OUR COLLECTIONS

Everyone who ever passed through this part of Kentucky or called it home left a story behind. Some are stories of courage and great achievement, others of love and everyday survival. The more we explore those struggles and dreams, the more we understand our own.

Fine ART

The fine art collection is home to many paintings by Kentucky and local area artists such as Steve White, pioneer scenes, local landscapes, and more. One of our featured paintings in the Wormald Gallery is Mountain Preacher by James Roy Hopkins. We also have a self-portrait dated 1828 of noted Mason County artist Aaron Corwin, as well as a lithograph by Karl Bodmer and Jean-Francois Millet created in Paris, France around 1850 which depicts pioneer Simon Kenton’s torture after his capture by Shawnee Indians.

Personal Artifacts

19th century wedding gowns, military and band uniforms, jewelry, combs, quilts, shoes, eyeglasses, fans, snuffboxes, a case-on-frame chest made in Mason County, and tall case clocks from 1795 are just a selection of the more personal articles in the museum collection. We even display numerous items related to Maysville-native Rosemary Clooney.

Historic Maps, Tools, & Equipment

Our collection houses a wide variety of paraphernalia, including: a Kentucky long rifle, swords from both the Revolutionary and Civil war, a skillet thought to have been used by Simon Kenton, assorted revolvers and knives, a quilt frame, knapping hammer, and prehistoric Native American artifacts. The research library has on display numerous historical maps of Kentucky and the Ohio river valley region including George Henri Victor Collot’s 1804 maps of the General Map of the Course of the Ohio river and Road from Limestone to Frankfort, Filson maps, and examples of the first use of color cartography.

PRESERVATION IS OUR MISSION

Preservation has always been a core mission of Maysville-Mason County Library, Historical, and Scientific Association since its founding. While the artifacts we do display are carefully curated to tell the story of our region, many pieces of our collection are acquired simply to keep them safe and archived for their historical value. These priceless artifacts reside in our climate controlled spaces to best protect them from the elements.

OUR ARCHIVES

Thousands of priceless, historical documents call our Archives home. The two story, climate controlled space provides the safest conditions for books, maps, photos, and more. While the archives aren’t open to the public, our librarians are happy to pull items for viewing to enrich your research experience!

COLLECTIONS

Tucked away in the lowest level of our facility is the ‘Collections’ room. Hundreds of priceless artifacts are stored in our underground collections space. The items are documented and organized, with the utmost care, by our amazing team. Although, many of the items in the collections are under lock and key, they are often viewable on rotation!