To unravel the mystery of Louisville, Kentucky’s first transportation token you have to go back to the early 1830’s. Louisville developed into a major commercial center and river port because of its location above The Falls of the Ohio River. Boats were forced to stop, unload their cargo and then carry it around The Falls in order to continue their trip South. Portland, Kentucky grew up just South of The Falls because the lucrative transfer business provided the foundation for a strong economy.
Tag: Louisville History
So, What Was the Junk War Anyway? Following Up on The Portland Anchor’s First Stories.
Learn the story behind the Portland Anchor’s very first stories and see how one little newspaper fought for change in its neighborhood still visible 50 years later.
The “Less than Great” Flood of 2025
The site of the city of Louisville is located on low and undulating ground with downtown Louisville surrounded on three sides by the Ohio River. Throughout the city’s history, water has risen above flood stage on the average of once every seven years. The lowest residential areas, Portland, Shippingport, West Louisville and the Point have suffered many minor floods. Approximately every fifty years the city has been invaded by major flooding.
Bardstown Woman Recalls Tragedy and Triumph Living on Shippingport
Read the story of 80-year-old Linda Kramer, who sat down with the Portland Anchor to discuss her memories growing up on Louisville’s historic Shippingport Island during its waning days of the 1950s.