Kentucky Museum News

The Kentucky Museum will host a discussion with Dr. David Pollack and Dr. A. Gwynn Henderson of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey on the discuss the diverse nature of indigenous farm life in the Barren River drainage of south-central Kentucky during the Mississippian era. The discussion will take place on Tuesday, April 9, from 5 to 6 pm at the Kentucky Museum. 

Entitled "Finding the First Farmers," the talk by Drs. Pollack and Henderson will explore recent archaeological finds and expand on the First Farmers of the Barren River Valley exhibit at the Kentucky Museum. They will address misconceptions on indigenous peoples’ identity, technology, settlement patterns, foodways, and trade routes to reveal the complex societies present before Europeans arrived in what is now North America. They will also explore the similarities between indigenous farmers and Kentucky farm families of the late nineteenth to early twenty-first centuries.

Attendance QR code available at event for WKU students.

About Kentucky Archaeological Survey

Dr. David Pollack serves as Director of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, which is part of WKU's Department of Folk Studies & Anthropology. Dr. A. Gwynn Henderson is also with KAS and serves as Education Director. Founded in 1995, the mission of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey is to provide a service to state and federal agencies, work with private landowners to protect archaeological sites, and educate the public about Kentucky's rich archaeological heritage. The Survey provides hands-on educational experiences to WKU students in the field, the lab, and the community. With their team of archaeologists and students, KAS undertakes a variety of projects throughout Kentucky, including excavations, educational projects, and research. 

About America250

"Finding the First Farmers" is part of the Museum's America250 programming series, funded by a WKU Research and Creative Activities Program grant. Developed in line with the American Association for State and Local History’s (AASLH) The Field Guide for the Semiquincentennial Making History at 250, these programs encourage discussion and help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.