Moments in Kentucky
Legislative History

Presented by the Kentucky Historical Society

Mussels

In an act approved March 22, 1926, the General Assembly sought to regulate the harvesting of mussels from beds in the Ohio River. The act provided that “it shall be unlawful to take, catch or kill mussels for commercial purposes without a license issued by the State Game and Fish Commission.”

Mussel barge, 1914, and brailing hooks from Marshall County.

A crew near Cloverport mans a specially constructed mussel barge, 1914. The racks on the boat supported multiple hooks that dragged the river bottom in search of mussels. Postcard courtesy Ron Morgan. The brailing hooks are from a modern-day operation in Marshall County, donated by Norm Davis, KHS Collections. These and hundreds of other artifacts, images, oral histories, and videos are showcased in the exhibit A River Runs Through Us: The Rivers of Kentucky, on display in the Keeneland Changing Exhibits Gallery at the Kentucky History Center throughout 2005.

Kentucky Unbridled Spirit

Kentucky Historical Society, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601
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