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Stations sprang up fairly quickly along Beargrass Creek in Jefferson Co., KY in the late 18th century. It was a time when thousands of settlers began pouring into all areas of Kentucky quickly needing homes and defense from hostile Native American tribes.
Probably one of the first settlements in the area was the one established by Col. William Lynn in 1779 on the headwaters of Beargrass Creek. He settled on a tract he may have selected as early as 1776 when he led an expedition down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. A large spring on the site flowed into nearby Beargrass Creek. Lynn Station became a very important well defended, populated and secure station. It was the safe haven many settlers sought when in danger of attack, and the station the survivors of the Long Run Massacre fled to in September 1781.
The Lynn family then decided to head west toward the Ohio River Valley. Brothers Andrew Jr., William, and Benjamin traveled to Big Redstone Creek to stay at Christopher Gists’ settlement near present-day Brownsville, PA. Their other siblings and father soon followed. Andrew, Jr. remained at Redstone while the rest of the family pressed on to KY. Sometime after 1784, Andrew Sr., his wife, son James and two daughters moved to Green River, Ky where Andrew Sr. died. In the mid 1800's a grandson of Andrew Lynn gave a lengthy interview to the American historian, Lyman C. Draper, who documented the life of many early pioneers.
Col. William Lynn proved himself many times in the course of his military service. As early as 1755, he served as a scout for Dunbar’s division of Gen. Edward Braddock’s Army in the British attempt to capture Fort Duquesne. He served again as a scout in Col. Thomas Cresaps unit at Savage Mountain in MD. William and his brother Andrew, Jr. served under Col. Cresap at the battle of Negro Mountain in 1757 during the French and Indian Wars. And both brothers served as volunteer rangers in Capt. Alexander Beall’s Co.
In 1758, they volunteered in Capt. Evan Shelby’s Co. in Gen. Forbes’ Campaign which drove the French from the Monongahela Valley region. Both were promoted to Colonel at this time. A year later, William joined other scouts in swimming across the Monongahela River to spy on Natives.
In 1761, two years before the end of the French and Indian Wars, he purchased 293 acres known as “Whiskey Mount” in the Monongahela River Valley. He lived there a while, but eventually sold the claim to Andrew, Jr. to move to KY.
The year 1774 found William again in service, fighting in Dunmore’s War under Major Angus McDonald in Ohio. It was also during this time that he became acquainted with George Rogers Clark. The Revolutionary War found William opposing Lord Dunmore, as Lord Dunmore had now become an enemy of the settlers who were moving westward in droves and wanting their own freedom and nation separate from Great Britain.
A year later, William Lynn built a crude cabin on Big Blue Lick (now Blue Lick Creek in Jefferson and Bullitt Counties). He did a lot of traveling that year, visiting Fort Boonesborough and Leestown (Frankfort) as well. He returned to PA to move his family to KY, finding that his wife Letitia had died leaving him with six children, two of which were twins.
His life was eventful, to be sure. In 1776, William embarked upon a mission to acquire gunpowder for the militia. He was responsible for transporting 9,000 pounds of powder up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, which he successfully did.
Sometime after this, George Rogers Clark (after leaving Kaskaskia) ordered John Floyd, James Harrod and William Lynn to meet at the Falls of the Ohio. They pushed on to Piqua on the Big Miami River, fighting with Natives who had allied with the British. William ended up at Fort Vincennes, IN and was then ordered by Clark to return to the Falls. During this time he constructed Lynn’s Station. An old account of William’s life states that the station was at the foot of present-day 12th Street in Louisville. Some historians and researchers suggest there were two Lynn Stations.
In June 1780, Ruddle’s Station in Bourbon Co., KY was attacked. Two of William’s daughters, Theodosia and Larnia, were married and living at the station at that time. The station was founded and commanded by Isaac Ruddle, whose son George had married William’s daughter Theodosia. His daughters were part of the group of settlers that were captured along with their families and marched to Detroit.
The previous year, William’s brother James had selected a tract of land on Harrod’s Creek not too far from William’s station to establish one of his own. Harrod’s Creek opened the way for settlers to discover what became Oldham Co., KY. That same year, 1779, William bought several tracts on Beargrass Creek when he temporarily settled at the Falls of the Ohio.
Beargrass Creek is divided into three branches which separate just east of downtown Louisville: South Fork, Middle Fork and Muddy Creek. The South Fork runs through Butchertown and Germantown to west of Tyler Park, through the Poplar Level area (where the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve is located) and the Fern Creek neighborhood. This fork originally ran through downtown, but was rerouted in the 1850s with the original route turned into a sewer.
The Middle Fork has two branches: Weicher Creek and the Sinking Fork. Weicher Creek flows from the Hurstborne Area, and the Sinking Fork has its headwaters near Anchorage, KY. They join in St. Matthews and flow through Cherokee Park until meeting the South Fork near the Bourbon Stockyards.
The Muddy Fork rises at a stone springhouse in Windy Hills and runs parallel to the Ohio River. It too was rerouted during the construction of Interstate 71.
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