Browse Items (55 total)
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A map of the British American plantations, 1754
A map of the British American plantations, extending from Boston in New England to Georgia, including all the back settlements in the respective provinces, as far as the Mississippi. From "Gentleman's Magazine" 4 July 1754. Shows rivers, mountains, creeks, Indian villages, French and English forts, and "Walkers settlement 1750" on the Cumberland River. -
A map of the State of Kentucky and the Tennessee Government, 1796
Map published in Jedidiah Morse's American universal geography. Shows rivers, creeks, towns, forts, Indian boundaries, and the southern boundary of a military reservation in Tennessee. -
A map of the United States of America: with part of the adjoining provinces from the greatest authorities, 1794
Map shows the thirteen colonies and as far west as the Mississippi River, including the western territory, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the northern tip of Lake Superior including parts of Canada and New Brunswick. -
A topographical description of the western territory of North America, 1792
Title page of A topographical description of the western territory of North America, containing a succinct account of its climate, natural history, population, agriculture, manners and customs, with an ample description of the several divisions into which that country is partitioned, and an accurate statement of the various tribes of Native Americans that inhabit the frontier country. Copy contains the bookplate of Reverend Edward Feilde. -
Account for enslaved people under mortgage in Louisiana, 4 May 1790
A document regarding enslaved people under mortgage in Louisiana, and the amount of money they were worth. -
Basting spoon, circa 1800
Basting spoons were used to baste (pour juices or melted fat over meat during cooking in order to keep it moist), as well as for stirring and serving. Basting spoons were used often because of the large amount of meat that was consumed on the frontier. Early Kentucky pioneers had a deep reliance on meat (especially wild game like turkeys or buffalos). They continued to eat wild game as a primary source of food until the pioneers learned to farm in their new environment. As Euro-merican settlers learned how to develop stable food sources through farming and domesticated livestock, they began to hunt buffalo for sport, nearly driving the population into extinction. -
Course of the River Mississippi, 1775
Course of the River Mississippi, from the Balise to Fort Chartres. Map includes notations of Indigenous land. -
Facsimile of a map of Jefferson and Fayette Counties, Kentucky, 1782, 1924
Robert Johnson traced this map from a photostat made by Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston.
Johnson's map shows the settlement at Harrods Town, Squire Boone's station, Bryant's station, Todd's station and Martin's station, the Ohio, Kentucky, Miami and Licking rivers, the "Indian War Road", and various salt springs. -
Falls of the Ohio survey, 1773
Original survey around the Falls of the Ohio, now Louisville, Kentucky. -
Field notes for a survey in Jefferson County, Kentucky, 1786
Field notes and plat of a survey done in Jefferson County, Kentucky, by George May. Taken from George May's survey book. -
Flax Paddle, circa 1800
Flax paddles were used for scutching, part of the process for 'dressing' flax, or getting it prepped for spinning. The paddles separated the hard stocks from the useable fiber underneath. It took 4 months to grow flax from seed. It was beaten with the paddle until fibers could be pulled by hand through a hatchel to separate the fibers, which were then bundled and hung for drying to prepare them for spinning. Flax is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It was an important crop during the colonial and early frontier era. Until the invention of the cotton gin, flax was easier to harvest and process. In Kentucky, it was commonly used in handwoven household linens. Historians estimate that families needed about ¼ to ½ acre of flax per person in a household. -
Hank of wool
Hank of wool from Buchanan, Kentucky. Sheep were among the early domesticated animals brought to Kentucky. Home production of wool increased during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 due to trade embargos. Free and enslaved women prepared and spun the wool into a usable yarn. They used the yarn for knitting, or it was taken to a professional weaver (free or enslaved person) who turned it into cloth. Wool was often woven with cotton or hemp in early Kentucky textiles. Approximately 4/12 lbs. of spun wool were needed to make a single blanket. Wool cloth was also sewn into clothing by women. -
Il paese de' Cherachesi, con la parte occidentale, della Carolina Settentrionle, e della Virginia, 1778
Map showing the trans-Appalachian region in Kentucky and Tennessee west to the Mississippi and includes rivers, mountains, forts, Indigenous nations and English settlements. -
Iron dutch oven, circa 1790
The Dutch oven and its hook were brought to Bourbon County, Kentucky, from Frederick County, Maryland, by the Liter family before 1800. In addition to many other household tasks, free and enslaved women prepared three meals a day for their household, working many hours over a cooking hearth without air conditioning or fans. They cultivated and prepared all ingredients themselves. Cooking was labor intensive and exhausting. The Dutch oven, despite its heavy weight, made cooking a bit easier. Dutch ovens were an important tool in the kitchen and were used similarly to ovens today. Dutch ovens were capable of baking, boiling, roasting, and frying, and good for cooking stews, breads, and cakes. -
Iron Spider Pot, circa 1790
The spider pot was brought to Bourbon County, Kentucky, from Frederick County, Maryland, by the Liter family before 1800. During this period, cooking was the second leading cause of death for women. Overheating, skirts catching on fire, exhaustion, and infected burns were causes for serious injury or even death. Some frontier appliances made the job a bit safer. Due to the 'three-legged' nature of spider pots, it allowed them to sit right on the hearth over a bed of hot coals. The cook then used its long handle to safely remove the pot from the coals. -
Journal of the Kentucky Convention, 1799
Journal of the Kentucky Constitutional Convention, held in Frankfort, on 22 July 1799. -
Les États-Unis De L'Amérique Septentrionale : Partie Orientale, 1788
Shows rivers, lakes, forts, and Indian tribes. Covers part of the great lakes and some of the territory of the old Northwest. Relief shown pictorially. -
Letter discussing an elephant tooth found at the Falls of the Ohio, circa 1780s
Letter discussing an elephant tooth that was found at the Falls of the Ohio. -
Letter from Barthelemi Tardiveau to St. John de Crevecoeur, 25 August 1789
In a letter to St. John de Crevecoeur, dated 25 August 1789, Tardiveau discusses his activities in Kentucky, events occurring there, the state of agriculture, manufacturing, and trade (specifically mentions Kentucky trading with the Spanish settlements on the Mississippi) the climate of Kentucky versus that of Cumberland (Tennessee) for growing certain crops, and the economic future of Kentucky and the United State in general. He also mentions frequent Native American activity along the Green River and southward. He states how surprised his brother (Pierre Tardiveau) and other friends were upon his and a fellow travelers return to Danville after a trip to Cumberland; they were three weeks overdue and those in Danville assumed they had been killed by the Indigenous peoples. -
Letter from Dan Smith to Arthur Campbell, 9 August 1778
Daniel Smith writes to Campbell discussing Smith's necessary trip to Kentucky, his attempts to raise soldiers and officers, and his belief that "assistance ought to be given to Kentuckie at this critical time."