Historic Frankfort Kentucky A Capital Adventure

‘Fun facts’ about our Kentucky’s Capital City

Do you love History?  Do you enjoy hearing about our ancestors and how each of their journeys helped pave the path to our future? Does walking historic neighborhoods, visiting beautiful architecture in historic homes and buildings give you the feeling of stepping back in time?  Then you must plan your visit to Frankfort, KY because Frankfort is brimming with history and culture that we would love to share with you!

The Kentucky capital city is known for having one of the most beautiful Capitol buildings in the country. Both the architecture and grounds are alluring.  Take a guided tour to learn what history has unfolded in this structure.

The Frankfort Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the gravesite for Daniel and Rebecca Boone.  In fact, Daniel and Rebecca Boone were the first to be laid to rest in the cemetery.   You can read more about that here This historic cemetery overlooks Frankfort and offers one of the best views of the city. Individuals are allowed to tour but please be mindful as this is still a functioning cemetery.

Frankfort is the birthplace of the famous Kentucky Bourbon Ball, introduced by Rebecca Gooch and Ruth Hanly Booe.   This story begins in 1919, when two substitute teachers decided to venture into business, something unheard of for women back in that time.  Learn more about their story, and get a taste of their success, when you visit Rebecca Ruth Candy Tours and Museum in Frankfort, KY.

We invite you to tour Historic Frankfort and follow along in our historic tale.

Find all tours here.

Architecture

Much of downtown Frankfort is a product of the 19th century. The sturdy, often Italianate brick buildings that make up the central business district were mostly built in the 1870s and 1880s. (Much of the core had to be rebuilt following a serious fire in 1870.)  Take a stroll through historic Frankfort with this Historic Walking Guide

Civil War History

While both North and South had sympathizers in Kentucky, the state initially took a neutral stance, and then sided with the Union. In 1862, Confederate troops invaded part of Kentucky, taking first Richmond, and then Lexington, and then Frankfort. They held Frankfort for only a month, however. To bolster the city’s defenses, two forts were built atop Fort Hill on Frankfort’s north side; they were instrumental when, in 1864, John Hunt Morgan attempted unsuccessfully to retake the capital city. Leslie Morris Park at Fort Hill commemorates this episode in Frankfort’s history.

Discover additional civil war- related places of interests and events in Frankfort, and all through Kentucky by following the Civil War Heritage Trail. This trail was created to observe the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and includes 36 historic and interpretive sites around the state – from battlefields and cemeteries to the birthplaces of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.

Cannon at Fort Hill, located in Frankfort KY

Kentucky Historical Marker Database

Since 1949, the Kentucky Historical Marker program has allowed communities across Kentucky to recognize and share the sites, events and personalities they consider to be important to local, regional, state or national history. To date, more than 2,400 markers help to illuminate Kentucky’s complex story. This database provides a comprehensive list of the Kentucky Historical markers and their locations.  Browse markers here.

The National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.  National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County

Switzer Covered Bridge, Franklin County, KY

Genealogy Resources

Does your Family Tree have roots or branches in Kentucky?  Frankfort is home to the premier site for Kentucky research.  Genealogists begin at the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library