tudor Revival” on Friday, November 4, 2022, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. This exhibit is guest curated by Dr. Daniel Gifford.

Louisville’s residents and visitors often note the city’s proliferation of Tudor Revival architecture. From homes to businesses, churches to charities, Louisville has retained an impressive Tudor Revival collection, including several neighborhoods where it is the dominant style. “Olde England on the Ohio: Louisville’s Tudor Revival” uses Louisville as a microcosm of a larger national movement that peaked in the 1920s and early 1930s. Tudor Revival not only manifested through architecture, but also in consumer products and popular culture. The exhibit shows the range of ways Americans looked to recreate a near-mythic “Merrie Olde England” in the early twentieth century.

Importantly, it was no accident that this turn towards an imaginary English past coincided with a wave of Eastern European immigrants, a massive African-American migration to northern cities, and the refinement of continued systems of racial, religious, and ethnic injustice. Many explicitly saw Tudor Revival as a way of claiming and elevating Anglo-Saxon heritage for a select few.

But in Louisville these attempts ultimately failed. “Olde England on the Ohio” demonstrates how diverse groups across the city used Tudor Revival to make their own assertations about belonging and participation in American culture. The objects, images, and artifacts gathered in the exhibit ultimately suggest that Tudor Revival succeeded as a movement built from the ground up, not the top down.

Dr. Daniel Gifford is a public historian who focuses on American popular and visual culture, as well as museums in American culture.  He received his Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2011 and serves on the Filson Historical Society’s Board of Directors.

The opening reception on November 4 will feature refreshments and short remarks from the curator and sponsors at 5:15 p.m. All participants must register in advance. To register for this event, please visit www.filsonhistorical.org. This event is free and open to the public.

“Olde England on the Ohio: Louisville’s Tudor Revival” is generously sponsored by Stock Yards Bank and Trust.

“Olde England on the Ohio” will be open for viewing Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm beginning Monday, November 7, 2022 at the Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3^rd Street, Louisville. Tours of the exhibit and grounds are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged.

For more information about this exhibit, please contact Maureen Lane, Curator of Museum Collections at gro.l1744727251aciro1744727251tsihn1744727251oslif1744727251@neer1744727251uam1744727251 or (502) 635-5083. For more information on Filson events, please visit filsonhistorical.org.

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Since its founding in 1884, The Filson Historical Society has preserved the region’s collective memory, not only of Kentucky but also of the Ohio Valley and the Upper South. The Filson continues to collect and tell the significant stories of the region. An independent historical society, The Filson serves the public through its extensive research collections and numerous educational opportunities. The Filson is headquartered in the Ferguson Mansion in Old Louisville and houses a library, a museum and a special collections department.

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Filson Historical Society will host a public exhibit opening for Forgotten Foundations: Louisville’s Lost Architecture on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from 4:30-5:45 p.m. This exhibit is curated by Jana Meyer and Danielle Spalenka.

Forgotten Foundations explores the rise, fall, and revitalization of the urban core. For much of its history, Downtown Louisville was the foundation and heart of the city. Downtown became a hub for many businesses in a post-Civil War building boom. Grand buildings with intricate architectural details were a visual symbol of Louisville’s growing economic power. But as people and businesses relocated to the suburbs, downtown saw a major decline. Buildings once seen as architectural gems were now perceived as outdated. Urban renewal and the expansion of expressways meant that many buildings foundational to the city were demolished. This exhibit will remember what was lost through architectural and photographic records left behind.

The opening reception will feature refreshments and short remarks from the curator and sponsors at 5:30 p.m. All participants must register in advance. To register for this event, please visit www.filsonhistorical.org. This event is free and open to the public.

Forgotten Foundations: Louisville’s Lost Architecture is generously sponsored by Stock Yards Bank and Trust.

After the opening, the Filson will host Michael Koch for a lecture on his book, Close to Home, which presents the author’s creative, award-winning work and introduces readers to the simple elegance of his designs and meaningful contributions he has made to the landscape of Kentucky. Close to Home is an associated program with Forgotten Foundations, and features projects within a 15-mile radius of Louisville. This event is separate from the exhibit opening and will require a separate registration. “Close to Home” is open to the public, but registration is required. Close to Home is free and open to the public.

“Forgotten Foundations” is open for viewing Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3^rd Street, Louisville. Tours of the exhibit and grounds are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged.

For more information about this exhibit, please contact Maureen Lane, Curator of Museum Collections at gro.l1744727251aciro1744727251tsihn1744727251oslif1744727251@neer1744727251uam1744727251 or (502) 635-5083. For more information on Filson events, please visit filsonhistorical.org.

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Filson Historical Society is proud to announce the opening of their latest exhibit, Forgotten Foundations: Louisville’s Lost Architecture on February 18. This exhibit is curated by Jana Meyer and Danielle Spalenka.

