History of Louisville, Kentucky

View of Main Street, Louisville, in 1846.

Thehistory of Louisville, Kentuckyspans nearly two-and-a-half centuries since its founding in the late 18th century. The geology of theOhio River,with but a single series ofrapidsmidway in its length from the confluence of theMonongahelaandAlleghenyrivers to its union with theMississippi,made it inevitable that a town would grow on the site. The town ofLouisville, Kentuckywas chartered there in 1780. From its early days on the frontier, it quickly grew to be a major trading and distribution center in the mid-19th century and an important industrial city in the early 20th. The city declined in the mid-20th century, but by the late 20th, it was revitalized as a culturally-focused mid-sized American city.

The area'sgeographyand proximity to theFalls of the Ohio Riverattracted people from the earliest times. However, prior to arrival of Europeans, the region was depopulated from theBeaver Warsof the 17th century, and no permanent Native American settlements existed in the area. It was used as hunting grounds by northernShawneeand southernCherokee.By the late 18th century, as the Falls created a barrier to river travel, settlements by Europeans began to grow at thisportagepoint. The earliest such settlements occurred during the latter stages of theAmerican Revolutionary Warby Virginian soldiers underGeorge Rogers Clark,first atCorn Islandin 1778, then Fort-on-Shore andFort Nelsonon the mainland. At that time a part ofKentucky County, Virginia,the town was chartered in 1780 and named Louisville in honor ofKing Louis XVI of France.

In 2003, the city of Louisville merged with Jefferson County to become Louisville-Jefferson Metro. As of the 2010 census, it is the largest city in the state of Kentucky, the largest on the Ohio River, and 28th largest city in the nation.

Important events occurring in the city include thesecond largest American exhibition to date(1883), which had the largest to-date installation oflight bulbsby their recent inventor and then-former residentThomas Edison,as well as thefirst free public libraryin the US to be staffed by and provide services exclusively forAfrican Americans(1905).Medical advances include the 1999 first humanhand transplantin the USand the first self-containedartificial hearttransplant in 2001.

Other notable residents of the city have included boxing legendMuhammad Ali,U.S. Supreme CourtJusticeLouis Brandeis,newscasterDiane Sawyer,actorsVictor Mature,Ned BeattyandTom Cruise,actressesSean YoungandJennifer Lawrence,singersNicole ScherzingerandBryson Tiller,rapperJack Harlow,the Speed family (includingU.S. Attorney GeneralJames SpeedandAbraham Lincoln's close friendJoshua Fry Speed), theBingham family,industrialist/politicianJames Guthrie,U.S. Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell,and contemporary writersHunter S. ThompsonandSue Grafton.

Pre-Anglo-American settlement history (pre-1778)

There was a continuous indigenous human occupation of the area that became Louisville from at least 1,000BCEuntil roughly 1650CE,when theBeaver Warsresulted in depopulation of much of the Ohio River region. The Iroquois maintained this area as a hunting ground by conquest.

Archeologistshave identified several late and one earlyArchaicsites in Jefferson County'swetlands.One of the most extensive finds was at McNeeley Lake Cave; many others were found around what is now theLouisville International Airportarea. People of theAdena cultureand theHopewell traditionthat followed it lived in the area, with hunting villages along Mill Creek and a large village near what became Zorn Avenue, on bluffs overlooking the Ohio River. Archeologists have found 30 Jefferson County sites associated with theFort AncientandMississippian cultures,which were active from 1,000 AD until about 1650. The Louisville area was on the eastern border of the Mississippian culture, which extended through the Mississippi Valley and its tributaries. Regionalchiefdomsbuilt dense villages and cities characterized by extensiveearthwork moundsarranged around central plazas.

When European explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in the mid-18th century, there were no permanent Native American settlements in the region. The country was used as hunting grounds byShawneefrom the north andCherokeefrom the south.

The account of the first European to visit the area, theFrenchcolonizer,René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Sallein 1669, is disputed and not supported by facts. La Salle travelled along the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario, then to Lake Erie. The two priests traveling with his party departed the group at that point, and the written documentation of the expedition apparently ceased. Reports of what occurred differ, including abandonment of the journey due to illness, or traveling onward but not to the Ohio River. La Salle did not claim to discover the Ohio River on that voyage nor travel to the falls (of the Ohio).The "discovery" of the Louisville area in 1669 is thus perhaps better assigned to myth or legend. Subsequently, La Salle explored areas of theMississippiriver valleyand lower Great Lakes region from theGulf of Mexicoup to modern-dayCanada,claiming much of this land for France.

In 1751, theMarylandcolonistChristopher Gistexplored areas along the Ohio River. Following the defeat of France in theFrench and Indian War(part of the Seven Years' War in Europe), it ceded control of its territory east of the Mississippi River toBritain.

In 1769,American pioneerDaniel Boonecreated a trail fromNorth CarolinatoTennessee.He spent the next two years exploring Kentucky. In 1773, CaptainThomas Bullittled the first exploring party intoJefferson County,surveying land on behalf of Virginians who had been awardedland grantsfor their service in theFrench and Indian War.In 1774,James Harrodbegan constructingFort Harrodin Kentucky. However, battles with the Native American tribes established in the area forced the American settlers to retreat. They returned the following year, as Boone built theWilderness Roadand establishedFort Boonesboroughat a site nearBoonesborough, Kentucky.The Native Americans allocated a tract of land between the Ohio River and theCumberland Riverfor theTransylvania Land Company.In 1776, the colony ofVirginiadeclared the Transylvania Land Company illegal and created the county of Kentucky in Virginia from the land involved.

