In commemorating the 250th anniversaries of the founding of Lexington, Kentucky, in 2025 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we reflect on lesser known and undertold chapters in our history.

 

Over the course of decades and centuries, Lexington grew from a small frontier outpost to the city we know today. In the twenty-first century, Lexington is consistently ranked among the best mid-sized cities in the U.S. All of this was made possible by generations of Lexingtonians working together—and sometimes against one another—to create and recreate the world they occupied. 

 

The people, groups and animals in this exhibit represent varying backgrounds, time periods, careers, and roles. Not all of them were born in Lexington, because for so many of us, Lexington may not have been our first home, but it is our most important place. Some people included in the exhibit are contemporary Lexingtonians, relatively recently beginning to make a contribution to our city, region, and state. Others are long deceased or have many iterations of their group with varying levels of impact or importance over time. A timeline in the center of the exhibit exists to ground you in time and place, to provide contextual evidence of the city’s change and growth as you encounter the people, animals, and groups organized thematically around the exhibit. 

 

Through intersecting interests, family connections, and parallel developments, Lexington has been the beneficiary of individual and collective innovation and investment. But, these lofty ideals and words were only made possible by the people who lived, worked, and played here.