Even though Kentucky is middle of the pack in terms of states by population , their capital city Frankfort is the 4th smallest of all. There are less than 30,000 people in the city.
For the most part it feels like any other small town. They have a small downtown business district.
Interestingly there is a freight rail line going down the middle of main street.
The town is quite old – it was established in 1786.
There are a few restaurants and coffee shops in town.
In the center of town is the Old Kentucky State Capitol. It was completed in 1830 and used until 1910 as the Capitol.
William Goebel was elected governor in 1900, and served for 4 days before being assassinated. He was known for being a deal maker, and a deal breaker.
He had gained so many enemies that he walked with bodyguards, but to no avail – On January 30, 1900 shots fired from the state capitol building – leading to chaos in the Kentucky state government. He died 4 days later.
As you drive around town you see an interesting mix of old and new, with nearly all the new being the government buildings.
The lampposts have banners celebrating famous Kentuckians – while Johnny Depp was born in Kentucky he was raised elsewhere
We are in Kentucky so we need to celebrate horse racing.
Much like many of the state government buildings, the county courthouse is modern as well.
The original state arsenal however, is not. It dates from 1850 and now serves as a military museum.
Across the river and up a hill is the ‘new’ state capitol grounds. Included here is the Governor’s Mansion – which in it’s Beaux Arts style bears a strong resemblance to the White House.
The new capitol building was completed in 1910.
The grounds look back down upon the town.
An additional annex building is located behind the capitol.
One of the most famous attractions is the floral clock that spells out Kentucky – although without a rise to view it from above it is tricky to see.
Frankfort seems an unusual place to have the state capitol, but politics often leads to unusual deals.
RDZ Photography 