Jacqueline Hudson, curator of the Filson Historical Society's Black Experience Archive, researched Taylor Barracks and applied for a historical marker to commemorate where they stood.(Justin Hicks)At the Filson Historical Society on Thursday, historians and community leaders celebrated the story of Taylor Barracks that’s been more than 150 years in the making.Filson President and Civil War history buff Patrick Lewis said he learned of Taylor Barracks for the first time when he looked at a hand-drawn map taken off the body of a Confederate scout. The scout was planning an attack and had a diagram including the neighborhood we now call Old Louisville.“Circled at its center, was the ‘negro barracks,’ targeted not only for its military significance but singled out for the importance of what happened inside it,” Lewis said.For many Black soldiers, what happened inside it was the first taste of legal freedom. In the later years of the war, the Union Army promised Black men who enlisted that they and their families would get freedom and protection from enslavers and Confederate sympathizers. Lewis says thousands came.“Slavery, the essence of that Confederate national cause, was coming apart one enlistment at a time,” he said. Historical records show the layout and structures of Taylor Barracks in Old Louisville.(Justin Hicks)Records show the buildings themselves were probably simple wooden structures, but inside the barracks were a hospital ward, laundry services, a school and more. They tell a story of the end of slavery and the beginning of hope for something better.“This is a site of service, struggle, education, and civic participation, liberation, and joy,” Lewis said.Loyal listeners of Louisville Public Media may remember Taylor Barracks from Curious Louisville – the podcast where we answer the burning questions that Louisvillians send us to research.Old Louisville resident Michelle Kadikan told us in 2025 she had seen something online about a barracks in Old Louisville, and wanted to know more.“I thought it was like such a cool historical thing that was in our neighborhood, this cool thing that people should know about,” Kadikan said at the time.To answer her question about Taylor Barracks, we started researching.It turns out, we weren’t alone.Jacqueline Hudson, curator of the Filson’s Black Experience Archive was doing her own research, gathering the records and primary source material that would form an application to the Kentucky Historical Society. This is the fourth historical marker Hudson has gotten approved by a state government. The rest are in Ohio and this is her first one in Kentucky.“I very jokingly call myself the historical marker whisperer,” she laughs.All of Hudson’s marker projects have focused on different aspects of Black history. She says markers, like the one that will be installed for Taylor Barracks, are a great way to remind people that history is right under their feet and in their own DNA.“[My role is to] maybe encourage individuals to come to an institution like the Filson, or to learn more about their own history,” Hudson said.As a Black woman herself, Hudson says she especially wants to see the full richness — the joys, sorrows and triumphs — of Black history like Taylor Barracks celebrated on sidewalks and museums all over the country.“Black folks love, Black folks create, Black folks, just, live,” she said. “Living this Black experience…it’s great.”Hudson said the physical historical marker probably won’t appear in Old Louisville until sometime in 2027, perhaps in conjunction with Juneteenth or Veterans' Day. In the meantime, she’s hoping to research some of the recruits who passed through the barracks to tell an even fuller story.Kadikan, our Curious Louisville questioner, couldn’t make the Filson’s announcement on Thursday, but said she‘s thrilled more people will know about this piece of U.S. history.“Really wonderful news,” Kadikan said. “I'm so excited to see a marker there.”You can find the original Curious Louisville story on Taylor Barracks or ask your own question at curiouslouisville.org. ...read more read less