LOUISVILLE’S CAVE HILL CEMETERY, A BRIEF HISTORY

Its beauty is unbelievable, which is why it is one of most visited places in the whole entire region, Cave Hill Cemetery, in Louisville, Kentucky. Cave Hill was originally a farm owned by the Johnston family, and at that time, was several miles east of Louisville. The farm had a freshwater spring coming from a cave. In 1788, the very first brick house in Louisville was built on the property. The farm had a great supply of stone that they hoped would be quarried for a new railroad, but like so many other stories in history, the railroad went another route. 

The Johnston’s old brick house became the city “Pest House”, this was used for people with infectious diseases. The house fell into disrepair, forcing it to be demolished in 1872. Also, in 1872, the Beechhurst Sanitarium which stood until 1936. Many of the people in the sanitarium and the Pest House were buried here in the cemetery area. As the cemetery grew, it gradually changed into the style of a garden cemetery, with beautiful trees, flowers, and lakes dotting the ground. Over time, many beautiful Victorian era monuments sprang up to honor wealthy families from the Louisville area.

The cemetery has well over 120,000 graves, spread out over 296 acres. The cemetery has a very large military section with over 5,500 Civil War veterans and other service persons. Several well-known people are buried here at Cave Hill, to include Colonel Harland Sanders,

General George Rogers Clark, Muhammad Ali, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr, the founder of Churchill Downs, and the Kentucky Derby, the Hill sisters who composed the “Happy Birthday” song, Nicola Marschall, the “Artist of the Confederate States of America”, and the designer of the Confederate, “Stars and Bars” flag, as well as the grey uniforms of the Confederate army and many, many others.

Thousands of folks a year visit Cave Hill, just to take a walk, or take in the beautiful scenery, and amazing graves that are here. The cemetery is well-known for its unique, extravagant, and one-of-a-kind graves. It is a popular spot for photographers that want to get one of the thousands picturesque shots that this place has to offer, and folks come from miles around to have their pictures taken here. Cave Hill is on the travel bucket list of many, and within minutes of visiting, you will certainly understand why. Be sure to see our video below from here.

-Col. Russ Carson, Jr., Founder, Family Tree Nuts