Gilded Age Dressmaker Madame Glover, Rescue Dog EthanAlmighty, Frazier Classic Raffle Prize, and More
I’ve always wanted to create a podcast focused on Kentucky stories, and our team decided this summer finally seemed like the right time. We’ve done so much work over the past few years to make connections in counties across the Commonwealth and Kentucky Wide is a natural extension of those efforts. Tune in and you’ll hear about people from all over the state in the first season.
For us, the beauty of a podcast is that it requires a different approach to storytelling than a museum typically allows. This has been fun to explore and is certain to impact our work in the future.
In the case of the second episode of Kentucky Wide, which is available today, our new exhibition Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage led us to the stories. Annie Casey Glover, a.k.a. Madame Glover, was an Irish immigrant whose talents and drive led her to a career as Louisville’s premier dressmaker at the turn of the twentieth century. You can find several of her dresses on display at the Frazier. Also on display is the wedding suit of the other woman featured in the new episode, Mabel Graham Kelly. Our team fell in love with the stories from the life of this Marion County, Kentucky, native. While she’s not a household name, the events of her lifetime were momentous, her life was unique, and she found her way into national newspapers and even the Library of Congress.
You can find Kentucky Wide “Episode Two: Love and Marriage” at your preferred podcast platform.
In today’s Frazier Weekly, Simon Meiners sheds light on Madame Glover, Whiskey Thief debuts on Sippin’ with Stephen, and the Father’s Day BOGO deal on GA tickets for our July 26 Beer Fest continues (enter FATHERSBOGO as the promo code at checkout)! Jeff Callaway and EthanAlmighty lead the charge on animal welfare in Kentucky and Mark Nethery previews the raffle prize for this year’s Owsley Brown Frazier Classic Sporting Clays Tournament: a shotgun!
Plus, pianist Duke Marsh—the grandfather of my Kentucky Wide podcast co-host Sarah Jemerson—stops by the Downtown Tunes piano at Fifth and Market Streets to tickle the ivories.
Hear that, Louisville? That’s the sound of summer!
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
How Madame Glover Made Louisville a Fashion Hub in the Gilded Age
Did you know Louisville was once a hub for women’s fashion?
From the 1890s until World War I, fashionable women from all over the United States traveled to Louisville to have their clothes made. These clients knew they could stay fashionable with each new season thanks to the handiwork of Louisville’s top dressmakers.
The most popular Louisville dressmaker went by the name Madame Glover—and today you can see some of her dresses on display at the Frazier History Museum.
Annie Casey Glover, a.k.a. Madame Glover, undated. Published in the January 13, 1946, Courier Journal.
Born in Ireland in 1861, Annie Casey—known as “Madame Glover” after her 1886 wedding to businessman Walter Glover—immigrated as a child to the US. Her family settled in the Limerick neighborhood of Louisville. By 1880, she was listed in the Louisville city directory as a seamstress. In 1891, she opened the first Madame Glover dress shop on South Fourth Street. By 1904, she operated a larger shop in the Tyler Building on Jefferson Street.
During this period, Madame Glover quickly became the most sought-after dressmaker of Louisville’s Gilded Age. She traveled to Paris every year for inspiration. She saw the showings at the great houses, identifying the most beautiful and best-quality fabrics, buttons, laces, and braids. She directed a sewing room in which about 100 girls and women worked.
Debutantes and brides from far and wide wanted a Madame Glover original. It was well known that her ever-changing and beautiful creations were influenced by her regular trips to Paris to study the latest European trends and techniques. The upper class of Louisville could take its place alongside the high societies of larger cities thanks to Madame Glover.
Wedding dress made by Madame Glover in the 1880s.
Wedding dress made by Madame Glover in 1906.
Wedding dress made by Madame Glover in 1913.
On display in the Frazier’s Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition are three dresses Madame Glover made during her career: an ecru satin wedding ensemble an unknown bride wore in the 1880s; the white chiffon dress Mattie Montgomery McElroy wore at her 1906 wedding in Lebanon, Marion County; and the dress Mary Rogers Lyons wore at her 1913 wedding in Louisville—which, according to the Brown family, is the last dress Madame Glover ever made.
Madame Glover operated her store in Louisville for nearly three decades until her husband passed away in 1912. She retired thereafter and lived another thirty-five years in New York City. She died in 1947 and was buried in Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery.
Learn more about Madame Glover in the Kentucky Wide podcast’s “Love and Marriage” episode.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Don’t Forget our BOGO Deal on Frazier Summer Beer Fest Tickets!
2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest BOGO graphic.
