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All members receive free or reduced admission to events, subscriptions to Filson publications, and research access, all while supporting local history preservation.

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Your financial contribution provides powerful support for everything the Filson does, including historical preservation, educational programs, publications, and exhibits.

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Become A Member

All members receive free or reduced admission to events, subscriptions to Filson publications, and research access, all while supporting local history preservation.

Join Today

Make a Gift

Your financial contribution provides powerful support for everything the Filson does, including historical preservation, educational programs, publications, and exhibits.

Donate

Featured Event

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Sovereign Nations, American Citizens: 100 Years of Indian Citizenship

Sponsored by Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Navy & White Modern business Conference Poster

Date: Tuesday, November 19th, 2024; 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Location: Filson Historical Society (In-Person Only Event)

In June of 1924, Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act granting universal US citizenship to Native American individuals. While some Native American individuals celebrated this civil rights achievement, others felt divided by a forced dual identity as both a citizen of their Tribal Nation and the United States. Reflecting on the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act provides an opportunity to broaden our understanding of Native American rights, past and present, and to examine the unique challenges faced by Indigenous communities in the United States today.

Our esteemed panelists, each bringing their unique perspectives as Native individuals, will engage in a crucial dialogue on the complexities, challenges, and enduring importance of Indigenous sovereignty within the United States. This event promises to be a powerful exploration of what it means to be a citizen of a sovereign tribal nation and a citizen of the United States. Brandie Macdonald (she/her) is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation with ancestral ties to the Choctaw nation. She is the Executive Director of Indiana University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Dr. Liza Black is an Associate Professor of History and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Indiana University. Logan York is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

Panel will be moderated by Raina Melvin, a citizen of the Comanche Nation and Program Director at Historic Locust Grove.

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Current
Exhibits

Ferguson
Mansion
Tour

Research

Current Exhibits

Kentucky Unsettled: The Erasure of Native Homeland explores how competing Native, colonial, and American interests shaped property ownership in the Commonwealth. (Carriage House exhibit)

People Passage Place Graphic

People Passage Place: Stories of the Ohio Valley (Nash Gallery) Semi-permanent exhibit. You are invited to engage with the Filson’s collections and to think critically about how history shapes your lives and communities.

Image: Untitled (moored shantyboat), Harlan Hubbard, 1930s, watercolor and pencil on paper, original 8” x 5.5”, courtesy of the Caddell Collection. Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard (Bingham Gallery) Writer, artist, and sustainability pioneer Harlan Hubbard (1900-1988) lived an unassuming life, only to find himself embedded in the historical memory of Kentucky. Explore Harlan’s life through an eclectic exhibition of paintings, photographs, ephemera and other artifacts—many of which will be displayed publicly for the first time.

Inspired by history? Wear It

Check out our online store to get T-shirts, posters, and more.

Your purchase supports the Filson’s mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing the history and culture of the Ohio Valley Region.

Ferguson Mansion Tour

The Mansion finished for the Edwin Hite Ferguson family in 1905 is now the home of the Filson Historical Society. Edwin Hite Ferguson commissioned the Louisville architectural firm Cobb and Dodd—the same firm responsible for designing the Seelbach Hotel and the Kentucky capitol building—to design his home in 1901. Learn more about the Mansion’s history and architecture from our online exhibit or sign up for a tour today.

Research at the Filson

The Filson has been collecting for almost 140 years, preserving the history of Kentucky and the Ohio Valley in order to share it with current and future generations. We welcome in-person and remote researchers to explore this website to discover our access points and to find answers to their questions! Set up a research appointment at the Filson, email our reference desk, or explore our collections online.

Visit the Filson

Open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm

The Filson is closed to the Public the 3rd Friday of every month.

The Filson will be closed to the public for a winter shutdown starting on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, reopening on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville, KY 40208
(502) 635-5083

Plan Your Visit to the Filson! To register or purchase tickets for our events, please visit our Events Page.

The Research Library is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30pm; we are closed on the third Friday of each month. Appointments are not required, but feel free to reserve a seat online – learn more here. We also provide remote research services; please email gro.l1730903106aciro1730903106tsihn1730903106oslif1730903106@hcra1730903106eser1730903106.

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