About Butchertown

Named for the butchers who developed their trade along the banks of Beargrass Creek, the area now known as Butchertown was settled by predominately German immigrants in the early 1800’s and was eventually annexed by the city of Louisville in 1827. The neighborhood was established to the east of downtown Louisville to take advantage of three features of the area: first pick of livestock arriving along the Shelbyville Turnpike, Beargrass Creek as a convenient backyard waste disposal, and, nearby, eager buyers awaiting a fresh final product in the city. The current boundaries are Interstate-65 to the West, Main Street to the South, Mellwood Avenue and Beargrass Creek to the East, and the Ohio River to the North.

While deriving its namesake from butchers, other industries such as cooperages, Louisville’s largest woolen mill, breweries, inns, tanneries, candlemakers, and soapmaking factories began to emerge to support the rapid growth brought about by the burgeoning meat business and the end of Civil War.

Butchertown is not known for its architecturally opulent homes, but for the integrity of the neighborhood fabric. From its very beginnings, Butchertown was a mixed-use neighborhood. Shotgun homeowners and tenants would walk to their nearby jobs every morning. Other prevalent home styles in Butchertown are the townhouse and duplexes. A townhouse is basically a two-story structure, which offered more living space than a shotgun. Duplex homes are two homes that share a wall and a fireplace. While the majority of homes in Butchertown are plain structures, owners have added architectural details increasing the character of their homes. Many homes have limestone lintels over windows and doors, or Italianate window hoods that add distinction to their façades.

By the 1960s about 50% of the housing in the neighborhood had been replaced by industrial/commercial use or demolished.  The construction of the I-64, 65, and 71 interstates and their interchange also impacted the neighborhood, particularly I-64 as it split the neighborhood in two.