Louisville town charter
Collection — Case: 1
Identifier: 2022_062
A holograph two-page document, written on recto and verso, signed by Thomas Jefferson, notes, "Whereas Sundry Inhabitants of the County of Kentucky [Kentucky was then a county of Virginia] have at great expense and hazard, settled themselves upon lands at the falls of Ohio" then places one thousand acres in the hands of trustees to "divide into Lots of an half acre each, with convenient streets and public lots, which shall be of the same is hereby established a town by the Name of Louisville." While frequently referred to as the "city charter" Louisville was originally established as a town, making this, technically, the town charter.
1 item
Louisville's original charter was signed by Thomas Jefferson as governor of Virginia in May 1780.
Part of the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Repository