Print of the Executive Committee for the 1905 United Confederate veterans Reunion in Louisville. The print has a photographs of every committee member with a drawing of a Confederate soldier and Confederate flags., 1905

When perusing lists of veterans’ organizations around the world, it’s interesting to note that most countries are limited to one or two societies.  The United States on the other hand has more than eighty.  Why such a plethora?  Perhaps it is because we are such a diverse country, represented by so many nationalities and interest groups.  The war in Vietnam, for example, spawned organizations such as Vietnam Veterans against the War, Vietnam Veterans of America, Vietnamese American Armed Forces Association and Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club.

Without a doubt the Society of the Cincinnati is the oldest military society in continuous existence in North America.  Its first meeting was in May of 1783 and was chaired by Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton.  Membership was limited to officers who had served at least three years in the Continental Army or Navy and also included officers of the French Army and Navy.  Originally, the participants of the first meeting simply agreed to stay in touch with one another once the Revolution was over and to observe three objectives: “To preserve the rights so dearly won; to promote the continuing union of the states; and to assist members in need, their widows and their orphans.”

Perhaps the most unusual society was the Military Order of the Serpent which was founded in 1904 as a society within the United Spanish War Veterans.  Active membership was confined to all members in good standing in the USWV and the Sons of Spanish War Veterans.  It is a secret society created to perpetuate the memories of the services of the veterans of the Spanish-American War era; to participate in the observance of patriotic holidays, especially “Remember the Maine Day”; to place flags on the graves of veterans of the war with Spain; to care for Spanish American war memorials; to uphold the principals of freedom, patriotism and humanity, and finally to encourage the study of American history in our schools.  Reactivated just recently, the MOS published their constitution and by-laws for their Ohio branch in 1907.  The Filson Library has this publication as well as publications of many other veterans’ groups.

This is probably the most involved quilt square I've worked on thus far. The pattern is "Swoon" by Thimble Blossoms.

“I quilt for a contented heart.”* No truer words have been spoken. Whether I’m feeling angry, nervous, or excited, I can go to my sewing space and feel at peace. I am by no means a professional quilter; I just love to create handmade things for friends and family, and quilts are practical as well as beautiful.

The art of quilting is older than written history, and quilts are a big part of Kentucky’s heritage. The term comes from the Latin culcita, or “stuffed sack,” but the quilt as we know it today dates to the 16^th century. Beginning as a strictly utilitarian article, quilts were rarely artistic. They were strictly for keeping people warm. Artistic quilting arose when Americans began manufacturing textiles and women no longer had to spin and weave their own fabrics. Through the years, quilting has gone from a necessity to a hobby, and it is seeing a rise in popularity. Today, millions of Americans are involved in quilting.

The Filson has several books in our library about quilting. Mary Washington Clarke wrote Kentucky Quilts and Their Makers, a wonderful book on the history of Kentucky quilts and the women behind them. You can see the wonderful community that surrounds quilting. I was particularly interested in The Civil War Diary Quilt: 121 stories and the quilt blocks they inspired by Rosemary Youngs. The book features diary entries from 10 women including Cora Owens Hume, a Southern sympathizer who lived in Louisville during the war. We have a page of her diary on display in our Civil War exhibit, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”

If you would like more information about any of the quilting books in our library, please contact The Filson or browse our online catalog. Meanwhile, I’ll be sewing and thinking about how the tradition of quilting continues to play a role in the writing of history.

* From Kentucky Quilts and Their Makers by Mary Washington Clarke

Norman Kohlhepp (1892 - 1986) enlisted in the French army in 1917, and served in the "Reserve Mallet" in World War I - a transport unit that was created as part of the French Army but later became part of the United States Army's Transport Service. He was also an accomplished artist in painting and print making, studying at the Academy Colarossi and Academy de la Grand Chaumiere. Andre Lhote, the cubist painter, was one of his instructors. Norman was married to artist Dorothy Kohlhepp. He died in Louisville, KY in 1986. Norman Kohlhepp Collection

The National Guard History eMuseum tells us that a total of 84,172 persons from Kentucky served in the United States Army. This total included 80,009 enlisted men, 3,747 commissioned officers, 241 nurses, 153 army field clerks, and 22 United States Marine Cadets. A breakdown of these figures show that there were 12,759 men in the regular Army, 7,518 National Guardsmen, 2,526 in the Reserve Corps, 2,734 volunteers, and 58,635 drafted men. Seven Kentuckians were Army Major Generals, nine were Brigadier Generals, and 23 were Colonels. Distinguished aviators were Major Victor Strohm and Lieutenant Colonel J. O. Creech. Of the overall total 41,655 saw overseas duty, while 2,418 deaths occurred among Kentucky troops, 890 of which were battle deaths.

