ASHLAND, KY (WOWK) – A community in Kentucky is making Black history more accessible to its residents. The African American community in Ashland is bringing the first Black history museum to the city.

Darrell Smith and his Aunt Bernice Henry are very passionate when it comes to Black history.

“We need the education here. Children here need it. We hope that it will go through the whole Tri-State area and have schools coming,” Darrell Smith, Vice President of the Museum said.

Their dream museum will be housed in the old C.B. Nuckolls Community Center. Nuckolls was the only black principal in Ashland.

Since the building was vacant for so long, they were shocked to find out the only thing it needs is a little bit of paint and a new roof.

“We have a three-year lease, a dollar a year. And, included in that dollar a year is all of our utilities are paid. We don’t have to worry about that,” Bernice Henry, President of the Museum said.  

The only thing they have to worry about is paying for the things inside the museum. Along with exhibits, it’ll have Black history classes, books, and a computer lab.

“When you think about how it is 2022 and we’re still debating on issues about whether Black history is important or not, and you don’t have a full history unless you have a total history,” Henry said.

Smith also has a Black history fakebook page that has hundreds of members and thousands of articles and pictures. He says it’ll be good for people to see something of this stuff in person.

“I started it because the Black history is disappearing in Ashland. It’s slowly disappearing. People are passing away and those pictures are getting thrown away,” Smith said. “I want this to be a legacy for us when I’m gone. I want it to keep growing.”

The museum is set to open in March or February 2023.