River Mile: 581

Population: 253

U.S. Census Profile

Westport was established around 1792 at the mouth of Eighteenmile Creek. Originally called Liberty, it was the seat of Oldham County when it was formed in 1823, before it was moved about 8 miles to La Grange. A ferry served the town as early as 1800 and it was an important river shipping town, with steamboats stopping regularly. Prominent citizens built grand homes in the area, such as Capt. Jack Taylor’s “Hurricane Hall” on a bluff about a mile north of town. When the railroad bypassed Westport, economic decline came quickly, and then a major flood in 1884 that destroyed 27 buildings sent many people to more prosperous locations.