KHS Assists Eastern Kentucky Organizations with Recovery Efforts
The aftermath of unprecedented amounts of rain in Eastern Kentucky resulted in historic flooding, death, and catastrophic damage in many communities. Our thoughts go out immediately to the families, colleagues, and fellow Kentuckians living in or from those areas. Within the first day, the Kentucky Historical Society received inquiries from across the Commonwealth, and the country, about the people and status of history organizations impacted by the flooding. Joining others from university libraries, history organizations, and arts and culture organizations, a team from KHS traveled to Whitesburg in Letcher County to assist severely impacted partner organization, Appalshop.
Appalshop is a media, arts, and education center and serves as a key repository for Appalachian culture and history. Located in downtown Whitesburg and adjacent to the North Fork of the Kentucky River, Appalshop's home on Madison Street was inundated with over seven feet of water, which breached the vault housing an abundance of archives documenting the region's storied cultural history. Appalshop's collection includes thousands of hours of video and audio recordings, photographs, and print materials documenting almost a century of life and history in Appalachia. The KHS team, other volunteers, and Appalshop staff worked diligently to recover items from the Appalshop archive and readied them for transport to facilities for specialized preservation and conservation.
Similarly impacted is the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County. Like Appalshop, the Settlement School is an arts and education center that has served the region for more than a century. Its archives were completely submerged. Teams of volunteers have worked since the water receded to salvage, stabilize, and rehouse materials, including scrapbooks, photographs, diaries, instruments, and Settlement School records.
Both organizations, and the region, are at the beginning of what will be a long and challenging road to recovery. Even while cleanup is in the earliest stages, communities are grieving the potential loss of tangible touchpoints to their past. They represent the stories, the people, and the culture that shape the history of Appalachian Kentucky. Our efforts will shift from helping in the recovery of items in the archives and collections to assisting in the conservation and restoration, making sure these community stories are preserved. Both Appalshop (2016) and Hindman (2017) received Local History Trust Fund grants to support their archival collections in the past, and when the time is right, the Trust Fund will be available to assist in the purchase of collection management systems, materials, and other needs.
It will take a statewide effort to address the full impact, pulling resources from local, state, and federal assistance groups. You can join us in supporting recovery and restoration efforts by visiting their websites, Appalshop.org and Hindman.org to donate directly. Or you may donate to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund, which supports the overall recovery of the region.
Thank you to all who have already provided assistance and to all who are coming together to support this important part of our Kentucky history.
