A Kids'-Eye Journey Through Northern Kentucky's History
Narrated by journalist and TV personality Nick Clooney, with the help of a group of lively teens, this video takes kids (and grown-ups!) on a journey through Northern Kentucky’s history from prehistoric times to the present, introducing them to significant events and prominent Kentuckians along the way.
Our Curator Loves to Chat!
Curator's Chats: Weekly Chats with Jason French
BCM Curator, Jason French has a love for Northern KY history and artifacts that he is excited to share! Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook to see Jason's latest discoveries at BCM.
SUBSCRIBE TO BCM YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Recent Chats
Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Exhibit
United States Playing Card Co.
NKY Sports Legends of the 1950s
75th Anniversary of Behringer-Crawford Museum
Collection 21 Antique Car Collection
The Backstory to Familiar Faces by Mark Schlachter
Race to Fame: Hometown Kentucky Derby Legends
Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center
Fort Thomas Military and Community Museum
The Art of Fashion: Fay Applegarth Maddux
Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Exhibit
Walt's Hitching Post with Zeke Jeffcoat
Boone County Ohio River Initiative
Late 19th Century Pottery and Art
Children's Home of Northern Kentucky
What They're Saying
I was just at the museum for my 1st ever visit.
Wow!!! This place is amazing!! My husband and I enjoyed seeing and reading about all the history of this area and the Christmas train/village displays.
What an amazing place!! - Geneva Carter
5-Star Google Reviews
"This is a hidden gem of a museum. Both train displays along with the other exhibits are very cool and informative. The level of detail is just incredible. Allow yourself 1 1/2 hours to see everything, longer if you have children as they definitely will want to spent extra time with the interactive train exhibits."
- Randy Fedorchak
"A unique museum in a beautiful setting."
- Michelle Van Buren
"Great exhibition of local history."
- Scotty Roreck
"Great place! Not huge, well run and awesome history! Friendly! ?."
- M Lambert
"The Museum is interesting. Also in the Summer each Thursday they have a concert in the park."
-Diane Howard
"Great place to go explore. My daughter and I decided to check it out on a rainy Saturday. The museum is tucked away in the Devou Park. Not real easy to find but there are signs. But it is worth it. We had a great time checking out all the exhibits. The train display and the trolley car from Covington, KY were a couple favorites. If you like history, especially local history, you should definitely stop by for a visit.Great place to go explore. My daughter and I decided to check it out on a rainy Saturday. The museum is tucked away in the Devou Park. Not real easy to find but there are signs. But it is worth it. We had a great time checking out all the exhibits. The train display and the trolley car from Covington, KY were a couple favorites. If you like history, especially local history, you should definitely stop by for a visit."
-Jason Brewer
"Beautiful museum! Loved hanging out at the playground right outside the doors!"
-K Walton
"This is a wonderful place to go to learn about the history of Northern Kentucky. Easy to visit, easy too park, informative exhibits, friendly staff, a nice asset for the park and for all of us who live in KY. Try it!This is a wonderful place to go to learn about the history of Northern Kentucky. Easy to visit, easy too park, informative exhibits, friendly staff, a nice asset for the park and for all of us who live in KY. Try it!"
-Larry Holladay
"Loved this place! Lots of neat history bits woven into very fun, kid- friendly exhibits. The buttons for kids to push in the train exhibit, and the bubble to climb into and watch the train exhibit from inside were especially fun for our little guy."
-Angela Baldridge
Recommendations on Facebook
"I love this place, it's a fun interactive trip for the kids. Its made even more magical during the holiday season when the train display is up." - Kathleen Phipps
"Lots of interesting exhibits about the history of the area." - Michael Eshom
"We had a great time at the Thursday night concert. We will go back for more concerts and to go through the museum." - Charlie Mcintosh
"If you haven’t visited, take some time to check it out. Such an interesting place and knowledgeable staff." - Julie Anne Kugler-Ackley
"Very interesting exhibits showcasing NKY history, with an emphasis on transportation. Especially loved the Lego display (Holiday exhibit). Will be back to see the regular trains!" - Teri Trimbach Dean
Awards
Behringer-Crawford Museum received the Kentucky Historical Society's Education Award for its 2017 exhibit "Korea: The Forgotten War."
