Many of you have heard the news stories about our recent damage from the floods on August 4th, 2009. What started as a trickle in the curator’s office turned quickly to geysers of water from the ceilings in the collection and archives storage. Then, the bathrooms started to overflow out into the main floor of the museum. Meanwhile, the parking lot in front of the museum quickly flooded and cars began floating down Central Ave.
As it became apparent the artifacts in collections were at risk, all museum staff members moved to the basement for a mass rescue effort. Water quickly reached 8-10 inches and all items on bottom storage shelves along with paintings, were moved via human chain. Although many items got wet, we are quite hopeful that nothing will be lost. This weekend, anything showing signs of water damage will be sent to Chicago for mass conservation. Our efforts have been applauded by one of the most highly regarded art insurers in the world. He says our attempt to save such large quantities of items is unparalleled with other museums in disaster situations he’s seen. Close to a thousand pieces were moved- out of rising water by barefoot staff- in less than an hour and a half in the darkness.
Our horses, Phantom On Tour and his mini buddy Winston fared the water just fine. The garden area got pretty wet but after a short clean up of debris looks back to normal now.
Thank you to everyone who have sent letters of concern and well wishes. We created this blog so we will have an outlet to share the most up to date information with all our friends and supporters. Please check back often for updates.
Click here to find out how you can help.
SO SORRY FOR THE DEVASTATION. WE LOVE THE MUSEUM WE COME TO DERBY AND TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE SHOW EVERY YEAR AND WE ALWAYS GO TO THE MUSEUM . AS MATTER OF FACT MY HAT I WORE AT THE DERBY THIS YEAR IS ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM WHICH IS SO EXCITING FOR ME.
WE ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE SHOW AT THE END OF AUGUST WAS HOPING YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO BE BACK OPEN BY THEN BUT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE YOU WILL BE. I WAS BRINGING MY MOTHER WHO IS HANDICAPPED BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SEE MY HAT ON DISPLAY. MAYBE BY THE GRACE OF GOD YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REOPEN FOR ALL THE SADDLEBRED PEOPLE AT THE END OF AUGUST.
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately the damage to the Museum is extensive and we will not be open in August. We will be re-evaluating our progress at the end of the month to determine when we may re-open. The hats from the contest are listed on the website if you would like to view all the winners.
http://www.derbymuseum.org/exhibits_permanent.html
I was an employee there for awhile, and was there during the Flood of 1997. I will be thinking of you all & hope all goes well. If you need an extra person to help let me know.
Tracy Decker (Ross)
My heart sank when I heard the news. I was on the phone with one of my clients as things were unfolding. He lives not to far from the track. Churchill Downs is my home away from home. I have spent hours at the track and in the museum.
I was going to be coimg up in a few weeks. Do you need some help? I will be happy to help in any way. Is there anyting I can send up?
Oh no! So sorry to hear this news. My husband and I visit the Museum every time we are in Kentucky …most recently April 2009. Applause to the dedicated individuals who worked to remove items from the flooding. I hope every thing can be saved.
Thanks for the comments! We’re all hanging in there. We’ve had an outpouring of support from the community and folks asking how they can help. Unfortunately, there’s not much anyone can do. The clean up crews are here in full force and lending us the hands we need. Staff has been re-configured to address the new needs as they come up. It’s been a heartbreaking week for us but we’re pulling through.
Your heroic rescue effort was a stunning achievement. You performed like troopers. You ARE troopers.
Bravo !
I was the ED at the Museum from 1987-1994 and on staff prior to opening in 1985. I can promise that the only identified concerns for flooding (and therefore comfort in having collections and archives in the basement) were mechanical system failures (burst pipe or other internal water system) and flooding of the Ohio River in historic proportion. There was comfort that the mechanical systems were new and well maintained and that the rising Ohio River would provide ample time to take action. No one anticipated a flood simply from a stormwater event. What happened in Louisville, however, is eerily similar to what happened to me in Houston at the Museum of Health & Medical Science in 2001 when tropical storm Allison dropped over a foot of rain in less than 24 hours, resulting in $5 billion in damage to the Medical Center area. The difference was that the Museum in Houston was built with a parking garage as the sublevel so only vehicles and the elevator were effected.
Kudos to the staff for their quick and heroic actions to rescue this important collection. Also, thank goodness for Jay Ferguson!
