Special Announcements
Boards of HCK and KAM Approve Merged Entity
Posted: 4/4/2008Boards of HCK and KAM Approve Merged Entity
At its first quarter 2008 meeting, the governing boards of the Historical Confederation of Kentucky and the Kentucky Association of Museums approved the mission and by-laws for the proposed Kentucky Museum and Heritage Alliance. This proposed organization is the result of over two years of work by over 30 museum and heritage professionals across the state.
The proposed entity requires the review and vote of the current memberships of HCK and KAM. This will take place at the annual meeting in Elizabethtown this June. A draft of the mission and by-laws will be sent to you at least 30 days before this meeting. To cast your vote, you will either need to be present at the annual meeting or return the signed proxy that will be mailed with the mission and by-laws drafts.
Only current members will be able to vote. If you have any questions about your membership status, please contact Recording/Membership Secretary Sam Richardson at samuel.richardson@ky.gov.
"The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis" Symposium
Posted: 3/14/2008Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America and a Kentucky native, is the topic of a day- long symposium set for Friday, June 27, at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Davis's birth. Keynote speaker for "The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis" will be nationally known Civil War scholar and author William J. Cooper Jr., of Louisiana State University.
The symposium is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break for lunch. Events include two topical panels followed by a roundtable discussion.
Panel 1: Jefferson Davis and the Civil War This panel discussion features both established and emerging scholars highlighting recent work on Davis's role in the war, Confederate military and diplomatic efforts, African Americans in the Confederacy and the Confederate army, and life in the South during the war.
Panel 2: Jefferson Davis and Lost Cause Memory This discussion focuses on the actual and symbolic roles Davis and his family played in the emergence of the Lost Cause, both across the old Confederacy and in Kentucky.
"The Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis" will end with a group discussion on how to interpret Jefferson Davis era Confederate history accurately and sensitively at Kentucky's historic sites.
The deadline for registration is Friday, June 20, and seating is limited to the first 200 people. The registration fee includes lunch. Cost is: $25 general public; $20 Kentucky Historical Society members; $10 students (photocopy of student ID must accompany registration form).
To register, please contact Julia Curry at 502-564- 1792, ext. 4414 or by email Julia.curry@ky.gov. You can also download a registration form here.
Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail
Posted: 2/29/2008The Lincoln Legacy Lives on in Kentucky!
Begin your commemoration of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial where he began life. Travel the Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail, a scenic route across the central portion of the Bluegrass State, and explore numerous historic sites and interpretative signs highlighting the Kentucky people, places and events that shaped the Lincoln legacy.
Witness for yourself his humble beginnings with a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, which includes a replica of the one-room log cabin in which he was born. Continue your exploration along the trail and experience how Kentucky and Kentuckians influenced Lincoln’s childhood, ideals and presidency.
Visit www.kylincolntrail.com for more information.
Hands-on preservation skills training workshops
Posted: 2/29/2008A series of hands-on historic preservation skills training workshops continuing through October has been announced by the Kentucky Heritage Council / State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with local partners around the state.
Mason County/Maysville
Two workshops are being offered in Old Washington in Mason County by Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC) in cooperation with Old Washington, Inc., and the Kentucky Heritage Council. Participants will work directly on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
• May 12-16: Brick Masonry for Historic Buildings – Ideal for homeowners, masons and others who would like to learn more about the historic methods of building brick structures and how to repair and maintain them. The instructor will be Miles Miller of Rochester-Miller Restoration, Inc., a member of Preservation Trades Network.
• May 19-23: Window Sash Restoration – Suitable for contractors, homeowners, beginners and others interested in techniques for restoring historic wood windows. Working with lead-safe practices will be taught throughout the course. The instructor will be Andy Roeper of Lyndeborugh, New Hampshire, a member of the Preservation Trades Network and owner of Winn Mountain Restorations (www.winnmountainrestorations.com).
Class size is limited. To register, contact MCTC at (606) 759-7141, ext. 66120; for additional information, directions or other questions call Orloff Miller, (606) 564-0250.
Harlan County
Three upcoming courses are being offered through the Pine Mountain School for Practical Historic Preservation, a partnership of Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County and the Kentucky Heritage Council:
• May 16-18 – Diagnosing Historic Buildings: Best Treatment Options, with instructors Thomas McDowell and Michael Spencer of the UK College of Design Department of Historic Preservation. McDowell has been a preservation craftsman, project manager, consultant and preservation design builder for over three decades, and he regularly inspects monumental historic buildings for the federal government. Spencer is an assistant professor in the UK historic preservation department and will be demonstrating non-invasive diagnostic technologies.
• June 22-27 – Practical Preservation: Square Log Building, led by log building expert Moss Rudley of the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center, and a member of Preservation Trades Network. This workshop will feature extensive hands-on experience and include demonstrations of full and partial log replacement, log end replacement, chinking and daubing procedures and more.
• October 10-12 – From the Ground Up: The Art of Building Dry Stone Walls with instructor Richard Tufnell, co-founder of the U.S. Dry Stone Conservancy, Inc. Presentations will focus on the history of this art, demonstrations, and hands-on repair of a stone wall on settlement school grounds. Suitable for those with little or no building experience as well as those with more advanced skills. Tufnell, an award-winning stone mason from Scotland, makes annual trips to the United States to work on special projects.
For more information see www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com or contact Patrick Kennedy at the Heritage Council.
Kentucky Association of Museums Supports the Federal Formula Grant Coalition
Posted: 1/18/2008The Kentucky Association of Museums is a proud member of The Federal Formula Grant Coalition; an alliance of more than 45 local, state, regional, and national museum associations. Our mission is to encourage the U.S. Congress to include federal formula grants for museums when it reauthorizes the Institute for Museum and Library Services Act (IMLS) in 2009. A federal formula grant model for museums would:
- Provide significant financial support for all types of museums;
- Bring federal tax dollars home to the states, where each state’s unique challenges, needs, and opportunities can be addressed;
- Require every state to name an agency responsible for monitoring and assisting museums at the state level;
- Leverage matching state and, possibly local funds for museums;
- Enable governments to gather data on museums and their progress over time; and
- Ensure museums are healthy and stable institutions that benefit the nation’s citizens.
Kentucky Oral History Commission Collects WWII Veteran Stories
Posted: 12/21/2007America loses hundreds of World War II veterans every day. With them go invaluable eyewitness accounts of a pivotal time in history. The Kentucky Historical Society is working to preserve stories of the WWII years, both from combat and from the homefront.
"Through the work of the Kentucky Oral History Commission, a network of trained oral historians has been talking with Kentucky veterans and recording their stories," says Sarah Milligan, the Kentucky Oral History Commission program coordinator at the Kentucky Historical Society. "These stories will become part of the Kentucky Oral History Commission archive and will be accessible through the Historical Society Web site."
In addition to the 30 interviews being collected as a part of this recent initiative, the commission holds about 100 interviews which discuss WWII topics. Those interested in WWII interviews can also share their stories through the Veteran's Oral History projects conducted through the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville oral history programs. Kentuckians interested in partnering with the Commission for Veteran's Oral History documentation at a local level may contact Sarah Milligan at 502-564-1792, ext. 4434. Veterans can also participate in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which collects materials for the national historical archives in Washington, DC. For more information, visit the Library of Congress Web site.
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