Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1916



Louisville, loo'e-vil or loo'is-vil, the principal city of Kentucky, capital of Jefferson co., beautifully situated at the falls (rapids) of the Ohio River, 400 miles from its mouth and 130 miles below Cincinnati, on the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville, the Illinois Central and other railroads. Lat. 38° 12' N. ; Lon. 85° 42' W. The town is built on a plateau about 60 feet above the river at an ordinary stage of water and about 25 feet above the highest flood-mark. It has 7 miles of river-front and the even surface extending southward from the river affords ample space for the growth of the city in that direction. Three fine bridges, varying from 1/ 2 to 1 mile in length, connect the city with New Albany and Jeffersonville, on the right bank of the river, in the state of Indiana. A canal has been constructed at the rapids. Louisville is a city of attractive homes and beautifully shaded streets. It has a number of imposing buildings, among which the most conspicuous are the custom-house, court-house, and city- hall. Among the educational institutions are the University of Louisville and the Polytechnic Society of Kentucky, the latter possessing a museum, a gallery of paintings, and a library of over 50,000 volumes. There are, besides, medical, law, and other schools. Iroquois, Cherokee, and Shawnee Parks, laid out since 1890, add to the attractiveness of the city. On its eastern margin is Cave Hill Cemetery. The state blind asylum, containing a printing-house for the blind, is located here. Louisville is commercially one of the chief gate-ways to the SW., and its commerce has developed very rapidly as the result of its facilities for transportation. Besides the Ohio River, which is usually open for navigation during the entire year, there are 11 lines of railroad having their termini or connections at this point. The city is the largest leaf-tobacco market in the world, the Farmers' Tobacco Warehouse, with a capacity of about 7000 hogsheads, selling 30,000,000 pounds of leaf-tobacco annually. One-third of all the tobacco raised in America, or about 200,000 hogsheads, is handled here. The city has also an extensive trade in pork, wheat, and corn. Though Louisville may be said to be a commercial city, its manufactures are extensive. Among the principal establishments are its iron-foundries, tanneries, agricultural- implement works, wagon- and furniture-factories, leather- and cement-works, and factories for the manufacture of gas-pipe and water-pipes. Louisville is one of the greatest whiskey marts in the world, the Kentucky whiskeys, largely distilled here, having a wide reputation. Pork-packing is extensively carried on. The place was settled in 1779 and was named in honor of Louis XVI. of France. It was incorporated as a city in 1828. Pop. in 1860, 68,033 ; in 1870. 100,753; in 1880, 123,758; in 1890, 161,129; in 1900, 204,731.

Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher

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