City of Bowling Green Donates Historic Shake Rag Artifacts to Western Kentucky University

Historical Treasure from Southern Queen Hotel Finds a New Home

In a nod to the preservation of local cultural history, The City of Bowling Green, situated in southern Kentucky, has generously chosen to donate a significant collection of historical artifacts from the Southern Queen Hotel’s Shake Rag district to the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Special Collections Library. The donation, comprising nearly 800 items, was delivered last week.

The historic African-American Southern Queen Hotel was stationed in Bowling Green’s Shake Rag district during the era of segregation and civil rights, drawing notable figures like Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles.

Preserving the Story of Shake Rag

For almost two decades, the hotel remained vacant, slowly deteriorating, before the purchase by the city with an aim to maintain the narrative of the surrounding neighborhood. Many of the salvaged objects include ephemera, old photographs, books, newspapers, and items symbolically representing Bowling Green’s history and the Shake Rag culture since the early 1900s.

Regrettably, due to the hotel’s long state of inactivity and exposure to the elements, some artifacts like guest logbooks crumbled at the slightest touch. These, unfortunately, lost volumes could have revealed the identities of several overnight guests.

A New Life for the Southern Queen Hotel

Rekindling the flame of the hotel’s past, local developers Desmond and Rozalind Bell have plans to resurrect the hotel, a decision fueled by the City’s decision to hand over the property to them. The future vision for the Southern Queen Hotel includes both event space and restored overnight suites, complete with a gallery illustrating Shake Rag’s vibrant history.

Custodian of History: WKU

The WKU Dean of Libraries, Susann de Vries, expressed the team’s anticipation for the arrival of the Shake Rag relics and the opportunity to maintain the diversity and memories of underrepresented historic communities. She emphasized, “Our mission includes not only preservation but also encouraging cultural education, awareness, and social justice through our archival work.”

According to her, housing these items at the WKU Special Collections will offer public access to this rich historical information. Various regional museums and attractions have shown interest in exploring these items for educational research, historic designations, program development, and tourism.

This action taken by the City of Bowling Green demonstrates a commitment and passion for cultural preservation, ensuring the stories written in the pages of history are not lost but instead become a living testimony to the past — a testament to be treasured and learned from by generations to come.