JASNA
GREATER LOUISVILLE
“LIVING IN JANE AUSTEN’S
WORLD”
A Proposal to host the 2015 AGM of
JASNA
Presented by
The Greater Louisville Region
OUR THEME
The Greater Louisville Region proposes to host an AGM to celebrate Jane Austen and her world.
This theme invites an exploration of topics that range literally from A-Z. Among them: authors,
the British Colonial Empire, economics, entertainments, fashion, food, naval history, philosophy,
politics, relationships, religion, social status, the theatre, transportation and zoology.
All of these reflect the changing society in which Austen lived and provide the framework for
understanding the importance of her works in her own time and discovering modern parallels
which make her works pertinent today.
PROGRAM
We are in the process of vetting a variety of outstanding speakers, and we are confident that with
our broad theme we will enlist outstanding presenters on a variety of topics. We plan to attract
knowledgeable speakers who will elicit excitement with a balance that will appeal to both
scholars and any well-informed Janeite interested in learning more about England and her
Empire during Austen’s lifetime. Since Louisville was established early in Jane Austen’s
lifetime, we would like to include a panel discussion on how the British people and politicians
viewed the American frontier 10, 20, 30 years after the War of Independence. The Louisville
Metropolitan Area is home to several universities and colleges as well as the Filson Historical
Society and the Frazier International History Museum. The Filson is Kentucky’s oldest privately
supported Historical Society having been founded in 1884. The Frazier is the exclusive home of
Royal Amouries USA and provides an unforgettable journey through 1,000 years of history with
interactive exhibits and daily performances by costumed interpreters. There is also an active War
of 1812 re-enactment group, and along with representatives from the Filson and the Frazier, will
provide local historians for an informative discussion.
CONFERENCE DATES
Our AGM will be held Friday, October 9th, through Sunday, October 11th. Louisville weather in
October is typically warm with sunny days in the high 60s and cool evenings around 50. These
dates avoid the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. October 12 is Columbus
Day.
For pre and post-AGM activities, we want our visitors to experience nationally known attractions
such as Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and the Derby Museum, which sits
beside the race track, and enjoy an afternoon tea cruise on the Belle of Louisville, America’s
oldest paddlewheel steamboat. Attendees can also visit the world-famous Louisville Slugger
Museum & Factory, see Bourbon distilled along the Bourbon Trail, visit nearby Shaker Village,
America’s largest restored Shaker community and visit the recently restored West Baden Springs
Hotel in Indiana.
There are several museums within walking distance of the conference hotel, including the
Muhammad Ali Center and the Frazier International History Museum, which houses the largest
collection of British Arms outside the U.K. The Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft is also a few
blocks away.
Within driving distance are Locust Grove, a National Historic Landmark where The Greater
Louisville Region meets, and the Speed Art Museum. Across the river in Indiana there are many
historic homes of note to visit.
Free downtown walking tours are available through the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau
on most Fridays and Sundays at 2 p.m., May through October. Self-paced tours with an iPod ($6
rental fee) are also available.
OUR LOCATION: LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
Louisville is easily accessible by air or automobile, and the airport is only 10 miles from
downtown. Louisville International Airport (SDF) is a UPS International hub and offers nonstop service to 28 cities. Major airlines include American, Continental, Delta, Southwest, United
and US Airways.
Louisville’s central location makes it easily accessible by automobile. Travel times from
neighboring cities are: 2 hours from Indianapolis and Cincinnati, 3 hours from Nashville, 4 from
St. Louis, 5 from Chicago and 6 hours from Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Atlanta.
The history of Louisville spans hundreds of years, with thousands of years of human habitation.
The area's geography and location on the Ohio River attracted people from the earliest times. The
city is located at the Falls of the Ohio — a series of rapids that created a barrier to river travel,
and encouraged settlements at this pausing point.
Louisville has been the site of many important innovations throughout its history. Notable
residents have included naturalist John James Audubon, inventor Thomas Edison, U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Louis Brandeis, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, newscaster Diane Sawyer, actor
Tom Cruise, the Speed family (including U.S. Attorney General James Speed and Abraham
Lincoln's close friend Joshua Fry Speed), the Bingham family, and writers Hunter S. Thompson
and Sue Grafton.
Col. George Rogers Clark established the first Anglo-American settlement in the vicinity of
modern-day Louisville in 1778, during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (George Rogers’ brother) organized their
expedition across North America at the Falls of the Ohio and Louisville. The Lewis and Clark
Expedition would take the explorers across the western U.S., surveying the Louisiana Purchase,
and eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean.