Happy belated Father’s Day! Last week, we announced a Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal on GA (General Admission) tickets to this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest as a possible gift for dads.
That offer is still going, but for a limited time. So act fast! Secure your BOGO tickets today by visiting our website, purchasing tickets, and entering FATHERSBOGO when it asks you for a promo code.
Sippin’ with Stephen: Whiskey Thief with Walter Zausch
As the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the Frazier History Museum shares stories of the people, places, and producers of the Kentucky Bourbon industry. To learn more, visit our Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center or tour our Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
This month’s episode of Sippin’ with Stephen features Walter Zausch, CEO of Whiskey Thief Distilling Company. Walter gives viewers great reason folks need to visit both their distilling location on the farm in Frankfort, Kentucky, as well as their Tasting Room located in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood. Walter and I discuss the events at the distillery location, including food options and music on the weekend as well as the fantastic tasting options at both locations where guests get to taste directly from the barrel. This is a truly unique experience in Bourbon world—one that I cannot recommend highly enough!
Keeping with Sippin’ with Stephen tradition, Walter and I review their 25th Anniversary Kentucky Distillers’ Association release and it did not disappoint! For more information regarding Whiskey Thief Distilling Co., please go their website.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Rescue Dog EthanAlmighty Leads the Charge for Animal Welfare in Kentucky
Basketball, Bourbon & EthanAlmighty flyer.
We are moving forward with our program Basketball, Bourbon & EthanAlmighty on June 26. We are aware that Russ Smith has been in the news, and we will let it play out in the courts. We have been planning and preparing for this program for several months; here’s how it came together. It may seem like an unusual pairing for a program with U of L legend Russ Smith and EthanAlmighty and his human companion Jeff Callaway, but actually it’s a natural fit. It’s all about heart. I hope you’ll join us June 26 for what will be inspiration, some Bourbon, and wonderful stories. Click here to purchase your ticket now. And, just in time, our Museum Shop is introducing some new doggie treats, WiggleWows, that are locally made and employ adults with special needs. To learn more about those, click here. Now I’m going to turn it over to Jeff Callaway with a personal invitation to our program.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
EthanAlmighty poses at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort.
Ethan’s journey began a cold January day in 2021. Left to die in a parking lot, Ethan had other plans. With his incredible will to live and the amazing support of the Louisville area and love from people around the world, Ethan has not only survived but thrived in many unbelievable ways.
Our community has rallied around him and the awareness that Ethan brings to shelters and abused animals across our country, especially the Kentuckiana area. Ethan has received numerous local accolades, including multiple proclamations from the mayor’s office and Metro Council, in addition to Governor Andy Beshear naming January EthanAlmighty Shelter Animal Awareness Month. In 2022, Ethan was named American Humane National Hero Dog of the Year, garnering millions of votes from around the country.
Along the way, we met Russ Smith at one of his Bourbon signings and began a conversation and a collaboration that ultimately resulted in two Ethan Bourbon releases. While getting to know Russ, we learned of his love for animals and decided we could make a big difference in the lives of cats and dogs in Kentucky by creating an Ethan Bourbon, with the proceeds going to Ethan’s foundation, EthanAlmighty’s Blesssings Inc. This foundation helps pay veterinary bills for people who are unable to afford the rising costs of vet care. We have also worked with Metro Council to provide the community with free spay and neuter for cats and dogs, along with performing spay and neuter many times for animals in the care of Metro Animal Services.
In addition to all this, we have worked diligently for over four years with Kentucky legislators to try to get better animal welfare laws passed. In 2024, HB 258, now called Ethan’s Law, was passed. It makes the intentional torture of a cat or a dog a first offense Class D felony in Kentucky. We’re so very proud of this accomplishment, but the work is not done. We now travel the state, attending as many court proceedings as we can, ensuring that this law is adjudicated properly and that abused animals in our state get the justice that they deserve.
We are so honored and proud to have such wonderful support and truly blessed to have this incredible opportunity to be a part of Kentucky history at the Frazier History Museum.
Jeff Callaway
Founder, EthanAlmighty’s Blessings Inc.
Guest Contributor
Union Officer who Issued Juneteenth Order Buried in Fayette County
Celebrated on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, is a nationwide celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. (Note that slavery in Kentucky didn’t legally end until December 18, with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.) In 2021, Juneteenth was proclaimed a federal holiday. This year, there are a number of celebrations scheduled in Louisville. But did you know the officer who issued the original Juneteenth order is buried in Lexington, Kentucky?—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
Gen. Gordon Granger, c. 1860–70. Credit: Civil War Glass Negatives, Library of Congress.
