This exhibit is sponsored by Stock Yards Bank & Trust.
Join the Filson Historical Society for the opening of Kentucky
Progress: Establishing the Kentucky State Parks. Participants will have
the opportunity to meet the curators in the gallery to engage in conversation
and answer questions. The curatorial team, staff, and sponsors will give
remarks at 5:15 pm. This a free event open to the public but registration is encouraged.
One hundred years ago, history and tourism were the drivers
of economic transformation in Kentucky. Liberated by the automobile, tourists
could travel on their own time, away from the rails. Parks would draw visitors
along newly paved roads, lodge them in modern accommodations, and familiarize
them with the natural beauty and resource wealth of the state. With an eye on
out-of-state industrial investment, parks were the face of Kentucky Progress.
2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Kentucky State Parks and the 140th
anniversary of the Filson. Both institutions tell an intertwined story of
interpreting Kentucky’s past, promoting its economic success in the present,
and reflecting the slow progress from segregation to inclusion.