The only structure still standing west of the Appalachians that sheltered both Lewis and Clark is
the historic home, Locust Grove. Locust Grove, c. 1790, is a 55 acre estate and a national
Historic landmark. It is best known as the last residence of George Rogers Clark. JASNA
Greater Louisville meetings and the annual Jane Austen Festival are held here.
Olmsted Parks In 1891, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., was commissioned to create a network of
parks and boulevards, one of five such systems in the country. This network represents the last
design of this type in the elder Olmsted’s career and is one of only two such systems in the U.S.
that was designed by all three Olmsteds. Anchoring this system were three large parks along the
city’s perimeter: Iroquois (south), Cherokee (east), and Shawnee (west).
The Louisville park system was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Steamer Belle of Louisville, a National Historic Landmark with the playing of her
calliope, now in her 95th year, continues to beckon one and all to join her on a journey back to
the time when she carried passengers and goods to ports all along the Ohio River. The Ohio
River, the major link between the bustling cities of the East Coast and the Mississippi River, was
greatly instrumental in shaping the future of the city of Louisville. The Belle of Louisville is now
the oldest operating Mississippi style steamboat in the world.
Fourth Street Live! is downtown Louisville’s entertainment and retail destination located on
Fourth Street, between Liberty Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard. It is just a short walk from
downtown hotels, Waterfront Park, Main Street, Slugger Field, and other major attractions.
Restaurant and entertainment venues include The Sports and Social Club, Hard Rock Cafe, Red
Star Tavern, The Improv Comedy Club, TGI Friday’s, The British Pub, J. Gumbo’s and the
world’s first Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge. Bars and nightclubs include: Tengo Sed
Cantina, Angel’s RockBar, Hotel, Saddle Ridge, and Sully’s. Live music is featured nightly at
Howl at the Moon.
Cave Hill Cemetery is a 296-acre Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at
701 Baxter Avenue. It is open daily to the public from 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM (weather
permitting). Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead
Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of burials in Louisville.
Cave Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Cave Hill National
Cemetery, containing military graves, is also on the National Register, added in 1998. George
Keats, the brother of British Poet John Keats, was buried here in 1879 (as well as George Rogers
Clark and Col. Sanders of KYC fame). Group tours are available for $10 per person donation to
the Cave Hill Cemetery Foundation.
DAY TRIPS FROM LOUISVILLE
Referred to as the "Bourbon Capital of the World," Bardstown Kentucky, a one hour drive from
Louisville, is a great spot for a day trip from Louisville. If you love bourbon, you'll want to
check out Bardstown's Four Roses Distillery, Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center,
Historic Tom Moore Distillery, Jim Beam American Outpost, and Maker's Mark Distillery.
Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in central Kentucky, encompassing
portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. The official name of
the system is the Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System for the ridge under which the cave has
formed. The park was established as a national park on July 1, 1941. It became a World
Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26,
1990.
Located on the banks of the Ohio River in Clarksville, Indiana at I-65, exit 0, is the Falls of the
Ohio State Park. The 390-million-year-old fossil beds are among the largest, naturally exposed,
Devonian fossil beds in the world. The park features a spectacular Interpretive Center
overlooking the fossil beds. The center contains an exhibit gallery and video presentation.
John James Audubon Museum & Park is located in Henderson, KY about 140 miles from
Louisville. This museum proudly displays one of the world's largest collections of original
Audubon art that made the wildlife artist a legend. But it is the personal artifacts and
memorabilia that portray the often difficult life of Audubon — more starving artist than artistic
success. The museum's four exhibit halls chronicle Audubon's life, including his 1810-1819
residence in Henderson, KY. Highlights of the collection include the American Bald Eagle oil, a
four-volume edition of the Birds of America, a personal seal, handwritten journals, the silver
service Audubon sent from England to his devoted wife, Lucy (replacing the service set that was
lost during bankruptcy).
Audubon Park consists of approximately 700 acres, primarily hilly forests that include 338-acres
with old-growth trees and trails dedicated by the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission.
Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill (110 miles from Louisville) In 1805, a group of Shakers came
to central Kentucky and established a village they named Pleasant Hill. Although the population
peaked at almost 500 in the 1820s, the community thrived well past the mid-nineteenth century,
acquiring over 4,000 acres of farmland. Shaker Village is the largest restored Shaker community
in the United States. Visitors can tour the restored village, have lunch at the restaurant, and stay
at the on-site inn.
ABOUT THE HOTEL:
The Galt House Hotel
140 N. Fourth Street
Louisville, KY 40207
800-843-4258 or 502-589-5200
www.GaltHouse.com
The Galt House Hotel is the largest hotel in Kentucky with 1,290 rooms. The hotel features over
124,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including two ballrooms and a dedicated Exhibit
Hall. There are over 50 meeting rooms, accommodating 10 to 3,000 attendees.