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and officially issued General Order No. 3. This proclamation, backed by the presence of Union soldiers in Texas, brought an official end to slavery in the Southern state. The date has been recognized as Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of legal slavery in America. Juneteenth became an official federal holiday in 2021.
Granger, the man who made the momentous declaration official, was Union Commander of the Department of Texas, a New York Democrat, and a career soldier. He also happens to be buried in Lexington Cemetery in Fayette County, Kentucky. After the war, he married a Lexington woman named Maria Letcher. When Commander Granger was not serving elsewhere on military matters, the couple spent a significant amount of time in the Commonwealth. Eventually, it was decided they’d spend eternity here as well.
Here’s how the June 19 General Order No. 3 reads:
The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
It was clear that no real assistance could be offered until the establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Nevertheless, celebrations began that day.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Curator’s Corner: Frazier’s 120 Exhibit Wins a Kentucky History Award
Visitors explore the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit, November 5, 2024.
Kentucky History Award winners, June 7, 2025. Credit: KHS.
I have some exciting news to share: the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit has been awarded a Kentucky History Award in Education for Exhibits!
On Saturday, June 7, Nick, Jason, and I attended the award ceremony and accepted the most Kentucky prize of all: an engraved silver julep cup. This is the second time I have had the honor of attending the awards ceremony on behalf of the Frazier, and I truly love having the opportunity to attend and hear about all the amazing Kentucky history projects that people completed over the past year. We had the opportunity to catch up with friends from places like the Kentucky Historical Society, the Capitol City Museum, and Camp Nelson National Monument. Nick and I stayed in Frankfort a little longer and enjoyed the festivities of Kentucky History Day, including samples of Ale-8, a cool Team Kentucky hot air balloon, and petting lambs from a local wool farm.
I’m so proud to be recognized by the Kentucky Historical Society for all our hard work on this project. Congratulations to my colleagues here at the Frazier and those across Kentucky who shared stories from their counties.
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Have a Blast at the Frazier Classic . . . and Maybe Win a Shotgun!
A competitor aims during a previous year’s Frazier Classic.
Webley & Scott Over & Under Shotgun with Two Barrel Set raffle prize, June 12, 2025.
Each September, for the past nine years, a group of enthusiastic and Bourbon-centric individuals gather for an event unlike many have ever seen, let alone participated in.
Now you might think these 150 participants, gathered in support of the Frazier History Museum, are looking for a tasting from a rare Bourbon barrel . . . but you’d be wrong. You might think they are gathering for a glorious meal of the finest fare Kentucky has to offer, paired with an assortment of Bourbons that would make ol’ Pappy swoon . . . but you’d be wrong again.
This year’s Owsley Brown Frazier Classic Sporting Clay Tournament, presented by ENCON Equipment, will take place on September 26. If you’re not part of this unique, challenging event, you should be!
Not familiar with sporting clays? Think golf with a shotgun. Teams or squads move from station to station where an array of clay targets are presented for the shooters’ pleasure. Unlike golf, the goal is to have a higher score, breaking more targets, rather than fewer strokes on the golf course.
The event day starts with a light breakfast, registration, cart assignment, and a safety talk. Teams are then taken to their respective starting station, awaiting what else . . . a shotgun start. Shooters will take aim on some 80 targets that dip, curl, fall, and rise. Many swear the presentation of targets is concocted and devised by Merlin himself.
At the end of the day, scorecards are tallied, and the winning teams are congratulated and awarded some of Kentucky’s Finest Brown Water. But let’s not forget the white tablecloth lunch and buffet fit for a king.
Since its inception, the Frazier Classic has included a silent auction, featuring an array of handcrafted items—including Bourbon barrel crafts, hand-forged cutlery, distillery baskets, exclusive tours, and dinners.
This year, the Frazier Classic is featuring a limited-draw raffle for a unique item. If you have ever wanted to own a bespoke shotgun, worthy of passing to future generations, this is your chance.
Only 200 raffle tickets will be sold at $50 each for the winning prize of a Webley & Scott Over & Under Shotgun with Two Barrel Set, nicely wrapped in a fitted case.
This bespoke shotgun, from one of England’s oldest makers, features a Turkish Walnut Stock & Forearm, Steel Receiver, 30” barrel Lengths, 20 Gauge Barrel Set, 28 Gauge Barrel Set, 5 Choke Tubes/Barrel Set, Single Selective Trigger, and Ejectors.
This shotgun, featuring 20 & 28 gauge barrel sets, is the perfect setup for the field or the clays course.
