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Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky

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Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Contents

Prior to 19th century

  • 1778 – George Rogers Clark settles on Corn Island.
  • 1780 – Louisville chartered.
  • 1798 – Jefferson Seminary chartered.

    • 19th century

  • 1807 – Louisville Gazette newspaper begins publication.
  • 1820 – Population: 4,012.
  • 1828 – John Bucklin becomes mayor.
  • 1829
  • Lewis Pottery Company incorporated.
  • Dover's Pottery in business.
  • 1830
  • Louisville Daily Journal newspaper begins publication.
  • Louisville and Portland Canal opens.
  • Population: 10,341.
  • 1831 – Louisville Lyceum established.
  • 1837 – Louisville Medical Institute founded.
  • 1838 – Louisville Gas and Water established.
  • 1839 – Kentucky Institution for the Education of the Blind founded.
  • 1840
  • Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company began on the banks of the Ohio River.
  • Louisville Collegiate Institute founded.
  • Franklin Lyceum founded.
  • 1841
  • Louisville Law Library in operation.
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville established.
  • 1842
  • Jefferson County Courthouse opens.
  • Mercantile Library Association founded.
  • 1844 – Louisville Morning Courier newspaper begins publication.
  • 1846 – University of Louisville formed.
  • 1848 – Cave Hill Cemetery dedicated.
  • 1850
  • Louisville and Nashville Railroad begins operating.
  • Kentucky Glass Works in business.
  • 1851 – German Protestant Orphan's Home founded.
  • 1859 – J. F. Hillerich in business.
  • 1860 – Population: 68,033.
  • 1862 – Board of Trade organized.
  • 1868
  • Fourteenth Street Bridge built.
  • The Courier-Journal newspaper begins publication.
  • 1872 – Industrial Exposition.
  • 1874 – Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association formed.
  • 1875 – Kentucky Derby begins; Churchill Downs opens.
  • 1876 – Polytechnic Society of Kentucky organized.
  • 1877 – Southern Baptist Theological Seminary relocates to Louisville.
  • 1879 – Kaufman-Straus department store opens.
  • 1880 – Population: 123,758.
  • 1882 – Louisville Eclipse baseball team formed.
  • 1883 – Southern Exposition begins.
  • 1884
  • Filson Club founded.
  • The Louisville Times newspaper begins publication.
  • Chestnut Street Baptist Church built.
  • 1886 – Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge opens.
  • 1888 - Louisville Camera Club formed.
  • 1889 – Union Station built.
  • 1890
  • Columbia Building constructed.
  • Tornado.
  • Population: 161,129.
  • 1893 – Southern Parkway opens.
  • 1894 – St. Peter's German Evangelical Church built.
  • 1895 – Big Four Bridge opens.
  • 1897 – Louisville Business Women's Club founded.
  • 1900
  • Louisville Bar Association established.
  • Jennie Benedict opens catering business.
  • Population: 204,731.

    • 1901–1959

  • 1905
  • Louisville Free Public Library, Western Colored Branch opens.
  • Louisville Gardens opens.
  • Jefferson School of Law opens.
  • Fontaine Ferry Park (amusement park) opens.
  • 1907 - The annual Kentucky State Fair moves permanently to Louisville.
  • 1908 - Louisville Free Public Library main branch opens.
  • 1910
  • Snead Manufacturing Building constructed.
  • Waverly Hills Sanatorium opens.
  • Population: 223,928.
  • 1920 – Population: 234,891.
  • 1921
  • Bowman airfield opens.
  • Legal Aid Society of Louisville and Urban League branch established.
  • 1923
  • Brown Hotel opened.
  • Brown Hotel chef Fred Schmidt introduces the Hot Brown sandwich.
  • Chickasaw Park laid out (approximate date).
  • 1926 - Zachary Taylor National Cemetery created by the Taylor family.
  • 1929 - Louisville Municipal Bridge opens.
  • 1930
  • Masonic Temple built.
  • Population: 307,745.
  • 1932 - U.S. Post Office, Court House and Custom House built.
  • 1937
  • Louisville Orchestra is founded.
  • Ohio River flood.
  • 1941 - Standiford Field airport built.
  • 1946 - Jefferson County Memorial Forest inaugurated.
  • 1947 - Standiford Field opens for commercial flights.
  • 1949 - Carriage House Players active.
  • 1950 - Bellarmine College opens.
  • 1952 - Big Spring Country Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Jim Turnesa won the event.
  • 1954 - The annual WHAS Crusade for Children telethon begins.
  • 1956
  • Freedom Hall opened on the Kentucky Fairgrounds.
  • Kentucky Derby Festival begins as two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby.
  • 1957 - St. James Court Art Show held its first annual arts and craft show in the Old Louisville neighborhood.
  • 1958 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1958 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of Kentucky won the National Championship.
  • 1959 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1959 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of California-Berkeley won the National Championship.

