History of Louisville, Kentucky

Cities, 1778-

Louisville is the county seat of Jefferson County. It lies northwest of Lexington along Interstate 64, on the banks of the Ohio River. Fort Knox is 30 miles south.

George Rogers Clark, explorer of the Northwest Territory, led settlers to the Louisville region in 1778, and a settlement was established at the mouth of Beargrass Creek. The town was incorporated in 1828 and named for King Louis XVI of France in gratitude of French help during the American War for Independence. Louisville was a Union Army supply depot during the Civil War.

Greater Louisville is a diverse community with strong ties to its history as a major river port. One of the world's most famous horse races, the Kentucky Derby, is held there each May at Churchill Downs. The city is home to, among other educational institutions, the University of Louisville, the oldest coeducational municipal university in the United States, and the Kentucky School for the Blind.

Historic, cultural, and educational points of interest include:

• University of Louisville
• Bellarmine University
• Spalding University
• Sullivan University
• Jefferson Community College
• Churchill Downs
• Louisville Ballet
• Kentucky Opera
• Louisville Slugger Museum
• Louisville Zoo
• Speed Art Museum
• Patton Museum
• Colonal Harlan Sanders Museum
• Thomas Edison House
• Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
• Jewish Hospital
• Baptist Hospital East
• Norton Hospital