INTRODUCTION

Louisville’s Fern Creek community is named after the creek that meanders through the area. The signs of progress along Bardstown Road in Fern Creek give no indication that the original road was carved by buffalo following a trail of water from the Ohio River to Salt River in Bullitt County. The original settlers of Fern Creek, Guthrie, Sheppard, and Shaffer were given land grants in the 1780s when the road was still nothing more than a trail.

In an effort to connect large centers of trade, the state of Kentucky commissioned the Bardstown-Louisville Turnpike Company to construct a toll road connecting those two towns. A tollgate was erected in Fern Creek upon completion of the road in 1838. Stagecoaches ran along the route until they were replaced by later modes of transportation.

The construction of the Louisville-Bardstown Turnpike encouraged Fern Creek’s growth, as farmers settled the land along the route, giving Fern Creek the name of Stringtown. The abundance of water sources in southeastern Jefferson County made it fertile ground for agriculture. Fern Creek was home to several farms, fruit orchards, and eventually, the Farmers and Fruit Growers Association, the Fern Creek Fair, and the Jefferson County Fair Company.

The rapidly growing transportation industry brought alterations to major roads like Bardstown Pike. In 1908, the Louisville and Interurban Railroad Company began a rail line to Fern Creek, where a terminal and a freight house were constructed. The rail service attracted developers, city dwellers, and eventually, suburban settlement. The Bardstown Pike was paved in 1922, encouraging further progress.

Improved transportation encouraged the first suburban development, and these large land tracts were divided for farms and other agricultural purposes, and later for residential use. Fern Creek has always been rich in natural resources, but the land had potential for further development given its strategic location along a major transportation route.

World War II brought significant changes to Jefferson County. Standiford Field opened as a commercial airport in 1940, and Ford Motor Company converted its assembly lines to produce military vehicles. The construction of the Watterson Expressway began in 1949, opening the door for travel and development throughout Jefferson County. General Electric broke ground on its Appliance Park in 1951, and Ford opened its Louisville Assembly Plant in 1955. Jefferson County’s focus transitioned from agriculture to manufacturing.

Though once an agricultural community known for its ample water supply and fertile soil, Fern Creek experienced changes in the 1950s that altered the landscape, transformed the economy, and impacted rural lifestyles. As the population grew and the suburbs expanded with the outgrowth created by the Watterson Expressway, more businesses and institutions opened along major transportation routes like Bardstown Road. The number of churches in Fern Creek grew significantly during that time. Some of the earliest schools in the area began in Fern Creek, and the high school was the first four-year program to be recognized by the Jefferson County Public Schools. With the addition of the fire department and the community center, the residents of Fern Creek developed a strong sense of community pride that endures today.

The community now stretches from around the intersection of Watterson Trail and Bardstown Road as far south as the Bullitt County line and as far east as Broad Run Road. Today, Fern Creek is home to three golf courses. One is on a pre–Civil War farm where a judge magistrate lived. Another has a clubhouse that was converted from a Victorian mansion, which later burned.

For all the changes that have taken place, the road and the community pride remain. Once known as the Stage Road, Jackson Highway, or Highway 31 E, Bardstown Road still follows the path of the buffalo and connects Jefferson County to Bullitt County and on to Bardstown. Like the early settlers of Fern Creek, today’s residents have all they need right here at home.