Timeline of Lexington, Kentucky facts for kids

This is a timeline showing the history of Lexington, a city in Kentucky, United States. A timeline helps us see important events in order, from the past to today.

The Early Years (1700s)

• 1775 – Lexington was started in what was then the Colony of Virginia.
• 1776 – Lexington became part of the new state of Virginia.
• 1782
  • May – The town of Lexington was officially created.
  • August – There was a fight called the Siege of Bryan Station.
• 1787 – The Kentucky Gazette newspaper started printing.
• 1789
  • A group called the Lexington Light Infantry was formed.
  • Transylvania Seminary, a school, opened its doors.
• 1784 – Mount Zion Church was founded.
• 1790
  • The population of Lexington was about 2,000 people.
  • The First African Baptist Church was founded around this time.
• 1792
  • Lexington became part of the new state of Kentucky.
  • The Kentucky legislature, which makes laws, began meeting here.
• 1796
  • An Episcopal church was established.
  • The Lexington Library was founded, giving people access to books.
• 1797 – Postlethwait's Tavern was built.

Growing Up (1800s)

Lexington, Kentucky, in 1871, seen from above.

• 1801 – The Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church was built.
• 1806
  • A new Court House was built.
  • The Sign of the Green Tree tavern was open for business around this time.
• 1808 – The Reporter newspaper began publishing.
• 1809 – The Lexington Jockey Club, for horse racing, was formed.
• 1810 – The population grew to 4,326 people.
• 1811 – Giron confectionery, a sweet shop, opened.
• 1812 – The Juvenile Library was organized for young readers.
• 1814 – The Hunt House, a residence, was built.
• 1816 – Usher's Theater was built, offering entertainment.
• 1818 – The Athenaeum, a place for learning, was founded.
• 1820 – The population reached 5,279.
• 1821 – Lafayette Seminary, another school, was established.
• 1823 – St. Catherine's Academy for girls was established.
• 1824 – The Eastern Lunatic Asylum, a hospital for mental health, was established.
• 1826
  • The Kentucky Association was formed.
  • The Masonic Hall was dedicated.
• 1830
  • The Lexington and Ohio Railroad was established.
  • The population was 6,026.
• 1831 – The Lexington Observer newspaper began publishing.
• 1832 – The Episcopal Burying Ground, a cemetery, was established.
• 1833 – A serious cholera epidemic affected the city.
• 1835 – The Frankfort-Lexington railway started operating.
• 1840 – The population was 6,997.
• 1844 – A new Market-house was built.
• 1845
  • Christ Church Episcopal was built.
  • The True American, an anti-slavery newspaper, began publishing.
• 1847 – The Licking and Lexington Railroad started operating.
• 1848 – The Lexington and Frankfort Railroad took over the old Lexington and Ohio Railroad.
• 1849
  • The Lexington Cemetery was established.
  • The Covington and Lexington Railroad began operating.
• 1850
  • The Lexington and Danville Railroad began operating.
  • The Maysville and Lexington Railroad began operating.
  • The population reached 8,159.
• 1854 – Sayre School was established.
• 1856 – The First African Baptist Church building was completed.
• 1859 – The Kentucky Central railroad started running trains to Cincinnati.
• 1860 – The Lexington and Southern Kentucky Railroad began operating.
• 1861 – August – Union cavalry soldiers arrived in Lexington during the American Civil War.
• 1863 – The Lexington National Cemetery was established.
• 1865
  • The College of the Bible of Transylvania University was established.
  • The Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College was established.
• 1867 – The Cincinnati, Lexington and East Tennessee Railroad began operating.
• 1869
  • The Louisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad combined the Lexington and Frankfort Railroad with the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad.
  • The Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad began operating.
  • Hamilton College of Transylvania University was established.
  • The Cemetery of the Union Benevolent Society No. 2 began to be used.
• 1870
  • The Lexington Daily Press newspaper began publishing.
  • The Odd Fellows Temple was built.
• 1872 – The First Presbyterian Church was built.
• 1873
  • Smith Business College was established.
  • The Trotting Track was built by the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders Association.
• 1874 – Lexington Railway Company streetcars began operating.
• 1876 – Gordon School for boys was established.
• 1877 – Saint Joseph Hospital was founded.
• 1882 – Floral Hall was built.
• 1887 – The Opera House opened, offering performances.
• 1888 – The Kentucky Leader newspaper began publishing.
• 1892 – The Lexington Standard newspaper began publishing.
• 1894
  • The Woman's Club of Central Kentucky was organized.
  • The Central Christian Church was built.
• 1900 – The population reached 26,369.

