First American West

With support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Filson Historical Society has re-launched the First American West, an online collection of letters, financial records, sermons, books, maps, and objects relating to the Ohio River Valley in the mid-1700s through the early 1800s, that was originally a collaboration with the Library of Congress and the University of Chicago.  In our relaunch, an NEH-funded research team (Hailey Brangers, Marissa Coleman, and Jade Wigglesworth) has expanded the project to highlight the experiences of those originally excluded, including the voices of women, those enslaved, and the Indigenous communities that called our region home.  On this site, you can browse the vast collection of documents by theme, subject, or item type. You can also explore themes and learn more about the project through the digital exhibit Encountering the First American West: 1750-1820