Founding and early settlement (1778–1803)

Louisville's founderGeorge Rogers Clarkas painted byJames Barton Longacrein 1825

Col.George Rogers Clarkestablished the first American settlement in the vicinity of modern-day Louisville in 1778, during theAmerican Revolutionary War.He was conducting acampaignagainst theBritishin areas north of the Ohio River, then called theIllinois Country.Clark organized a group of 150 soldiers, known as theIllinois Regiment,after heavy recruiting inVirginiaandPennsylvania.On May 12, they set out from Redstone, today'sBrownsville, Pennsylvania,taking along 80 civilians who hoped to claim fertile farmland and start a new settlement in Kentucky. They arrived at theFalls of the Ohioon May 27. It was a location Clark thought ideal for a communication post. The settlers helped Clark conceal the true reason for his presence in the area.

The regiment helped the civilians establish an initial settlement on what came to be calledCorn Island,clearing land, and building cabins and a springhouse. On June 24, Clark took his soldiers and left to begin theirmilitary campaign.The first local government was established almost immediately. The first Trustees were selected in April 1779, as part of this transition, with the first board consisting of seven men – William Harrod, Richard Chenoweth, Edward Bulger, James Patton, Henry French, Marsham Brashear, and Simon Moore. In May 1779, at the request of Clark, the settlers crossed the river and established the first permanent settlement on the mainland. By April, they called it "Louisville", in honor ofKing Louis XVI of France,whose government and soldiers aided colonists in theRevolutionary War.Today, George Rogers Clark is recognized as the European-American founder of Louisville; many landmarks have been named for him.

During its earliest history, the colony of Louisville and the surrounding areas suffered from Indian attacks, as Native Americans tried to push out the encroaching colonists. As the Revolutionary War was still being waged, all early residents lived within forts, as suggested by the earliest government ofKentucky County, Virginia.The initial fort, at the northern tip of today's 12th street, was calledFort-on-Shore.In response to the threat of British attacks, particularlyBird's invasion of Kentucky,a larger fort calledFort Nelsonwas built north of today's Main Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, covering nearly an acre. TheGBP15,000 contract was given toRichard Chenoweth,with construction beginning in late 1780 and completed by March 1781. The fort, thought to be capable of resisting cannon fire, was considered the strongest in the west afterFort Pitt.Due to decreasing need for strong forts after the Revolutionary War, it was in decline by the end of the decade.

In 1780, theVirginia General Assemblyand then-GovernorThomas Jeffersonapproved the town charter of Louisville on May 1. Clark recruited early Kentucky pioneerJames John Floyd,who was placed on the town's board of trustees and given the authority to plan and lay out the town.Jefferson County, named after Thomas Jefferson, was formed at this time as one of three originalKentucky countiesfrom the oldKentucky County, Virginia.Louisville was thecounty seat.

Also, during 1780, three hundred families migrated to the area, the town's first fire department was established, and the first street plan of Louisville was laid out by Willian Pope.Daniel Brodheadopened the firstgeneral storehere in 1783. He became the first to move out of Louisville's early forts. Jonathan Cessna built the first house in newly platted Louisville. James John Floyd became the first judge in 1783 but was killed later that year.The first courthouse was completed in 1784 as a 16 by 20-foot (6.1 m)log cabin.By this time, Louisville contained 63 clapboard finished houses, 37 partly finished, 22 uncovered houses, and over 100 log cabins.Shippingport,incorporated in 1785, was a vital part of early Louisville, allowing goods to be transported through the Falls of the Ohio. The first church was built in 1790, the first hotel in 1793, and the first post office in 1795.During the 1780s and early 1790s, the town did not grow as rapidly as Lexington in central Kentucky. Factors were the threat of Indian attacks (ended in 1794 by theBattle of Fallen Timbers), a complicated dispute over land ownership between John Campbell and the town's trustees (resolved in 1785), and Spanish policies restricting American trade and travel down theMississippitoNew Orleans.By 1800, the population of Louisville was 359 compared to Lexington's 1,759.

From 1784 through 1792, a series of conventions were held to discuss the separation of Kentucky from Virginia. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state in theUnited StatesandIsaac Shelbywas named the first Governor.

Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbiaby C.M. Russell

In 1803,Meriwether LewisandWilliam Clarkwere commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to make an expedition across North America; they organized it at the Falls of the Ohio and Louisville. TheLewis and Clark Expeditionwould take the explorers across the western U.S., surveying theLouisiana Purchase,and eventually to thePacific Ocean.

City development (1803–1900)

Antebellum

Since settlement, all people and cargo had arrived byflatboatsand laterkeelboats,both of which were non-motorized vessels, meaning that it was prohibitively costly to send goods upstream (towardsPittsburghand other developed areas). This technical limitation, combined with the Spanish decision in 1784 to close theMississippi RiverbelowVicksburg, Mississippito American ships, meant there was very little outside market for goods produced early on in Louisville. This improved somewhat withPinckney's Treaty,which opened the river and made New Orleans aFree tradezone by 1798.

