The Filson Museum
The Filson's museum collection represents the rich and varied history of Kentucky. Artifacts range from the pioneer, antebellum, Civil War, and postbellum periods of Kentucky's history, including such highlights as a mid-nineteenth-century firefighting hand-pumper, "Kentucky Giant" Jim Porter's seven-foot-nine-inch smoothbore musket, a genuine Kentucky "moonshine" still, Daniel Boone's legendary "Kill a Bar" tree carving, handmade quilts, and Civil War uniforms, weapons, and accoutrements. The Filson's art collection, which is displayed throughout the Ferguson mansion and carriage house museum, contains one of the most extensive collections of antebellum portraiture in Kentucky.
Like our other collections departments, we are regularly
adding to our museum holdings. A particular emphasis is our art
collection of Kentucky related portraiture, landscapes, and still
lifes. Items from its collections are frequently loaned to
museums throughout the country for temporary exhibition.
The carriage house museum, which currently exhibits the Civil War
Sesquicentennial exhibit "United We Stand, Divided We Fall", is an
important resource for teachers, students, academic researchers,
and the general public.
The museum is free and open to the public Monday-Friday, 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Group tours, including schools, are available by
reservation only.
Please call (502) 635-5083 for additional information and
reservations.
If you have a question about our museum's holdings, please
contact:
James Holmberg, Curator of Special
Collections
Dr. Mark Wetherington, Director
of The Filson Historical Society
To view a sampling of historical items from The Filson's museum collection CLICK HERE.
We want to preserve your history!
If you have items that you would like to donate to The Filson, we want to hear from you. Please contact Special Collections Curator James J. Holmberg by email or at (502) 634-8846 for more information on how to donate to The Filson's collections.
