Archives & Special Collections

06/01/2026

It’s June, which means it’s Pride month! Louisville Pride celebrations as we know them today grew in part out of the city’s annual Gay and Le***an March for Justice, where participants advocated for equal rights and treatment for members of the LGBTQ community. The rally for Louisville’s 2nd ever Gay and Le***an March for Justice took place in Central Park, Old Louisville on June 25, 1988. Participants then marched to the courthouse, where the event continued. Check out these snapshots of the event from our Williams-Nichols Collection, a still-growing archive of Louisville’s LGBTQ+ history.

Image details:
1. March for Justice Rally in Central Park, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0184 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
2. March for Justice Rally in Central Park, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0202 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
3. March for Justice Rally in Central Park, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0199 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
4. March for Justice Rally in Central Park, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0185 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
5. March for Justice Rally in Central Park, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0198 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
6. March for Justice Rally at the courthouse in downtown Louisville, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0186 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections
7. March for Justice Rally at the courthouse in downtown Louisville, June 25, 1988, item number 2017_214_0187 in the Williams-Nichols Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections

05/26/2026

How to make Strawberry-Cheese Pie Glacé, a spring recipe from the 1971 “Courier-Journal & Times Cookbook.”

This recipe and many like it can be found in The Glenn Cookbooks collection in Rare Books, with requested access available through Archives & Special Collections.

Come find a vintage recipe in the research room that interests you!

P.S. Make sure to swipe to the end to see the pie that our student worker Nathan made from the recipe!

Image details:
Slide 1: Marhsall, Lillian, 1971, The Courier-Journal & Times Cookbook. First Edition, Second Printing, call number TX 715 .M364 1971, Glenn Cookbooks Collection, Rare Books, University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections.
Slides 2-5: Graphics created by Nathan, archives student worker, from the ingredients he used to make the pie in this recipe. 🤩
6: Archives staff enjoying the sweet flavors of 1971 in our breakroom!

05/10/2026

This Mother’s Day, we’d like to highlight the collection “New Matriarchs: Louisville,” which consists of photographs by Laura Ospital highlighting the lives of recent female immigrants to Louisville in 2004. This work was created for the exhibition “Celebrate Our International Heritage Month,” a joint project of the Metro Louisville Office for International Affairs, Kentucky Foundation for Women, and the Louisville Free Public Library. As part of the project, the four women spoke on their experiences bringing notions of family life and reconciling cultures from Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mexico.

The lens through which they view motherhood balances sacrifice and ambition while raising children and ushering a new generation into America. The women also note the silent labor investment of motherhood that may go unnoticed but has consistently rewarded them as they watch their children grow.

Karina Barillas describes her grandmother building the house she grew up in, and her mother never throwing out aging furniture to support her children. These women taught Barillas that “You need a village to raise one child… We were raised with respect, compassion towards others, being active, being leaders.”

From one mother’s perspective, she owes much of who she is today to her grandmother, learning not from teaching, but through observation: “She never told me this is what you have to do, I just learned from watching her. She would wake up every day and grind the corn and make fresh tortillas. Anybody that came into the house... she would not let leave until they ate something. That’s the one thing that makes me now the woman that I am.”

This Mother’s Day, we honor the many forms motherhood takes, appreciating the sacrifices that allow generations to endure.

Image details:
1. Laura Opsital "New Matriarchs: Louisville" collection, 2013_01_01, University of Louisville Photographic Archives.

05/02/2026

Happy Derby Weekend, featuring photos from Louisville’s largest Black-owned newspaper, The Louisville Defender.

Since 1933, the independent publication has served as a historic voice of West Louisville, covering social, political and cultural events within the Black community.

Featured photos were taken at the 1973 and 1974 races. The 1973 Derby is marked by the indelible legacy of Secretariat, a horse known for his Triple Crown victory attributed to the horse’s abnormal heart size. Eddie Sweat, a Black horse groomer, played a significant role in caring for Secretariat and is the first horseman to groom back-to-back Kentucky Derby winners: Riva Ridge and Secretariat.

