Long, bushy branches of ancient trees hang over 3rd Street, making the road look like a leafy-green tunnel. The road is wide, flanked by a pair of gray sidewalks. Tall brick houses line each side of the shaded street. Their curved red walls, columned porches and heavy wood doors are a glimpse into the past.
A pair of double doors opens onto this scene from under a limestone porch. One might step out of these doors, past the columns of the porch and down a set of shallow stairs. From there, one may saunter down a wide sidewalk, past a flagpole flying the United States and Kentucky flags and glimpse a sign reading “The Filson Historical Society.”
This old brick house with its limestone porch and heavy double doors is the Ferguson Mansion. Nestled in Old Louisville, just a stone’s throw from Central Park, it’s been home to The Filson since 1986.
Within these walls, The Filson works to preserve the history of Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. Our local history directly affects our lives today, and it must be preserved if we are to understand who we are and where we come from.
The Filson was founded by Reuben Durrett – a Louisvillian lawyer who retired early to devote his time to the preservation and study of history. On May 15, 1884, Durrett invited nine of his friends to his home for dinner and a talk on Kentucky history. At this dinner, the group decided to form a history club.
Since its founding, the goal of The Filson has been “to collect, preserve and share the stories of Kentucky and Ohio Valley history,” says Richard Clay, former president of The Filson. After 140 years, it continues to preserve local history with the same passion and dedication it has had for its entire history.
This mission is fitting of the organization’s namesake, John Filson, an early pioneer, cartographer and historian who came to Kentucky in 1782. Durrett chose Filson as the eponym of club because he was the first English-speaking Kentuckian historian
The Filson has an impressive collection of over 60,000 manuscripts, dating back to pioneer times, and roughly 600 portraits of important people from the area, dating back to the antebellum era. They work to preserve these materials by cataloging them in safe, clean facilities so they can be preserved for posterity. They’ve also been working to digitize their existing archives and publish them online so people can access them from anywhere. 
This collection of primary sources allows Kentuckians to engage with the people and events that have made our state what it is today. For example, instead of just reading a brief blurb about Henry Clay in a textbook, one can use the Filson’s archives to read his writings, hear what his contemporaries said about him and learn details about his daily life. With primary sources, people can paint a picture of the statesman and become historians themselves. By preserving and spreading knowledge of history, The Filson gives people the opportunity to understand the world we live in.
Clay believes that “it’s important to understand [history] because if we understand our past, then we can apply that to the present and the future. There are things to be learned, things about democracy, things about how we relate to each other as human beings, things in which we can find community, shared experience, that I think make us better people and better citizens to know, comprehend, and understand.”
Organizing 70 programs a year, The Filson works to educate the community on local history.
The Filson hosts lectures by historians and authors. Notably, they’ve hosted talks by Pulitzer Prize winning authors Beverly Gage, author of “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century”, and David Blight, author of “Fredrick Douglas: Prophet of Freedom”.
They create exhibits of photographs, manuscripts, artifacts and commentaries on events in local history to bring attention to important people and events.
They also produce two publications: Ohio Valley History and The Filson News Magazine. Ohio Valley History is a quarterly journal produced in conjunction with Cincinnati Museum Center and the University of Cincinnati, which publishes research on the history of The Ohio Valley. The Filson News is a quarterly magazine that details The Filson’s events and projects.
Additionally, The Filson collaborates with educators and students to teach young people about local history. They frequently collaborate with college history departments, offering their students opportunities to research and giving lectures. They also offer scholarships for graduate students to research with them.
High school students are also encouraged to get involved with the study of local history, and many kids from around the Louisville area have researched with The Filson.
Clay says that seeing young people taking interest in history and coming to research “are things we love. We love it when a high school class comes in, or a college class, and they have research assignments that they need to do. It’s great.”
Anyone interested in The Filson’s mission of preserving and telling the stories of local history should visit their website and get involved. Student membership costs only $30, and the opportunity to learn about local history is unparalleled.
