Registration open for Preservation Trailblazers Oct. 14

CLICK HERE to register for Preservation Trailblazers

In tribute to the signing of the NHPA by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 15, 1966, early online registration through Sept. 30 is $66 and includes a continental breakfast, box lunch and closing celebration. Registration after this date is $85, and a ticket for Preservation Trailblazers and the Closing Celebration only is $25.

Co-sponsored by KHC and Liberty Hall Historic Site (LHHS), the event is also presented in partnership with the Kentucky Historical Society, Preservation Kentucky, Kentucky Trust for Historic Preservation, Kentucky Main Street Program, Kentucky Division of Historic Properties, Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, The Kentucky Chapter of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, University of Kentucky College of Design Historic Preservation Program, Preservation Louisville, Downtown Frankfort, Inc. Main Street, Franklin County Trust for Historic Preservation, Frankfort Transit and Frankfort Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites.

Special thanks to our Trailblazer Sponsor, the Owsley Brown II Family Foundation.

Concurrent sessions exploring Kentucky’s historic preservation legacy will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Orlando Brown House at LHHS and the Old State Capitol, both National Historic Landmarks. The main event, “Preservation Trailblazers,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the historic Grand Theatre and feature an interactive conversation among some of the leaders of Kentucky’s historic preservation movement over five decades. Other highlights will include a keynote lunch and closing celebration on the grounds of Liberty Hall.

The Preservation Trailblazers panel will include David Morgan, retired long-time state historic preservation officer; Steve Collins, KHC chair; Edie Bingham of Louisville, an advocate for preservation and education at the forefront of several important preservation milestones; Chuck Parrish, first KHC staffer and retired historian with the Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Dick DeCamp, first executive director of the Blue Grass Trust and head of Lexington’s first historic commission; Betty Dobson, grassroots preservationist whose efforts helped save Paducah’s Hotel Metropolitan; Keith Runyon, Metro Louisville Historic Preservation Advisory Task Force co-chair and Preservation Louisville spokesman, representing Christy Brown; Jim Thomas, long-time executive director of Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill; Barbara Hulette of Danville, a tireless advocate and fundraiser;Dr. Alicestyne Turley, director of the Carter G. Woodson Center and Assistant Professor of African and African American studies at Berea College; David Cartmell, Maysville mayor;Nash Cox of Frankfort, local historian and past president of LHHS; Dr. John Kleber, historian and editor of the “Kentucky Encyclopedia,” among others; and Dr. Patrick Snadon, associate professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati and co-author of “The Domestic Architecture of Benjamin Henry Latrobe.”

Event schedule [PDF-23KB]

Preservation Trailblazers site map [PDF-465KB]

“One can’t truly understand the history of historic preservation in Kentucky without a healthy understanding of the NHPA and its positive influence,” said Craig Potts, KHC executive director and state historic preservation officer. “This event will reflect on 50 years of successes, losses and milestones, and will take stock of the tremendous effort put forth by professionals, volunteers, advocates, leaders and regular citizens to preserve Kentucky’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.

“This is a great time to consider the Section 106 provision’s influence on federal projects throughout the state, the archaeological legacy of Red River Gorge, the breadth of historic sites documented through historic buildings survey and the National Register, the tremendous economic impact of the Kentucky Main Street Program, and the legacy of communities that have made preservation a priority through Certified Local Government designation,” he added.

LHHS Executive Director Julienne Foster said their organization is proud to host and administer the 50th anniversary event. LHHS was the first historic house museum in Kentucky to benefit from the NHPA through a large-scale archaeological investigation, and sessions will focus on that as well as the economic benefits of rural preservation and Kentucky women in house preservation.

“Liberty Hall was arguably ground zero for women at the forefront of the preservation movement in Kentucky,” she said. “Many women who worked to preserve LHHS also worked to preserve other important sites across the state. This seminar will recognize their legacy and inspire participants to blaze their own trails.”