Bath County’s Tourism Council plans a museum

Tourism chairman Brent Frizzell outlines plans for the proposed museum during a recent meeting at the Bath County Courthouse. Photo by Rob Kiskaden.

I’ve learned through my writings that people are fascinated with things of the past and days gone by. History holds a place in us all; we strive to know where we came from and remember when times were much simpler, even though the work was much harder. When a town or city has a place where a person can view relics of the past, it brings the story of where we came from alive.

Recently, the Bath County Tourism Council was revived to boost interest to those who live and pass through. Salt Lick native Brent Frizzell, who has been involved in community service most of his life as a firefighter and Chief of Salt Lick Fire Department, was named Chairman of the Tourism Council. He chose other people to serve on the council who share the same vision of promoting Bath County’s vast natural beauty and historical significance. The council members are, Cecil Lawson, Jason York, Andy Crouch, Felicia Stalder, and me. Recent ideas for projects include informative kiosks in each community to show where places of interests, lodging, and food are located, roadside markers to direct people to places of interest and roadside parks, including the Bourbon Iron Furnace, and a museum.

The proposed museum will be located on the second floor of the old Bath County Courthouse. The courthouse is a 150 year old functioning government building, with offices occupying the first floor. The second floor was once the courtroom and center of justice for Bath County. Court sessions were moved to the annex building many years ago, but mock trials and other events have been held in the room. One of the first things a visitor will see is something very curious and intriguing as they enter the doors of the courtroom. There are bullet holes on the thick glass and places where holes have been filled around the door facing. There are a few tales of what happened to cause these holes, but nothing verified as of yet (a mystery I plan to try to solve).

The Tourism Council has met several times recently in the court room to discuss plans and logistics. Matt Collinsworth, director of the Kentucky Folk Museum in Morehead, gave some input on designing the display area of the museum and feels there “is ample space to put a good number of exhibits in the room provided”. In addition to permanent displays, the plan is to have rotating exhibits to highlight certain eras of Bath County’s rich history.

“We’d like to see maybe a rotating display of things like military history, or key industries as Bath County has progressed over the years, or maybe agricultural progression,” Chairman Frizzell said in a recent meeting. “The possibilities are limitless, depending on what we can get to display”.

Interest in the museum project has been favorable by others who have attended meetings. Bath County Judge Executive Bobby Rogers, Bath County Memorial Library assistant director Holly Howard and local historian Linda Denton attended the most recent meeting and all gave insight on the project.

A grant has been submitted to help in the construction of the display areas and Judge Executive Rogers added that “the inmate work force can be utilized to get the room up to par as far as repairs and painting is concerned.” Other volunteer work would be needed to help get the museum organized and ready for visitors.

Once the plans are finalized and the vision becomes a reality, the Tourism Council will put out a call to everyone who may have items of interest to display. Some items may be in a permanent exhibit, while others can be used on a rotating basis. Items that will have retained ownership by the donor will be on a ‘borrowed’ basis and not completely donated to the museum, so those cherished family heirlooms can stay within their respective families. Schools and other educational groups will be able to tour the museum to better understand Bath County’s beginnings and how all the communities within evolved.

So, keep an eye out for updates; we hope to have this and other tourism projects up and running soon.