The Kentucky Museum – Online Exhibits

Historic Schools of Warren County, Kentucky by Donna C. Parker

In 1855, the Kentucky Superintendent of Public Instruction reported there were 3,575 children of school age in Warren County, Kentucky. An average of 1,107 students actually attended the county's common schools that year. Of the 58 schools reporting, there was one five-month, one six-month and one seven-month school. Two four-month schools were in the count with the remaining 53 being in session for three months.

This website presents over 100 common schools listed in Warren County's Official Record Book of the County Superintendent. It goes a step further and shows many other schools which were once or still are a part of the Warren County school system.

Out of the Box: Object Lessons

Curated by 11 faculty from 9 departments at WKU

In 2019, the Kentucky Building celebrates 80 years of showcasing South Central Kentucky’s unique culture and heritage. In honor of this milestone, the Kentucky Museum presents Out of the Box, an exhibition focused on fostering multidisciplinary discussions about our collective heritage while shining new light on the relevance of our museum in the 21^st century. 

This virtual exhibit presents the Object Lessons created by faculty, and links to additional resources held by the Kentucky Folklife Program and WKU Department of Library Special Collections.

Adopted Artifacts

In 2019, the Kentucky Museum began its Adopt an Artifact campaign. Through the program, people like you are helping protect and conserve the over 30,000 artifacts in our collections. We rely entirely on public donations for collections care, ensuring that our artifacts remain on display and in good condition through a process called "conservation."

While adoptions are ongoing, this exhibit features selected artifacts adopted during the kick-off SpiritFunder campaign in Fall 2019. Sponsored by ServiceOne Credit Union.

Gazing Deeply: Big Ideas

This companion exhibit to "Gazing Deeply: The Art & Science of Mammoth Cave" (on view 2020 to 2022) takes a deeper look at the objects, stories, and involvement of WKU at Mammoth Cave National Park. This exhibit features expanded text by Dr. Chris Groves, Lee Anne Bledsoe, and Autumn Singer of Crawford Hydrology Laboratory and art instructor Julie Schuck of the WKU Art Department.