Forgotten Foundations explores the rise, fall, and revitalization of the urban core. For much of its history, Downtown Louisville was the foundation and heart of the city. Downtown became a hub for many businesses in a post-Civil War building boom. Grand buildings with intricate architectural details were a visual symbol of Louisville’s growing economic power. But as people and businesses relocated to the suburbs, downtown saw a major decline. Buildings once seen as architectural gems were now perceived as outdated. Urban renewal and the expansion of expressways meant that many buildings foundational to the city were demolished. This exhibit will remember what was lost through architectural and photographic records left behind.

Forgotten Foundations will be open for viewing Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3^rd Street, Louisville. Tours of the exhibit and grounds are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged.

The Filson will host a public exhibit opening Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from 4:30-5:45 p.m. The reception will feature refreshments and short remarks from the curator and sponsors at 5:30 p.m. Small groups of 10 will be allowed in the exhibit at one time to view them and speak with the curators. All participants must register in advance. Masks and proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid test in the preceding 48 hours are required to attend this event. To register for this event, please visit www.filsonhistorical.org. This event is free and open to the public.

Forgotten Foundations: Louisville’s Lost Architecture is generously sponsored by Stock Yards Bank and Trust.

After the opening, the Filson will host Michael Koch for a lecture on his book, Close to Home, which presents the author’s creative, award-winning work and introduces readers to the simple elegance of his designs and meaningful contributions he has made to the landscape of Kentucky. “Close to Home” is an associated program with Forgotten Foundations, and features projects within a 15-mile radius of Louisville. This event is separate from the exhibit opening and will require a separate registration. Close to Home is open to the public, but registration is required. Close to Home is free for Filson members and $15 for non-members. Masks and proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid test in the preceding 48 hours are required to attend this event.

For more information about this exhibit, please contact Maureen Lane, Curator of Museum Collections at gro.l1744727251aciro1744727251tsihn1744727251oslif1744727251@neer1744727251uam1744727251 or (502) 635-5083. For more information on Filson events, please visit filsonhistorical.org.

LOUISVILLE, KY – As you are probably aware, there are four bills proposed in the Kentucky General Assembly (House Bills 14, 18, 487 and Senate Bill 138) that seek to limit the ability of school boards and teachers to teach complex lessons from American history to Kentucky public school students—particularly around issues of race and gender. The Filson Historical Society’s new strategic plan challenges us to help communities build a stronger present and future through learning from their past. So, we invite you to join us in opposition to these efforts to limit the intellectual freedom of Kentucky students and educators.

The Filson aligns itself on this issue with the Kentucky Commissioner of Education and the American Historical Association. “Educators must provide an accurate view of the past in order to better prepare students for community participation and robust civic engagement,” writes the AHA. History is an act that calls all of us together to explore, question, and debate. There are ideas and actions that we should all justly celebrate in American history, as well as individual and structural failings which we should not just condemn but work to avoid in our present and future. “Suppressing or watering down discussion of ‘divisive concepts’ in educational institutions,” the AHA statement continues, “deprives students of opportunities to discuss and foster solutions to social divisions and injustice.”

Senate Bill 138 provides a list of primary sources, important pieces of legislation or public speeches, that it demands must be included in appropriate grade-level public school history curricula. The Filson supports the critical use of primary sources in history education and has long provided both original material and guiding questions to classrooms. Beyond critiquing the narrow document selection, the idea of creating curriculum by legislation is irresponsible in the democratic society which these bills purportedly celebrate. Doing so ignores the professional judgment and training of educators, who have both deep content knowledge and training in age-appropriate teaching and learning techniques. It ignores the democratic process whereby local curricula are shaped by school boards who can be held accountable by their communities.

House Bill 18 authorizes disciplinary action against teachers, and House Bill 14 lays out steps for investigating and fining school districts who might be accused of teaching with facts and historical documents which the framers of these bills wish excluded from public instruction. House Bill 487 provides for the prosecution of teachers in Circuit Court and seeks to impose a faulty definition of “revisionist history” that would outlaw the teaching of over fifty years of American history scholarship, including the publications of the Filson. This is a chilling move to punish and discourage free speech that stands directly opposed to the Filson’s mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing the full history of our state and region.

The Filson depends on a membership that is raised to explore and question our past in the service of our future. Freedom and constructively critical curiosity, not simply celebration, is the hallmark of a healthy society. The Filson, as a private nonprofit organization, is fortunately not subject to the restrictions that these bills seek to mandate. Yet the Filson recognizes that public education shapes the next generation of our membership. To remain as strong, vibrant, relevant, and diverse as our wonderful organization has become, we must resist such overreaching efforts now.

If you are so inclined, we urge you to contact your legislator via the Legislative Research Commission by telephone (800-372-7181) or email to your individual representative as soon as possible to voice opposition to these or any bills that would overrule the professional judgment of teachers, deny the democratic mandate of local school boards, and restrict the right of Kentucky students to fully understand the world they will inherit and lead.

 

Sincerely,

Richard H. C. Clay, President & CEO

John Stern, Chairman of the Board of Directors