However, most cargo was still being sent downstream in the early 19th century, averaging 60,000 tons downstream to 6,500 tons upstream. Boats passing through still had to unload all of their cargo before navigating the falls, a boon to local businesses. The frontier days quickly fading, log houses and forts began to disappear, and Louisville saw its first newspaper, theLouisville Gazettein 1807 and its first theatre in 1808, and the first dedicated church building in 1809. All of this reflected the 400% growth in population reported by the 1810 Census.

The economics of shipping were about to change, however, with the arrival ofsteamboats.The first, theNew Orleansarrived in 1811, traveling downstream from Pittsburgh. Although it made the trip inrecord time,most believed its use was limited, as they did not believe a steamboat could make it back upriver against the current.However, in 1815, theEnterprise,captained byHenry Miller Shreve,became the first steamboat to travel from New Orleans to Louisville, showing the commercial potential of the steamboat in making upriver travel and shipping practical.

Industry and manufacturing reached Louisville and surrounding areas, especiallyShippingport,at this time. Some steamboats were built in Louisville and many early mills and factories opened. Other towns were developing at the falls:New Albany, Indianain 1813 andPortlandin 1814, each competing with Louisville to become the dominant settlement in the area. Still, Louisville's population grew rapidly, tripling from 1810 to 1820. By 1830, it would surpass Lexington to become the state's largest city, and would eventually annex Portland and Shippingport.

In 1816 theLouisville Library Company,the city's first library, opened its doors with a subscription-based service.Also, in a series of events ranging from 1798 to 1846, theUniversity of Louisvillewas founded from theJefferson Seminary,Louisville Medical InstituteandLouisville Collegiate Institute.

In response to great demand, theLouisville and Portland Canalwas completed in 1830. This allowed boats to circumvent the Falls of the Ohio and travel through from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.In response to several epidemics and the increasing need to treat ill or injured river workers,Louisville Marine Hospitalwas completed in 1825 on Chestnut Street, an area that is today home to Louisville's Medical Center.

In 1828, the population surpassed 7,000 and Louisville became Kentucky's first city.John Bucklinwas elected the first Mayor. The nearby towns of Shippingport and Portland remained independent of Louisville for the time being. City status gave Louisville some judicial authority and the ability to collect more taxes, which allowed for the establishment of the state's first public school in 1829.

In 1831,Catherine Spaldingmoved fromBardstownto Louisville and establishedPresentation Academy,aCatholicschool for girls. She also established theSt. Vincent Orphanage,which was later renamed asSt. Joseph Orphanage.

Louisville's famousGalt Househotel—the first of three downtown buildings to have that moniker—was erected in 1834. In 1839, a precursor to the modernKentucky Derbywas held at Old Louisville's OaklandRace Course.Over 10,000 spectators attended the two-horse race, in whichGrey Eaglelost toWagner.This race occurred 36 years before the first Kentucky Derby. It was a popular competition to test the quality of horses. Louisville became a center for sales of horses and other livestock from theBluegrass Regionof central Kentucky, where horse breeding became a major part of the economy and traditions.

TheKentucky School for the Blindwas founded in 1839, the third-oldest school for the blind in the country. In 1847,William H. Gibsonopened one of the city's first schools for African Americans in the basement of the Methodist church on Fourth and Green Streets.

In 1840William Burke Belknap the elder(1811–1884) started theBelknap Hardware and Manufacturing Companyon the banks of the Ohio River.

In 1848,Zachary Taylor,resident of Jefferson County from childhood through early adulthood and a hero of theMexican–American War,was elected as the 12thPresident of the United States.He served only sixteen months in office before dying in 1850 from acutegastroenteritis.He was buried in the east end of Louisville atZachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Following the 1850Census,Louisville was reported as the nation's tenth largest city, whileKentuckywas reported as the eighth most populous state.

TheLouisville and Nashville Railroad(L&N) Company was founded in 1850 byJames Guthrie,who also was involved in the founding of the University of Louisville. When the railroad was completed in 1859, Louisville's strategic location at the Falls of the Ohio became central to the city's development and importance in the rail and water freight transportation business.

Historical marker from the corner of Second and Main indowntown Louisvilledescribing the slave trade

On August 6, 1855, a day dubbedBloody Monday,electionriots stemming from the bitter rivalry between theDemocratsand supporters of theKnow-Nothing Partybroke out. Know-Nothing mobs rioted inIrishandGermanparts of the city, destroying property by fires and killing numerous people.

Founded in 1858, theAmerican Printing House for the Blindis the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. Since 1879 it has been the official supplier of educational materials for blind students in the U.S. It is located on Frankfort Avenue in theClifton neighborhood,adjacent to the campus where the Kentucky School for the Blind moved in 1855.

"Sold down the river"

See also:History of slavery in Kentucky

Louisville had one of the largestslavetrades in the United States before theCivil War,and much of the city's initial growth is attributed to that trade. Shifting agricultural needs produced an excess of slaves in Kentucky, and many were sold from here and other parts of theUpper Southto theDeep South.In 1820, the slave population was at its height at nearly 26% of the Kentucky population, but by 1860, that proportion had dropped significantly, even though this percentage still represented over 10,000 people. Through the 1850s, slave traders sold 2500–4000 slaves annually from Kentucky down river.

