Butler, Stuart L. (1931-2006) Papers, 1966-2006
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Butler, Stuart L., 1931-2006
Title: Papers, 1966-2006
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.
Size of Collection: 6 cubic feet
Location Number: Mss./A/B985
Scope and Content Note
The Butler Papers contain organizational records, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera related primarily to Stuart Butler’s interests in caving and environmental activism. The collection includes maps, guides, and information related to caving in and around Kentucky, and the records of a number of area environmental organizations, including the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Buckley Hills Audubon Society. The collection has been divided into three series, the first of which contains items pertinent to Butler’s caving activity. The second, and most substantial, series reflects Butler’s environmental concerns, and the third contains items from Butler’s non-environmental or recreational activities, including his involvement in church and community issues, as well as a folder of newspaper clippings tracking local reports of space exploration in 1969.
All photos and any published material not directly relevant to the collection were removed to the Filson’s photo archives and library, respectively.
Biographical Note
Born in Middleboro, Massachusetts in 1931, Stuart Butler moved to Versailles, Kentucky in 1958, where he spent the rest of his life. Although he was employed as an engineer by Texas Instruments until 1991, Butler was also an avid caver and environmental activist. As a member of a local caving “grotto”, Butler led countless trips into caves across Kentucky, including a number of exploratory expeditions for state and local governments, aimed at a better understanding of the region’s karst landscape and its impact on issues such as flooding. Butler was also active in a number of regional environmental organizations, including the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Buckley Hills Audubon Society, and served on a number of citizens’ advisory councils, such as the one for Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, in Lexington, Kentucky. Butler also served as Woodford County’s director of disaster emergency services from 1967 to 1997. Butler died of cancer in 2006, at the age of 75.
Folder List
Series 1: Caving
Box 1
Folder 1: Caving, 1974-1987
Folder 2: Caves/Trips, 1974-1990
Folder 3: Caves, Adams Cave
Folder 4: Caves, Clifton Cave
Folder 5: Caves, Mammoth Cave
Folder 6: Cave Guides
Folder 7: Cave Maps/Info
Folder 8: Central Kentucky Cave Survey, 1984
Folder 9: Caving Newsletters, 1986-1990
Folder 10: Cave Info, 1987-1989
Folder 11: Cave Stuff, 1987-1990
Folder 12: Cave Protection Law, 1988
Folder 13: Big-Eared Bat Survey, 1988-1989
Folder 14: Bluegrass Grotto, 1992-2002
Folder 15: Bluegrass Grotto, 1995-2000
Folder 16: Bluegrass Grotto, 1998-2002
Folder 17: Courthouse Cave Grotto Project, 1997-1999
Folder 18: Courthouse Cave Grotto Project, Maps
Folder 19: Kentucky Caver, Fall 1997
Folder 20: Kentucky Spelofest Programs, 1987-1990
Folder 21: National Speleological Society Publications, June 1987-May 1988
Folder 22: National Speleological Society Publications, June 1988-September 1989
Folder 23: National Speleological Society Publications, October 1989-March 1990
Folder 24: National Speleological Society Publications, June 1989-September 1991
Folder 25: National Speleological Society Publications, April 1990-April 1991
Box 2
Folder 26: National Speleological Society Convention, 1992
Folder 27: Sinking Creek/HKB Flood Reports, 1993-1997
Folder 28: Caving, Misc, 1992-1995
Folder 29: Caving, Misc, 1995-1996
Series 2: Environmentalism
Box 2
Folder 30: Boone Karst Conservation Task Force, 1995
Folder 31: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, 1988-1992
Folder 32: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, 1995-2002
Folder 33: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, 1996
Folder 34: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, 1998-2001
Folder 35: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, Board Rosters, 1989-1994
Folder 36: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, Bylaws
Folder 37: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, Correspondence, 1993-1997, Undated
Folder 38: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, National Audubon Society, Misc.
Folder 39: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, National Audubon Society Report, 1988-1994
Folder 40: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, Newsletters, 1990-2004
Folder 41: Buckley Hills Audubon Society, Miscellaneous
Folder 42: Cahill Farm, 1975-1994
Folder 43: Coal Mining
Folder 44: Daniel Boone National Forest, Reports, 1985-1989
Folder 45: Daniel Boone National Forest, Endangered Species, 1989
Folder 46: Daniel Boone National Forest, Reports, 1991-1992
Folder 47: Daniel Boone National Forest, 1993-1994
Folder 48: Daniel Boone National Forest, 1994
Folder 49: Daniel Boone National Forest, Maps
Folder 50: Elisha Creek/Tight Hollow, 1994
Folder 51: Elkhorne Land and Historic Trust, 1993
Folder 52: Environmentalism, Miscellaneous
Box 3
Folder 53: Field Guides, Kentucky
Folder 54: Field Guides, National Audubon Society
Folder 55: Forestry
Folder 56: Heartwood, 1994-2003
Folder 57: Heartwood, 1999-2003
Folder 58: Heartwood, 2003
Folder 59: Kentuckians For the Commonwealth
Folder 60: Kentucky-American Water Company, Consumer Advisory Council
Folder 61: Kentucky Conservation Committee, 1987-1990
Folder 62: Kentucky Governor’s Forest Summit, 1994
Folder 63: Kentucky Resources Council, 1986-1988.
