Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY - Worldwide Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

Cave Hill Cemetery is an important part of the history and culture of Louisville, Kentucky. The area was originally Cave Hill Farm, owned by William Johnston, and named for the on-site cave, which contained a spring from which Beargrass Creek emanated. City officials had purchased the land in the 1830s with the idea that a railroad would traverse the property. However, the railroad was built elsewhere, and the land was largely used for farming for the next decade.

In 1846, Mayor Frederick A. Kaye began investigating the possibility of developing a garden-style cemetery on the grounds, a popular concept at the time. Hartford, Connecticut civil engineer Edmund Francis Lee was hired, who planned a cemetery with winding paths, graves across the tops of hills, and lakes and ponds in the valleys. The Cave Hill Cemetery Co. was chartered in February 1848, and the cemetery was dedicated on July 25, 1848. Before the era of large municipal parks, it was common for cities to promote a garden cemetery as a green oasis and recreation destination, and Louisville was no exception.

The grounds contain the graves of many of the powerful and wealthy from Louisville's past. During the Victorian era, many families constructed truly artistic monuments as testaments to the individual's earthly success. As of 2009 there were over 120,000 individuals buried at Cave Hill.

Among those buried here include historical figures such as General George Rogers Clark, governors, mayors, artists, and successful businessmen such as Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. Also on the grounds are the graves of many soldiers from the American Revolution onward. This includes the Cave Hill National Cemetery and a cemetery of Confederate soldiers.

The coordinates given are for the main entrance on Baxter Avenue at the end of Broadway. A second public entrance is on Grinstead Drive. Public visiting hours are from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm daily.

The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The information given above has been taken from (visit link) and (visit link)

City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Not listed Approximate number of graves: Not listed Cemetery Status: Active Cemetery Website: [Web Link]

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