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About

About the Kentucky Historical Society

Overview

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) was formed in 1836 by a group of prominent Kentuckians intent on preserving the history of the Commonwealth. We are a membership organization with members from Kentucky and around the world. We are part of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet; have full American Alliance of Museums accreditation; are a Smithsonian affiliate; and endorse the History Relevance statement.

Our Mission

We educate and engage the public through Kentucky’s history in order to meet the challenges of the future.

Our Vision

The Kentucky Historical Society is becoming the recognized leader in helping people understand, cherish and share Kentucky’s stories.

Our Values

Service

We value our role in serving the public and work to ensure those services are exemplary.

Discovery

We value dialogue, discussion, education and scholarship. We value an organizational culture of discovery that inspires, engages and motivates learners of all ages.

Excellence

We value continuous improvement with the goal of excellence. To that end, we place high value on adhering to and shaping professional standards.

Authenticity

We value integrity, legitimacy and the power of the authentic. We therefore value research, collections and programs backed by fact.

Stewardship

We understand that stewardship is all about what you do with your resources and how you do it. As a result we value the proper stewardship of Kentucky’s historical assets, of KHS’s financial and human resources and of the KHS mission.

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Our Logo

Our logo takes the word “Kentucky” straight from the copy of the 1792 Kentucky Constitution in our special collections, making it a visual bridge from the past to the future — just as we, through all we do, bridge the past and the future.