The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of eastern slaves being split apart from their families in sales to Louisville. Slave traders collected slaves there until they had enough to ship in a group via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers down to the slave market in New Orleans. There slaves were sold again to owners of cotton and sugar cane plantations.

Louisville was the turning point for many enslavedblacks.If they could get from there across the Ohio River, called the "River Jordan" by escaping slaves, they had a chance for freedom in Indiana and other northern states. They had to evade capture by bounty-seekingslave catchers,but many were aided by theUnderground Railroadto get further north for freedom.

Civil War

UnionGen.Jefferson C. Davisshoots Union Gen.William "Bull" Nelsonon the steps of theGalt House

Main article:Louisville in the American Civil War

During theCivil War,Louisville was a major stronghold ofUnion forces,which keptKentuckyfirmly in the Union. It was the center of planning, supplies, recruiting and transportation for numerous campaigns, especially in theWestern Theater.While the state of Kentucky officially declared itsneutralityearly in the war, prominent Louisville attorneyJames Speed,brother ofPresidentAbraham Lincoln's close friendJoshua Fry Speed,strongly advocated keeping the state in the Union. Seeing Louisville's strategic importance in the freight industry, GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Shermanformed anarmy basein the city in the event that theConfederacyadvanced.

In September 1862,ConfederateGeneralBraxton Braggdecided to take Louisville, but changed his mind. There was lack of backup from GeneralEdmund Kirby Smith's forces. In addition, the decision to install Confederate GovernorRichard Hawesin the alternative government inFrankfortmade people think the state might change. In the summer of 1863, Confederate cavalry underJohn Hunt Morganinvaded Kentucky fromTennesseeand briefly threatened Louisville, before swinging around the city intoIndianaduringMorgan's Raid.In March 1864, Generals Sherman andUlysses S. Grantmet at theGalt Houseto plan the spring campaign, which included thecapture of Atlanta, Georgia.(As of 2014,that this meeting actually occurred has fallen into dispute.)

By the end of the war, Louisville itself had not been attacked once, although it was surrounded by skirmishes and battles, including theBattle of Perryvilleand theBattle of Corydon.The Unionists—most of whose leaders owned slaves—felt betrayed by theabolitionistposition of theRepublican Party.After 1865 returningConfederateveterans largely took political control of the city, leading to the jibe that it joined the Confederacy after the war was over.

During the postwar years, theFreedmen's Bureauopened a school, led by W. H. Gibson, and a bank in the city to serve the now free and growing African American population.Confederate women organized in associations to ensure the dead were buried in cemeteries, to identify missing men, and to build memorials to the war and their losses. By the 1890s, the memorial movement came under the control of theUnited Daughters of the Confederacy(UDC) andUnited Confederate Veterans(UCV), who promoted the "Lost Cause".Making meaning after the war was another way of writing its history.In 1895, in one of their successes, aConfederate monumentwas erected near theUniversity of Louisvillecampus.

Post-Reconstruction

Churchill Downsin 1901

James Callahanand other area businessmen organized theLouisville, Harrods Creek and Westport Railwayin 1870 and continued construction through theLong Depressionbefore failing in 1879. Although the LHC&W never reached beyondHarrods Creek,its service was continued by theL&Nand contributed to growth in the city's eastern suburbs, particularly after theLRCpurchased and electrified the track between Zorn Avenue andProspectin 1904.

The firstKentucky Derbywas held on May 17, 1875, at the Louisville Jockey Club track (later renamed toChurchill Downs). The Derby was originally shepherded byMeriwether Lewis Clark, Jr.,the grandson ofWilliam Clarkof theLewis and Clark Expedition,and grandnephew of the city's founderGeorge Rogers Clark.Ten thousand spectators were present at the first Derby to watchAristideswin the race.

A giant baseball bat adorns the outside ofLouisville Slugger Museumindowntown Louisville

On February 2, 1876,professional baseballlaunched theNational League,and theLouisville Grayswere a charter member. While the Grays were a relatively short-lived team, playing for only two years, they began a much longer lasting relationship between the city and baseball. In 1883, John "Bud" Hillerich made his firstbaseball batfromwhite ashin his father's wood shop. The first bat was produced forPete "The Gladiator" Browningof theLouisville Eclipse(minor league team). The bats eventually become known by the popular name,Louisville Slugger,and the local companyHillerich & Bradsbyrapidly became one of the largest manufacturers of baseball bats and other sporting equipment in the world. Today, Hillerich & Bradsby manufactures over one million wooden bats per year, accounting for about two of three wooden bats sold worldwide.

In 1877 theSouthern Baptist Theological Seminaryrelocated to Louisville fromGreenville, South Carolina,where it had been founded in 1859. Its new campus, at Fourth and Broadway downtown, was underwritten by a group of Louisville business leaders, including the Norton family, eager to add the promising graduate-professional school to the city's resources. It grew quickly, attracting students from all parts of the nation, and by the early 20th century it was the second largest accredited seminary in the United States. It relocated to its present 100-acre (0.40 km²) campus on Lexington Road in 1926.

In February 1882,Oscar Wilde lectured in the cityand on that occasion met Emma Speed Keats, the niece of his poetical hero (John Keats), who had settled in the city. She was the daughter of Keats' brotherGeorge Keatsand she later sent Wilde an autograph manuscript by Keats of his poem 'Sonnet on Blue'.

