Two Northern Kentucky organizations have received 2015 History Awards from the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS).
The awards were given at the KHS annual membership meeting and history awards presentation Nov. 6 in Frankfort.
The Boone County Local History Department of Boone County Public Library received the Thomas D. Clark Award of Excellence. This award recognizes an institution for outstanding achievements and for raising the relevance and visibility of history in its community.
In giving the award to the department, KHS cited such efforts as:
· Serving as a genealogical and local history resource for researchers
· Providing important history-related community programming
· Creating a digital archive of more than 12,000 items, including photographs, oral histories, videos and primary source materials – most of which are accessible online
· Developing and maintaining the online encyclopedia, “Chronicles of Boone County”
· Researching and analyzing Boone County’s role with the Underground Railroad, which has led to tours, field trips, classroom visits, online exhibits and digital toolkits for teachers
The Boone County Local History Department was created in 2005. At the presentation, KHS noted that its projects and programs have successfully used volunteers and that it has developed important partnerships that have helped to sustain its work.
KHS commended the department for “showing how a small staff can make great waves in the field of public history.”
The Covington 200 Project received a publications award for “Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky 1815-2015”
“Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky 1815-2015,” the city’s first full history, is a bicentennial project that brought together several editors and 27 contributing authors.
In presenting the award, KHS noted that the book effectively tells the story of “this vibrant community with an important history.”
The publication award recognizes publications that have a strong historical value, accurate research, appropriate sources and effective distribution methods.
Kentucky Historical Society