'Frankfort' is the
capital of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky, a
state of the
United States of America. It is also the
county seat of
Franklin County. The city has a population of 27,077 (July 2006 est.).
History
Gen.
James Wilkinson purchased in 1786, the 260-acre tract of land on the north side of the Kentucky River, which is now downtown Frankfort. He was an early promoter to make Frankfort the State Capitol. General Wilkinson is called by some the father of Frankfort.
The town of Frankfort probably received its name from an event that took place in 1780's when Indians attacked a group of pioneers from Bryan’s Station who were making salt at a ford in the Kentucky River. One of the pioneers, Stephen Frank, was killed and the crossing became known as “Frank’s Ford.” Later this name was shortened to Frankfort.
After Kentucky became a state, five commissioners were appointed on June 20, 1792, to choose a location for the state capital. They were John Allen and John Edwards (both from Bourbon Co.), Henry Lee (Mason Co.), Thomas Kennedy (Madison Co.), and Robert Todd (Fayette Co.). A number of communities competed for this honor, but Frankfort won by perseverance and, according to early histories, the offer of Andrew Holmes' log house as capitol for seven years, a number of town lots, £50 worth of locks and hinges, 10 boxes of glass, 1500 pounds of nails, and $3000 in gold.
[1]
John Brown a Virginia lawyer and statesman built a home, now called
Liberty Hall in Frankfort in 1796. Before statehood he represented Virginia in the
Continental Congress (1777-1778) and the
U.S. Congress (1789-1791). While in Congress he introduced the bill granting Statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected a
U.S. Senator for Kentucky.
The
Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to provide a house to accommodate the governor in 1796. Construction was completed in 1798. The
Old Governor's Mansion is reputed to be the oldest official executive residence still in use in the United States.
In 1829 the
Old Capitol, the third Capitol of Kentucky was built in the
Greek Revival style by
Gideon Shryock. The building served the Commonwealth as its Capitol from 1830 until 1910.
During the
American Civil War fortifications overlooking downtown Frankfort were built on what is now called
Fort Hill. The
Confederate Army occupied Frankfort for a short time.
On
February 3,
1900 Governor-elect
William Goebel was assassinated in Frankfort while walking to the
capitol to be inaugurated. Former-Secretary of State
Caleb Powers was later found guilty in a conspiracy to kill Goebel.
The city has seen considerable growth since the 1960's. The State Office Building (SOB) was completed in 1967. Capitol Plaza was established in the 1970's. The Plaza consists of the Capitol Plaza Office Tower, the Capitol Plaza Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn, Frankfort), and the Fountain Place Shoppes.
Frankfort is home to several major
distilleries of
Kentucky Bourbon whiskey, including:
★
Ancient Age
★
Blanton's
★
Buffalo Trace
★
George T. Stagg
Historic Churches
★
Church of the Ascension,
Episcopal Church was organized in 1835 and is located at 311 Washington Street in the heart of Frankfort’s historic district and is on the
National Register of Historic Places.
[2]
★ Old
Good Shepherd Church Roman Catholic Church was built in 1850 and is located at 310 Wapping Street in the heart of Frankfort’s historic district and is on the
National Register of Historic Places.
[3]
Geography
Frankfort is located at (38.197274, -84.863110). It is in the
Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky.
The city is bisected by the
Kentucky River, which makes an s-turn as it passes through the center of town. The river valley widens at this point, which creates four distinct parts of town. The valley within the city limits contains "downtown" and "south" Frankfort districts, which lie opposite one another on the river. The suburban areas on either side of the valley are referred to as "west" Frankfort and "east" Frankfort, respectively.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.9
km² (15.0
mi²). 38.2 km² (14.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.87%) is water.
Frankfort does not have its own airport and all travellers should either fly into
Bluegrass Airport or
Louisville Airport.
Climate
Frankfort is located at the northern extreme limit of the
humid subtropical climate of the Southeastern United States. It is proximal to the climatic transition zone where the subtropical Southeast blends with and then eventually changes to a
humid continental climate further north (roughly just beyond
Cincinnati, Ohio and
Indianapolis, Indiana).
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 27,741 people, 12,314 households, and 6,945 families residing in the city.
The
population density was 727.1/km² (1,883.2/mi²). There were 13,422 housing units at an average density of 351.8/km² (911.2/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city was 81.84%
White, 14.70%
Black or
African American, 0.13%
Native American, 0.94%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.77% from
other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. 1.48% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 12,314 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were
married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,980, and the median income for a family was $47,855. Males had a median income of $31,339 versus $25,361 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $20,512. About 9.5% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Frankfort is the focal point of a
micropolitan statistical area consisting of Frankfort and
Franklin County as well as adjacent
Lawrenceburg and
Anderson County. The city has also achieved classification into a
combined statistical area with
Lexington and
Richmond to the east.
Education
Frankfort is the home of
Kentucky State University, a historically black university situated near the downtown area. Two
school districts serve the city, with two public high schools and one city high school located within the city limits:
★ Frankfort Independent Schools:
★
★
Frankfort High School
★ Franklin County Schools:
★
★
Franklin County High School
★
★
Western Hills High School
Frankfort also has several private schools:
★ The Frankfort Christian Academy (P-12)
★ Capital Day School (P-8)
★ Good Shepherd School (K-8)
Sister City
Frankfort has one
sister city:
★
San Pedro de Macorís,
Dominican Republic.
Notable residents
★
William Wirt Adams (1819-1888), born in Frankfort,
brigadier general in the
Confederate Army.
[1]
★
Elijah Craig, preacher and bourbon distiller
★ Paul Sawyier (1865-1917) was a Kentucky artist and an American
Impressionist.
★
George Graham Vest (1830-1904) U.S. Senator from Missouri, orator.
★
Elizabeth Ann Hulette (November 19, 1960 – May 1, 2003)
professional wrestling manager and valet. Attended
Franklin County High School
★
George C. Wolfe (September 23, 1954 - ),
Broadway producer/
playwright
References
★
1. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,
External links
★
Official site
★
Local Business Directory
★
Frankfort Information page from Kentucky Secretary of State
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