Local and regional folks flocked to Portland Museum for the premiere of “Our Town, Too,” an exhibition documenting Portland’s African American heritage at a Thursday evening reception on November 15. The exhibition will run from November 15, 2007 through April 15, 2008.The exhibit uses photographs, oral histories, maps, and artifacts to interpret the history of Blacks in Portland from slavery to the 20th century, revealing a past rich with achievements in education, religion, sports, social organization, and a nationally recognized victory for equal rights. Interpretive panels based on historic research accompany the photos and oral histories. The research is on-going and the museum hopes that the community will contribute information during the run of the exhibit. A group of community curators (Jimmie Ransom White, Dorothy Dunlap, Ruth Powers and Mary Turner with U of L intern Jessica Dawkins), working with the museum on an African American heritage trail, helped to identify key figures and accomplishments in Portland’s African American community. A map will identify key sites of interest to the community.

Later, a trial run of the heritage trail will take place and the public will be asked to help evaluate the trail. Other public events are planned and will be announced at a later date. This project is part of a larger initiative to create a set of interpretive master plans for Portland Wharf Park and three heritage trails in Portland. The project is funded by Preserve America, a White House initiative, in cooperation with US Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in partnership with US Department of the Interiorand Louisville Metro Government External Agency Funds. The Portland Museum, located at 2308 Portland Avenue, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.  For more information call 776-7678.

Project funding provided by Preserve America, a White House initiative, in cooperation with US Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and partnership with US Department of the Interior in partnership with Louisville Metro Parks. The Portland Museum, established in 1978, is an educational resource that collects, preserves, exhibits, interprets and enhances the culture and heritage of Portland. Portland Museum is supported in part by operating funds from Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet, with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.