Strategic Planning & Inclusive Interpretation for Hoptown

Museums of Historic Hopkinsville Christian County
​Hopkinsville, KY

Strategic interpretive plan and conceptual exhibition development for a re-envisioned core exhibition about the history of Hopkinsville, Christian County, and the surrounding region. Hopkinsville lies at the crossroads of U.S. history like few other places--settled by Revolutionary War veterans, a well-worn supply station along the Trail of Tears, birthplace of Jefferson Davis, dividing fault line between the slave-holding plantations of the Confederacy and smaller family farms of the Union, center of agricultural industrialization and the tobacco wars, key stop on the Chitlin circuit,...just to name a few. Housed in the historic 1914 Hopkinsville Post Office building, MHHCC lies at a crossroads of a different kind--transitioning from an institution that tells the stories of collected objects through a narrow lens, to one whose collection can now be curated to celebrate the diverse stories and experiences of life in Hopkinsville. This new plan envisions a cultural resource to help anchor a revitalized downtown and engage local and regional audiences in exploration and dialog.