Kentucky Historical Marker #0909
Westport. First called Liberty, located on 1780 grant to Elijah Craig. Ferry operated here by Levi Boyer early as 1800 formed a link in route to Illinois country. Town became a port to the west-Westport. In the steamboat era, the town was a thriving port for shipping farm produce and receiving merchandise. The first county seat of Oldham, 1823-38, except nine months, 1827.
KY 524, Westport, KY, United States
Kentucky Historical Marker #2594
The Courthouse and Enslavement. Records related to the enslavement were common. Justice of the Peace William Gatewood was charged for the illegal hire-out of Mahala, mother of Henry Bibb's wife Malinda. Bibb, a famous abolitionist, escaped Gatewood's enslavement & created a colony in Canada for fugitive slaves. (REVERSE) Westport Courthouse. First Court session held here in 1828. In addition to indicting criminals and appointing justices of the peace, the court resolved sales, auctions, and escapes of enslaved people & settled disputes pertaining to slave hire-outs. The court moved to nearby LaGrange in 1838.
6920 Westport Road, Westport, KY, United States