2026 Events – Jack Jouett House Historic Site

MARCH

Educators, Escapists, and Entrepreneurs:
Women on the Kentucky Frontier
with Dr. Melanie Goan

March 28, 2026, 3:30 to 4:30 pm at the Visitor Center
Jack Jouett House Historic Site, 255 Craig’s Creek Road, Versailles, KY

The Kentucky frontier lingers in our memory as a man’s world, but what about the women who occupied and helped settle it? Dr. Goan, University of Kentucky History Professor, will look at several examples of women who endured the thrills and threats of starting over and in the process shaped what Kentucky became through grit, determination, and ingenuity. Tours of the 1797 Jouett House will be offered after this presentation.

May

Join us for Wildlife of Kentucky with Tiffany Laracuente. Tiffany will display several native wildlife animals such as birds, snakes, and turtles that Jack Jouett would’ve seen. This is a “drop in event.” Meaning you can drop in anytime between 1-3pm as there will be different stations to explore!

Tours of the Jouett home will also be available 10:00am-4:00pm.

JUNE

Jack Jouett Day

Saturday June 6, 2026
Jack Jouett House Historic Site, 255 Craig’s Creek Road, Versailles, KY

Jack Jouett Skillet Toss at the Woodford County Fair

June 18, 2026, 8:00 pm
Woodford County Fairgrounds, 293 Beasley Drive, Versailles, KY
Admission: Fair Entry Ticket

Legend has it that Jack Jouett intervened in a domestic squabble on his way to Kentucky, and received a skillet on the head for his trouble. Test your skillet-tossing strength and win a prize if you measure up to frontier standards. Ladies only, although gentlemen are encouraged to provide huzzahs!

JULY

Chairs & Household Product of the Kentucky Penitentiary 1800 to 1937 and Decorative Inlay in Early Kentucky Furniture 1790 to 1820 with Mack Cox

Saturday July 11 2026 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Three Seasons Building in the District
105 Rose Hill Ave, Versailles, KY

A Kentucky native, Mack Cox is a collector and independent scholar of early Kentucky material culture, and especially its early furniture. This presentation will explore chairs that were produced at the Kentucky penitentiary in Frankfort from 1805 to 1937 and how an Italian chair influenced these Kentucky chairs from about 1815 until after the Civil War. He will also discuss the decorative inlay vocabulary of 42 furniture groups made in Kentucky from 1792 to 1820.

AUGUST

Mel Hankla

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Jack Jouett House Historic Site, 255 Craig’s Creek Road, Versailles, KY

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Learning About Kentucky’s Cemeteries and Burial Sites with Dr. James Seaver

Saturday October 17, 2026, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Jack Jouett House Historic Site, 255 Craig’s Creek Road, Versailles, KY

Join us for a comprehensive overview of all things cemetery-related in Kentucky! Long-time cemetery enthusiast Dr. Jim Seaver will share his tips for documenting sites, conducting genealogy research, addressing common legal issues, tackling basic cemetery preservation projects, and commemorating historic cemeteries in this hour-long presentation. We will also take a walk through our site’s small cemetery and learn its history and inhabitants including a Daniel Boone cousin.

NOVEMBER

Mourning Traditions with Susan Miller

Saturday November 7, 2026
Jack Jouett House Historic Site, 255 Craig’s Creek Road, Versailles, KY

Historian Susan Miller will share stories of the beliefs and traditions surrounding mourning in the 18th and 19th centuries. She will be displaying mourning clothing and keepsakes including a replica of Mary Todd Lincoln’s velvet mourning dress worn after the loss of two beloved sons and her husband. Learn about the superstitions and ways of coping with grief that for too many families dealt with during Kentucky’s early days.