• Westport, Kentucky, on the southern banks of the Ohio, has seen a lot of changes since Elijah Craig first obtained Westport as a 300-acre land grant in May of 1780, which at that time was part of the state of Virginia.

The Cherokee Indians had previously claimed this territory as part of their hunting grounds.

When Kentucky became a state in 1792, Westport was in Shelby County. In April of 1796, Mr. Craig sold this very wooded area, containing only a bridle path, to Joseph Dupuy and Harman Bowman who, in November of that same year, advertised the town lots for sale.

In 1798 Dupuy and Bowman established a public ferry landing in Westport on the banks of the Ohio River.

It was with great expectations that the two men proceeded to build warehouses to accommodate the expected river traffic, and by 1810 a total of forty-nine lots had been purchased in the town of Westport. In 1815 a U.S. Post Office was established in the town, and in 1823 the lines for Oldham County were drawn.

Westport was selected as the county seat and remained the county seat until 1838. Steamboats began coming down the Ohio River and began stopping at Westport. During the next decades the town of Westport developed into a bustling rivertown and shipping port with all the necessary elements of society in residence.

By 1860 Westport had reached a population of 500.

There were three physicians, one attorney and notary public, two magistrates, three blacksmiths, three boot and shoemakers, one cabinet maker, one carriage and wagon maker, two clothing dealers, one cooper, one milliner, two nursery and seeds men, and two plowmakers.

There was one high school, one public school, two hotels, three general stores, two grist mills, one steam and one water saw mill, a flour mill, a slaughter house, a distillery, a jail, a U.S. Post Office, a Methodist and a Baptist Church, one Masonic Lodge, and one Division of the Sons of Temperance.

After the Civil War, the population of Westport began to decline along with the declining river traffic, and in 1884 a severe flood destroyed all of the riverfront stores and homes which were never rebuilt.

Life and living continued in Westport for the remainder of the 19th century and throughout the 1900s.

Even though Westport has seen significant changes over the years, it remains today a small, quiet and peaceful Ohio rivertown with a community park, dock and boat ramp for residents and visitors alike.

*A self-guided walking tour brochure highlighting the historic homes and sites in Westport is available upon request.