Marking the Past, Shaping the Future: Gottschalk Hall’s Historical Marker and Complex History Unveiled

On February 6, 2025, the History Department proudly unveiled Kentucky State Highway Historical Marker #2656, honoring Gottschalk Hall, the longtime home of the department.  

This marker reflects the building’s complex history and the many lives connected to it over the past 130 years. 

Remarks were provided by Dr. Christine Ehrick, Chair of the History Department; Dr. Dayna R. Touron, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Cherie Dawson-Edwards, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Dr. Felicia Jamison, Assistant Professor of History and Humanities; Dr. Tom Owen, Professor and Archivist for Regional History; and Dr. James B. Seaver from the Kentucky Historical Society. 

The event featured a performance from Broken Wings Still Fly, a theatrical work based on the narratives of enslaved women, written and directed by Hannah Drake and Brandi LaShay and performed by Patricia Mathinson and Jasmine Bischof. 

“This marker would not have been possible without the research of Dr. Felicia Jamison and her students, Railey Stonex and Emma Donaghy,” Ehrick said. “Their work uncovered the histories of the young Black women imprisoned here when it was part of the Industrial School of Reform and the many others who passed through its halls since the 1890s.” 

Before becoming part of the University of Louisville, Gottschalk Hall was home to the Louisville House of Refuge, later the Industrial School of Reform, which sought to rehabilitate juveniles through religious and educational instruction.  

Built between 1894 and 1896, it served as a segregated dormitory for Black girls incarcerated there. One side of the marker honors these young women, acknowledging their suffering and preserving their stories. The other side of the marker celebrates Dr. Louis Gottschalk, a historian and child of Jewish immigrants. He taught at the University of Louisville from 1923 to 1927, advocating for academic freedom and faculty rights before joining the University of Chicago. 

Gottschalk Hall housed the Chemistry Department in 1923 and became home to the History Department in 1954, now for over 70 years. Today, it stands as a testament to Louisville’s layered histories of education, reform, and scholarship. 

“We are grateful to Dr. Jamison, her students, and all who made this recognition possible,” Ehrick said. “Thank you to everyone who joined us in commemorating this milestone.”