Film Screening - Secrets of the Dead

Join us and the Filson Historical Society for a special screening of "Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War's Lost Massacre."

Tue 02/18/2025

6—8 P.M.

At the Center

Film strip with gray backdrop, showcasing movie poster and text 'Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War's Lost Massacre"

This event is produced in partnership with KET, the Filson Historical Society, and the Shelby County Historical Society.

One of public television’s most popular series, Secrets of the Dead, brings its historical analysis to Kentucky!

The Secrets of the Dead series, which uses the latest science to challenge prevailing ideas and share fresh perspectives on historical events, investigates an incident from Kentucky history known as the “Simpsonville Massacre,” when 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th US Colored Cavalry on a cattle drive to Louisville were ambushed and slain by outlaws.

The episode “The Civil War’s Lost Massacre,” which was co-produced by KET, revisits the events of January 25, 1865, tracing the stories of several of the Kentucky soldiers and their families with help from guest historians, two of whom hail from Kentucky: Jerry Miller, a former state legislator from Louisville, and Juanita White, a docent at the Farmington Historic Plantation in Louisville.

Aided by University of Kentucky archeologist Dr. Philip Mink and the university’s EduceLab Mobile Team, the historians search the land around where the massacre occurred, hoping to find the lost burial grounds where the soldiers were lain. The episode also includes interviews with several of Kentucky’s Civil War scholars, including Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor, author and history professor at the University of Kentucky; Steve Phan, chief of interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument; Dr. W. Stephen McBride, former director of interpretation and archeology at Camp Nelson National Monument; and Joni House, former park manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.

Admission is free, but registration is required. Garage parking is not included with admission and is an additional fee.

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