Place de la Concorde, German tanks surrounded by captured German guns.- Norman Kohlhepp Collection

Sentiments were divided in Louisville at the start of the war, with Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson vehemently opposing the German and Austro-Hungarian Central Powers in his daily editorials; young men were whipped into a frenzy of volunteering at patriotic meetings.  But the local German-American community  and the German language newspaper the Louisville Anzeiger vocally supported Germany.  And much like “Branson,” the Irish chauffer on “Downton Abbey,” many Irish-American Louisvillians were more Anti-English than Pro-German, but also opposed the U. S.’s entry into the war.  The city was, however, united in May of 1917 when a German submarine torpedoed a Louisville-owned cargo ship owend by C. C. Mengel and Brothers.  Louisvillians flooded recruiting stations, German, Irish and otherwise.

Captain John Speed at Fountainebleau during World War I. The Speed Collection

AEF Field Artillery, 1917. The Speed Collection

Camp Taylor opened in 1917 and 150,000 men were trained there.  In addition the casualties of war visited upon the troops, 824 soldiers at the Camp died of the Spanish Flu when the disease struck in 1918.

Barn being burned to make way for the building of Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, KY, 1917

Camp Zachary Taylor under construction, 1917

Kentucky’s last World War I veteran, Robley Henry Rex of Louisville, passed away in 2009.

Record for East Broadway theatre in Louisville, Ky. listing their film inventory distributed from the RKO Pictures.

Have you ever wondered what movies were popular with your grandparents or great-grandparents?  The Filson recently acquired two film distribution cards from RKO pictures that showcase what movies were being shown at two local theatres from 1928-1930. The Empire and the East Broadway Theatres were two of numerous theatres that were dotted across the city in the early 20^th century.  While I couldn’t find any information on the Empire Theatre, I did find out some interesting tidbits about the East Broadway Theatre.  It was located at 816 E. Broadway and while it has ceased being a theatre since 1960 the building is still used today as an office supply store.  It’s more than likely that you may have shopped for office furniture on the very spot where vaudeville performers wowed Louisvillians.  The theatre was originally a vaudeville theatre, but later converted to motion pictures.  The RKO distribution card lists the films that played at the theatres.  Titles such as “Street Girl,”  “Rio Rita,” “Vagabond Lover,” and “Tanned Legs” conjure up scandalous images but in reality most of the films listed on the cards were comedy/musicals.  In fact “Vagabond Lover” was the first film of entertainer Rudy Vallee.  The cards also list the “shorts” that were shown at the theatres.  These include the Mickey McGuire shorts that starred  a young Mickey Rooney.

Record for Empire theatre in Louisville, Ky. listing their film inventory distributed from the RKO Pictures.

Louisville has historic ties with Hollywood.  The celebrated director and producer D.W. Griffith was born in 1875 at Crestwood in Oldham County, but his family moved to Louisville while he was a young boy.   Griffith went on to direct the controversial “Birth of A Nation” which is considered the first blockbuster. Incidentally the Filson has in its collections a broadside advertising the film’s opening in 1915.   It changed the format of motion pictures, which before the film was released most motion pictures were under one hour.  All of the films listed in the RKO cards were over one hour and one “Rio Rita” was 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Perkins children making popcorn string garland, ca. 1960s

The wide-eyed wonder of a trimmed Christmas tree.

Season greetings adorn a Christmas tree and spread the holiday joy.

- All images from the George Perkins photo collection

A sketch of Dinah, a washwoman, made by Corporal Robert Winn, Second Kentucky Cavalry.

I had the pleasure of participating in yesterdays’ guided tour of the Filson’s new Civil War exhibit “United We Stand-Divided We Fall”.   The tour was led by Co-curators Jim Holmberg and Dr. Mark Wetherington.  The exhibit was full of incredible pieces of history all pulled from the Filson’s special collections.  It was an added treat to have these two gentlemen share the stories behind the items on display and the stories of the people.  Just to touch on three females whose stories are portrayed just a few feet from each along the same gallery wall, one can get a taste of the richness of the exhibit.