The exhibit, displayed at the museum from August 5 to October 1, 2017, honored thousands of Northern Kentuckians who served in the Korean conflict, an era wedged between World War II and the Vietnam War which got its "forgotten" designation because it received relatively little attention over the years. It featured recorded oral histories, diaries, letters, photographs and artifacts, including uniforms, dog tags and medals. More than 6,000 people viewed the exhibit, which was designed to preserve the memories of the veterans and pay tribute to their service.
The award was accepted by BCM Curator of Exhibits Jason French at the KHS annual meeting in Frankfort, KY, on November 9.
|
|
(L-R) Scott Alvey, KHS Executive Director, BCM Curator of Collections Jason French, and Constance Alexander, KHS Governing Board President. Photo by Marvin Young. |
Headlines
Fashion, Beauty and the Female Form at Cincinnati's FotoFocus Lens-Based Art Biennial
- City Beat Magazine
Artists raise funds for youth education at freshART
- Movers and Makers Cincinnati
Museum archives include records of original donor William Behringer; of the museum’s first curator archaeologist Ellis Crawford; from state, regional, county and municipal political entities, the Corps of Engineers; of river and steamboat, natural history, Civil War, Slavery, industry, arts and crafts, folk, for the visual and performing arts, artifacts and collections; many bound volumes, periodicals, magazines; in vertical file drawers newspaper, document and journal clippings or copies thereof and more; museum journals, guides and flyers including the BCM News/Journal (1980-87), Guide to Programs (1980-87) and Artifacts (1991 to the present); and including museum financial records, staff reports, calendars and board minutes.
Archival categories include but are not limited to:
- Journals, maps, data per the travels and collections of William Behringer
- The maps, documents and journals business records, writings per curator Ellis Crawford
- Navigation charts, maps documents, steamboat registries, journals, financial records often overlapping or supplementing those of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer River men and other collections, museums and archives per river and steamboat history
- Archives, documents, journals financial records, construction drawings per local business and industry
- Maps and documents per the Civil War and the Civil War batteries in Devou Park
- Records per Devou Park and the municipal park system
- City commission, departmental journals, records, annual reports and maps per subdivision, suburban town and city developments (original documents of the subdivision of Forest Hills, etc.)
- Documentation per specimens and collections per prehistory and historical era (“paleo,” archaeological, American Indian, Civil War, household, textiles, industry)
The Museum uses vertical file cabinets and map drawers; acid free containers and other materials and strategies for the preservation of documents and collections.
The “William Behringer Memorial Museum” opened July 5th, 1950 showing off the collections of a late world traveler. Visitors would see a mounted stuffed life- sized black bear, birds, small game, the emblematic two-headed calf, American Indian artifacts and other unforgettable “curiosities.”
Also seen wa the elegant streetcar “Kentucky.” Built in 1892, it had just been retired from public use and has since been restored. Streetcar lines had connected the river cities--centers of service and heavy industry and multi-ethnic urban life.
Under the first curator, Ellis Crawford, the museum co-sponsored nearby digs which yielded many more artifacts including large paleo bones from historic Big Bone Springs.
In 1979-80, after adding fire safety and restoration components, the museum reopened as the Behringer-Crawford Museum. Staff and volunteers increased public programming--Junior Curator archeology, arts, crafts and visual and performing arts. Permanent displays showed natural history, archeology, paleontology, mineralogy, rivers and steamboats, industry, folk art, politics, frontier home life, the Civil War and slavery. Special temporary exhibits added other attractions.
A regional museum, BCM has documented historic Civil War battery sites in three counties, including those in Devou Park.
In the early 1990s the museum built an outdoor amphitheater where people enjoy an annual freshART auction and a weekly summer concert series. During the holiday season, children, parents and grandparents enjoy watching the very popular toy trains and pushing the many interactive electrical buttons.
The region has been a hub for Rivers, Roads, Rails and Runways. In the last decade BCM added 15,000 square feet--adopting 
the theme of “Transportation.” Other incisive themes include immigration, tourism and entertainment, municipal and regional planning and the local arts heritage.
The museum meets the standards set by the Americans for Disabilities Act. Newly renovated to better educate and entertain, Behringer-Crawford Museum celebrates 70 years in 2020.
-- John Boh, historian
