Kentucky Historical Society's Our Stories Our Service Exhibit Wins 2026 AASLH Award of Excellence
Nashville, TN., June 15, 2026 — The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that the Kentucky Historical Society is the recipient of an Award of Excellence for Our Stories Our Service: Kentucky’s Women Veterans. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards are the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
Our Stories, Our Service: Kentucky’s Women Veterans, a temporary exhibit housed in the Keeneland Gallery of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, was on view from June 2023 to November 2025. The exhibit honored Kentucky’s women veterans and explored how their courage and leadership have made significant military contributions in this century and the last. These individual experiences were part of the larger story of how women’s role in the United States Armed Forces has evolved from the home front to the front lines— and how resilience and determination have overcome cultural and institutional barriers to their service.
This year, AASLH confers 42 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.
The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203 or go to www.aaslh.org.
About the Kentucky Historical Society
The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) campus has three sites in historic downtown Frankfort: the Old State Capitol; the Kentucky Military History Museum; and the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, which serves as KHS headquarters and includes a signature museum, library & research center, object & archival collections, museum store, and more. KHS is an agency within Kentucky’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, a Smithsonian Affiliate, and holds full accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums.
About the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), a national nonprofit association, provides leadership and resources to help the history community thrive and make the past more meaningful for all people. AASLH serves the tens of thousands of history organizations, professionals, and volunteers around the country who help people of all ages develop critical thinking skills and understand how learning history helps society make progress toward justice. Through research, advocacy, and our field-leading professional development program, AASLH advances public history practice and connects history practitioners to critical issues in the field and to one another. For more information about AASLH visit www.aaslh.org.