The Meriwether Society Annual Meeting and Reunion will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, June 15-18, 2023, at The Galt House Hotel, 140 N. Fourth St, Louisville, KY 40202.
Overlooking the Ohio River in the heart of downtown, The Galt House rooms have views of the city and river. They feature free Wi-Fi, cable TV, rooftop gym, outdoor pool, spa, and six restaurants. We will be in the West Tower; our hospitality suite will have a balcony overlooking the river. An $80 million dollar renovation was completed in 2020.
No shuttle service is offered by the hotel from the airport, so plan on rideshares, taxis, Uber, Lyft, or rent a car. Parking cost is $30 per night.
If you are thinking about attending, please make your room reservations NOW. To limit the Society’s financial commitment, we reserved a small block of king rooms. You can change to a double/queen room at the same rate of $179, plus tax. The hotel will extend the room rate once our block fills up IF there are rooms available, but don’t take your chances.
To make your reservations, call 800-843-4258 and reference group code 061523MER, or book online by clicking on this link.
The rate is also good for three days before and three days after our event for those who want to spend time researching or seeing local sights.
If you have any problems, email Sharon Pike, Sharon@MeriwetherSociety.org.
Thursday, June 15th is the perfect day for seeing the local sights on your own. Researchers should plan to take advantage of two premier genealogical libraries in Louisville.
The Filson Historical Society is a privately funded society located at 1310 S. 3rd St., whose mission is to collect, preserve, and tell the stories of Kentucky and the Ohio Valley history.
The Research Library is open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm, but they close at 12:30 pm Friday. Appointments are not required, but feel free to reserve a seat online on the link below. Free to members; others $10 per day.
Curator, James J. Holmberg, will be our speaker on Friday at Locust Grove.
https://filsonhistorical.org/collections/
502-635-5083
The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) National Headquarters, Genealogical Research Library, and SAR Center are located at 809 West Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky. They are open Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturday, 9 to 4.
Free use of the library is provided to Friends of the SAR Library (FOL); SAR members and their spouses; members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR); Children of the American Revolution (CAR); and Sons of the Revolution (SR). Others $5 per day.
https://www.sar.org/library-contact-information/
502-589-1776
Meriwether Reunion Agenda — June 15-18, 2023
Thursday, June 15
Research Day: SAR Library or Filson Historical Society Free time for local tourist sights
Afternoon: Cave Hill Cemetery tour (carpool) Dinner on your own
Board Meeting after dinner in our hospitality suite
Friday, June 16
Morning: English Research Report on Nicholas Meriwether’s origins – Joe M. Oglesby, DM Family Group Meeting
Afternoon: Locust Grove: Box Lunch Lecture & Tour – “Lewis & Clark Connections to Kentuckiana” with Jim Holmberg
Evening: Belle of Louisville Sunset Cruise (Board: 6:30 pm, return: 9:00 pm) with dinner OR Dinner on your own
Saturday, June 17
Morning: Annual Meeting with elections. Gov. David Meriwether talk by Monte Monroe. Ph.D., DM.
Afternoon: Mike Lennig’s Restaurant – Fish or Chicken lunch. Tour: Riverside – The Farnsley-Moreman Landing
Evening: Group buffet dinner at hotel with induction of new officers and directors
Sunday, June 18
New Board meeting in our hospitality suite
Friday, June 16
Following the meetings in the morning, we will travel by bus to “Locust Grove,” a 1792 mansion built by William and Lucy (Clark) Croghan. Lucy was the sister to William Clark. Lewis and Clark visited this home.
A box lunch will be served and Jim Holmburg, Filson Club curator, will speak about the Lewis & Clark Connections to Kentuckiana. We will tour the house, grounds, and museum.
Friday evening gives you two choices. You can go to dinner on your own – there are lots of restaurants in the hotel or downtown. Or, you can go for an evening cruise on the Belle of Louisville, a historic riverboat that docks in front of the Galt House. They are hosting a “Juneteenth” cruise, commemorating the end of slavery in the US, with music, food and drink. The boat holds 600 people, so there’s plenty of room for all.
You can choose a dinner option or the cruise only, in which case the cash snack bar and drink bar will be available. See page 16 for options.
Saturday, June 17
Following the Annual Meeting and a talk about Gov. David Meriwether, we will board busses to historic Mike Linnig’s Restaurant for their famous fried fish or fried chicken fingers lunch, served with either fries or slaw and a drink. Everyone must select from these choices due to time constraints. They have been a Louisville favorite for 99 years!
Then we tour Riverside – The Farnsley Moreman Landing on the Ohio River. There are Meriwether connections to the house, plus it is nearly identical to Gov. David Meriwether’s home that once stood nearby.
Buffet Dinner at Galt House Hotel
On Saturday evening, our final event will start with a cash bar and final bids on the Silent Auction, followed by a buffet dinner. New officers will be inducted. The Silent Auction will conclude and the winners will be announced.
Buffet Dinner: Salad, Salmon, Ribs, Vegetables, and Dessert.