Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 58

Three especially significant historic sites that are listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and are part of the LMPRD system are Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing;
Locust Grove; and Portland Wharf Park.
Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing
The pre-Civil War Riverside, the
Farnsley-Moremen Landing is a house and
farm on the Ohio River in southwest Louisville.
Farnsley-Moremen abuts extensive 300 acres
of land owned by Louisville Metro
Government along the Ohio River, including
lands leased for farming. Built circa 1837, the
house stands as a testament to the important
role agriculture along the river played in the
development of our country. Two upper
middle class farm families, the Farnsleys and, later, the Moremens, brought the Riverside
property to life by cultivating the fields and trading on the river. Moremen family descendants
owned the property until 1988 when they sold the house and remaining acreage to Jefferson
County Government. Today, visitors to Riverside can tour the historic house and grounds which
include: the reconstructed 19th century detached kitchen, on-going archaeological
excavations (seasonal), and the kitchen garden where volunteers grow many of the same
vegetables and herbs that would have been part of meals served during the period. A modern
Visitors Center houses an auditorium, museum exhibits and a museum store. The house and
grounds have been renovated and are also open to the public for meetings and special events.
The Moremen Chapel was moved from its original location at Dixie Highway and Bethany Lane
to the grounds of Riverside where it was restored and is now used for weddings and other
special events.
Locust Grove
Locust Grove was built by William and Lucy Clark Croghan in about 1792. Situated on 55
acres six miles upriver from downtown Louisville, the Georgian mansion, its outbuildings,
collection and grounds tell the story of the Croghan Family including Lucy’s brother William
Clark who stayed at the mansion with fellow
explorer Meriwether Lewis. Lucy and William
reared their family and farmed their land with the
assistance of some 30 to 45 enslaved workers.
William Croghan arrived in the Kentucky territory
with George Rogers Clark, his future brother-in-
law, in order to survey the territory. George
Rogers Clark was a Revolutionary War hero and
founder of Louisville. The Croghan family sold
Locust Grove in 1878 to riverboat captain James
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