Frazier History Museum

“With a greater knowledge of history, we can fully appreciate the great difficulties and the great opportunities that lie ahead. By reconnecting with our past, we can renew a sense of who we are, what we stand for, and where we are headed.”
- Owsley Brown Frazier, Founder

The Frazier History Museum is where the world meets Kentucky. It is a home for everything that people in Kentucky are most proud of, bringing history to life for visitors through exhibits, artifacts and live performances every day. The Frazier is proud to present multiple live performances every day by our talented staff of costumed actors known as “teaching artists”. The experience brings visitors face to face with some of the people and events that changed the world!
In the Frazier collection visitors will learn about some really cool artifacts. From the Geronimo's bow and arrows, to the original “Big Stick” of President Theodore Roosevelt, every artifact is displayed with a thought-provoking story. Visitors learn more about the surrender of the great Apache leader Geronimo as they look at his bow and arrows. The story of Lewis and Clark’s Expedition is shared brilliantly in the Lewis & Clark Experience as viewers get an up-close look at the 7000 mile journey and the decisiveness it took to make the fabled Western Ocean.
The Frazier is also very proud to be in the initial stages of planning an expanded bourbon history exhibit and experience with a targeted opening date in 2018. In partnership with the Kentucky Distillers' Association® the Frazier has been named as the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. Leading up to that exciting expansion the Frazier boasts The Spirits of the Bluegrass: Prohibition and Kentucky. The interactive and educational exhibition traces the rise of the temperance movement from 1920 through the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933, taking an in depth look at America’s “Noble Experiment”
The Frazier Museum is located in downtown Louisville’s “Museum Row” in a beautiful 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility originally called the “Doerhoefer Building,” a late 19th century, Chicago-style commercial structure.

Exhibitions

The Frazier Collection

Come face to face with some of the people and stories that changed the world forever. At the Frazier Museum, history comes to life every day through ever-changing and interactive temporary exhibits, as well as fascinating and one-of-a-kind permanent galleries. Experience the one-of-a-kind Frazier Museum Collection, featuring American and international artifacts.
Showcasing artifacts made between the 16th and 20th centuries, the Frazier Museum Collection displayed on our second floor explores the great themes of American history from early settlement up through 1900 – Colonization, Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion, Civil War, Industrialization, the changing culture of the American Indians and the Cowboys of the Wild West.
Many artifacts in the Frazier Museum once belonged to famous politicians and celebrities, great Native American warriors, soldiers and noted frontiersmen.

Bourbon History at The Frazier

For more than a year, the Frazier has partnered with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) to present a Bourbon History exhibit that includes the actual Congressional resolution declaring Bourbon to be "America's native spirit." The original exhibit marked the first time the document left the National Archives since it was signed in 1964. Working with the KDA, the Frazier has continued to expand and extend the Bourbon History exhibit to include many more objects and artifacts that tell the story of Kentucky’s signature industry and the reasons why it so important to the state’s heritage, culture and economy.
Located in a part of the museum shop, on the first floor, the Bourbon History exhibit includes a replica of George Washington’s Copper Pot Still, one of five that the President used to produce up to 11,000 gallons of whiskey per year. Visitors will see how important the Barrel is to the Bourbon aging process and learn exactly what makes Bourbon. . . Bourbon! Also featured are video excerpts from more than 30 oral histories by some of Kentucky’s boldest and brightest distillers and an array of vintage bottles of some of the industry’s most noted brands.

Frazier Museum Store

The Museum Store has gifts, knickknacks, and souvenirs that celebrate the heritage and history of the state of Kentucky.
Our lineup of delicious local foods includes Ale 8 suckers, moonshine pickles, hemp truffles, vegan jerky, peanut brittle, stone-ground white grits, barn-bottled honey, triple berry marmalade, and biscuit mix from Kentucky’s oldest water-powered flour mill. For bourbon lovers there are bourbon bitters, pralines, cherry preserves, marinades, maple syrups, and hot chocolates; bourbon-smoked sea salts, sesame seeds, chili powders, and cacao nibs; bourbon-infused barbecue, worcestershire, and teriyaki sauces; even bourbon-salted twinkies! Visitors on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® can pick up brochures and passports for the trip, as well as bourbon glasses, tumblers, coasters, koozies, stir sticks, socks, ball caps, barrel staves, bottle sweaters, and mason shakers.

Event Space

Located on downtown Louisville’s historic West Main Street, we offer one of the most unique venues in the area for private special events and meetings. Our beautiful Rooftop Garden features seasonal blooming flowers and boasts picturesque views of the Ohio River, while our Fourth Floor Loft accommodates an impressive 360 people (seated) in a unique loft-style space.
Groups throw parties in our magnificent Great Hall, while businesses often conduct meetings in our Fourth Floor Board Room. The Tower Speakeasy is a perfect option for smaller gatherings and cocktail hours. These spaces are rented out seven days a week for daytime and evening functions, including wedding ceremonies and receptions, charity fundraisers, cocktail parties, high school proms, holiday events and business lunches.
In addition to introducing thousands of new people to the Frazier Museum, a non-profit organization, Facility Rentals revenue helps support other museum programs by contributing to our annual operating budget.

Sponshorship

Become a supporter of the Frazier Museum through sponsorship of our world-class temporary exhibits, special events and educational programs. The Museum’s corporate sponsorships are critical to the success of its permanent collections, renowned exhibitions and extensive educational programming. Your sponsorship provides an invaluable association with a well-respected institution and a promotional platform for reaching an audience of nearly 100,000 people per year.
Sponsorship opportunites at the Frazier Museum are tailored to meet the goals of each partner. Sponsors leverage their association to achieve marketing and employee-relations objectives, entertain important clients and reward staff performance. Some examples of sponsorship benefits include:

Logo credit on exhibition print materials, promotional materials, invitations, signage and website
Private behind-the-scenes tours for VIP guests and clients
Invitations to exhibition opening receptions
Private sponsor events & corporate entertaining

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