On August 1, 1883,U.S. PresidentChester A. Arthuropened the first annualSouthern Exposition,a series ofWorld's Fairsthat would run for five consecutive years adjacent toCentral Parkin what is nowOld Louisville.Highlighted at the show was the largest to-date installation ofincandescent light bulbs,having been recently invented byThomas Edison,a former resident.

TheColumbia Buildingwas the tallest building inKentuckyfor a decade

Downtown Louisville began a modernization period in the 1890s, with Louisville's second skyscraper, theColumbia Building,opening on January 1, 1890.The following year, famouslandscape architectFrederick Law Olmstedwas commissioned to design Louisville's system of parks (most notably,Cherokee,IroquoisandShawneeParks) connected by tree-lined parkways. Passenger train service arrived in the city on September 7, 1891, with the completion of theUnion Stationtrain hub. The first train arrived at 7:30 am. Louisville's Union Station was then recognized as the largesttrain stationin the South.

Interrupting these developments, on March 27, 1890, amajor tornadomeasuringF4on theFujita scalevisited Louisville. The "whirling tiger of the air" carved a path from theParklandneighborhood all the way toCrescent Hill,destroying 766 buildings ($2.5 million worth of property) and killing an estimated 74 to 120 people. At least 55 of those deaths occurred when the Falls City Hall collapsed. This is one of the highestdeath tollsdue to a single building collapse from a tornado inU.S. history.

In 1893, two Louisville sisters,PattyandMildred J. Hill,both schoolteachers, wrote the song "Good Morning to All" for their kindergarten class. The song did not become popular, and the lyrics were later changed to the more recognizable, "Happy Birthday to You".This is now the most performed song in theEnglish language.

Also in 1893, the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary was founded, building a handsome campus at First and Broadway downtown (now occupied by Jefferson Community College). Eight years later, it absorbed an older Presbyterian seminary inDanville, Kentucky.In 1963 Louisville Seminary relocated to a modern campus on Alta Vista Road near Cherokee Park.

20th Century and beyond

Early 20th century

Louisville, Kentucky,c. 1910

In the early 20th century, controversy overpolitical corruptioncame to a head in the 1905 Mayor election, called the most corrupt in city history. An anti-corruption party unique to Louisville, called themselves the Fusionists, briefly emerged at this time. Democratic bossJohn Whallensucceeded in getting his candidate,Paul C. Barth,elected, but the results were overturned in 1907. Elections gradually became less corrupt, but political machines would still hold considerable power for decades.

TheWaverly Hills Sanatoriumwas opened in 1910 to housetuberculosispatients. The hospital was closed in 1961. It was later used as aretirement home(1963–1982). It was unused for more than a decade until 1991, when it was reopened for tours.

DuringWorld War I,Louisville became home toCamp Taylor.In 1917, the English-bred colt "Omar Khayyam" became the first foreign-bred horse to win theKentucky Derby.Two years later, in 1919,Sir Bartonbecame the first horse to win theTriple Crown,though the term for the three prime races did not come into use for another 11 years.

In 1920, Louisville's first zoo was founded atSenning's Park(present-day Colonial Gardens), next toIroquois Park.Barely surviving through theGreat Depression,it closed in 1939. Its successor, the currentLouisville Zoo,did not open until 1969.

In 1923, theBrown Hotel's chef Fred K. Schmidt introduced theHot Brownsandwich in the hotel restaurant, consisting of an open-faced "sandwich" of turkey and bacon smothered with cheese and tomato.The Hot Brown became rather popular among locals and visitors alike, and can be ordered by many local restaurants in the area today.

TheBelle of Louisville,today recognized as the oldest river steamboat in operation, came to Louisville in 1931. That same year, theLouisville Municipal Collegefor Negroes was established to allow black Louisvillians to attend classes. (The college was dissolved into the University of Louisville with theending of segregationin 1951.)

Louisville during the Ohio River flood of 1936; the following year's flood was even worse.

On March 28, 1936, the river reached a level of 60.6 feet, flooding parts of the city.In late January and February 1937, a month of heavy rain throughout the Ohio River Valley prompted what became remembered as the"Great Flood of '37".Thefloodsubmerged about 70 percent of the city and forced the evacuation of 175,000 residents. In Louisville, 90 people died. At the crest on January 27, 1937, the waters reached 30 feet (9.1 m) above flood level in Louisville.PhotojournalistMargaret Bourke-Whitedocumented the flood and its aftermath in a series of famous photos. Later,flood wallswere installed to prevent another such disaster.

Standiford Fieldwas built in Louisville by theArmy Corps of Engineersin 1941.Bowman Field,a smaller airport, had been previously opened in 1919.

Louisville was a center for factory war production duringWorld War II.In May 1942, the U.S. government assigned theCurtiss-WrightAircraft Company a war plant located at Louisville's air field for wartime aircraft production. The factory produced theC-46 Commandocargo plane, among other aircraft. In 1946 the factory was sold toInternational Harvester,which began large-scale production of tractors and agricultural equipment.Otter Creek Parkwas given to Louisville by theU.S. Governmentin 1947, in recognition of the city's service during World War II.