Randy Ray
wishing you the very best. your museum is filled with treasures important to all. glad no one was hurt.
So sorry to hear the news. We were just there in late May. We love you all for the work you do, and the Derby Museum is one of our favorite places on the planet. I couldn’t help thinking of dear Eight Belle’s grave being flooded. Thank you for the marvelous job you and done and are doing.
Oops ! That’s troupers—it’s an old show-biz term. My military bg got the best of my spelling; now I’m setting it right.
I was horrified when I saw the pictures of Church Hill. Myself, my daughter and my Grandaughter were just there in June and spent several days going on tours and watching the horses run. I hope all can be salavaged. Will be returning to Kentucky someday and will definitely be back to the museum. I wish everyone there good luck in the clean up. Do you know if there was any damage to the Barbaro memorial? I saw the water was almost to the top of the base. Hopefully not. Glad to hear all the horses and the resident horses were o.k. My granddaughter fell in love with Winston.
My thoughts and prayers will be with you all every day.
My husband Chris Goodlett and I have been following the news from KDM closely. We feel for all of you and we’re keeping in touch through our friends Ronnie Dreistadt and Jeff Kennedy. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know. Hope the clean up goes well and you get back up and running soon!
So very sorry for the damage, and all that you are facing to restore the museum and its collections. As others have stated, it is one of our very favorite places on earth – we were there last Sept for the Eight Belles memorial, on the last day of the ’08 fall meet, during Barbaro statue unveiling weekend, and then again on the day of the Stephen Foster in mid-June. Thank you so much for your efforts to save everything possible – you are heroes!
We will anxiously await word of your reopening. Ironically, I was planning to make a day trip during the week prior to Labor Day – we’ll be postponing that now till things are back in order and your doors reopen. Hopefully, the Barbaro: The Heart of a Winner exhibition can be extended beyond the stated Oct 31 end date???
Take care, all, and thank you again for giving us such a marvelous museum – and for saving it for us and future generations to enjoy!
Barbara, Eight Belle’s resting place has not been disturbed. Even the begonias remain intact!
Lou, we are happy to report that the Barbaro statue remained unharmed. It is as solid as they come with lots of strong steel reinforcements under the granite base.
Lisa, thanks. You guys are good friends of the museum. Chris would be shocked to see the collection spread on tables after the rescue effort.
Sally, the Barbaro exhibit is slated to travel to the Chester County Historical Society in Pennsylvania next. We don’t believe that the travel schedule will be impacted. The exhibit will come down on October 31st and be delivered to their museum about two weeks after that. We’re so happy to share it with their guests. They are estimating that it will be up by Thanksgiving.
Keep the comments coming. We love hearing from you. The well wishes are helping us fight exhaustion.
I’ve been searching everywhere for the Barbaro exhibit’s “travel schedule”. I’ve not had any luck. Can you help? We had a trip scheduled to be at the museum on Sunday, August 2nd, but due to a death in the family we had to cancel our trip. Sadly we’d have been there only a few days before the flooding and we would have seen the museum along with the Barbaro exhibit mere days before the devastation occured. I’m an FOB, so I’m extremely anxious to have the honor of seeing the exhibit. If you could publish the travel schedule I (and I’m sure many others) would be eternally grateful. Thanks so much!!!!
Karen, The Barbaro exhibit is scheduled to be at the Chester County Historical Society in Pennsylvania next. They are estimating that it will be up by Thanksgiving.
I’m so relieved that Eight Belles’ grave is undisturbed and that the begonias are intact. That is simply amazing. It is also SO amazing that you take the time from what must undoubtedly be the busiest of schedules to reply to us. We love you all!
Glad to things are
moving along ….was barbsro’s Ashe disturbed. Iwas so concerned about mrs.Jackson hearing the news about the flood.
I just visited the museum last Friday, late in the afternoon. I wish we had spent more time there! I sounds like the rescue of materials was handled professionally. As a librarian I can’t imagine anything more horrifying than rising water in the archives.
My heart also goes out to the Louisville Public Library. I was there on Saturday doing genealogy research. I’m so glad I planned my weekend in Louisville last weekend and not this weekend!
My thoughts are with both institutions….and I’ll get out my checkbook, even though librarians don’t make that much. I feel I have to help fellow libraries in need.
Patty
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I live down the street from the museum & if there is anything I can do to help let me know.
