Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 39, Number 2 - Kentucky Historical ...

The Kentucky Historical Society
The Kentucky Historical Society, founded in
1836, has long been the state’s storehouse of history.
Today it is the home of the 167,000-square-foot
Kentucky History Center in downtown Frankfort.
The state-of-the-art facility, which opened in April
1999, is the centerpiece of a campus that offers
numerous learning opportunities to students,
historians, genealogists, and anyone else interested in
Kentucky history.
The Kentucky Historical Society operates three unique sites in
downtown Frankfort that tell the story of our state’s history. At
the Frankfort facilities and through the Society’s outreach
programs, the Kentucky story stirs the hearts of over a quartermillion
people every year.
The Kentucky Military History Museum (left) houses a collection of
artifacts from the state’s martial past. It was built in 1850 as the state
arsenal. Union and Confederate troops fought to control it during the
Civil War. The Old State Capitol, (right) completed about 1830, is a
gem of Greek Revival architecture. Designed by Gideon Shryock, it was
the first state capitol of its type west of the Appalachian Mountains. It is
today operated as a museum and is open for tours.
since 1836
kentucky historical society
where history lives
2003 Kentucky Ancestors V39-2 88
Kentucky History Center—Home to
the Society, this building contains the
state history museum, changing exhibit
gallery, research library, gift shop, rental
facility, and the Society’s educational
and publications programs.
Old State Capitol—Completed in
1830, this site is a national historic
landmark. Its House and Senate chambers,
graced by Kentucky paintings
and sculpture, tell the story of state
government in the commonwealth.
Kentucky Military History Museum—Two
centuries of Kentucky’s
military heritage are traced through
an extraordinary collection of weapons,
uniforms, flags, and photographs.
Housed in the 1850 Old State
Arsenal, the museum operates in conjunction
with the Kentucky Department
of Military Affairs.