Hotel services and amenities range from a state-of-the-art rooftop fitness center, in-room safes,
security, business center, six restaurants and lounges including RIVUE on the 25th floor that
offers fantastic views, massages, valet parking and many more services and amenities.
The Galt House is located in the heart of downtown so you can walk, trolley hop or catch a two
minute cab ride to main attractions, fabulous restaurants, museums and live entertainment.
All rooms are reserved in the Suite Tower and are $185 for single/double occupancy, featuring
complimentary Wi-Fi in guest rooms and common areas. The Executive Suite features 700 sq ft
of space with a living room area with a separate bedroom that offers either one king bed or two
queen beds. The room features large closet space, an oversized desk, pull-out sofa, and work
area with dual phone lines. The Suite has a wet bar with a small refrigerator, coffee maker, two
flat screen TVs and dual vanities in the bath area.
The hotel has six in-house restaurants:
RIVUE Restaurant and Lounge. Voted one of Louisville's best restaurants, RIVUE, a rooftop
restaurant features expansive views of downtown and the waterfront.
Café Magnolia is the perfect place to dine casually and enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner while
savoring delectable eats.
Al J's at the Conservatory is in the center of it all and voted best place to "sit and have a drink."
Grab a bite or beverage at the 30-foot aquarium bar, which offers sweeping views of downtown
and the waterfront.
Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar and Lounge offers a place to relax and unwind while choosing from
over 150 Kentucky bourbons. The cozy venue was named one of Whisky Magazine's "Best
Bourbon Bars in the World."
Thelma's at the Conservatory is a 24-hour deli for that caffeine fix whenever the desire hits.
Select from the wide assortment of deli sandwiches, salads, specialty drinks and more.
Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse is a New-York style steakhouse specializing in steak, seafood and sushi
and featuring a dynamic atmosphere with live entertainment.
HOTEL TRANSPORTATION AND LOCATION
The Galt House Hotel is located on the waterfront at 140 N. Fourth Street in downtown
Louisville. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown is regulated by Metro Government. As of
February 2011 the fare is $18.75 for up to four people, each additional passenger is $3.
THE 2015 AGM STEERING COMMITTEE:
AGM Co-Coordinators: Bonny Wise, RC Greater Louisville, and Alana Gillett
Bonny initiated the successful Jane Austen Festival that Greater Louisville pioneered several
years ago. The event is a huge success which in 2011 attracted over 1,300 Jane Austen fans from
18 states and Canada. Bonny joined JASNA in 2007 and attended her first AGM in Vancouver.
Bonny works part-time as the marketing coordinator at Historic Locust Grove, where JASNA
Greater Louisville meets each month.
Co-Coordinator: Alana Gillett is a native of Michigan but now lives in Southern Indiana (as
does Bonny). Alana is a teacher by profession and a creative influence for our JASNA
programs, including the Christmas tea decorations. She recently turned her talents to creating
Jane Austen themed merchandise for our region to sell.
Registrar: Deb Sexton is the current secretary of JASNA Greater Louisville. She also is the
registrar for the Jane Austen Festival and has used 1,2,3 Signup the last two years in order to
streamline the process. This year (2011) over 800 of the 1,300+ festival attendees used 1,2,3
Signup to register for admission, afternoon tea, ball tickets, workshops and a theatrical
performance.
Special Events Coordination: Donna Jones worked for many years in the tourism industry in
Louisville and has been a contributing member of JASNA Greater Louisville from the very
beginning.
Academic Coordinators: Jackie Johnson and Teresa Reynolds
Charlotte Teresa Reynolds holds an MLS from Brigham Young University. She is a senior
lecturer of English at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana. Teresa has taught a
Jane Austen Honors Course, an upper-level single author course on Austen and courses on Jane
Austen’s works in continuing studies. Along with Jacqueline Johnson, she presented a paper on
Anne Elliot in Persuasion at the New Directions in Austen Studies Conference at Chawton in
July of 2009. With Jackie, she will be presenting a breakout session titled, “A Justification for
Mrs. Jennings,” at the 2011 AGM.
Jacqueline Johnson received an MLS SUNY Buffalo. She is an Associate Professor at the
Indiana University Southeast Library in New Albany, Indiana, and the Coordinator of Collection
Development and Special Collections. Jackie has taught continuing studies courses on Austen’s
works. She was a breakout speaker at the Portland AGM, where she spoke on “Henry Tilney:
Austen’s Horatian Hero.” Along with Charlotte Teresa Reynolds, she presented a paper on Anne
Elliot in Persuasion at the New Directions Conference in Austen Studies at Chawton in July of
2009. With Teresa she will be presenting a breakout session titled “A Justification for Mrs.
Jennings,” at the 2011 AGM.