    • 1960–2000

  • 1962
  • Sherman Minton Bridge opened.
  • Mid-City Mall opened.
  • Freedom Hall hosted the 1962 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of Cincinnati won the National Championship.
  • 1963
  • John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge opened.
  • Freedom Hall hosted the 1963 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; Loyola University (IL) won the National Championship.
  • 1964
  • Kennedy Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) opened.
  • Actors Theatre of Louisville opened.
  • 1965
  • Louisville and Jefferson County Riverport Authority established as a public agency.
  • Republican Kenneth A. Schmied was elected mayor; he was the last Republican to be elected mayor.
  • 1967
  • Kentucky Colonels basketball team founded.
  • Freedom Hall hosted the 1967 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; UCLA won the National Championship.
  • 1969
  • Louisville Zoo opens as "State Zoo of Kentucky".
  • Freedom Hall hosted the 1969 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; UCLA won the National Championship.
  • Democrat Frank W. Burke was elected mayor.
  • 1971 - Romano Mazzoli becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district.
  • 1973
  • Democrat Harvey I. Sloane was elected mayor for the first time.
  • Triple Crown Winner Secretariat ran the fastest time ever at the annual Kentucky Derby.
  • 1974
  • Tornado occurs in the east end of Louisville.
  • Actors Theatre of Louisville opened is designated the "State Theater of Kentucky"
  • TARC began operating as the city bus line in 1974.
  • 1977
  • Foreign trade zone established for the Riverport Authority.
  • Democrat William B. Stansbury was elected mayor.
  • 1982 - Democrat Harvey I. Sloane was elected mayor for the second time.
  • 1986 - Democrat Jerry Abramson was elected mayor for the first time.
  • 1987
  • Kentucky Kingdom amusement park opened the Kentucky Exposition Center.
  • The Courier-Journal was purchased by media giant Gannett.
  • 1988 - Louisville Motor Speedway opened.
  • 1990
  • Thunder Over Louisville has its first annual event and becomes the first event of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival.
  • Population: 269,063.
  • 1993 - AEGON Center is completed and becomes the tallest building in Kentucky.
  • 1995 - Standiford Field is renamed to Louisville International Airport.
  • 1996 - Louisville Slugger Museum opened in Downtown Louisville.
  • 1999
  • Louisville Waterfront Park dedicated.
  • Democrat David L. Armstrong was elected mayor.
  • 2000
  • Louisville Slugger Field opened for the newly renamed Louisville Bats, who became a minor league affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds the same year.
  • Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual PGA Championship, Tiger Woods won the competition.
  • City website online (approximate date).

    • 21st century

  • 2001 - Louisville Bats win the Governors' Cup, AAA Championship
  • 2002
  • Louisville Extreme Park opens.
  • Valley Sports wins the 2002 Little League World Series.
  • Forecastle Festival begins its annual music festival.
  • 2003
  • City–county merger increases Louisville's total population to near one-million.
  • Democrat Jerry Abramson is elected mayor for the second time.
  • 2004
  • Fourth Street Live opened as entertainment complex/venue in downtown Louisville.
  • Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual PGA Championship, Hale Irwin won the competition.
  • 2005
  • Muhammad Ali Center opens as a tribute to the champion boxer Muhammad Ali.
  • The annual Abbey Road on the River is held in Louisville for the first time.
  • Jim Patterson Stadium opens.
  • 2006 - Churchill Downs hosts the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2007
  • University of Louisville competes in its first BCS game by defeating Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl
  • Thunder Over Louisville sets record crowd of over 800,000 people.'
  • John Yarmuth becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district.
  • 2008 - Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual Ryder Cup, the United States won the competition.
  • 2009
  • McAlpine Locks and Dam are expanded.
  • Widely publicized extortion trial between University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and Karen Sypher occurred.
  • Dedication ceremony held for Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park.
  • 2010
  • 2010 US Census Population: 602,011.
  • Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom closed due to the rejection of an amended lease by the Kentucky State Fair Board.
  • KFC Yum! Center opened as Louisville's new downtown multi-use arena.
  • Churchill Downs hosted the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2011
  • Democrat Greg Fischer is elected mayor after Jerry Abramson becomes Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
  • Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Tom Watson won the competition.
  • Sherman Minton Bridge temporarily closed in September after construction crews found cracks in the main load-bearing structural element.
  • Churchill Downs hosts the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2012
  • Sherman Minton Bridge reopened in February after months of repairs.
  • KFC Yum! Center hosted second and third-round games of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
  • 2013
  • Big Four Bridge opened as a converted pedestrian walkway from Louisville into Jeffersonville, Indiana.
  • University of Louisville won its third men's basketball NCAA Championship.
  • University of Louisville competed in its second BCS game, defeats Florida in the Sugar Bowl
  • 2014
  • Kentucky Kingdom reopened as Louisville's theme park.
  • Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Rory McIlroy won the competition.
  • Mayor Fischer is re-elected in November.
  • Construction of the Ohio River Bridges Project begins.
  • 2015
  • KFC Yum! Center hosted second and third-round games of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
  • Abraham Lincoln Bridge (part of the Ohio River Bridges Project) opened for public use.
  • 2016
  • Speed Art Museum reopened after a 3 1/2-year, $60 million expansion project.
  • Death of Muhammad Ali, his globally televised funeral procession, and private interment at Cave Hill Cemetery.

    • References

    Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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