KHS Oral History Collections

The Society's collection of nearly 8,000 interviews is available to the public at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort. Cataloged by county or by project, the interviews contain the irreplaceable recollections of Kentuckians from all walks of life. General community histories with elderly residents provide unique information on life in Kentucky during the early twentieth century, while over sixty special projects on topics such as tobacco, quilting, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Vietnam Veterans offer a more in-depth look at various aspects of Kentucky history. Interviews conducted for the award-winning Ohio River Portrait project are included in this collection and complement a series of photographs housed in the special collections department of the Kentucky Historical Society.

The recordings and transcriptions of collections not yet online can be accessed in the Special Collections Research Room at the Center for Kentucky History. If you are unable to come to the center, you can make requests by submitting a signed KOHC User Application (89 KB).

Use and Quotation Policy

Authorization must be granted by the Kentucky Historical Society to use or publish by any means any archival material to which the Society holds copyright. To obtain authorization, users will submit a completed Use Agreement to the Kentucky Historical Society Special Collections & Reference Services. Fees for all uses, excepting non-profit or other use, with the intent to enhance understanding of or appreciation for Kentucky's heritage will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and added to the cost of reproduction.

Users may not alter, distort, or change in any way the text, image, audio, or video to be used, unless otherwise authorized by the Society. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission to publish by any means any material held at the Society but to which the KHS does not hold copyright. The Society is not responsible for any copyright infringement.

Users will not quote or otherwise reproduce in part or in whole any archival material, without citing the "Kentucky Historical Society," and without giving explicit written acknowledgement of the collection from which it was obtained, as designated by the Society.

Users will present to the Kentucky Historical Society Special Collections & Reference Services one (1) copy of any publication using materials held by the Society or will provide any other proof of appropriate acknowledgment and citation as the Society will designate.

Only material that will not be physically damaged by the process of duplication will be copied. The Society reserves the right to withhold permission for the reproduction of any material involving unusual difficulty or great risk to the original.