Above: Dixie Hibbs, Linda McCloskey and RaShae Jennings go through some of the displayed items Friday afternoon at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. The museum is getting a makeover as officials prepare for a new Prohibition exhibit, which they hope to open to the public later this year.

Photos and Article By Kacie Goode, The Kentucky Standard

The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History is getting a mild makeover as it prepares to take guests back to a time when alcohol was illegal, but that didn’t stop people from partaking.

“The Prohibition exhibit is a special exhibit,” said Dixie Hibbs, a local historian who has been helping with the project.

The exhibit comes from the Frazier History Museum in Louisville and features a number of displays and artifacts of the Prohibition era. The exhibit was recently gifted the Oscar Getz Museum, providing an exciting opportunity for locals.

“You don’t want to watch the same movie over and over, and you don’t want to come to the same museum over and over. We want to rotate our displays,” said Linda McCloskey, curator and executive director of the Bardstown Historic Development Corporation. McCloskey said adding the Prohibition exhibit and others in the future makes the museum more attractive to new and repeat visitors.

The Oscar Getz Museum opened in 1984 and displays a 50-year collection of rare artifacts and documents from the American whiskey industry. Museum officials have been preparing to host the new exhibit since before Christmas, and that prep work has included making a few upgrades and clearing space around the entrance.

“The hallways and the foyer are going to be completely redone, and this is where the exhibit will be,” said RaShae Jennings, historic preservation coordinator.

Hibbs, McCloskey, Jennings and others are working to remove the current displays for wall repair and painting later this week.