The Lexington History Museum offers a variety of educational exhibits and activities. Teachers may choose from these exhibits to create a tour that meets their students academic needs and fits the time frame for their visit. If help is needed, LHM has professionally trained staff and educators who can help in designing a tour to meet your students’ needs.
For our tours and activities, teachers are sent a packet which includes suggestions for preparing for a class visit to LHM, as well as pre-lesson and post-lesson suggestions.
Below is a list of the tours and activities that we offer. Note that the times given are approximate and more time can be given to an exhibit or activity if you desire a longer time.
Athens of the West exhibits artifacts that are examples of life in Lexington and Fayette County from the late 1700's through the late 1900's. (20 - 25 minutes)
In Black and White is an exhibit that includes over 100 prints depicting African-American life in the Bluegrass from as early as 1860 through the 1950s. The photographs were collected in a Museum project funded by a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council. (20 - 25 minutes)
Trainers of the Bluegrass highlights those Kentucky horsemen whose training of thoroughbreds has demonstrated the full range of skill, dedication, and intuition necessary to produce winning horses. (15 minutes)
Mock Trial “You and Your Wildcats.” This activity is directed toward students in grades 3-5. For this activity, teachers are sent a short scene which the students will perform in the courtroom on the day of their visit and instructions on how to prepare for the mock trial. (30 minutes)
People Who Make Courts Work This activity is directed towards students in K-2. The students participate in an activity which teaches them about the various jobs of those in the courtroom, such as judge, attorney, jurors, and court clerk. (30 minutes)
Lucretia Clay’s Monologue. A costumed interpreter dressed as Lucretia Clay, the wife of Henry Clay, gives a monologue in which she describes how her lawyer husband defended his cousin Cassius Clay who was charged with mayhem after he killed his attacker at a political gathering in Fayette County, where he was attacked because of his anti-slavery views. (30 minutes)
Walking Tour. This tour points out the various sites of historical importance and interest that surround the courthouse. (30 minutes)
Optional things to do on your visit:
- If the weather permits, you may want to plan a picnic in Cheapside Park, a place where slaves in Lexington were once sold. In case of rain, the LHM can provide a space inside the museum.
- Plan a tour of the Mary Todd Lincoln Home, which is in walking distance of LHM.
- Plan a tour of the John Hunt Morgan Home, which is also in walking distance, and hear stories of the man who led the Morgan Raiders for the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
- Take a walking tour around Gratz Park to observe architectural styles.
- Visit a downtown radio station
- Visit the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse
- Visit Ashland, the Home of Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser
The staff and educators have connected all their tours and exhibits to KDE’S Combined Curriculum, which connects the Academic Expectations, Programs of Study, and Core Content. The staff at LHM is also willing to design activities and writing assignments specifically based on KDE’s Combined Curriculum for your students.
Click here for KDE’s Core Content for Assessment version 4.1 |
