Kentucky Historical Society

What Kentucky Historical Society does

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky operating under the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, chartered in 1836 to preserve and interpret Kentucky history. Headquartered in downtown Frankfort across a three-site campus — the 167,000-square-foot Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol, and the Kentucky Military History Museum — KHS serves educators, genealogists, academic researchers, students, and general visitors through physical exhibits, a research library, educational programs, and the statewide historical marker program covering all 120 Kentucky counties.

KHS operates a digital infrastructure that includes an online collections catalog and research tools, virtual visitor programming, video archives, podcasts (Kentucky Chronicles), and digital documentary editions such as the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition. The Kentucky Oral History Commission maintains more than 9,000 oral history interviews accessible for research. The society publishes The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal in continuous publication since 1903, and coordinates Kentucky History Day in affiliation with National History Day.

KHS is funded primarily through annual state legislative appropriations, supplemented by museum admission ($8 adults, $6 youth/veterans, free for children under 6 and members), membership dues, foundation fundraising via the affiliated 501(c)(3) Kentucky Historical Society Foundation, facility rental for events, museum store retail sales, grants (including the America250KY Grant Program), and fee-based research services. It holds Smithsonian Affiliate status and full American Alliance of Museums accreditation, and is a founding member of the History Relevance Campaign.

Name

Kentucky Historical Society

Legal name

The Kentucky Historical Society

Website

https://history.ky.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1836

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage and Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), History Museums (THAJADAB), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Historical society services
• Museum exhibits
• Archival research
• Genealogy resources
• Educational programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfort

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Revenue from paid admission to museum sites including Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, Old State Capitol, and Kentucky Military History Museum. Admission: Adults $8, Youth (6-18) $6, Veterans $6, Children 5 and under FREE
2. State Funding: Annual appropriations from Kentucky General Assembly; KHS has received state funding since 1906 when Gov. J.C.W. Beckham persuaded the legislature to appropriate $5,000
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with various tiers offering benefits and exclusive access to KHS programs and resources
4. KHS Foundation Donations: Fundraising through Kentucky Historical Society Foundation (501c3), including Fund for KHS, honorary and memorial gift programs, and planned giving
5. Facility Rental: Event space rental at museum facilities including the 167,000-square-foot Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
6. Museum Store Sales: Retail sales at Stewart Home & School 1792 Museum Store
7. Grant Funding: Special grant programs including America250KY Grant Program for community initiatives
8. Fee-based Research Services: Professional staff research services for historical, legal, and genealogical research requests

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Kentucky Historical Society operates a multi-site state museum and research organization in Frankfort, Kentucky. Its core offerings include three physical museum sites (Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, Old State Capitol, and Kentucky Military History Museum), the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library with extensive archival and genealogical collections, a statewide Historical Marker Program covering all 120 Kentucky counties, educational programs including Kentucky History Day, the peer-reviewed journal The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, oral history preservation with over 9,000 interviews, and the America250KY statewide commemoration initiative.

Product overview

The Kentucky Historical Society operates a multi-site museum and research organization in Frankfort, Kentucky. Its core offerings include three physical sites (Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, Old State Capitol, and Kentucky Military History Museum), the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library with extensive archival collections, and the Historical Marker Program covering all 120 Kentucky counties. Digital offerings include Virtual Visitor access, Catalog & Research Tools for online collections, KHS Podcasts, and the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition. The society also coordinates America250KY for the 2026 anniversary commemoration, manages the Kentucky Oral History Commission with over 9,000 interviews, and publishes The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society scholarly journal. Educational programs include Kentucky History Day student competitions and museum education services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admissions Paid admission to KHS museum sites including the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, Old State Capitol, and Kentucky Military History Museum. Pricing: Adults $8, Youth (6-18) $6, Veterans $6, Children 5 and under FREE, KHS members FREE. Includes all sites open at the time of visit.
• Martin F. Schmidt Research Library Services Research library providing access to KHS collections including artifacts, books, manuscripts, rare books, oral history interviews, courthouse archives, and other historical materials. Offers both in-person access (Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm) and fee-based professional staff research services for historical, legal, and genealogical research requests.
• Stewart Home & School 1792 Museum Store On-site retail store offering Kentucky-themed gifts, books, historical reproductions, and educational merchandise to museum visitors and the general public.
• Facility Rental for Events Event space rental at museum facilities, primarily the 167,000-square-foot Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, for weddings, corporate events, private gatherings, and other functions.
• KHS Membership Program Annual membership program with multiple tiers offering benefits including free admission to all museum sites, exclusive access to KHS programs and resources, and special member events.
• The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by KHS since 1903 covering Kentucky and Kentucky-related history topics. Available to researchers, members, and academic institutions.
• Educational Programs School field trips, teacher resources, youth and family programs, museum camps, Kentucky History Day student competition (National History Day affiliate), adult programs, and curriculum-aligned materials for K-12 and college audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48,000+ annual visitors to museum facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKHS is an affiliate of the Smithsonian, providing access to national resources, collections sharing, and recognition of museum standards.
• American Alliance of MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKHS holds full accreditation from the AAM, demonstrating compliance with professional museum standards.
• Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage CabinetcoreOthersKHS is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky's executive branch.
• History Relevance CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKHS is a founding member of the History Relevance Campaign, an initiative promoting the value of history.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Historical Society: Indiana Historical Society operates the Indiana History Center with a museum, research library, and statewide programs similar to KHS. Both are state-affiliated historical societies with comparable scale, collections, education programming, and earned-revenue models.
• Colonial Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg operates historic interpretive sites, museum collections, and education programming at a much larger scale. It is a useful comparator for KHS's Old State Capitol and living-history programming ambitions.
• Wisconsin Historical Society: Wisconsin Historical Society is a state-affiliated history organization operating museums, archives, and a research library, with publications and historic-marker programming that parallel KHS. It is a strong comparable for the museum-plus-library-plus-marker-program mix.
• Ohio History Connection: Ohio History Connection operates a statewide network of historic sites, museums, and archives, similar in scope to KHS's three Frankfort sites. Both organizations function as state agencies managing multiple interpretive properties with comparable collections and education mandates.
• Minnesota Historical Society: Minnesota Historical Society is a large state historical society operating multiple historic sites, museums, a research library, and statewide education programs. It is a useful scale-up benchmark for KHS given overlapping missions across museums, archives, and publishing.
• Virginia Museum of History & Culture: The Virginia Museum of History & Culture (formerly Virginia Historical Society) is a state-level history organization combining museum, library, and publishing operations. It mirrors KHS's structure of physical sites plus research collections and a peer-reviewed historical journal.
• Tennessee Historical Society: Tennessee Historical Society is a neighboring state historical society with overlapping missions in historical preservation, publications, and education. It serves as a regional comparable given shared Appalachian and Civil War history focus with KHS.

Others

• American Alliance of Museums: The American Alliance of Museums is the sector accreditation body that has awarded KHS full accreditation. It is an ecosystem peer that defines the professional standards and peer network KHS operates within.

Regional players

• Filson Historical Society: Filson Historical Society, based in Louisville, is a private regional history organization focused on Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. It competes with KHS for Kentucky genealogists, researchers, and donors despite a different funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is the parent-affiliate national institution that KHS draws resources, exhibitions, and standards from. It sets the curatorial and accreditation benchmark against which KHS is measured.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KyHistSoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCunZDN4KpmyYrFz7A6-680g
• Facebookfacebook.com/KyHistSoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kentucky-historical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/kentuckyhistoricalsociety/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/KHS1792/_created

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kentucky Historical Society