Throughout the 20th century, the arts flourished in Louisville. TheSpeed Art Museumwas opened in 1927 and is now the oldest and largest museum of art in Kentucky. TheLouisville Orchestrawas founded in 1937. In 1949 theKentucky Shakespeare Festivalwas begun, and today it is the oldest free and independently-operating Shakespeare festival in the United States. TheKentucky Operawas started in 1952, and theLouisville Balletwas founded that same year, though it only achieved professional status in 1975. In 1956 theKentucky Derby Festivalwas started to celebrate the annual Kentucky Derby. The next year, in 1957, theSt. James Court Art Showwas started. Both these are still popular festivals in the region.

Decline in mid-century

Eight whiskey distilleries opened on 7th Street Road after the end ofprohibition,and Louisville attempted to annex them to increase itstax base.Not wanting to pay city taxes, the whiskey companies persuaded theKentucky General Assemblyto pass the Shively Bill, which made it much more difficult for Louisville to annex additional areas. The distilleries used Kentucky's existing laws (which favored the mostly rural communities in the state) to form a 0.5 square-mile city namedShivelyin 1938. Shively grew to include residential areas.

In 1946 the General Assembly passed a law allowing the formation of a Metropolitan Sewer District, andLouisville's Board of Aldermenapproved its creation a few months later. With the expansion of sewer service outside of traditionalcity limitsand laws hindering Louisville's annexation attempts, areas outside of the city limits that were developed during the building boom afterWorld War IIbecame cities in their own right. This status prevented their annexation by Louisville. As a result, Louisville's population figures leveled off. The incorporation of such several new communities contributed to the defeat of Louisville's attempt to merge with Jefferson County in 1956. Louisville continued fighting to annex land to grow.

Completed in 1963, the 29 story800 Apartmentswas Louisville's first modern high rise.

For a variety of reasons, Louisville began to decline as an important city in the 1960s and 1970s. Highways built in the late 1950s facilitated movement by the expanding middle class to newer housing being developed in thesuburbs.With the loss in population, the downtown area began to decline economically. Many formerly popular buildings became vacant. Even the previously strong Brown Hotel closed its doors in 1971 (although it later reopened).Fontaine Ferry Park,Louisville's most popularamusement parkduring the early 20th century, closed in 1969 as people's tastes for entertainment changed.

The once-strong farmer's market,Haymarket,ceased operations in 1962 after 71 years of operation. The final death-knell for the Haymarket, already in decline due to changing economic trends, was the construction of anInterstate 65ramp through the main part of the open-air market. Not only did interstates facilitate suburban living, they sliced through older city neighborhoods and often divided them irreversibly.

TheHaymarketin Louisville before its closing.

Another major (F4) tornado hit on April 3, 1974, as part of the1974 Super Outbreakof tornadoes that struck 13 states. It covered 21 miles (34 km) and destroyed several hundred homes in the Louisville area but was only responsible for 2 deaths. It also caused extensive damage inCherokee Park.

Despite these signs of decline, a number of activities were taking place that presaged the Louisville Renaissance of the 1980s.

Southeast Christian Church,today one of the largestmegachurchesin the U.S., was founded in 1962 with only 53 members. In 1964,Actors Theatre of Louisvillewas founded. It was later designated the "State Theater of Kentucky" in 1974. It has created a strong regional theater.

In 1973, the racehorseSecretariatmade the fastest time ever run in the Derby (at its present distance) at 1 minute 592⁄5seconds. Excitement over him raised interest in the Derby.

There were signs of revival in the 1970s. Throughout the decade, new buildings came under construction downtown, and many historic buildings were renovated. Louisville'spublic transportation,Transit Authority of River City,began operating abus linein 1974. And in 1981 theFalls of the Ohiowas granted status as a Federal conservation area.

On the downside, in the early morning hours of February 13, 1981,sewer explosionsripped through the southern part ofOld Louisvilleand near theUniversity of Louisville.The cause was traced back to chemical releases into the sewer system from a nearbyRalston-Purinasoybean processing facility.

Louisville continued to struggle during the 1980s in its attempt to redevelop and expand. It fought with other Jefferson County communities in two more failed attempts to merge with county government in 1982 and 1983.Barry Bingham, Jr.sold the family businessStandard Gravurein 1986, which sent the company into a major restructuring in the following years.The Courier-Journalwas one of the papers printed by Standard Gravure. On September 14, 1989,Joseph Wesbecker,on medical leave due to mental illness and work-related stress, entered the Courier-Journal building and shot and killed eight employees, injuring another twelve before killing himself.

Civil Rights Movement

Further information:1968 Louisville riots,NAACP in Kentucky,andJefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky) § Merger and desegregation

During theCivil Rights Movementin the late 1950s and through the 1960s, Louisville was affected, as it had maintained a segregated society. Civil rights groups undertook a variety of actions to challenge that. In addition, black neighborhoods had declined during the economic downturn of the city. Urban renewal efforts undertaken for ostensible improvements had adversely affected the center of their neighborhood.

After national civil rights legislation had passed in 1964 and 1965, African Americans continued to push for social changes. TheNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) long maintained an office in theParklandneighborhood, which had an African-American majority population. In Louisville, as in other cities, there was a political struggle between the NAACP and more militant activists associated withBlack Power.The latter's attempt to organize was one of the catalysts for the riot. In addition, feelings were raw becauseMartin Luther King Jr.had beenassassinatedless than two months before.On May 27, 1968, a group of 400 mostly African-Americans gathered for a protest in Parkland. They opposed possible reinstatement of a white officer involved in an incident where physical conflict had occurred in the arrest of two African-American men. The group was organized by the Black Unity League of Kentucky, known as BULK. BULK had announced that activistStokely Carmichaelwas to come to Louisville to speak, but he had no such plans.When the crowd gathered, speakers spread rumors that Carmichael's plane had been purposely delayed; protesters got angry, and a disturbance began.

