This event is produced in partnership with KET, the
Muhammad Ali Center, and the Shelby County Historical Society.
One of public television’s most popular series, Secrets
of the Dead, brings its historical analysis to Kentucky!
The Secrets of the Dead series, which uses
the latest science to challenge prevailing ideas and share fresh perspectives
on historical events, investigates an incident from Kentucky history known as
the “Simpsonville Massacre,” when 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th US Colored
Cavalry on a cattle drive to Louisville were ambushed and slain by outlaws.
The episode “The Civil War’s Lost Massacre,” which was
co-produced by KET, revisits the events of January 25, 1865, tracing the
stories of several of the Kentucky soldiers and their families with help from
guest historians, two of whom hail from Kentucky: Jerry Miller, a former state
legislator from Louisville, and Juanita White, a historian and writer.
Aided by University of Kentucky archeologist Dr. Philip Mink
and the university’s EduceLab Mobile Team, the historians search the land
around where the massacre occurred, hoping to find the lost burial grounds
where the soldiers were lain. The episode also includes interviews with several
of Kentucky’s Civil War scholars, including Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor, author and
history professor at the University of Kentucky; Steve Phan, chief of
interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument; Dr. W. Stephen McBride, former
director of interpretation and archeology at Camp Nelson National Monument; and
Joni House, former park manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic
Site.
This film screening will be held at the Muhammad Ali Center,
144 N. 6th St., Louisville. Admission to the event is free but
registration is required. Parking is a separate fee.