A member of Trigg County High School’s Class of 2002, Patrick Lewis has earned an important promotion — one set to take effect in January 2025.
According to Louisville Business First reporter Michael L. Jones, Lewis will move from Filson Historical Society’s director of Collections and Research to its President & CEO role, following the retirement of current President & CEO Richard H.C. Clay.
Located at 1310 S. 3rd Street, the privately-supported organization is celebrating its 140th Anniversary in 2024, and since 1884 has dedicated its efforts toward the collecting, preserving and sharing of the Commonwealth’s and Ohio Valley’s cultural significance.
Among its relics include extensive bounds of manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, architectural records, rare imprints, books, maps, newspapers, textiles, portraits and other key items. Outreach includes a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal, Ohio Valley History, a quarterly magazine called The Filson, as well as weekly lectures, historical tours, comprehensive exhibits, discussion groups, conferences, a field institute and relatable excursions.
Lewis has served The Filson Historical Society in multiple facets for more than 4 ½ years, and prior to that worked for nearly nine years with the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort.
Upon leaving Cadiz, Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Transylvania University in Lexington, before earning both his master’s in history and his Doctor of Philosophy in history from the University of Kentucky.
According to Lewis, his career had been dedicated to Kentucky and Civil War history, and he has built his skill set to include museums, digital humanities, academic publishing, archival management, grant writing and non-profit leadership.
