Smoketown, historically African-American Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States
Surnames/tags: African-American Black Heritage

A place to list, categorize and hopefully connect African-American people residing in Louisville.

What became known as “Smoketown” in Louisville got its start in the immediate post-Civil War era as thousands of black Kentuckians moved to Louisville in search of greater opportunity after Emancipation. One of the opportunities most cherished and sought after by the formerly enslaved was the chance to own their own home. Many early residents of Smoketown were able to achieve this goal, using their income as tobacco cutters, processors, or haulers to purchase houses in the increasingly-dense neighborhood. However, ecomomic fluctuations could upend the precarious credit arrangements that characterized the black real estate market in Louisville and downturns like the Panic of 1873 could put a damper on efforts to purchase a home. Groups like the Louisville Real Estate and Mutual Relief Association, which was formed in 1874, sought to help would-be homeowners, but many black Kentuckians found the obstacles to be insurmountable. Despite these difficulties, Smoketown became a vibrant neighborhood that remains a part of Louisville to this day.

^[1]

See also:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoketown,_Louisville
• https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/black-history/smoketowns-rich-history-with-*african-americans/417-187e999e-4d8e-4c04-b0c6-15071a8d346a
• https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fd9fb67dc0774235ada4edac960a2555

"Smoketown is a neighborhood one mile (1.6 km) southeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Smoketown has been a historically black neighborhood since the Civil War. It is the only neighborhood in the city that has had such a continuous presence. Smoketown is bounded by Broadway, CSX railroad tracks, Kentucky Street, and I-65." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoketown,_Louisville

RESIDENTS

• Billy Walker Famous jockey and trainer, resided in 100 block E Breckenridge St. ^[2]House no longer exists.

Sources

1. ↑ https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/821#:~:text=Historic%20Area%20%2D%20Many%20in%20Smoketown,remains%20in%20city%20of%20Louisville.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHGS-DWF : 1 February 2021), William Walker, 1920.

https://www.smoketownlouisville.com