HistoryMobile Exhibit Finds Permanent Home in ‘A Kentucky Journey’

Sometimes historical figures seem to be just characters in the story of our past. But they were real people who faced difficult challenges and had to make tough choices. The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) exhibit “Torn Within Threatened Without: Kentuckians in the Civil War Era” traveled the state in the KHS HistoryMobile for several years, allowing visitors to get to know eight people from the mid-1800s when the country and state were divided over the issue of slavery.

Now, the exhibit has come off the road to settle in its permanent home in the KHS signature exhibit, “A Kentucky Journey.” “Torn Within and Threatened Without” allows KHS visitors to put themselves in the shoes of eight diverse people. Visitors can choose what they would have done if faced with the same circumstances—such as side with the Union or the Confederacy; join the Union army to secure freedom, or remain enslaved. Then, they can see what the people really chose how their choices affected history. Besides seeing it in “A Kentucky Journey,” people can access “Torn Within and Threatened Without” online. The site is set up for anyone to use, but has special resources and information for educators.