The Filson Historical Society Blog

According to Aaron Burr, the only place to go was up. He had it all: the vice-presidency and a reputation as a man of great integrity. He wanted more. Never very fond of Thomas Jefferson, he sought a way to eclipse him.

Burr, whose story is eclipsed by his duel with Alexander Hamilton, was at one time considered a shoo-in for the presidency. However, he dreamed of an empire of his own, which would join the western lands of America with the Spanish-owned Mexico and Florida, a dream which would become his downfall. His scheme took him to the British government and King George III, and he was supported by senators, congressmen, and two future presidents. Burr’s plot against the young country, though treasonous, strengthened the bonds that held America together and protected it from the most dangerous internal threat at the time.

The Filson Historical Society will be hosting a lecture with David O. Stewart, author of American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America on November 1. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Aaron Burr and learn more about how and why he fell.

Solicitor General Bullitt: The Life of William Marshall Bullitt by Mark Davis

Math: the subject that keeps me from getting a degree in meteorology and has been known to bring tears to my eyes. Whatever you call it, it is not something I am particularly good at.  Though I do have fondness for algebra and trigonometry, on the whole, math and I are not friends. Don’t even talk to me about calculus; I just can’t understand why they invented a subject that relies on imaginary numbers to solve equations.

What does math have to do with history? In the case of William Marshall Bullitt, there is a correlation between the two. Mr. Bullitt, of the Oxmoor Bullitts, was a man who led quite the interesting life. He was named Solicitor General under the Taft Administration, which gave him the right to argue all of the federal government’s cases before the Supreme Court. His success during his term enabled him to become one of America’s most noted lawyers. Apart from that, his interest and talent in mathematics drew large insurance companies to his client list, for which he explained complex tax and accounting issues to the courts.

His passion for math and a bet with a friend drove him to collect one of the world’s most valuable collections of math, physics, and astronomy books, many of which are first editions. He corresponded with Albert Einstein and was friends with many physicists. He was active in the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. That’s a lot of math talk.

His love of math aside (which still confuses me; how can someone love math?), William Marshall Bullitt was an interesting character. Perhaps his love of a subject that befuddles me makes him even more interesting. If you would like to find out more about his life and the fabulous people he knew, The Filson has the right event for you. Mark Davis has researched Mr. Bullitt’s life using the Bullitt Family collection in our archives and will be launching his book Solicitor General Bullitt: The Life of William Marshall Bullitt on October 25.

Do you love bourbon?

Are you interested in Kentucky’s distilling history?

If you answered yes to the following questions, then don’t miss Mike Veach’s upcoming talk, “Political Intrigues and Scandals of the Distilling Industry,” at the Filson Historical Society, Friday June 24, noon.

Knowledgeable on all things bourbon related, distilling historian Mike Veach is renown for his excellent bourbon events which are both educational and spirited.  Click on the video clip below to see footage from a December 2010 Filson bourbon tasting and book launch event.  Tom Fischer of Bourbonblog.com interviews author and Four Roses Brand Ambassador Al Young about his new book Four Roses: The Return of a Whiskey Legend at The Filson Historical Society.  The Filson’s own Mike Veach is also interviewed in this video segment.

The Filson Historical Society took a bus trip to the Four Roses Distillery on Saturday, October 31^st. Yes, Halloween day.  A rainy Halloween morning, but as the day progressed the sky cleared some it turned to a typical brisk fall morning in Kentucky. The bus left the Filson just a few minutes after 9:00 for the hour drive to the distillery, just south of Lawrenceburg, Ky.

The Four Roses distillery, then Old Prentice, ca. 1915

The drive to the distillery was filled with a lecture about Kentucky’s distilling history. I started the talk with the requirements for bourbon whiskey and then launched into its history. I described the earliest records, the change from farmer distiller to industrial distilling, the conflict between straight whiskey distillers and rectifiers, the “what is bourbon” debate of the 1890s and 1900s, prohibition, World War II, the golden days of the 1950s, the decline of the 1970s and the rebirth of the 1990s. With the questions asked, the hour drive passed quickly.

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