The crowd's tossing bottles andlootingforced police to retreat. By midnight, rioters had looted several stores inDowntown Louisville.Cars were overturned and some burned. MayorKenneth A. Schmiedordered the 2,178 KentuckyNational Guardsmento help disperse the crowd.The mayor also issued a citywide curfew. 472 arrests were made during the riots, two African-American teenage boys were killed, and over $200,000 in property damage was done.The National Guard remained in place until June 4, 1968.Following these events, the city's demographics changed dramatically; the city became more racially segregated by neighborhoods, and more middle-class people, of both races, moved to newer housing in the suburbs.

Despite the Supreme Court's ruling inBrown v. Board of Educationin 1954, Louisville's public schools were still essentially segregated, especially as regionalresidential segregationhad become more pronounced due to other economic changes. In 1971 and 1972 the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union,Legal Aid Society,and NAACP filed suit in federal court to desegregate the Louisville and Jefferson County school systems. The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights also filed suit asking that desegregation be achieved through merger of the Louisville, Jefferson County and Anchorage school systems, to overcome residential segregation and the inability of the city to expand by annexation and take in a more diverse area.By February 28, 1975, the state Board of Education ordered the merger of the Louisville andJefferson County schoolssystems effective April 1, 1975.

On July 17, 1975, Judge James F. Gordon stipulated that a desegregation plan would be implemented at the beginning of the 1975–76 school year, to begin September 4, 1975. The school system used mandatory busing to distribute students to integrate the newly merged school systems. The students were bused according to the first initial of their last name and their grade level. The busing was to achieve certain percentages of racial diversity in schools regardless of where the students lived. In practical effects, the plan required black students to be bused up to 10 of their 12 years in school, and white students 2 of their 12 years. In 1978 the judge ended his supervision of the project, but the decree remained in effect in some places. The school system continued the busing system.In the mid-1980s, the school system restructured the plan to try to provide for more local schooling for students. Guidelines remained in effect for percentages of the student population based on ethnicity.

Revitalization efforts

Since the 1980s, Louisville has had a revival in popularity and prosperity. This can be seen in the many changes in this period, including a great deal of downtown infrastructure.

TheLouisville Waterfront Parkfeatures gentle hills, spacious lawns, and walking paths along Louisville's waterfront in thedowntown area

The retail environment changed here and across the country.Woolworthwent out of business in 1990. The building in Louisville, designed by architectFrederick W. Garberand completed in 1946, was demolished in 2004. The site was not redeveloped at the time, but paved for a parking lot.

Many cultural showcases were founded or expanded in this period.The Kentucky Center for the Artswas officially dedicated in 1983. In 1984 the center hosted one of theU.S. presidential election debatesbetween candidatesRonald ReaganandWalter Mondale.Today the center hosts many touring plays and performances by the Kentucky Opera and the Louisville Ballet. AnIMAXtheater was added to theKentucky Science Centerin 1988. Phase I of theLouisville Waterfront Parkwas completed in 1999, and Phase II was completed in 2004. Though originally built as a standardmovie theaterin 1921, theKentucky Theaterwas reopened in 2000 as aperforming artsvenue.

Louisville Falls Fountain,here viewed from Southern Indiana in 1993, operated from 1988 to 1998.

In 1988, theLouisville Falls Fountain,the tallest computerized fountain in the world, began operation on the Ohio River at Louisville. Its 420-foot (130 m) high spray (later reduced to 375 feet (114 m) due to energy costs) andfleur-de-lispatterns graced Louisville's waterfront until the fountain was shut down in 1998.

The headquarters of thePresbyterian Church (U.S.A.),the largest Presbyterian denomination and a pillar of the religious "main line," moved to Louisville in 1988. The move was the result of a concerted campaign, led byLouisville Presbyterian Theological Seminarypresident John Mulder, Louisville mayorJerry Abramson,and with a gift of waterfront buildings fromHumanafounder David Jones.

In communications,The Courier-Journal,Louisville's primary local newspaper, was purchased in 1987 by media giantGannett.TheLouisville Eccentric Observer(LEO), a popularalternative newspaper,was founded in 1990.Velocitywas later released by theCourier-Journalto compete with theLEOin 2003.

TheMuhammad Ali Center,alongsideInterstate 64on Louisville's riverfront

In 2003, the city of Louisville and Jefferson County merged into a single government namedLouisville-Jefferson County Metro Government.This merger made Louisville the 16th or 27thmost populous city in the U.S.,depending on how the population is calculated. The change enabled consolidation of some services and activities to provide better government for the region.

New changes and growth continued in the city. The entertainment and retail district calledFourth Street Live!was opened in 2004, and theMuhammad Ali Centerwas opened in 2005. Between the1990 Censusand2000 Census,Louisville's metro areapopulation outgrew that ofLexingtonby 149,415, andCincinnati's by 23,278.

Preservation and presentation of Louisville history

Since 1884,The Filson Historical Society(originally named the Filson Club), with its extensive collections, has led the way in preserving Louisville's history, and publishes articles in its quaristorical collections.

