The Filson hosts programs and exhibitions that engage critically and honestly with the past with topics such as: Commemorating Juneteenth, David Blight's talk on Frederick Douglass, Christina Snyder's discussion of Great Crossings: Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson, Alaina Roberts' I've Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land, and Dan Gediman's presentation on reckoning with slavery in Kentucky.

The Filson's programming hosts events such as the Gertrude Polk Brown lecture series, which regularly includes authors currently on national bestseller lists, such as David Blight, H. W. Brands, Liza Mundy, Fredrik Logevall, and Steve Inskeep; the Notable Louisville Neighborhoods series, a series designed to connect people with history in a meaningful way and to highlight resources available at the Filson; workshops and discussions led by Filson staff on how to archive and preserve your personal and family history, how to research your historic home, how to care for historic photographs, and more; a variety of concerts featuring regional artists; and authors, journalists, and historians discussing the history of the Ohio River valley.

Filson members met at founding president Reuben Durrett's home at 202 E. Chestnut at Brook Street in Louisville from 1884 to 1913.

In June 1929, the Filson's materials and Mr. Thruston's collection, which he gifted in full, were transferred to the club's new home at 118 West Breckinridge Street.

Architect E. T. Hutchings renovated two townhouses into one Georgian-style building, housing the Filson's archives, library, museum, and offices.

[3] As time passed, the administration and board began looking for a new location to accommodate a growing collection and staff, along with additional programming space.

The library, archival, and museum collections continued to grow, as did programming and staff, throughout the 1980s and 1990s; the Filson's name changed from "Club" to "Historical Society" as a focus on scholarly research on Ohio Valley history was introduced.

The Filson's major expansion began in the 2010s with renovations to the Ferguson Mansion and carriage house and the construction of the Owsley Brown II History Center, creating space for exhibition galleries, expanded library and special collections reading rooms, programming, and event rental venues.

[3] The Filson opened its renovated campus and the newly constructed Owsley Brown II History Center at 1310 South 3rd Street in October 2016.

[8] The Filson Historical Society's Collection includes approximately 2.1 million documents, photos, and prints, 50,000 books, 10,000 museum items, and 400 portraits.

With many of its early members belonging to Kentucky's oldest and most prominent families, the Filson was able to begin assembling an important collection of original letters, diaries, business records, and other primary sources.

The Filson's unique holdings are essential primary sources for scholars of the Trans-Appalachian frontier; the Lewis and Clark Expedition; antebellum enslavement and emancipation; Southern Jewish history; regional architecture; Progressive-era urban reform; Suffrage and Women's Rights; regional theater, music, and literature; river and rail transportation; and military history from the 18th to 20th centuries.