As the country is recognized in June to mark the end of slavery, Kentucky launched the Kentucky African American Heritage Trail.
Locations include museums, historic landmarks and neighborhoods. Everything can be experienced on walking and driving tours. Four stops intersect with the US Civil Rights Trail, and two are listed on the Lewis and Clark National History Trails.
The Kentucky Tourism Department, in partnership with the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Heritage Council, led the initiative. This project took over two years to develop.
“The Kentucky African American Heritage Trail is more than a collection of historic locations. It’s a journey through the heart of our shared history,” said Mike Mangiott, Commissioner of the Kentucky Tourism Department, in an email. “This initiative celebrates the resilience, contribution and cultural impact of African American people and communities while creating new opportunities for education, tourism and economic growth.”
Highlights along the way from Louisville to Padoka
The trails are organized by region. A good starting point is Louisville, a hub of black culture and commercial, including the Muhammad Ali Centre, which pays homage to the city’s late boxing legend, and the Muhammad Ali Centre, which pays homage to the Roots 101 African American Museum, which allows visitors to delve into history through central passages. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Derby Museum has a newly expanded Black heritage with race displays that highlight exceptional black equestrians, including Oliver Lewis, the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in 1875.
Further south, Hodjinville is the first national monument dedicated to the famous 16th President of the United States against slavery. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park contains replicas of Lincoln’s humble childhood log cabin. Bowling Green allows visitors to take a self-guided walking tour of the Shake Rag Historic District. Listed in a national historic location, the area was a black community that flourished from the early 19th century and from the era of segregation.
Places of interest along the way include the State Street Baptist Church, built in 1898, the African American Church in Bowling Green, and the beauty shop of Alice, who served as a beauty school from the 1940s to 1995.
In Russellville, southwest of Bowling Green, is the Sikh Museum (Kentucky’s liberation and the struggle for equality). The former plantation-turned-Mussyme shares her experiences in Kentucky in seven buildings. The main house story centers around more than 150 enslaved people who once lived and worked in the property, and those who enslaved Major Richard Bibb, who changed his mind about slavery. When Bib died in 1839, his will freed the enslaved people he owned, providing land and money to many. The museum also commemorates Alice Allison Dunnigan, the first black woman from Russellville and working in the White House press squad.
Other highlights on the trail include Whitney Young and Place and Museum in Simpsonville. It honors Camp Nelson National Monument in Jessamine County, part of the US Civil Rights Trail and civil rights leader and former urban league director.
Finally, the Hotel Metropolitan in Paducah; Black driver green book They provided housing to black entertainers during their separation. Today it serves as a museum offering private tours led by executive director Betty Dobson, who portrays the hotel’s former owner, Miss Maggie Steed.
