FREE History Lecture Series: Riverfront Reflections
About this event
FREE History Lecture Series: Riverfront Reflections Location: Waterfront Park PlayPort 1105 Rowan Street Louisville, KY 40203 New Monthly History Series at Waterfront Park PlayPort Waterfront Park is launching a new monthly history series at PlayPort, closely located to both the Portland and Russell neighborhoods, right on the site of Jefferson County’s first settlement, Fort-on-Shore. Led by local historian Rick Bell, each session in the series explores a different topic related to the people, places, and events that shaped the city’s early history. Topics will include the founding of Corn Island, the creation of the Louisville-Portland Canal, the Great Flood of 1937, profiles on notable local figures, and storytelling around the development of our city’s waterfront from wasteland to a beloved community greenspace. Special attention will be given to the history of the Portland and Russell neighborhoods that surround PlayPort, the new experiential learning and play area. Each lecture runs approximately 90 minutes and includes a visual presentation and time for audience questions. Whether you’re a lifelong history buff or just newly curious, this series celebrates Louisville’s rich past while honoring the neighborhoods that helped shape it. History lectures are free to attend, the favor of registration is requested. Click HERE to register. Rick Bell History Lecture Series Tentative Schedule Sunday, October 12, 2025 2:00pm-3:00pm It all began here… PlayPort is located at the site of Fort-on-Shore, the first buildings erected in Louisville. It is just offshore from Corn Island, where the earliest settlers landed and built a stockade. George Rogers Clark led his Illinois Regiment against the British forts from this location. Sunday, November 9, 2025 2:00pm-3:00pm Below the Falls – We will discuss the founding of Portland, Shippingport and New Albany and the individuals who envisioned town building below the Falls of the Ohio. Sunday,
Sizable facility hosting educational programs & performances, including music, dance & theater.
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