Kentucky

SEEK Museum: Struggles for Emancipation and Equality in Kentucky

On a road trip through Kentucky, we spent an afternoon at the SEEK Museum with their director, Michael Morrow. Michael is a remarkable fellow who not only values history, but has invested much of his life to reading, researching, collecting, curating, and preserving local history. The stories he told were woven together with one common purpose, an understanding of struggles for emancipation and equality in Kentucky.

The manifest of slaves to be taken to Liberia at the SEEK Museum Bibb House in Russellville, Kentucky
The manifest of slaves to be taken to Liberia at the SEEK Museum Bibb House

We won’t be spending time trying to share the stories so eloquently told, but we do want to give you an overview of what you will encounter. The SEEK Museum is spread over two campuses, with seven preserved buildings and an archive building as well. 

The Morton Kimbrough House at the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky
The Morton Kimbrough House at the SEEK Museum

Each building tells a different story connected to Logan County’s past.  Some are joyful, some inspiring, some painful.  Please be prepared that tours are serious and inspiring – there are moments of thoughtful, deliberate, heavy education dealing with a variety of topics from the past.

The exhibit about Alice Allison Dunnigan at the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky
The exhibit about Alice Allison Dunnigan at the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky. Dunnigan was the first female, African American admitted to the White House & Congressional Press Corps.

The museum may be toured by appointment from 10 am to 4 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. You can book a tour online here. We did the Bibb and Bottom Tour, which included all of the buildings in two locations.  We were with Michael for nearly three hours, he was very patient with our questions.  It looks like you can also choose to just tour one campus or the other. If you have a couple of hours for both, that’s a high recommend from us.

The exhibit about blues singer, Mary Ann Fisher, at the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky
The exhibit about blues singer, Mary Ann Fisher, at the SEEK Museum

If you’re interested in learning more before you can visit, here are two video options:

  •  PBS recently produced a documentary on one of the exhibit topics at SEEK, the 1908 lynching. Michael sat with them to share the history and you can see Parties Unknown, here.
  • Kentucky Tourism filmed a five minute feature about the museum in their Unforgettable series. This was before the museum changed their name.
The Alice Allison Dunnigan statue at the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky
The Alice Allison Dunnigan statue at the SEEK Museum

Thanks so much for reading.

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