Image details:
1. 1973 Derby, item number 1985_026_LD10814 in the Louisville Defender photographs Collections, Archives & Special Collections.
2. LD10815, Louisville Defender Collection
3. LD10819, Louisville Defender Collection
4. LD10820, Louisville Defender Collection
5. LD10822, Louisville Defender Collection
6. LD10824, Louisville Defender Collection
7. LD10845, Louisville Defender Collection
8. LD10852, Louisville Defender Collection
9. LD10857, Louisville Defender Collection
10. LD10858, Louisville Defender Collection
11. LD10877, Louisville Defender Collection
12. JD Harris, 1974 Derby parade, horses, party; item number 1985_026_LD10898 in the Louisville Defender photographs Collections, Archives & Special Collections.
13. Fred Newby, LD10922, Louisville Defender Collection
14. Hinkle, LD10926, Louisville Defender Collection
15. Mildren Burroughs (Detroit), LD10928, Louisville Defender Collection
16. LD10921, Louisville Defender Collection
17. LD10923, Louisville Defender Collection

05/01/2026

We are saddened by the passing of James “Andy” Anderson, retired Curator of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives (ULPA) whose 35-year tenure made the ULPA much of what it is today. Andy’s work began in 1972 and over the years he grew the archive tremendously through considered acquisitions, such as the archive of Louisville commercial studio Royal Photo Company, with a focus on attribution, completeness, and research value. Andy was an early adopter of scanning and recognized the value of digitization in the archives. His books Roy Stryker: The Humane Propagandist (1977), Images of America: Louisville (2001), and Historic Photos of Louisville (2006) are drawn entirely from our collections and continue to promote the Photo Archives to new audiences. With his passion and expertise, Andy transformed the ULPA from a young repository to a professional and well-respected photographic archive. Andy’s passion for photography and the preservation of Louisville’s visual history was ever-present and has inspired generations of students, photographers, and visitors to the Photographic Archives.

Image details:
Andy Anderson, by Lou Tingle, 2023
James “Andy” Anderson headshot, by Ken Strothman
Andy and Photo Archives founder Robert Doherty, by Bill Carner, 2012
Andy with musician and photographer Graham Nash, by Bill Carner, 1982
Andy Anderson and David Horvath by Jay Mather, Courier-Journal, 1979

04/29/2026

Preserving and making accessible the history and cultural heritage of UofL, Louisville, and the surrounding region is no small feat. It takes a village! Here are just some of the people who make it happen. Do any of these adorable faces look familiar to you?

04/24/2026

Louisvillians and balloon pilots alike are gearing up for the beloved Great Balloon Race this weekend. Check out these throwback photos of the 1979 race from our collection of Kentucky Derby Festival photographs! The collection covers Derby Festival events spanning the 1960s – 1980s including the Balloon Race, the Pegasus Parade, the Steamboat Race, celebrity visits, and more.

But perhaps the best part about this collection is that you can order reproductions from it and have a piece of derby festival history for yourself! Visit https://library.louisville.edu/archives/fees for more info about ordering reproductions. We hope you glimpse some balloon action this weekend, don’t forget to look up!

Image details:
1. Various photos of the 1979 Kentucky Derby Festival hot air balloon race, folder 1, box 9, Kentucky Derby Festival Photograph Collection (1984_028), University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.

04/23/2026

Open now at the Broadway Theater is “(re)Visiting Urban Renewal in Louisville,” an exhibition featuring archival materials from UofL Archives and Special Collections. Check it out when you stop by this weekend to see production of a Raisin in the Sun!

Featured in this carousel is one of the collages created from photographs in the Urban Renewal Collection by archivist, curator and artist Cassidy Meurer. These collages are displayed among other archival materials from our collections in the exhibit. It will be on display at the Broadway Theater through June.
Interested in seeing the original images from the collages? Our Urban Renewal Photograph Collection is now available online. View them on our digital collections page, accessible through the link in our bio or via our website!

04/20/2026

Happy National Library Week! We are celebrating with a throwback to when we got to pull out Euclid's Elements of Geometry, a 16th century text from our rare books collections, during a tour with Heather Lowe, Executive Director of Louisville Free Public Library!

Happy National Library Week!

Chances are, you’ve visited a library (we hope) — and that makes really happy! This week, we’re celebrating what you love most about the University of Louisville Libraries and our friendly neighbors, Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL).

Pictured here is LFPL Executive Director Heather Lowe during a recent tour. With her background in archives, she was especially excited to explore our Archives & Special Collections, including this historic geometry text.

The spring semester is flying by, but we hope you can take a break sometime this week and join us for one of our events, like the second annual Million Dollar Party on Tuesday, April 21, and Pause for Paws on Thursday, April 23.

In the meantime, stop by and see us, browse our collections, and discover something that brings you joy.