Folder 64: Kentucky Resources Council, 1986-1996
Folder 65: Kentucky Resources Council, 1996
Folder 66: Kentucky River Basin Steering Committee, 1987-1989
Folder 67: Kentucky River Basin Steering Committee, 1989-1990
Folder 68: Kentucky River Conference, Proceedings, 1986
Folder 69: Kentucky River, Dams, 1987-1989
Folder 70: Kentucky Rivers Assessment, 1992
Folder 71: Kentucky Waterways, 1991-1997
Folder 72: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 101
Folder 73: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 102
Folder 74: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 103
Folder 75: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 104
Folder 76: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 105
Folder 77: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 106
Box 4
Folder 78: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 107
Folder 79: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 108
Folder 80: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 109
Folder 81: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 110
Folder 82: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111
Folder 83: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111a
Folder 84: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111b
Folder 85: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111c
Folder 86: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111d
Folder 87: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 111e
Folder 88: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 112
Folder 89: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 113
Folder 90: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust) 114
Folder 91: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Bass Tournament
Folder 92: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Board of Directors Rosters, 1992-1997
Folder 93: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Cagles Farms
Folder 94: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Cagels Farms
Folder 95: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Correspondence, 1990-1999
Folder 96: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Financial Documents
Box 5
Folder 97: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Jamestown, Kentucky
Folder 98: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Meeting Minutes, 1990-1997
Folder 99: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), New Albany Water Plant
Folder 100: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Newspaper Clippings, 1990-1993
Folder 101: LCT (Lake Cumberland Trust), Miscellaneous
Folder 102: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1987-1989
Folder 103: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1991-1998
Folder 104: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1994-1996
Folder 105: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1995-2002
Folder 106: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1995-2002
Folder 107: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1997-2003
Folder 108: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 1997-2004
Folder 109: Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board, 2000-2002
Folder 110: Red River Gorge, 1986
Folder 111: Red River, Miscellaneous, 1993-1994
Folder 112: Rock Climbing Management Guide, 1993
Folder 113: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, File Contents, Compiled 2007
Folder 114: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Charlie Harper Poster
Folder 115: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Red River Gorge Douglas Hike Memories
Folder 116: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Early Correspondence, 1966-1967
Folder 117: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Early Correspondence, 1968-1970
Box 6
Folder 118: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Bylaws
Folder 119: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Douglas Dinner
Folder 120: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Bulletins, Ohio Section, 1967-1968
Folder 121: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Early Membership Lists, 1967
Folder 122: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Early Correspondence, 1967
Folder 123: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, First Meeting of Kentucky Group, 1967
Folder 124: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Early Newsletters, 1967-1970
Folder 125: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Organizational Meeting, 1967
Folder 126: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Outing Schedules
Folder 127: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Kentucky Section, Outings, 1967
Folder 128: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Kentucky Section, Outings, 1968
Folder 129: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Kentucky Section, Outings, 1969
Folder 130: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Red River Gorge, 1966-1969
Folder 131: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Red River Gorge Unsung Heroes
Folder 132: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Newsletters, 1977-1978
Folder 133: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Newsletters, 1970s/1980s
Folder 134: Sierra Club, Cumberland Chapter, Newsletters, 1990s
Folder 135: Sierra Club, International Assembly, 1983
Folder 136: Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Kentucky Chapter
Folder 137: Sierra Club, 1988-1998
Folder 138: Sierra Club, 1992
Folder 139: Sierra Club, 1992-1993
Folder 140: Sierra Club, 2003
Folder 141: Sierra Club Forest Watch
Folder 142: Sierra Club, Outings
Folder 143: Woodford County River Association, 1989-1994
Series 3: Other
Folder 144: Correspondence from Various Government Officials, 1976-2006
Folder 145: Trustees, Minutes
Folder 146: Trustees, Meeting, 1998
Folder 147: Trustees, Meeting Prep
Folder 148: Woodford County Community Education
Folder 149: Newspaper Clippings, 1969
Folder 150: Newspaper Clippings, 1990-2004
Folder 151: Ephemera, 1975-1996
Subject Headings
Audubon societies – Kentucky
Caves – Kentucky
Cumberland Lake (Ky.)
Daniel Boone National Forest (Ky.)
Douglas, William O. (William Orville), 1898-1980
Environmentalism – Kentucky
Fruit of the Loom (Firm)
National Speleological Society
Raven Run Nature Sanctuary (Lexington, Ky.)
Red River Gorge (Ky.)
Sierra Club. Cumberland Chapter