Cora Owens lived in the Crescent hill area.  Her family was southern sympathizers which is made clear in her diary.  A diary entry on display relates a visit to downtown Louisville and an accident her mother experienced.  While passing by the jail several of the southern soldiers held prisoner where waving to the passing people and Cora’s mother stopped and started waving back. She caught some flak for being too friendly was asked to move on.

Also in the exhibit is a drawing done by Corporal Robert Winn, Second Kentucky Cavalry, USA.

Union soldier Robert Winn of Hawesville, Kentucky, frequently made drawings of birds, buildings, and people in the margins of letters he sent home.  “Dinah” is a pen and ink drawing with colored pencil on paper.  Dinah was described by Winn as his unit’s “washerwoman.” Wartime women frequently found employment washing clothes at camps and hospitals.

Lastly I will mention the anonymous note on display written in September 20 1862 accusing Louisvillian Lucy Glover Tucker of being a spy and black balling her from attending the “Royal Ladies” of Louisville meetings.  Like many Kentuckians, Lucy was faithful to her state but had sympathy for her southern friends.  For a more in-depth story of Lucy Glover Tucker, read this article from a previous Filson Magazine.  http://www.filsonhistorical.org/archive/news_v5n4_hawkins.html

The Civil War exhibit will remain open to the public into 2012 and several more guided tours will be scheduled.  Be sure to make your reservation for the next one to find about these fascinating people and many others.

The Filson Club and Its Activities 1884-1922

Here at The Filson, the majority of my day-to-day responsibilities – on paper at least – revolve around increasing membership and growing the annual fund. But while searching through the stacks for a replacement issue of a past copy of Ohio Valley History, I stumbled upon a book that caught my attention. There sitting next to the back issues of the OVH was a copy of The Filson Club and Its Activities. I am not sure if it was the dark, forest green binding, the fact that the author’s first name was Otto, or my general intrigue with old, odd looking books that led me to pick up the edition, but for whatever reason I did. Let me stop here and say that while I did major in History, I do not consider myself a historian. Most days I believe The Filson somehow found me rather than the other way around, but if I could spend days in an archives or library just reading interesting material and get paid for it, I would. It was always the “now it’s time to analyze and think critically about said ‘interesting material’” (i.e. write 20+ page term papers) that gave me anxiety and lead to my demise as a student.

Nonetheless, back to Otto’s thoughts on the club and its activities. The formal title of the book is “The Filson Club and Its Activities 1884-1922. A History of The Filson Club, Including Lists of Filson Club Publications and Papers on Kentucky History Prepared for the Club, Also Names of Members.” I think Mr. Otto A. Rothert, Secretary of the Filson Club, enjoyed using the term ‘club’ to an excess and if this is indicative of all the members at the time and throughout the years, it may shed some light on why The Filson Historical Society does not resonate with very many people in the general public today.

The book is broken down into six sections: history, publications, papers, officers, members, and index, and it was the first section, “History of the Club” I found to be the most interesting, detailing the early years of The Filson’s existence. While reading history in college, there were typically common questions and statements that would follow upon telling folks that is what I was studying: “Well that’s nice, so what are you going to do with that?” “Oh, so you’re going to go to law school or possibly teach?” Or “You know history is important; I never liked memorizing all those dates and names, but too many people don’t know their history and that’s why it’s always repeating itself.” As for history repeating itself, I would suggest that it doesn’t. Common themes and ideas tend to be cyclical and do often reappear in different time periods, across cultures, and in varying environments but historical events do not, and did not, take place in a vacuum. Regardless of a person’s bias when reading, analyzing, or discussing history, there is a reason why events unfold as they do – even if you do not like the outcome or agree with the decisions made to reach said outcome.  The opinions of the revolutionary or civil war 50 years after versus 150 years after are going to differ even though the dates and names do not. History is fluid and I am embarrassed to admit that I did not realize this fully until after graduating.

So why does this have anything to do with Otto, The Filson, and the blog I am supposed to be writing? Glad you asked. Truthfully, I have never been good at rambling off dates and names on the spot, and typically I never thought they lead to interesting dialogue, so their memorization was not my top priority – especially now since we have this thing called the internet. But contrastingly, I have always enjoyed those common historical themes that may define a person, institution, or culture over time. And here at The Filson, one of our themes/issues has been – and still is today – space. How we use it, how we currently need more of it, and how it allows us to function in the community at large.

