A Head from Afar and an Old Street Car
Covington museum runs the gamut, from bizarre to historic

At first glance, Covington’s Behringer- Crawford Museum (BCM) might appear to be your run-of-the-mill historical house in a pretty park setting. That is, until you enter this grand 1848 Victorian Federal-style home.

“Fortunately or unfortunately,” says Kathy Boemker, museum administrative assistant and tour guide extraordinaire, “what we’re known for is a two-headed calf.”

Born in 1916, the unusual baby bovine lived only three hours, long enough to rate a mention in Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

Covington native William Behringer – a builder by trade, and an amateur archaeologist, big game hunter and taxidermist – traveled extensively, building a fine collection that included animal mounts, minerals, paleontological specimens, Native American artifacts…and a few oddities. A shrunken head from the Amazon and a hairball from a cow’s stomach share a display case with the preserved six-legged Siamese calf.

In the tradition of the early 20th-century American “curio” museums, Behringer’s collection gave the BCM its start. But, the institution has long outgrown curiosity status.

As sole keeper of the natural, cultural and artistic heritage of Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties, this nonprofit has established a stellar reputation for permanent holdings that span 450 million years; frequently changing exhibits (one on the Ohio Valley wine industry runs through July 17); vibrant theatrical, musical and visual arts events; and a lively community educational outreach.

A dedicated archaeologist who pioneered many important regional digs, such as Bog Bone Lick, Ellis Crawford was the museum’s first curator when it opened in 1950. His contributions began its emphasis on preserving and interpreting the history of Northern Kentucky and the Ohio Valley region.

As a result of his efforts, the facility’s artifacts are impressive and well displayed. Stuffed critters include one hefty wapiti, or elk, and a big ol’ black bear. Besides the latter, a number of smaller mounts fill a gallery called “Kentucky, Naturally!” that features a model of the lab of the state’s first naturalist, Constantine Rafinesque. Here, kids can use binoculars and follow colorful animal tracks to become Junior Naturalists.

Stepping into the Archaeology Room is like entering a dig site…underground. The walls are dirt brown and the ceiling is laid out in a grid pattern, as if archaeologists are unearthing artifacts that include spear points and a 2,000-year-old fragment of cloth.

Portable displays of some of these treasures can travel to schools, senior citizens’ homes, business organization and service clubs as Suitcase Exhibits, available in seven themes that include “From Big Bone Lick to the Pacific Ocean: The Lewis and Clark Connection,” Kentucky artists or birds and the Civil War.

“With the hands-on opportunities we provide,” says Boemker, “it’s not just looking at ‘stuff.’ How often do you get the chance to touch a mastodon’s leg or pick up a mammoth’s tooth? Not very often.”

You can do both in the Paleontology Gallery, and check out Ordovician fossils from an ancient sea that covered an extensive part of the region. Northern Kentucky is one of the few places in the world that these treasures can be picked up right off the ground.

The museum’s Folk and Decorative Art Gallery includes cigar box trains, whimsical pottery and an intricate metal birdcage that took so long to build that the bird died first.

Upstairs galleries tell the story of Covington resident William Goebel, who died at the hands of an assassin before his term as governor had expired, as well as those of early Kentucky settlers, the Underground Railroad, Ohio River steamboats and the Civil War, complete with a saddle attributed to that infamous Rebel, John Hunt Morgan.

A streetcar named “Kentucky,” believed to be the last four-wheel parlor car in original and operating condition in the country, is the facility’s largest artifact. Built in the late 1800s, the classy car was the last to operate on the Cincinnati, Newport and Covington Rail Line. It will stand proudly for all to admire in a new $4 million, 15,000-square-foot addition, which will quadruple the museum’s size and add classrooms, galleries, a gift shop and rentable event space.

In a word, the Behringer-Crawford is totally Northern Kentucky.

“This,” says Boemker of the BCM, “is our history. The museum has become a kind of retreat, a place to slow down, to take some time to learn where we came from and why we are in such a great place today.”

Go find out for yourself. Get more information and directions to this gem at www.bcmuseum.org or call (859) 491-4003.

Katherine Tandy Brown is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
editorial@lanereport.com

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