Keeneland Library’s The Heart of the Turf traveling exhibit is coming to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.
The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism will host Keeneland Library’s The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers at the hall of fame through January 17.
The traveling exhibit, developed and shared by the Keeneland Library, highlights the lives and careers of 100 African American horsemen and women from the mid-1800s to the present. One-of-a-kind photographs from Keeneland Library collections capture moments across their varied careers, while biographical vignettes honor their lasting legacies.
From racetrack superstars to behind-the-scenes caretakers, The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers showcases select stories of the countless African Americans who forged their way in Kentucky and beyond from the era of slavery to the present, making the racing
industry what it is today.
Established in 1939, the Keeneland Library is a reference and research library and the world’s largest repository of the thoroughbred industry open to the public. The library received the 2002 Special Eclipse Award for its contributions to the industry, and it is home to more than 30,000 books dating from the late 1500s, 5 million photographic negatives and prints dating from the late 1800s, and millions of newspaper and magazine articles about all aspects of the industry from the early 1700s to today.
The exhibit is open during regular museum hours. The Hall of Fame is open from 2-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.
The Hall of Fame is located inside Hopelands Gardens at 135 Dupree Place in Aiken, SC.
For more information, call 803-643-2121, email halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov or visit aikenracinghalloffame.com.
