Kentucky Historical Society
Beyond the Log Cabin Exhibition Now Open at KHS

FRANKFORT, KY (October 20, 2008)— Beyond the Log Cabin:  Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln, the commonwealth’s signature Lincoln bicentennial exhibition, is now open to the public at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort.  The exhibition offers a new perspective on the sixteenth president during the bicentennial commemoration of his birth.

The exhibition, which will travel to two additional Kentucky venues in 2009-2010, illuminates Lincoln’s lifelong connection with Kentucky, the perspective his Kentucky friends and acquaintances provided his life and actions, and the inspiration his legacy continues to contribute to American ideals.

Taking a broad view of Kentuckians’ perceptions of Lincoln from the assassination to the current bicentennial commemoration, Beyond the Log Cabin explores the complex relationship between Lincoln and his native state, and features unique artifacts gathered from repositories and collections across the nation. Adults and children have enjoyed the engaging imagery, artifacts, and interactive activities that present the untold story of Lincoln's lifelong engagement with Kentucky and Kentuckians.

“Museums and historical societies in Kentucky and beyond have been very generous in loaning high-quality artifacts and images for this important exhibition,” said Marilyn Zoidis, assistant director at the Kentucky Historical Society. “Pieces never presented together provide a unique story of Lincoln and Kentucky. They help to make Beyond the Log Cabin a signature exhibition.”

Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln was designed by Gallagher & Associates, an international design firm acclaimed for its work on exhibitions and museum projects at the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and others.

This exhibition will be on display at the Center for Kentucky History through June 6, 2009, and will then travel to the Speed Art Museum in Louisville for exhibition June 28, 2009 through September 6, 2009. It will open at the Highlands Museum & Discovery Center in Ashland on October 2, 2009 and remain on display there until February 19, 2010.

“We hope that Kentuckians will take advantage of these upcoming opportunities to experience the Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln exhibition and to learn more about Lincoln’s Kentucky connections during this bicentennial commemoration of his birth,” said Kent Whitworth, executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society.

Beyond the Log Cabin was made possible by generous support from the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation.

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An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Historical Society, since 1836, has provided connections to the past, perspective on the present, and inspiration for the future.  KHS operates the Old State Capitol, the Kentucky Military History Museum, and its headquarters, the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.   Since 1999, the thirty-million-dollar Center has welcomed more than one million visitors.   For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit the Web site at www.history.ky.gov.