Are you all accepting finical donations to help with the cost of the clean up effort? If so please tell me where I can send it.
Keep us updated!
Thanks!
The Derby Museum is one of my favorite places in Louisville… so many wonderful memories from there and Churchill Downs… to my friends there please know we are so sad in Paducah knowing what a chore you have ahead… your valuable time spent towards history and education is so appreciated… we would love to help if there is anything we can do…!!
Iris Shreve Garrott
My heart aches at the thought of that precious place damaged. While I have been gone for a while, the Museum will always be a home to me. Matt and I are praying for a full “recovery” from all of this. We will keep you in our prayers and we love u all!
Sonya, Barbaro’s memorial location was not disturbed. The sculpture above the remains was built very solidly with steel reinforcements deep in the ground. The water certainly rose up to it but, it remained secure. Check out our new video on the homepage for a better look at the rising water. I’ve contacted the Jacksons to make them aware of the situation we’re facing. They were glad to hear that the Barbaro Tribute exhibit remains intact with no damage.
Patricia, the Main Library certainly faces a tremendous loss of their collection and so many of their supplies for the opening of a new branch. We sympathize with them greatly. The water in our basement did not near the depths that theirs reached and we have quite a mess to reckon with. So glad you visited both locations before the flood!
Kevin and Iris, we appreciate both of your generous offers to lend a hand. We are immersed in the clean up and have not gotten to the long range planning stage yet. We’ll certainly post on here once we figure out a way for the public to continue their support for the museum.
Thanks so much everyone!
I was heartbroken to hear of the horrific floods that befell the Louisville area. I hope you were able to save most of the artifacts, if not all. I’m happy to hear the Barbaro statue and the graves of Eight Belles, Sunny’s Halo, Brokers Tip, Carry Back and Swaps were not disturbed. I was last at Churchill in September ’08 to bid goodbye to Eight Belles. Ironically, I was due to visit the Museum the very day it flooded. I’m from Lexington, KY, which isn’t too far away, but I was going to become a member and volunteer to help in any way I could. Do you need any help that someone could provide maybe once or twice a week? If not, I’ll be back when you’re up and running again (so to speak).
I am certainly relieved that the grave sites were not disturbed again.
I told my granddaighter about the flooding of the museum and she was asking if any of the Secretariet exhibit was affected. He is one of her favorites. Did you have the Bill Schumaker belongings in the basement? I know they weren’t scheduled to be put on display until sometime next year.
Hope the clean up is coming along o.k. My heart goes out to you. I had a cabin at a lake get flooded twice and I know what you’re going through. Our ceilings were on the floor to. It is such a helpless feeling watching the water rise and know there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Will be excited to hear when you can open again. I know it will be a while. Good luck to you all.
To all of the museum staff:
Watching the video and being kept updated by my son, Jeff, I know what a horrendous situation you are in. Being originally from the Ms. Coast, I saw my parents’ home take in 4 feet of water in 1969′s Hurricane Camille. The clean-up was unbelievable. During 2008′s Hurricane Ike, that same house was completely taken. Nature can pack quite a whollop!
Know that your efforts are so appreciated by all those who hold the museum in high esteem and are truly saddened by the loss it has suffered.
Be careful, take safety precautions, and good luck w/everything.
God bless.
Tab Kennedy
Good luck with your clean up.
But I don’t understand why valuable pieces of what ever
and priceles pictures are stored in the basement.
Nothing of value should ever be stored in a basement.
Remember, water runs down hill, and the basement
will always be the first to fill up.
Kentucky is in the rain belt that moves accross the
United States. Care should always be taken, when
considering rain damage. It could happen again.
Lou, the Secretariat items were removed from the exhibit cases to accomodate the Barbaro exhibit and the majority of those items were returned to secretariat.com at the time so they were not here at the time of the flood.
Shoemaker pieces were affected by the flood and a few of them will be shipped out for conservation early this week. Our curator believes all of these can be repaired.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Don, we certainly appreciate your remarks. When the museum was constructed in 1984-1985, we followed museum standards. The first goal of museum design is to make sure that the public spaces are inviting and usually the 1st and 2nd floors are dedicated for those purposes. Storing collections in the lower levels is standard practice. Continuous exposure to light is detrimental to artifacts and to limit that damage, pieces are routinely housed in darker light controlled areas. Underground storage also protects from the majority of other natural disasters. Roof damage from high winds or tornadoes could devastate a collection housed on the upper floors and impact from earthquakes would also cause substantial damage.
