The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County hosted a “Downtown Summer Stroll” on Friday evening to showcase Hopkinsville history.
Alissa Keller, executive director of the organization, led the group from East Ninth Street to Main Street, explaining the historical significance of landmarks along the way.
“[Local history] gives us all a sense of place, of where we are, where we’re from and where we can go with that,” Keller said. “I think it’s really important for us to connect back to those and stories and those people and those places that came before us and to allow that to help build our identity as a community.”
Kalleb and Bennett Greene said they attended the Downtown Summer Stroll because they both grew up in Hopkinsville and have “always been interested in local history.”
“We haven’t been to the new museum, and we’ve been excited to see it,” Bennett Greene said, referring to the renovation project that concluded in 2020. “So we’re excited to have this in Hopkinsville and have things to do on the weekends and support our local museum.”
On the stroll, Keller recounted how local churches nursed wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, “Night Riders” burned three tobacco warehouses in 1907, the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses at six intersections in 1924 and more.
Justin Combs, another attendee, said he enjoyed spending his Friday night learning about local history, and he learned things he hadn’t yet studied on his own.
“We have a very rich and vivid history in this community, being one of the larger cities in Western Kentucky,” Combs said. “Especially being on the ground, you get to see what was there and what is now or maybe what still is there. It’s nice to get out, enjoy the community, and appreciate the things around you.”
For more information on the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County, visit them in-person on East Ninth Street in Hopkinsville, or online at their Facebook page or website.
