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B−History
History · Jeffersontown

Jeffersontown dates to 1797, and 9 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #81 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it

Most of Jeffersontown was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1860.

1797founded
9on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Jeffersontown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Jeffersontown began

When was Jeffersontown founded?

1797

Jeffersontown dates its founding to 1797 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 315 in 18602020 census: 28,474229 years

How historic is Jeffersontown?

B−

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Jeffersontown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jeffersontown is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #81 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jeffersontown’s overall grade.
Founding era1797, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19402.5% of homes (±1.6) · typical KY town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register9 listings, 13 historic buildings, 4.5 per 10,000 residents · typical KY town 29.9 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 51%
NewerOlder
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 43%

Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Jeffersontown’s 4.5 sits below most of its state (33% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1797.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Jeffersontown’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos17 old photos, postcards and papers.On the map since 19076 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1994. Watch Jeffersontown change.Landmarks on the Register9 places on the National Register.Deep rootsEstablished in 1797: 229 years of Jeffersontown.
★ What stands out · By decade

Jeffersontown, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s17 items
Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery 8d31621v1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, 8d39842v1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, 8d39846v1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now…1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now…1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WP…1943Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, K…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WP…1943Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, K…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now…1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now…1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County communi…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA…1943Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, K…Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), now …1943Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunit…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County ommunity cannery, started by the WPA…1943Untitled photo, possibly related to: Jeffersontown, K…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Jeffersontown, KY Library Main Entrance, January 20232023Jeffersontown, KY Library Main Entrance, January 2023Jeffersontown Historical Museum Desks2023Jeffersontown Historical Museum DesksJeffersontown Museum Cash Register2022Jeffersontown Museum Cash RegisterThe Alexander-Ingram School in Jefferstontown, a suburb of Louisville, the Mid-South state of Kentucky's largest city2020The Alexander-Ingram School in Jefferstontown, a subu…The Confederate Martyrs Monument at the cemetery2020The Confederate Martyrs Monument at the cemeteryYenowine-Kennedy House Taylorsville Rd. Louisville, KY2016Yenowine-Kennedy House Taylorsville Rd. Louisville, KYJeffersontown KY 0222008Jeffersontown KY 022JTNPicture 0262008JTNPicture 026
On the map

Jeffersontown on the map, 1907 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jeffersontown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Jeffersontown on the 1907 USGS mapJeffersontown on the 1951 USGS mapJeffersontown on the 1960 USGS mapJeffersontown on the 1971 USGS mapJeffersontown on the 1982 USGS mapJeffersontown on the 1994 USGS map1907Louisville sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jeffersontown.

On the National Register

9 historic places in Jeffersontown

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
13
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Hazael Tucker House
Confederate Martyrs Monument in JeffersontownHazael Tucker HouseJames H. Funk HouseLeatherman HouseStucky HouseTway HouseBeechland, built 1812Andrew Hoke HouseJeffersontown Colored School
BuildingsObjects

Architectural styles listings

Federal3
I-House1
Greek Revival1
Georgian Revival1
Art Deco1
Confederate Martyrs Monument in JeffersontownObject
All 9 listings
Hazael Tucker HouseBuilding · listed 1980James H. Funk HouseBuilding · listed 1980Leatherman HouseBuilding · listed 1980Stucky HouseBuilding · listed 1980Tway HouseBuilding · listed 1980BeechlandBuilding · listed 1983Andrew Hoke HouseBuilding · listed 1983Jeffersontown Colored SchoolBuilding · listed 1985

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Jeffersontown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jeffersontown.

Read it all →

Before European exploration, this was occupied by succeeding cultures of Native Americans. They hunted the area for its rich game, including bison herds. The bison created paths through the forests and meadows for their seasonal migrations that were later used by Native Americans and, in turn, by Europeans and Americans alike.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jeffersontown, 1797 to 1966

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797
    FoundingJeffersontown is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1812BuiltBeechland is built
  5. 1817Post officeThe Jeffersontown post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1943In the archiveJeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery 8d31621v
  9. 1966Post officeThe Jeffersontown post office closes
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery 8d31621v
Retake this viewJeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson County community cannery 8d31621v, 1943

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Jeffersontown’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Jeffersontown, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00019001950200028,474

Grew from 315 people in 1860 to 28,474 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Jeffersontown’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Jeffersontown

Nobody well known was born in Jeffersontown itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
Joan OsborneAmerican singer and songwriter · b. 1962
Virginia PearsonAmerican stage and film actress · b. 1886
Lawrence WetherbyAmerican politician · b. 1908
P
Patty HillUnited States educator and songwriter · b. 1868
Edward Y. ParsonsAmerican politician · b. 1842
F
Frank PearceAmerican baseball player · b. 1905
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Jeffersontown had its own post office from 1817 to 1966.

Jeffersontown
1817–1966
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mansfield EstatesWatterson Woods
Gone or out of use
Plainview Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Jeffersontown
Country Home

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Jeffersontown’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJeffersontown, Kentucky. The Jefferson …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Forest HillsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMiddletown11 historic placesBDouglass HillsIts storyD−Blue Ridge ManorIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHurstbourne Acres1 historic placeDHurstbourne3 historic placesD

Questions about Jeffersontown’s history

What year was Jeffersontown founded?

In 1797, according to Wikidata. Jeffersontown’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1860 counted 315 people here.

How does Jeffersontown rank for history?

Jeffersontown is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #81 of 142 in Kentucky. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Jeffersontown?

9 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Hazael Tucker House (listed 1980, the first), and 1 object. 13 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Jeffersontown?

3% of Jeffersontown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1978.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.