The main floor exhibit area of the museum was also greatly impacted from the raw sewage that spewed from the bathrooms, a situation that we had no ability to predict.
Bottom line, this was a very unusual amount of rain for our area and more than most buildings around us could handle.
Fortnately, out of around 10,000 pieces in our collection fewer than 100 pieces were damaged enough to be sent for repair and conservation. We feel very blessed and will continue to evaluate the building for future storage options.
Having been born and raised in Louisville, Churchill Downs has always been one of my favorite places to visit. I live in California now, but I visit Louisville often to see my Mom and many friends. I always make sure to visit Churchill Downs when I am in town. My husband and I were there in May and we went to the track especially to place flowers on Eight Belles grave and to see the Barbaro monument. I am especially glad that Eight Belles grave was not disturbed. So sorry for the losses and we hope that things will get back to normal soon. Blessings.
You guys — my thoughts and prayers are with you. XXXOOO To Lynn and Sherry and everyone else!
Candace
Whoops — I forgot Julie!!! I know no one probably has time to do this — but you should set up paypal to create a fund for those who wish to donate toward clean up efforts (namely me).
Candace
Candace, we are now accepting donations through the website. I’ll post more information soon but follow the link about the videocast. Thanks for all of your kind words.
Thank you so much for establishing a means for us to donate funds for the clean up at the Kentucky Derby Museum. My thoughts, prayers and good wishes (along with a little luck for easier times!) are with you all as you go about the daily task of restoring the museum in all its splendor!! I’m still sad about having to cancel my trip (I would have been there two days before the storm) due to a death in the family, but I’m anxiously awaiting the reopening (no matter how long it takes!) so that I can reschedule my visit. God Bless and thanks for all your valient efforts to save the artifacts for all of us to enjoy forever!
Thanks for setting up a place for us to donate to your cause. I hope things go quickly and smoothly in your clean up and restoration. Can’t wait till I can visit the museum again. Thanks to all of you for all the hard work you are doing to get things back to normal. Will be keeping in touch thru this web site. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
I was so sorry to read of the flooding. A native Louisivillian, now living in NYC, I was coming back for a Labor Day visit, and was excited at the thought of seeing the Derby Decades exhibit (I’ve been thinking of a book on that very subject!). Will you try to reassemble it after you re-open? Whatever happens, best of luck with the cleanup; here’s to a speedy return of a wonderful institution.
Oh my heart goes out to you all. I worked as a tour guide, sales and finally membership. I know with everyone’s determination and hard work it will be better than ever. Wish I was there to help. I will be thinking of you. Hello Lynn, Sherry, Dennis, Cheryl and everyone else.
Is there any hope that the Barbaro Exhibit will be re-opened before its originally scheduled close date of October 31st? Or is it just shut down for the entire time that you have access to it? I understand that you cannot extend your exihibition as it must go to Pennsylvania next.
I would like to visit Churchill Downs and see your entire museum collection but I had particularly hoped to see the Barbaro Exhibit while there.
I just found out about the flooding of the Kentucky Derby Museum and I’m in tears. My friend and I visited the museum last September and it was the highlight of my year. It had been a life long dream of mine to visit there. Good luck on your cleanup and I hope everything can be restored to what it was.
Hey everyone…..could you give us an update on how the clean up is coming? I hope you all are doing fine.
Have they gotten the barns restored and the horses back yet? How about the track?
If there are newspaprer articles I could go to please feel free to send me there. I know you all are busy.
Your still in my thoughts and prayers.
Lou Naylor in TX
Troy, Laura and Shirley, Thank you for your kind thoughts and words. We are a little run-down but doing just fine. The museum is actually pretty dry although we’ve lost several exhibits at this point and look fairly different inside.
Anne, the Barbaro exhibit may be dismantled earlier than scheduled. We do not have a date for when the work will be completed or when we’ll be able to re-open. In the meantime, our exhibit designer may pack the exhibit for shipping. When we have a re-open date, her plate will be full with necessary design details and repairs for the museum as a whole. We are very proud of the exhibit which was designed at the Derby Museum and feel a strong tie to Barbaro and his owners. It’s been a great tribute to share with our guests and may again be displayed here at some point in the future. It is our goal however, to travel this exhibit as long as possible so others around the country willl have the opportunity to view Barbaro’s story. It moves first to the Chester County Historical Society and we’re honored to share it with their guests. I will post again when the decisions are made in one direction or another with this exhibit.
