This program is associated with the Filson’s People,
Passage, Place exhibit. This exhibit will be open for viewing for 30 minutes
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.