Raffle tickets will be available at upcoming Frazier History Museum events, online, and at the 2025 Owsley Brown Frazier Classic Sporting Clay Tournament. To purchase a raffle ticket online, click here.
To learn more or register for the Frazier Classic, click here.
Mark Nethery
Oversight Committee, Frazier Classic
Guest Contributor
Museum Shop: Pride T-shirt
A Y’all t-shirt sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop.
June is Pride Month, and we’re celebrating diversity with this colorful shirt that shows your pride in style. It’s available now in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online! And speaking of Pride Month, don’t forget to secure your tickets to our June 24 program 10 Years of Marriage Equality!
Bridging the Divide
Louisville Pianist Duke Marsh Returns to PNC Tower for Impromptu Gig
Duke Marsh plays piano at PNC Plaza in Downtown Louisville, June 10, 2025.
Ad for Duke Marsh piano performance at the Stouffer’s Top of the Tower restaurant in First National Tower, now PNC Tower, published in the December 7, 1976, Courier Journal.
The streets of Downtown Louisville have just gotten a little more musical.
In May, the Louisville Downtown Partnership placed four hand-painted pianos in outdoor locations throughout Downtown as part of their Downtown Tunes program.
Each of the four pianos was donated by Louisville residents and then painted by students at J. Graham Brown School and Francis Parker School of Louisville. The vibrant colors and visually striking themes invite passersby to take a look—and maybe take a seat at the keys!
I knew the project would strike a chord with my grandfather, Duke Marsh, a New Albany native and multi-instrumentalist who has been playing music gigs in the Louisville Metro area for decades. I asked him to meet with me at the piano located at PNC Plaza at 5th and Market. Titled Symphony of Color, the multicolored piano has been beautifully decorated by students at Francis Parker School of Louisville. Despite a few missing keys, Duke gave the plaza an impromptu performance of “On the Sunny Side of the Street” that you can watch here.
“Does this ever bring back memories!” Duke said as we gazed up at PNC Tower. “Four years in a row, six nights a week, I’d walk through those doors and take the elevator to the thirty-eights floor.”
I learned that, from 1975 to 1979, Duke played piano at the Top of the Tower restaurant in what was then called the First National Tower.
“It’s so funny, though, that we ended up playing the piano in the courtyard of the same building after all these years!”
When I asked my grandfather to check out the Downtown Tunes project with me, I knew I was sure to hear a song—but I was delighted to hear a story, too. I like to think that kind of human connection through music and public art is what LDP was hoping to inspire with their project.
If you would like to share your own song with the city, the four pianos will be stationed at their Downtown locations through October, and they are available to the public every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting.
Locations for the pianos can be found online.
To hear more of Duke’s music, you can visit his YouTube channel.
Sarah Jemerson
Education & Engagement Lead
History All Around Us
On the Trail with Abby: Whiskey Thief Tasting Room in NuLu
On the Trail with Abby graphic.
Bourbon tourism is booming—and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® is growing faster than ever! Each week, the Frazier’s Abby Flanders takes readers on a digital stop-by-stop tour of this expanding adventure, spotlighting the distilleries, stories, and expressions behind America’s native spirit. Ready to hit the trail in real life? Start your journey at the Frazier History Museum, the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.
A patron thieves Bourbon straight from the barrel into a glass. Credit: Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.
If you’ve ever dreamed of drawing Bourbon straight from the barrel with your own two hands, there’s a place in Louisville where that dream becomes a reality. Whiskey Thief Distilling Co., known for its hands-on, single-barrel experience in rural Franklin County, opened a second location in the heart of NuLu.
Located on Nanny Goat Strut (yes, that’s really the street name), the new Whiskey Thief tasting room brings the relaxed, rural vibe of the original distillery into an urban setting. Here, guests are invited to thieve Bourbon straight from the barrel, just like they would at the farm—but with a few creature comforts and a NuLu twist.
The tasting room in NuLu also features indoor and outdoor seating, live music on the weekends, and a small shop with exclusive bottles and branded merchandise. This weekend, you can catch some tunes from Half Shebang on Friday, June 20, 8–11 p.m., and Nanny Go-Tet on Saturday, June 21, 8–11 p.m. And for those who prefer a cocktail, the on-site bar serves up classics like the barrel-aged Old Fashioned alongside creative seasonal pours and even Bourbon slushies when the weather’s warm.
With extended evening hours and plenty of charm, Whiskey Thief’s new location offers the perfect mix of their farm feeling in the city. Whether you’re a Bourbon Trail® veteran or just starting your journey, this stop brings you up close and very personal with the barrel.
And yes—there really was a goat at the grand opening last year. Her name was Margaret!
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