Lou, Monday the offices of the museum were closed to staff so the building could be sanitized. As you can imagine, we’ve been tracking some muck through the building. Today, staff members are back on the job and many have returned to normal duties. We are a little cramped since more than half of the staff lost their offices, desks and supplies in the basement. These team members have moved upstairs to makeshift work areas.
We are trying to post regular updates on the cleanup blog section as noteworthy events occur. For recent news stories, link to the news and media section of the website: http://www.derbymuseum.org/news/.
I will be visiting Louisville the last of September. I always go to visit Churchill Downs while I am there. I was wondering if I would still have access to visit Eight Belles’ grave site since it is by the museum. I assume the museum will still be closed? Hope things are moving along well. Hated to hear about the destruction. Please let me know. Thank you.
Pamela, if you join us for a walking tour your group will visit the museum’s garden where four Derby winners are buried and Eight Belle’s is memorialized. Please let your tour guide know that you are interested in visiting her memorial before the tour begins so your request can be accomodated. The museum will still be closed in September and the walking tours will continue to visit our resident horses along with these memorial locations, but there is not much time allotted to stop at her resting place. Giving the guide advance notice will help keep this location on the tour if they are running short on time.
I too have been very saddened by the extensive flood damage to the museum. It sounds like you have an excellent team working diligently to get the museum back up and running as soon as possible. My daughter lives in Lexington, and when I visit her, we always come to Churchill Downs and visit the museum. I will be visiting her the middle of October and I hope the museum will be open by then and hopefully I’ll be able to see the Barbaro exhibit before it leaves. I’m very anxious to see the Barbaro statue however!! Good luck to you all!!
We had out-of-town guests visit over the weekend and took them on the Behind the Scenes tour. It was amazing! We enjoyed seeing all the special areas of Churchill and we loved our tour guide. Whoever did the 2pm tour last Saturday, we didn’t get your name, but thank you for the VIP treatment
I hope to come to Louisville to see the Barbaro exhibit in the 3rd week of Sept.–any chance that the museum will be opened? If not, would I be able to see the statue?
Good luck with the repairs
At this time we do not have a re-open date. As soon as we know the date we will post it on the website. You are able to view the Barbaro statue in front of the Museum and Gate 1 of Churchill Downs.
I’ll be making my first visit to the Downs this Saturday, Sept. 5. Can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it. From everything I hear, you guys did a wonderful job with preserving your collections. See you soon!
Hello everyone I sure miss the first class museum but more so I miss all the wonderful people that work at the museum. I’m sure you are all working hard to make the museum even better, but the main ingredient is the people and you guys are great people.
Thanks Bud! We certainly appreciate the support. You are a great ambassador for the museum and we count you among the highly valued team members in our ranks!
So sorry to learn of your challenging situation. I work at your namesake museum in the UK, where in the 1930s our own “Derby Museum” suffered a severe flood. Wishing you and your team all the best, and hope you bounce back bigger, better and stronger in 2010.
Just wanted to know how the staff and museum is getting along and to say thank you.
Like some many others I visited your Museum a couple of days after this year’s Kentucky Derby. I was more than impressed by the professional, interactive and reverently touching manner in which the pieces of interest and exhibits were displayed.
The respect and devotion given by your staff surely shines during the day to day operations. I know that the combined consternation towards the task at hand will restore the museum, above and below ground, to what you want it to be. A treasure sought after, collected, preserved and shared will always be remembered as more than worthwhile.
I thank you all for preserving a piece of legendary American history.
Deborah from No. California
Thank you Deborah. We appreciate your support.
There will be an announcement made on Monday, November 2nd concerning the future of the Museum. Please check our website for details after Monday.
I am very impressed that you guys are still working hard to get the museum back and running.. I was actually there that morning when the rain starting falling.. My car was one of the cars in the parking lot that was flooded.. I lost everything in it and insurance didn’t cover anything for it because it was an ACT OF GOD.. I am planning on coming back hopefully next August and try to do it all over again.. Hope all goes well with the recovery..