As of 2016, Louisville did not have a museum dedicated to the city's history. Various museums and historic homes present exhibits that interpret this history. These include the Filson,Portland Museum,Historic Locust Grove,Falls of the Ohio State Parkinterpretive center(Clarksville, Indiana),Howard Steamboat Museum(Jeffersonville, Indiana),Carnegie Center for Art & History(New Albany, Indiana), and theThomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History(Frankfort).

In 2004 TheFrazier History Museum,previously known as the Frazier Historical Arms Museum and the Frazier International History Museum opened ahistory museumlocated on Museum Row in theWest Main Districtof downtownLouisville, Kentucky.

See also

• History of Germans in Louisville
• History of the Irish in Louisville
• Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky
• List of mayors of Louisville, Kentucky
• History of Jefferson County, Kentucky
• History of Kentucky
• List of historic properties in Louisville (attractions)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Kentucky

Further reading

See also:Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky § Bibliography

• A place in time: The story of Louisville's neighborhoods.Louisville, Kentucky:The Courier-Journal.1989.
• Bell, Rick (2007).The Great Flood of 1937: Rising Waters, Soaring Spirits.Louisville, Kentucky:Butler Books.ISBN978-1-884532-82-5.RetrievedAugust 9,2015.
• Bernhardt, Carl (July 1930). "Certain Phases of the Origin of Louisville".Filson Club History Quarterly.4(3).Filson Club.
• Bush, Bryan S. (2008).Louisville and the Civil War: A History & Guide.Charleston, South Carolina:The History Press.ISBN978-1-59629-554-4.
• Bush, Bryan S. (2011).Louisville's Southern Exposition, 1883-1887: The City of Progress.Charleston, South Carolina:The History Press.ISBN978-1-60949-143-7.
• Butler, Edward Mann(April 1930). "An Outline of the Origin and Settlement of Louisville".Filson Club History Quarterly.4(2). Introduction by Otto A. Rothert.Filson Club.
• Deusner, Charles E. (1963). "The Know Nothing Riots in Louisville".Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.61:122–47.online
• Fischer, Greg.Germans in Louisville: A History(Arcadia Publishing, 2008).
• Greater Louisville Inc. (2006).Louisville Then and Now.Louisville, Kentucky:Butler Books.ISBN1-884532-68-3.
• Kleber, John E., ed. (2001).The Encyclopedia of Louisville.Lexington, Kentucky:University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-2100-0.OCLC247857447.RetrievedMay 14,2015.
• McDowell, Robert E. (1962).City of Conflict: Louisville in the Civil War, 1861–1865.Louisville, Kentucky:Louisville Civil War Roundtable.

• Webster, A. J. (July 1930). "Louisville in the Eighteen Fifties".Filson Club History Quarterly.4(3).Filson Club.
• Yater, George H. (1987).Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County(2nd ed.).Louisville, Kentucky:Filson Club, Incorporated.ISBN0-9601072-3-1.

Race, slavery and desegregation

• Adams, Luther (2011).Way Up North in Louisville: African American Migration in the Urban South, 1930–1970.University of North Carolina Press.online

• Hudson, J. Blaine, "'Upon This Rock'—The Free African American Community of Antebellum Louisville, Kentucky,"The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society109 (Summer–Autumn 2011), 295–326.
• Jackson, Brenda Feast.  "The Policies and Purposes of Black Public Schooling in Louisville, Kentucky, 1890–1930" (PhD dissertation, Indiana University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1976. 7702004).
• K'Meyer, Tracy E. (2010).Civil Rights in the Gateway to the South: Louisville, Kentucky, 1945–1980.Lexington, Kentucky:University Press of Kentucky.ISBN978-0813139203.RetrievedAugust 10,2015.
• K'Meyer, Tracy E. (2013).From Brown to Meredith: The Long Struggle for School Desegregation in Louisville, Kentucky, 1954-2007.Chapel Hill, North Carolina:University of North Carolina Press.ISBN9781469607085.
• K’Meyer, Tracy E. "Remembering the Past and Contesting the Future of School Desegregation in Louisville, Kentucky, 1975–2012."The Oral History Review(2019) 39#2 pp. 230–257online
• O'Brien, Mary Lawrence.  "Slavery in Louisville During the Antebellum Period: 1820–1860. A Study of the Effects of Urbanization on the Institution of Slavery as It Existed in Louisville, Kentucky" (PhD dissertation, University of Louisville ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1979. 1314778).
• Stafford, Hanford Dozier. "Slavery in a Border City: Louisville, 1790–1860 (Kentucky)" (PhD dissertation, University of Kentucky; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1982. 8309081).
• Wright, George C.Life Behind a Veil: Blacks in Louisville, Kentucky, 1865–1930(1985)online

External links

• Louisville Historic Landmarks & Preservation Districts Commission
• Kentuckiana Heritage Consortium
• Historical Resources On Racial Inequality In LouisvillefromThe Filson Historical Society
• Louisville Historical League
• Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
• Digital CollectionsfromUniversity of LouisvilleLibraries
  • Louisville Maps
  • Louisville Images
• Louisville Free Public Library:
  • African American Archives
  • Genealogy & Local History
  • Kentucky History & Genealogy Collection
• Louisville After the Bombings?– includes many photos of buildings no longer in existence