Enter Otto. Two quotes from Mr. Rothert in the 1920’s could very easily describe our current situation and potential future. When reflecting on the organization prior to 1922, he says that the Filson’s lack of substantial archival growth “is due to (the) lack of sufficient space for the preservation and display of a library and museum, (a) display in turn would have resulted in the acquiring of more books and relics and other material bearing on Kentucky history. When the Club has procured a building of its own, it will be in a position to increase its activities, influence and usefulness.”[i] And from the Annual Meeting in 1928, he states, “The Club has long felt a need for a building suitable for its purposes, and its failure to have one has resulted in much valuable historical material relating to Kentucky, going elsewhere when it should have remained here.”[ii] Otto, I never knew you, but I could not agree with you more.

The Filson has come a long way since these statements were inked to paper, and I hope that the Ferguson Mansion, our third floor gallery space, the second floor library, the carriage house with our recently updated Civil War exhibit entitled “United We Stand, Divided We Fall,” would make the members of the 1920s and before happy to see how far we have come. From Durrett’s original personal collection and library which left Kentucky because of a lack of sufficient fireproof space, to R.C. Ballard Thurston’s substantial contribution and foresight in allowing us to move to Breckinridge street where fireproof space could be delivered[iii] (I find it somewhat humorous how a fireproof facility to house rare, one of a kind documents and artifacts was so hard to garner support for), to moving in our current location here at the Ferguson mansion in 1986 with another  much need archival addition. Over time, The Filson Club or Historical Society (whichever you prefer) has always needed more space. Kind of reminds me of the adage my grandfather, a life-long farmer, once remarked, “If you are going to build a barn, build it twice as large as you originally think.”

And here we are again – the need for more space[iv]. If you have ever been to a program lecture at full standing-room only capacity, you understand. If you have been to the archives, it makes sense. And if you have chatted with any members of the board of directors or full-time staff, they will tell you all the same thing:  we have been very successful for over 125 years, but now we are at another crossroads and need more space if we are going to continue to progress and function in Kentucky and the Ohio Valley in the future. Really it should not be that surprising though, because historically, needing more space is just a part of who we are.

“Small Rain upon the Tender Herb” by the American Sunday School Union.

During a Filson Friday presentation in June, I presented some of the smallest books in the Filson collection.  Well, now we are able to add to that collection with the smallest book I have ever seen!  It measures 3 cm by 2 cm or 1 ¼ inches by 1 inch.  The book is “Small Rain upon the Tender Herb” by the American Sunday School Union.  Published in Philadelphia, in 1835, the book contains a bible verse for each day of the calendar year.  Miniature books gained popularity in the latter part of the 19^th century because they were easy to travel with.  And with this little bible verse book tucked in your pocket, you could always have a reading close at hand.

Recently the Speed Art Museum donated a large group of books to The Filson.  I found “Small Rain upon the Tender Herb” at the bottom of one of those boxes.  When I first saw it I thought it was a piece of trash, then I picked it up and realized – it was a tiny book!  I find it amazing that this small book has managed to survive for one hundred and seventy six years and not be accidently thrown out or lost!  We are very happy to add this book and the other books from the Speed Art Museum to our collection.

Livestock pavilion, undated

“A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state’s population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs.” [1]

According to www.Michigan.gov/ the first official U.S. state fair was in Detroit, Michigan in 1849.  Early state fairs were comprised of exhibitions of livestock, displays of farm products, and baking and craft competitions. State fairs have since been expanded to include carnival amusement rides and games, band concerts, farm machinery sales, etc. Large state fairs can see as many as one million plus visitors each year. [2]

The Filson has many items in its collection reflecting the history and pageantry of the Kentucky State Fair which began in 1902.  One hundred state fairs: a pictorial history by Stephanie Darst shows a nice timeline of past fairs, and lots of lovely images. There are a couple of books on entries of beef and dairy cattle, from 1927-29. One of the big attractions of the fair is the annual State Fair Horse Show and the Filson library has many of the programs from these shows.

The Special Collections department also has several interesting state fair items; including some Fair Board records, postcards, and aerial views.  My favorite item is a wonderful framed watercolor of a

State Fair, 1909

young girl on a roller coaster, by Ruth Wimp.  This piece won a first prize blue ribbon; in the women’s department, art and craft section, at the 1924 Kentucky State Fair; which was held in Louisville from September 8^th thru the 13^th.  This painting is hanging in the Special Collections cataloging office, on the 3^rd floor of The Filson.

If you go to the Kentucky State Fair this year have a good time, and remember it is a tradition that has been going on for over 100 years.

[1] [2] from State fair on Wikipedia.