The Homeplace: Photographs From Historic African American Hamlets in Kentucky’s Inner Bluegrass Region

In the decade after the Civil War, African American settlements sprang up around horse farms in Kentucky’s Inner Bluegrass Region. These villages, or hamlets, were originally inhabited by freed slaves who were needed to work on the area farms. Today, many of the residents are descendants of the free men and women who founded them. In some cases, as many as six generations of a family have lived in succession on a “Homeplace.” There are many things these hamlets share—agriculture, religion, hardship, joy, friends, and relatives—but most importantly they share a great and deep history.

Sarah Hoskins is a Kentucky based documentary photographer, focusing on important yet often people and places that you might not know, but should.

Artist: Sarah Hoskins

Curator: Professor, Elizabeth Neal