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This program is associated with the Filson’s People, Passage, Place exhibit. This exhibit will be open for viewing for 1 hour prior to the start of the lecture.

In 1952, after nearly a decade of epic adventures together, Harlan and Anna Hubbard returned to Kentucky in search of a new home. They purchased land at a beloved former campsite, along the Ohio River in Trimble County, and set about creating a handcrafted, bespoke homestead that would be their pride and joy—and the fascination of thousands of others—for the next four decades. Their life at Payne Hollow inspired Harlan Hubbard’s second published work, Payne Hollow: Life on the Fringe of Society, which details the creative, beautiful, and sustainable lifestyle they followed there. A new non-profit organization, Payne Hollow on the Ohio, Inc., has recently purchased the historic Hubbard homestead. The organization’s mission is to sustainably protect and preserve the land and structures at Payne Hollow as a means to promote the legacy of Harlan and Anna Hubbard. David Wicks, chairman of the board of directors, will provide a brief overview of the organization’s formation and make-up, and Jessica Whitehead, a founding board member, will give a history of Payne Hollow, of the Hubbard lifestyle, and of the vital work Payne Hollow on the Ohio will be doing over the next few years to honor the Hubbard legacy.

David Wicks is the chairman for Payne Hollow on the Ohio, Inc, as well as chairman for River City Paddle Sports and vice-chairman of the Ohio River Way. He is a co-founder of the Ohio River Recreation Trail steering committee and leads the Nature-Based Recreation Working Group on the plan for The Ohio River Basin 2020-2025.

Jessica Whitehead is a founding board member, secretary, and archivist for Payne Hollow on the Ohio, Inc. She is Curator of Collections for the Kentucky Derby Museum as well as an independent writer, artist, and curator, specializing in themes related to Ohio River Valley history, the natural world, and the arts. Her new biography of Harlan Hubbard, Driftwood: Harlan Hubbard in the American Grain, is under contract with University Press of Kentucky, to appear in 2024.

As a public institution for the treatment of tuberculosis from 1910 to 1961, Waverly Hills Sanatorium inspired both hope and dread. Patients from Louisville and beyond filled long waiting lists to gain admission to the sanatorium. Once there, they were usually desperate to get out. This talk explores the stories of patients, staff, and supporters of the different facilities at Waverly Hills, uncovering a history shaped by far-reaching medical developments and hard-fought struggles to salvage health. 

Lynn Pohl has a Ph.D. in history from Indiana University, Bloomington, and is Collections Cataloger at the Filson Historical Society. Her book Waverly Hills Sanatorium: A History was published by The History Press in 2022.