Kentucky Historical Society
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The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1836 and in continuous operation since 1896. It is the recognized leader in helping people understand, cherish, and share Kentucky’s stories as it engages people in the exploration of the commonwealth’s diverse heritage. Through comprehensive and innovative services, interpretive programs, and stewardship, KHS provides connections to the past, perspective on the present, and inspiration for the future.
KHS works with organizations throughout the commonwealth to promote the study and preservation of the state’s history and culture. It features a wide variety of educational programs, museum exhibitions, publications, and research collections. The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History houses the permanent and changing exhibition galleries, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library, special collections, classrooms, and staff offices. The historical society also operates the Old State Capitol and the Kentucky Military History Museum in downtown Frankfort.
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[edit] Address and Contact Info
Address: Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1931
Phone: (502) 564-1792
Fax: (502) 564-4701
Web page: http://history.ky.gov
Executive Director: Kent Whitworth
Online Finding Aid: http://history.ky.gov/sub.php?pageid=113§ionid=3
Archivists (principal contacts for advice on the collection):
[edit] Hours and usage restrictions
[edit] Collection Summary
The KHS manuscript collection contains approximately 1,600 cubic feet of original material. These papers generally are privately created records of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations rather than documents of Kentucky state government. The collection does, however, include the three extant state constitutions, written in 1792, 1799, and 1891. Letters, diaries, church records, business records, broadsides, handbills, and literary manuscripts shed light on the lives of Kentuckians in early times. More than 2,000 historical maps document Kentucky’s pioneer heritage and changing boundaries. KHS special collections also maintains photographic collections of more than 200,000 images. Holdings include strong collections of architectural prints and negatives, particularly from the 1920s and 1930s. The rare book collection includes early published state documents, legislative journals, and a complete set of Kentucky Acts. The Kentucky Oral History Commission holdings in special collections number more than 8,000 interviews, making it one of the largest oral history collections in the country.
The Martin F. Schmidt Research Library has approximately 40,000 volumes, 20,000 vertical files, and 12,000 reels of microfilm. It has extensive census and 19th-century newspaper microform holdings as well as surname, biographical, and topical research folders. It also has a large collection of privately published family histories, local and county histories, and city directories. It is considered one of the leading family history research facilities in the region.
The KHS museum collection includes more than 75,000 artifacts and archaeological items, no more than 15 percent of which are on display at any one time. These include more than 10,000 military items, 10,000 clothing and textile items (610 military flags, 132 quilts), 500 paintings, 3,000 political artifacts, 4,500 pieces of furniture and decorative arts, 4,500 tools, and 35,000 archaeological items. A Kentucky Journey, the permanent exhibition in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, includes more than 3,000 artifacts. The Keeneland Changing Exhibits Gallery hosts one or two exhibits a year. The Center for Kentucky History also features a Hall of Governors, which displays portraits of every former governor of the commonwealth. Other portraits and works from the KHS collection are on display in the Old State Capital and the Kentucky Military History Museum.
[edit] Usage Discussion
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