Photos: Jonesville legacy remembered by residents, descendants at Kentucky Museum

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Sean McInnis

Robin Ayers (left) and Jennifer Haynie talk about the “What Happened to Jonesville?” exhibit at the Kentucky Museum on WKU campus on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.

Sean McInnis, Staff photographer
October 28, 2022

Dozens of people gathered to reflect on the legacy of Jonesville and view the “What Happened to Jonesville?” exhibit in the Kentucky Museum Thursday evening.

Jonesville was a Black community in Bowling Green dating back to 1881, home to dozens of families. The community was demolished and its people were relocated in the early 1960’s as the land was sold to WKU. The exhibit hopes to honor the legacy, stories, residents and descendants of the town.

The land which was formerly Jonesville is now home to WKU’s softball and soccer fields, stretching up to Diddle Arena and to the Graves Gilbert Clinic. The exhibit was made in part by the 2022 Community Scholars Program participants, the Kentucky Folklife Program, the Kentucky Museum and the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology.

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An attendee at the Honoring Jonesville event at the Kentucky Museum on WKU campus wears a white rose signifies being a resident or descendant of a resident of Jonesville on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (Sean McInnis)
Darlene Whitlow looks at one of the displays in the “What Happened to Jonesville?” exhibit at the Kentucky Museum on WKU campus on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (Sean McInnis)
Dr. Saundra Curry Ardrey, a WKU political science associate professor, welcomes guests to the Honoring Jonesville event at the Kentucky Museum on WKU campus on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (Sean McInnis)
WKU President Timothy Caboni gives remarks to guests attending the Honoring Jonesville event at the Kentucky Museum on WKU campus on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (Sean McInnis)
Assistant professor Ryan Dearbone (left), Howard Bailey and other guests talk at the Honoring Jonesville event at the Kentucky Museum on WKU’s campus on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (Sean McInnis)