Kentucky Science Center donates more than 750 artifacts to the Frazier History Museum

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Science Center donated hundreds of items to its downtown Louisville partner, the Frazier History Museum, the two organizations announced Thursday morning.

Some of the items date back 150 years, a collaboration that will significantly expand the Frazier’s permanent collection.

"The Frazier is over the moon about this new acquisition," Frazier president and CEO Andy Treinen said in a news release Thursday. "As the place where the world meets Kentucky, we're tasked with both the preservation and presentation of Kentucky's history. This collection will help us fulfill that mission and better serve our community."

The donation comprises more than 750 objects, including:

A walking cane equipped with a bust of Henry Clay.
An 1890 wedding dress.
A 1900 embroidery sample from seamstress Madame Glover.
A 1910 teal men's swimsuit.
A 1930s Seelbach Hotel doorman's jacket.
A rifle that possibly belonged to Daniel Boone.
The Bain generator that powered the thousands of incandescent light bulbs Thomas Edison displayed at the inaugural Southern Exposition in Louisville in 1883.

"So far, we've brought over more than 750 objects—and that number is likely to double by the time we're through," director of exhibit ideation Casey Harden said in a news release Thursday. "Their accession dates—the dates when the Science Center catalogued them as part of their collection—range from the 1870s to the 1990s."