Modern Times (1900s)

• 1905 – The Lexington Public Library opened.
• 1907 – Union Station, a train station, opened.
• 1908 – The College of Law, State University of Kentucky, was established.
• 1910 – The population was 35,099.
• 1916 – Stoll Field/McLean Stadium, a sports stadium, opened.
• 1920 – The population was 41,534.
• 1922 – The Kentucky Theater opened.
• 1925 – The city celebrated its 150th anniversary (Sesquicentennial).
• 1926 – The Church of the Good Shepherd was dedicated.
• 1930 – The population was 45,736.
• 1931 – The Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center was established.
• 1934 – The United States Post Office and Court House was built.
• 1936 – Keeneland Race Course opened, and the Ashland Stakes horse race began.
• 1938 – The Lexington Children's Theatre was founded.
• 1946 – The F. W. Woolworth Building was constructed.
• 1949 – The Youth Symphony Orchestra became active.
• 1950
  • The Ashland (Henry Clay estate) museum opened.
  • Memorial Coliseum (University of Kentucky) opened.
  • The population was 55,534.
• 1951 – John C. Watts became the U.S. representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district.
• 1955 – The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation was organized to protect old buildings.
• 1957 – The Waveland museum opened.
• 1958 – An urban growth boundary was put in place to control city expansion.
• 1960 – The population was 62,810.
• 1961 – The Central Kentucky Philharmonic Society was formed.
• 1969 – Cliff Hagan Stadium opened.
• 1970 – The population reached 108,137.
• 1972
  • The Blackburn Correctional Complex was built.
  • The Lexington Council of the Arts was organized.
  • The Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government was established to manage public transport.
  • H. Foster Pettit, a former state representative, became mayor of Lexington.
• 1973
  • Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky) opened.
  • The Lexington Ballet was founded.
• 1974
  • The city and Fayette County governments joined together to form the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
  • The regional Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization was established.
  • The U.S. Federal Medical Center prison began operating.
  • The Festival of the Bluegrass began.
• 1975 – Lexington Mall was built.
• 1976 – Lexington Center and Rupp Arena opened.
• 1978 – The Kentucky Horse Park opened.
• 1979 – Kincaid Towers were built.
• 1980 – The population was 204,165.
• 1983 – The Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper began publishing.
• 1986 – The High Security Unit of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons began operating.
• 1987 – The Lexington Financial Center was built.
• 1990
  • The Lexington Children's Museum opened.
  • The population was 225,366.
• 1991 – The Arboretum, a botanical garden, was established.
• 1995 – The Aviation Museum of Kentucky was officially formed.
• 1996
  • The city's website went online.
  • The UK Soccer Complex opened.
• 1997 – The first shops opened in Hamburg Pavilion.
• 2000 – The population was 260,512.

The New Millennium (2000s)

• 2001 – Whitaker Bank Ballpark opened.
• 2003
  • The Dame music hall opened.
  • The Lexington History Museum opened.
• 2004 – The Kentucky Horse Park Arboretum was established.
• 2005 – Bluegrass Community and Technical College was established.
• 2009
  • The Boomslang (music festival) began.
  • The Alltech Arena opened.
  • The Lexington Film League was formed.
• 2010
  • The population was 295,803.
  • Lexington became the first city outside of Europe to host the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.
• 2011 – Jim Gray became mayor.
  • The first Harry Dean Stanton film festival was held.
• 2012 – The Town Branch Distillery opened.
• 2013
  • Andy Barr became the U.S. representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district.
  • Construction of CentrePointe began.
• 2014 – Redevelopment of the Fayette National Bank Building began.
• 2015 – Keeneland hosted the Breeders' Cup horse race for the first time.
• 2017 – The city's newest high school, Frederick Douglass High School, opened.