Browse Exhibits (20 total)

• The Bourbon Stockyards started out in 1834, as a hotel for farmers as well as a place to hold their livestock. By 1875, with newly built facilities, the area became known as the Bourbon Stockyards company. It became a place for farmers to sale and trade livestock. The stockyards were located at Main and Johnson Street in downtown Louisville. The area was known for the economic importance it has played in history of the but that isn’t the only legacy left behind. This exhibit is going to give different perspectives from individuals who experienced the stockyards, presented with pictures, texts, and oral histories. We will learn what happens when you live or work near the community surrounding the stockyards and some of the interesting issues they dealt with. 

This exhibit explores the production of the famous Louisville Slugger bat by the historic company Hillerich & Bradsby. Hillerich & Bradsby is located in downtown Louisville and has played a pivotal role in the development and branding of the famed Louisville Slugger baseball bat. This exhibit will explore the mass production and process of creating the Louisville Slugger bats (as well as other products) at their Main Street location before their controversial move to a bigger warehouse in Southern Indiana. 

Examination of how the community of the people working and involved with Main Street changed from the 40s and 50s to the way that it is today.  Focusing on the amount of safety and security felt, and how the individuals interacted with one another.  Family/Community interactions as compared to the current interactions of many individuals.

In the fall of 2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation held its national conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Titled, “Restore America: Communities at a Crossroad,” the conference called attention to some of Louisville's recent preservation and transportation successes.

During the conference, Louisville's Main Street Association took the opportunity to conduct twenty-four interviews with community members who held vital information regarding historic downtown buildings, their owners, and their neighborhoods. These oral histories were the beginning of a larger project, which by 2008 would grow to include nearly 100 interviews about Louisville's downtown historic district and the Haymarket.

The interviews were transcribed and deposited at the University of Louisville's Oral History Center. In the Fall term of 2013, a new class at the University called “Digital History as Public History” took up the torch, utilizing this “raw material” to create a series of podcasts on various themes extracted from the interviews.

In turn, the exhibits displayed on this site were created as an extension of those podcasts. From the history of the Bourbon stockyards to the manufacturing process of the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bats, these exhibits seek to convey memories of Louisville's social, economic, and cultural roots in a polished and entertaining format.

Like the Main Street Association, the members of the class hope that their work will help preserve and promote the vitality of Louisville's fascinating past.

Welcome! This exhibit focuses on exploring the riot of 1968. 

Though many see the riot of 1968 (and riots in general!) as spontaneous acts of destruction, we often do not fully examine what was exactly taking place during the event, and why they occur.  This exhibit will focus on the direct happenings during the riot of 1968.  It will focus on the people in the Parkland neighborhood and their actions.  It will also focus on the opinions of others concerning the riots (in newspapers and the audio of those interviewed), and their insight about what happened and the possible causes of it manifestation. 

In this exhibit, you will be able to view and hear:

• The intensity of the time period- the anger of people

• The possible cause(s) of the riot

• The local police and the National Guard’s presence during the time of the riot

• The location of “the eye of the storm of the riot”

• The level of damage that occurred

This exhibit and our other exhibit, “Mini- Tour Examining Revitalization Efforts in the Parkland Neighborhood,” pay special attention to our platform, Omeka.  We know our exhibits are for online consumption.  That being said, we focus on the power of voice and sight.  We encourage you to hear the voices of those interviewed, and take the time to read through various newspaper articles describing the events- something you may not have the chance to do at an exhibit in a public space.  Feel free to experience the exhibits at your own pace.